Restaurants Serve Up Great TV Settings, Meals

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- With awards season upon us, TravelsinTaste has scoured the country for nominees for that underappreciated featured role: best restaurant in a television show. For years restaurants have appeared silently in the background, adding the touches that create the perfect scene, but have gone without recognition. We've picked five restaurants whose ambience has helped make the perfect television setting a reality:

Delmonico's
New York City's Delmonico's, which debuted in 1837 as America's first fine-dining restaurant, offered the unheard-of option of private dining rooms, extensive wine cellars and personalized service. The restaurant also claims to be the birthplace of baked Alaska and lobster Newberg. Its appearance in CBS' new series Blue Bloods is the perfect backdrop to the power dinner. Family patriarch Frank (played by veteran actor Tom Selleck) is victim of an assassination attempt by a drive-by shooter while leaving Delmonico's after dining with cronies. Bridget Moynahan, Donnie Wahlberg, Len Cariou and Will Estes round out the cast as fellow policemen and lawyers who make up the family.

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'wichcraft
The sandwich shop 'wichcraft, by Tom Colicchio, who serves as lead judge on Bravo's Top Chef, appeared in Gossip Girl, the CW network drama about the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. Featuring such celebrities as Leighton Meester, Blake Lively and Chace Crawford, the series follows the stars across the island playground and shows off some of its most popular and trendy spots. The eatery was featured as a popular lunch option, as it is for busy Manhattanites. The show gets special kudos for featuring yet another New York City restaurant, Riverpark -- Colicchio's newest -- as a setting for an event attended by the ladies of the show. With its dramatic views of the East river, it is no wonder the hip and trendy show provided the television debut for this spectacular restaurant. (Surely other shows will feature Colicchio restaurants across the country, including the original Craft and Colicchio & Sons, for which he won last year's James Beard Outstanding Chef.)

The dramatic main dining room at Tocqueville, where subdued artwork decorates the walls and provides the perfect backdrop for discussions of an elaborate art heist on White Collar.

Tocqueville
Chic and sophisticated boutique restaurant Tocqueville was featured in an episode of USA's (CMCSA) White Collar, a smart show about an FBI agent who employs his con artist nemesis to help solve white-collar crimes. The dramatic main dining room is the meeting place where Neal Caffrey, con artist, meets with students who are pulling off elaborate heists for their professor. The feel of the room, including two-story apricot walls, an elaborate chandelier and floor-to-ceiling draperies, along with large subdued artwork in muted tones, provides the perfect backdrop for discussions of an elaborate art heist in which it is difficult to figure out who is conning who.

Sage
Leaving Manhattan, Sage at Aria in Las Vegas was featured on ABC's (DIS) hit romance reality series The Bachelor as the venue for a two-on-one date with the newest bachelor, Brad Womack. Jacques Garcia created an opulent space with a minimalist twist, the highlights of which are soaring floor-to-ceiling wine towers, subtle purple hues, impressionist murals and an absinthe cart. The restaurant's cuisine is just as enticing. Executive Chef Shawn McClain demonstrates intriguing twists on traditional dishes that prove delicious, thrilling and yet completely understandable, such as Wagyu beef tartare served with a chocolate tuile. The romance of the venue, coupled with McClain's extraordinary cuisine, presented the perfect backdrop for this unconventional date.

Lagasse's Stadium
When Kim Kardashian celebrated her 30th birthday, aired on E!'s Kim and Kourtney Take New York, there was only one choice -- Vegas. The duo visited Lagasse's Stadium at the Palazzo (LVS) during their trip. The restaurant has its own sports book, pocket casino gaming and more than 100 high-definition televisions, as well as celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse's award-winning cuisine. The most modern of sports books provided an excellent backdrop for a celebratory weekend.

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