Fashion Plates

BEST BURGER: Sure you can find them gorged with gorgonzola or filled with foie gras, but if you want the best burger in town, haute is out.Paper plates, eight ounces of juicy grilled beef, the best fries ever and $2.50 pints of McSorley Ale make the Corner Bistro the ultimate burger joint.But prepare to queue for your cow.With a pub-perfect setting, and Red, perhaps the city’s most charactered bartender, doling out drinks with the dexterity of Tom Cruise in “Cocktail,” this landmark is perennially packed.

CORNER BISTRO: 331 W. 4th Street, New York, NY 10014 VISIT: cornerbistro.ypguides.net

MOST DECADENT CUPCAKES: We’ll always love Magnolia, but if you prefer to sip more than milk while you sup, hit the Red Velvet Lounge. This new bakery-slash-lounge serves up cocktails inside of cupcakes, mixed by cake queen Melissa Bushell and renowned cocktail consultant Charlotte Voisey. Jameson and espresso wake up chocolate cakes, while rum infuses the vanilla versions. Looking for the ultimate celebration cupcake? Try the Ace of Spades: two dozen bite-size pink velvet cupcakes topped with Perrier Jouet Rose-infused frosting and real gold flake sprinkles served, of course, with a magnum of Perrier Jouet Rose. At $1,850, it tops the list of most expensive baked good in the world.

RED VELVET LOUNGE: 174 Rivington Street, New York, NY 10002 CALL: 212.673.5020

HOTTEST HOT SPOT: Set along the $2.4 million marble halls that were once the Biltmore Room, Danny Kane and Rod Surut (Naked Lunch) bring you The Gates: an opulent, semi-private lounge/restaurant that fills its banquettes and bar stools with high-profile members who, having been deemed worthy, are actually given a key to the castle. If you’re not a key-holder and can charm your way past the gatekeeper, non-members are welcome.

THE GATES: 290 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10001 VISIT: www.thegatesnyc.com