These nostalgia-satisfying restaurants (1960 or older) still deliver on the plate if your expectations aren’t too high:
KEENS STEAKHOUSE, 72 W. 36th St. Great lamb chops (if not quite mutton) amid 1880s charm.
BULL & BEAR, 301 Park Ave. The Waldorf-Astoria has the city’s best old-school “hotel restaurant” with strong steaks and chops.
FORLINI’S, 93 Baxter St. Hearty red-sauce Italian dishes near the courts are actually more fun than the 1940s surroundings.
And these “iconic” spots leave me hungry:
RUSSIAN TEA ROOM, 150 W. 57th St. Oligarch-market prices, so-so food and 1990s decor masquerading as older.
SARDI’S, 234 W. 44th St. If only the dreary American menu lived up to the one-time Broadway hangout’s still gorgeous interior.
PATSY’S, 236 W. 56th St. Its tourist-oriented southern-Italian cooking has declined enough to make me skip the cozy 1950s Sinatra ambience.