To kick things off, I'll start with mine (from way back in 2009).  I loved Gramercy Tavern.  It became one of my favorite restaurants in NYC.  Incredible food.  Great ambiance.  (I particularly love the big copper pots hanging country-kitchen-style.)

I was joking at the time, but Per Se is supposed to be very nice this time of year! Perhaps at the outer edges of the summer lunch budget, though, so be thoughtful about when to raise it. (The fact that you are spending their money is not entirely lost on the partners...)

Sushi Yasuda for a quick, easy, overpriced midtown lunch. It's great to throw a lighter sushi lunch into the mix after the Eleven Madison Park and Babbo tasting menus ruin your summer diet.

Minetta Tavern used to be my favorite spot when I was still practicing.  Most people don't think about it for corporate lunch because of its location but that is the best part.  Getting out of midtown helps reduce the corporate feel and allows you to really take a mental break.  The food is obviously great and works for almost any summer lunch (or dinner) budget.  You are also in walking distance to west village bars for post-dinner drinks.  It is harder to do if you work in midtown east for lunch but if you work on the west side it is actually an easy trip. 

An old friend sent across a great (and hilariously well-canvassed) list of restaurants--both that she's been to and that she wants to go to--that I thought I'd share for inspiration.

Restaurants that are classic/trendy/good (favorites bolded):

• 15 East
• A Fiori
• ABC Kitchen
• ABC Cocina
• Acme
• Aldea
• Annisa
• Aquavit
• Babbo
• Balthazar
• Batard
• Betony
• Birds & Bubbles
• Blue Hill
• BLT
• Bodega Negra
• Bouley
• Boulud Sud
• BondSt
• Bowery Meat Company
• Buddakan
• Cafe Boulud
• Cafe Clover
• Carbone
• Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
• Cherche Midi
• Coarse
• Contra
• Cosme
• Daniel
• Del Posto
• Dirty French
• Eleven Madison Park
• Empellon Tacqueria
• Feast
• Fowler & Wells
• Gabriel Kreuther
• Gato
• Giorgio's of Gramercy
• Gramercy Tavern
• Gotham Bar & Grill
• High Street on Hudson
• Italienne
• Jean Georges
• Jewel Bako
• Jungsik
• Junoon
• L'Artusi
• Il Buco
• La Esquina
• La Grenouille
• La Sirena
• Lafayette
• Le Bernardin
• Le Cirque
• Le Coucou
• Le Coq Rico
• Le Turtle
• Locanda Verde
• Lure Fishbar
• Maialino
• Marea
• Mas (farmhouse)
• Maysville
• Mercer Kitchen
• Mission Chinese
• Momofuku Ko
• Momofuki Ma Peche
• Momofuki Nishi
• Narcissa
• Noreetuh
• Park Ave Summer/Fall/Winter/Spring
• Per Se
• Peter Luger's
• Perry St
• Rebelle
• Rouge Tomate
• Santina
• Scarpetta
• Shun Lee West
• Sparks
• Sugarfish
• Sushi Yasuda
• Sushi Nakazawa
• Tavo
• The Breslin
• The Clocktower
• The Modern
• The Spotted Pig
• The Nomad Restaurant
• Tocqueville 
• Union Square Cafe 
• Upland
• Vandal
• Vaucluse
• Vitae
• Zz's clam bar

Hear good things/want to try:

• 4 Charles Prime Rib
• Augustine
• A Voce Columbus / A Voce Madison
• Bar Americano
• Bar Boulud
• Bar Primi
• Black Tap Down
• Bohemian 
• Boqueria
• Brushstroke
• Cafe China
• Cagen
• Casa Apicii
• Crave Fishbar
• Danji
• Delmonico’s FiDi
• Dovetail
• Estela
• Esca
• Flora Bar
• Il Mulino
• Indian Accent
• Keens
• La Chine
• Loring Place
• Lupa 
• Minetta Tavern
• Momofuku Saam Bar
• Motel Morris
• Nobu
• Nur
• Oiji
• Paowalla
• Pasquale Jones
• Public
• Sushi of Gari
• Sushi Katsuei
• St. Anselm
• Taboon
• Takashi
• Tanoshi
• Tim Ho Wan
• Toro Shin
• Quality Eats
• Quality Meats
• Uncle Boons
• Untitled at The Whitney
• Wolfgang's

Got to Koi and get the crispy rice....and it's not a whole big ordeal like some of the other go-tos; so less opportunity for awkwardness.