Earlier, I solicited culinary recommendations for a trip to the Azores. I found there is not a lot of information out there on this topic. Someone asked that I report findings after the trip, so here they are. I would highly recommend the Azores for foodies. Hopefully future travelers find this helpful.
Sao Miguel
Arruda Pineapple Plantation: Tastings of a delicious homemade pineapple liqueur are free.
Gorreana Tea Plantation: You can taste 6 kinds of tea.
Alianca: Popular with locals. The blood sausage here was cinnamony and velvety, like the inside of a chocolate truffle. It is served with pineapple. Also you can try grilled limpets (a mollusk/barnacle?), a specialty served sizzling hot & covered in garlic.
Restaurante Nacional: Try the regular sausage. All meals on this island were served with a delicious fresh cheese & pimento sauce.
Costa Do Atlantico: Lots of fresh fish, including something called squirrelfish (very light & fluffy).
O Jaime (not the one by the water): The owners don't speak English & are very friendly. Here we had lots of unusual fresh fish.
Tony's: The locals cook a stew underground near the hot springs. The stew contains pork, blood sausage, regular sausage, chicken, brisket, yam, potato, cabbage, & carrots.
Pico Island
My favorite food island, known for wine and one kind of cheese. Ask someone to take you to the shack where the cheese is produced. It seems everyone owns a vineyard - our guide took us to his! We tried his wine & fig brandy.
Ancoradeuro: Order the octopus stew - flavorful, fresh, & expertly cooked. My favorite!
O Luis: No one spoke English here and we pointed to random items on the menu. What we got was a delicious kind of lobster called cavaco, which is superior to our lobsters. Wine is cheap in this island. We got a pitcher of wine for $2.
Faial
Food is heartier here.
O Lima: Try the goat. This restaurant was full of locals watching soccer.
Medalhas: Great quail and ribs. Best meal on the island.
for how many people?
i consider most of manhattan "a cab ride from" pretty much anywhere else in manhattan, so i'll limit the search to "a short cab ride / potentially walkable." in this case, for a business dinner, i'd recommend two of tom colicchio's places - either craft or colicchio and sons. recently had a great work dinner in a private space at the latter. terrific wine, food, service.