June 22 (Bloomberg) -- Friends often ask: Where can we eat around Bloomingdale’s and/or Barneys? Often, they’ve got visitors and they know the other local B, as in Bloomberg, shares a courtyard with Le Cirque. So surely we know.

We do. Here’s a selection of lunch places not more than a five-minute walk away, and not more than $30.

Felidia’s sunlit dining room is pleasantly unbuzzy. It’s quiet. You can talk. Great for meetings or after stressful shopping. The $29.50 three-course lunch menu comes with a long list of options.

We liked the huge solo seared scallop on a bed of spinach, and the ravioli filled with pear and pecorino. Traditional dishes include braised tripe with polenta or boiled beef with pickled fiddleheads, ramps and cauliflower served on a dish dotted with sauces of red bell pepper, horseradish mustard and salsa verde.

For dessert: crepes filled with apples or a tiramisu of lady fingers soaked in limoncello with mascarpone cream.

Felidia is at 243 E. 58th St. Information: +1-212-758-1479; http://www.felidia-nyc.com.

Eggs and Avocado

Davidburke Townhouse mixes traditional moldings and chandeliers with vibrant red furniture and geometric-pattern carpets.

The $24 menu offers a medley of flavors and textures. Start with the scrambled eggs with avocado and cheese served in an ostrich egg or piquant tomato soup with creme fraiche. Next, a tall tower of a sandwich: grilled chicken, asparagus spears, bacon, lettuce and tomato or a flat-iron steak with mushrooms and whipped potatoes. For dessert, butterscotch panna cotta or a flaky apple tart.

Davidburke Townhouse is at 133 E. 61st St. Information: +1- 212-813-2121; http://www.davidburketownhouse.com.

Espresso Gelato

Mia Dona’s long interior with its bar at the entrance and succession of spaces is good for both business and casual dining. The $24.07 prix-fixe menu includes starters of the restaurant’s popular meatballs, pasta bean soup drizzled with olive oil or fried calamari with a garlic aioli.

Chicken is crisp on the outside, juicy within; grilled branzino is served with olives and potatoes in a buttery pan jus. Tiramisu gets an extra jolt of caffeine with espresso gelato; maple panna cotta comes adorned with an anise wafer.

For privacy, request a table in the back “library” lined with shelves of white-paper-covered books.

Mia Dona is at 206 E. 58th St. Information: +1-212-750- 8170; http://www.miadona.com.

Layered Eggplant

Persephone, a charming Greek taverna with colorfully striped ceiling beams and walls lined with photographs, serves a three-course lunch for $24.07.

To start, there’s charcoal-grilled calamari with an herbed lemon sauce or a bean soup with onions and olive oil. Next, mousakka -- eggplant layered with braised lamb and bechamel sauce; or spiced meatballs with yogurt and pilaf. For dessert, creamy rice pudding or a plate of Greek cookies.

Persephone is at 115 E. 60th Street. Information: +1-212- 339-8363; http://www.persephonenyc.com.

Brussels Import

Rouge Tomate, a Brussels import, is housed in an airy, bright, two-level space with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on leafy 60th Street.

Chef Jeremy Bearman consults with Natalia Rusin, a culinary nutritionist, and uses fresh seasonal produce enhanced by simple seasoning and cooking. The results are impressive: natural tastes and textures in dishes such as chilled asparagus served with smoked chicken and minted yogurt; house-cured sardines with red pepper vinaigrette; or Alaskan halibut with a radish and carrot saffron broth. End with a chocolate trio: sorbet, devil’s food cake and silken pudding.

The $29 three-course business lunch menu changes daily.

Rouge Tomate is at 10 E. 60th St. Information: +1-646-237- 8977; http://www.rougetomatenyc.com.

Lobster Risotto

Le Cirque marks its 35th anniversary with a $35 three course-dinner at its casual cafe. For lunch, the same menu is available for just $28.

Start with a luxurious risotto of lobster or yellowtail carpaccio with basil, melon and chipotle. Next: diver scallops with shiitake mushrooms, turnips and a spicy broth; or veal breast with zucchini and pecorino. End with a dish of the restaurant’s famous creme brulee.

