All over the world, the New York City skyline is instantly recognizable, and among its most famous landmarks are the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Two years ago, Michael Lomonaco took up residence in the towers' mile-high restaurant empire, where he now oversees the legendary Windows on the World, the Greatest Bar on Earth, and the aerie's newest addition-Wild Blue.

Lomonaco isn't letting the dizzying heights go to his head, and he isn't practicing high-altitude cooking. At Wild Blue, he has perfected a down-to-earth approach to cooking, serving faultless renditions of such American classics as creamed spinach, steak, and chops. Writing in The New York Times, Ruth Reichl pronounced this "chophouse in the sky" "an homage to good old American food," and former Gourmet columnist David Rosengarten described Lomonaco's food at Windows on the World as "magnificently appropriate" to the "heart-stopping view." Bob Lape agreed. Wild Blue is a "four-star American restaurant, both casual and fun," he wrote in Crain's New York Business, adding that its cuisine represents "regionally inspired, locally sourced American food at its apex."

Lomonaco knows the city's landmarks, culinary and otherwise, inside and out. He grew up in Brooklyn and toiled in the kitchens at Le Cirque, the '21' Club, and Maxwell's Plum. His time with New York restaurant giants Sirio Maccione, Alain Sailhac, Daniel Boulud, and Warner LeRoy paid off, allowing him to polish his technique and giving him the confidence to reach for the stars himself. Recently, Lomonaco has expanded his audience beyond the 90-mile viewing radius of Windows-he is seen weekly on "Michael's Place," on the Food Network and will co-host "Epicurious Television" with Ishbel MacIntosh in its next season.

Just in case the 107 stories haven't already done so, Lomonaco's food will put you over the moon.