RANGERS goalie Henrik Lundqvist, “Page Six Sean” Avery, his model girlfriend Hillary Rhoda, and teammate Aaron Voros at the opening of Lucy’s roof bar across from the Garden.

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Robert De Niro, John Heil, Curt Huegel, Mayor Bloomberg, Joe Daniels

Lenny’s was one of the first businesses to show support for the 9/11 Memorial.

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, today joined 9/11 Memorial Board Members Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal and 9/11 Memorial President Joe Daniels to encourage businesses to take part in an initiative benefiting the Memorial called “Signs of Support.”

Signs of Support is a program that welcomes participating businesses to show their support of the 9/11 Memorial publicly by proudly displaying a special decal on their front doors or windows. The decal is a symbol of the spirit of unity behind building the 9/11 Memorial. In the aftermath of the attacks, local businesses joined together in solidarity to help the downtown economy rebound and encourage the rebuilding of the area.

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A secret garden near the Garden

Italianish cuisine with the Devils at Penn Plaza’s Lugo Caffé.

I couldn’t get any of my usual reviewing dinner pals to go to Lugo Caffé. As soon as I said, “Penn Plaza near Madison Square Garden,” they would ask, “What else is on your list?” Then dramaturge nephew Gabe and wife Mia came to town from La Jolla, not so hip to Manhattan geography. I spot them happily settled at the bar, wide-screen video on either side, “La Dolce Vita” motto overhead, all set for a glamorous New York evening with Aunt Gael. We retreat to the quieter back room with its wall of wine and frieze of stills from Italian movies, Marcello Mastroianni staring down at us.

And please don’t accuse me of throwing these innocents to the wolves. Tao and Rue 57 veteran chef Sam Hazen had e-mailed me that he’d done a great job shaking up the kitchen as the consultant here. I expected to eat well. I don’t know what was there before Sam arrived, but what we’re sharing tonight is mostly delicious Italianish food for New Yorkers—excessive, occasionally a bit over the top—as in the good but not-very-Italian meatball pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, roasted tomato and the vaguely annoying sweetness of caramelized onions. I’m surprised to see the chef here on a Saturday night, stopping by to wow our guests with reports of athlete sightings—New York Giants, New Jersey Devils, a special thrill for hockey stalwart Mia (yes, they do play women’s hockey in San Diego).

And just as Mr. Hazen had boasted to lure me here, the huge and crunchy pork shank, layered with juicy morsels of pig under crisped fat skin, is a winner. It arrives on a not-quite-large-enough wooden board for us to carve at the table, scattering garlands of chopped peppers both sweet and hot. Enough for four, maybe enough for six. Certainly too much for us after marvelous balloon meatballs and the platter of prosciutto and house-made mozzarella with fig jam—sent by the chef—plus crispy baby artichokes with tangy lemon aioli, tuna tartare and a trio of vegetable antipasti we ordered and two pastas we’d already divided. Menus with so many different categories are brilliantly designed to trick the hungry into ordering more. Still, the pricing is gentle: $4 for a vegetable tasting bowl, entrées $24 to $29, desserts starting at $7.

Not that I would have skipped the first-rate bucatini alla matriciana, remarkably al dente. Fruity Dolcetto d’Alba, just $35 on a list of vini della casa, is perfect with all of these show-off flavors.

Be warned, there is less pleasure in ahi tuna tartare, overwhelmed by cured tomato. And I sent back the eggplant caponata and the brussels sprouts that tasted as if someone had salted them twice.

A week later, my guy Stephen and I return to taste more. We share a marvelous whole-leaf romaine Caesar and textbook-perfect linguine alla vongole with arugula sprouts. The house stocks Clausthaler, his favorite nonalcoholic beer, and skirt steak is one of his favorite cuts. Tonight’s is chewy and rare and very good once we’ve cut away the mahogany edge that tastes overly salty from its marinade. I’m unhappy with the excessive oiliness of the wild mushroom pizza. Mr. Hazen—caught standing at the door as we arrive with no reservation—stops by our table later and defends the pizza, saying it’s oily from the provolone cheese and truffle preserved in oil. I guess we’ll be trying the Margherita next time, even if Lugo remains our own secret “garden,” along with that of the sports fans and concert-goers filling the terrace tables tonight.

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Waiting on the platform at Valley Stream station we couldn’t help but notice this young girl wearing a white see through shirt accompanied by some barely there booty shorts. I realized that we had something in common. We were both starving. She was starved for attention, and we were starving for some delicious NYC cuisine.

Our mission for the day was finding a quick bite to eat around Madison Square Garden. Midtown Manhattan is not really known for its culinary aspects; instead it is mostly filled with quick food joints that fill you up, cost more than they should, and leave you wishing you’d gone somewhere else. With all the flow of people and the hustle and bustle of tourists in this area, you’d think there’d be more quick and delicious restaurants. There very well may be, but finding a place with the right balance of taste, affordability, and atmosphere are shadowed by stores and souvenir shops. Since Mcdonalds and Chipotle don’t fit in my pallet, we were determined to find all of you a delicious meal in an area of great convenience.

After a quick walk around, we noticed a place across MSG with tables and red umbrellas called Lugo. It didn’t seem that busy (it was about 730 on a saturday), so with a quick look at the menu we decided that this was the place. Greeted and seated immediately, the first thing that stood out was that this was a very big restaurant. Huge windows lined the walls and the natural lighting added a warm feeling to this place. There was a neat wine wall in the center, and random spaces filled with bottles of olive oil, bouques of fresh pasta and artichokes.

Faustina in the Cooper Square Hotel

Scott Conant brings his high Italian cuisine to the Cooper Square Hotel. Faustina’s menu diverges from Scarpetta’s featuring some surprising dishes in a small plate format. The restaurant is still true to Scott’s simplicity and goodness, but with a new vibe that attracts a fashionable crowd.

Sam Hazen, known for his success in creating some of the highest-grossing restaurants, has joined LDV Hospitality! He is first working to help revamp Lugo Caffe’s menu with some new and exciting Italian flavors. He will also be working to make the Lugo Caffe kitchen more efficient kitchen as it expands into other markets, the first being Seoul, Korea.

Stop by Lugo Caffe, in One Penn Plaza, to see and taste Sam’s influences!