Le Cirque is at One Beacon Court, also home to Bloomberg News parent, Bloomberg LP, at 151 E. 58th Street. Information: +1-212-644-0202; http://www.lecirque.com.

Coconut Soup

Vong, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s burgundy-and-gold midtown Asian space, remains a reliable standby, and its substantial tasting lunch (two savory plates and dessert) is a great deal at $24.07.

Our favorites: chicken and coconut soup with shiitake mushrooms and galangal; striped bass with water chestnuts and chilies; and the large bowl of ginger broth with rice noodles topped with slices of nicely charred hanger steak.

Request a table at one of the recessed cushioned booths.

Vong is at 200 E. 54th St. Information: +1-212-486-9592; http://www.jean-georges.com.

Marinated Lamb

A buffet laden with curries, grilled meats and spiced vegetables welcomes patrons to Yuva, a comfortable room with white-clothed tables and slate floors.

Try the chunks of barbecued chicken simmered with yogurt and tomatoes, marinated lamb with cardamom and herbs, slow- cooked chickpeas and lentils.

Crisp, delicate crepes with herbed potatoes are rolled to order; servers bring platefuls of naan to tame the more fiery dishes. For dessert, sweetened grated carrots or rice pudding. Fatten yourself up by returning to the buffet as many times as you’d like for $14.

Yuva Frontier Indian Grill is at 230 E. 58th St. Information: +1-212-339-0090; http://www.yuvanyc.com.

Cream Puffs

The Isle of Capri, an Upper East Side stalwart, recently introduced a $19.55 three-course prix-fixe menu to mark the year it first opened: 1955. The sculptures of deities and red-orange stone walls are a bit worn, but the glassed-in veranda offers views of busy Third Avenue.

Start with a bowl of vegetable soup or a mixed green salad. Thinly pounded chicken breast is sauteed in white wine with a touch of lemon; al dente pasta is topped with a meaty ragu. For dessert: cream-filled puffs topped with chocolate sauce.

Isle of Capri is at 1028 Third Ave. at 61st Street. Information: +1-212-223-9430; http://isleofcapriny.com.

Classic Lasagna

Teodora’s quaint two-level space, decorated with mirrors, porcelain plates and sconces, serves what may be the best classic lasagna in the city: thin sheets of pasta layered with a ragu of beef and tomatoes, sprinkled with parmesan ($17.50). Delicate tagliolini is topped with lobster, crab meat and shrimp ($19.50); strozzapreti, the hollow “priest-strangler” noodles, come with Italian sausage and peppers ($17.50).

Teodora is at 141 E. 57th St. Information: +1-212-826-7101.

Burgers

Craving for a burger? Head over to the legendary P.J. Clarke’s saloon for its “Cadillac” bacon cheeseburger ($11.30), and order a pile of fried onions on the side. Brasserie 360 serves a hefty burger on a sesame seed bun for $9.95; BLT Steak’s lusty burger with blue cheese or gruyere comes with a cone of crisp frites ($16).

Create your own sandwich at FLIP, in a bright corner of the Bloomingdale’s men’s department, where you choose your own bread, burger blend, cheese and sauces. Try the short-rib patty ($12) topped with garlic aioli on brioche; or a blend of lamb and sausage ($13) with feta cheese on an onion and sage bun. Can’t decide? Order its signature South of the Burger ($18): a brisket blend topped with jalapeno Jack cheese and pico de gallo.

P.J. Clarke’s is at 915 Third Ave. Information: +1-212-317- 1616; http://www.pjclarkes.com. Brasserie 360 is at 200 E. 60th St. Information: +1-212-688-8688; http://www.brasserie360nyc.com. BLT Steak is at 106 E. 57th St. Information: +1-212-752-7470; http://www.bltsteak.com. FLIP is at Bloomingdale’s at 59th Street and Lexington Avenue. Information: +1-212-705-2993.

(Yvette Ferreol is an editor for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)

--John Mariani contributed to this story. Editors: Manuela Hoelterhoff, Daniel Billy.

To contact the reporter on this story: Yvette Ferreol in New York at yferreol@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 22, 2009 00:01 EDT