The TableXchange community is all about fine dining on short notice. The restaurants on our list are the most celebrated around We are often asked our opinions on a variety of topics and this is the first of many “lists” showcasing the finest New York City has to offer. These are our favorite places to grab at bite at 2:00 AM when you want a little nosh and your stomach is empty again since your 7:30 Nobu dinner.

5. Allen and Delancy - Late night menu until 2:00 AM

Allen and Delancy is the latest entrant into the late night fine dining scene. The restaurant oozes Lower East Side panache with dim lighting and thick red velvet curtains. The menu speaks of sophistication as Chef Neil Ferguson brings with him the haute cuisine of Gordon Ramsey. The late evening supper menu lacks the full elegance of the dinner menu yet braised lamb middlenecks with a garlic pomme puree will do wonders after a few of their pisco sour specialty cocktails.

4. The Spotted Pig - The kitchen remains open until 2:00 AM

See and be seen at The Spotted Pig all hours of the night. The Spotted Pig exemplifies the New York City gastropub scene with micro beers and specialty cocktails. Float in early at 11:00 PM before you hit the clubs for a Jerusalem Artichoke Salad with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts or pop in closer to 2:00 AM to recap your night over a Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestring. Either way, do not be surprised if the fashion model at the next booth over graced the cover of last week’s Esquire magazine.

3. Pastis - Supper served until 3:00 AM

Keith McNally understands the science of maintaining a restaurant’s viability and social status. The late supper menu at Pastis further corroborates this fact. Pastis hits on all cylinders: 1) McNally backing 2) Location 3) Fantastic menu 4) Cracking energy 5) Celebrities.

Guests arrives in droves to share bites to eat at the bar dining room and recant stores of romance and lust from a long evening at one of the areas many clubs and lounges.

2. La Esquina Brasserie - Full menu until 2:00 and the Taqueria remains open until 5:00

The Generation X’ers (ourselves included) love cheap, fun eats after a night in the Lower East Side. The Brasserie serves a full menu until 2:00 AM. Getting through to the receptionist to snag a reservation is as hard as reserving a tee time at Pebble Beach. For those 8:00 PM reservations check out TableXchange. Otherwise, stop by any time before 2:00 AM. And for those really late nights visit the La Esquina Taqueria until 5:00 AM. Late night eats never tasted so good.

1. Blue Ribbon - Gloriously serving food until 4:00.

Blue Ribbon is often regarded as the premier late night dining experience in New York City. The eclectic menu reflects the varied tastes and imaginations of its chefs and owners, Bruce & Eric Bromberg.

Restaurateurs across Manhattan regard Blue Ribbon as a “Chef’s” restaurant - a place for the city’s finest but often less appreciated chefs to go with coworkers, compatriots and friends for a few (or many) beers and fine food after their shifts have ended at 1:00 AM.

Mario Batali has been known to grace the tables of Blue Ribbon until the wee hours of morning. His presence alone should make it worthwhile of the # 1 position.

One name stands out above the rest – Babbo. Everyone knows Mario Batali. The most popular chef in Manhattan had been a common face on the food network until they recently gave him the boot. Regardless, we all know the difficulty of snagging one of these coveted reservations. Reservations open up one month in advance at 10:00 AM. Unlike other restaurants, Mario does not have a dozen receptionists manning the phones to record the reservations at Babbo. Instead, would-be diners often hear busy signals for over an hour only to find a fully booked restaurant when the phone finally rings through. The outrage is palpable – trust me, I know as it’s happened to me too.

The food is sublime and worth the pains of getting through to the receptionist. As with most of the New York’s finest restaurants, reservations pop on tablexchange regularly if you covet that last minute steal. Otherwise, try calling for a Sunday or Monday evening when it’s slightly (and only just so) less busy. Also, if you do not mind eating a little earlier you can usually get a walk-in table if you do not mind arriving by 6:00. When you finally make it in to dine be sure to order the Mint Love Letters. You will not be disappointed.

A few days ago, we added the ability to send an SMS confirmation of your purchased reservation to your mobile phone. We offer the option to send the restaurant’s address along with the reservation info so you have easy access to it while you’re on the move. As with emails and user information, we do not sell or distribute mobile numbers in anyway. Everything is and will be opt-in or controllable within the My Account section.

The feature was added in response to the growing requests for mobile support around our site. We’re pretty excited about this and the other mobile projects we have underway! There’s more to come…

Alright…..so welcome to the long awaited TableXchange blog! Since we launched the marketplace in June of last year we have had seen a meteoric rise in user and transaction flow on our system. Making a marketplace in reservations has been labeled a fairly “radical” idea, but clearly based on the level of adoption it’s not as controversial as you seem to think. Additionally the press has been phenomenal, highlighting our innovative service countless times and getting the word out there. We thank you all for that.

That being said we aren’t resting on our laurels. We have big plans for the remainder of 2008, including potential mobile initiatives and new city roll-outs. In response to your demands, we are also trying to work with restaurateurs in developing exclusive relationships and provide you preferential treatment at these restaurants. As always we welcome your comments on how we can improve our system or tips on what’s going on out there so send them over to blog@tablexchange.com.

Stay tuned….

The TableX Team