August, in the West Village, serves gutsy food in a rustic setting.

Romance is where you find it. For Lady and the Tramp it was on opposite ends of a single spaghetti strand shared in a back alley stacked with garbage cans. For others, it's scarred plaster walls and faux windows under a skylight in the West Village. For still others, it is the million and one jewel-like lights of Gotham at night, repeated in an expanse of dark water.

I don't know of any alleyways to send you to, but if it's quaint rusticity in the Village you're after, look no further than August  (359 Bleecker Street, bet. Charles and W. 10th Sts., 212-929-8727). Perhaps kleftiko of lamb belly and head cheese terrine are not the foods of love, but then who's to say? For something less exotic, there is whole oven-roasted dorade in a preserved lemon citronette. And for something unexpected, there is monkfish "coq au vin" with crispy chicken skin and braised chicken leg in a bacon consommé. Prices are surprisingly tame, with main courses averaging $25. At one time the restaurant refused reservations. I don't think that's the case any longer, but I'd call to be on the safe side. 

  The House, in Gramercy Park, brings elegance to the party.

A more elegant variation on the quaintness theme can be found at The House (121 East 17th Street, 212-353-2121) in Gramercy Park. Occupying three floors of a meticulously restored 1854 carriage house, the restaurant is all about refinement and grace, down to the last detail. Everywhere you look, period touches are in evidence, from the gilded mirrors to the sconces to the gleaming marble bar.

The illusion ends when your attention turns to the menu, though not because of the prices, which again are deceptively low. Main courses range from $22, for seared diver sea scallops with butternut squash purée, to $27, for yellowfin tuna with braised beluga lentils. In between you will find wild boar lasagna and cassoulet.

  The view from the River Cafe in Brooklyn is still one of the most romantic anywhere.

If you spell romance V-I-E-W, you're not to be faulted—especially if the view you select for your romantic evening is the one included in the price of dinner at the veteran River Cafe (1 Water Street, Brooklyn, 718-522-5200). The restaurant has been turning heads—in the direction of downtown Manhattan, that is—for better than 30 years. Along the way, the prices have risen to keep pace with inflation (the three-course prix fixe runs $98 these days, a six-course tasting menu, $125), though the food has never faltered. Sautéed Hudson Valley foie gras, among the starters, is presented with caramelized apple and brioche “French Toast.” Branzino, among the mains, is paired off with chorizo and a shrimp "stuffing."

  The Chart House, in Weehauken, New Jersey, provides a splendid skyline view.

The River Cafe may have cornered the market on skyline views as seen from across the river, but it doesn't have the last word on the subject—not while the Chart House (Pier 11, Weehawken, 201-348-6401) is around. Technically speaking, the Chart House is not in New York, though in point of fact it's no farther from the banks of Manhattan Island than the River Cafe.

Part of a national chain, the Chart House lacks the panache and polish of a New York City restaurant, though not for want of trying. Raw bar items include seared peppered ahi tuna, served rare with tangy mustard, ginger, and wasabi. I'm not sure which Hemingway snapper Hemingway is named for, Ernest or Mariel, though I can tell you it's encrusted with Parmesan and crackers and topped with jumbo lump crab meat. There are also steaks and lobsters.

If you keep your expectations reasonably in check, the Chart House won't disappoint. And in terms of setting—which after all is the unifying theme of this series—few restaurants can touch it.

• Click here for Part 1 of this series.
• Click here for Part 3 of this series.