79th STREET BOAT BASIN CAFE A magnificent open-air stone structure on Riverside Drive overlooking the Hudson, this trendy watering hole and grill is only a few blocks from STEPS and walking distance to Lincoln Center. No reservations are accepted, so be prepared to wait a good half an hour for a table. The fare is nothing fancy -- burgers and burritos -- but everything is charcoal-broiled a la a backyard bar-b-que and the aroma is divine. The margaritas aren't bad either.

CENTRAL PARK BOATHOUSE CAFE Catch the free shuttle bus either at Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street or Fifth Avenue at 90th Street from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., or during daylight hours, enter the park and walk the pleasant path. Be sure to make reservations for a romantic pre-dinner gondola ride around the Central Park Lake, starting and ending at the charming waterside cafe. Call (212) 517-2233.

MERLOT/IRIDIUM Right across Columbus Avenue from Lincoln Center on the site of the old O'Neal's Balloon, this futuristic fantasy looks like something out of Star Wars and serves appropriately stellar (albeit pricey) cuisine. Treat yourself at least once and look around for ballet notables at nearby tables. Tell executive chef Robert (Rob) Weiner that Sondra sent you, and that she recommends the halibut. Also, go downstairs to the Iridium Jazz Club for what New York Magazine called "the best jazz of 1995 and 1996." Call (212)363-7568 for Merlot, (212) 582-2121 for Iridium, or visit www.iridiumjazz.com.

O'NEAL'S/THE GINGER MAN, on 64th Street east of Broadway, boasts the legendary Robert Crowl mural of dancers painted during the late '60's and early '70's. The mural first hung in the original O'Neal's Balloon, then a favorite of Balanchine and Co., as well as companies on tour such as the Royal Ballet. Today, Lincoln Center performers still frequent O'Neal's. The food is very good, medium-priced (for New York, meaning $15-20 entrees) and you won't want to miss dining under the gaze of all those luminaries -- McBride, Villella, Martins, Von Aroldingen, Gregory, Dowell, Mazzo, to name but a few, all captured in their prime at the height of the Ballet Boom. Call (212) 787-4663.

GRAND TIER For ticket holders to performances at the Metropolitan Opera House (which for dance lovers means the American Ballet Theatre and visiting dance companies), this elegant restaurant serves pre-curtain dinners, intermission noshes and Saturday matinee lunches, either inside under the massive Chagall paintings or in fine weather, al fresco on the promenade. This experience does not come cheap, but don't miss it! Call (212) 799-3400.

THE SALOON On Broadway across from Lincoln Center, serving generous portions at moderate prices, this sprawling enterprise features a picturesque sidewalk cafe. Try the warm Grecian chicken salad, and see if you can spot the baby bunheads, SAB students refueling before the next class or rehearsal. Call (212) 874-1500.