President Obama recently dined at Upland with daughters, Malia and Sasha.

I beat him to it.

Upland debuted in Manhattan, October, 2014. It is a lovely new restaurant from Stephen Starr, the restauranteur with the Midas touch (Clocktower, Buddakan, Morimoto, Caffe Storico).

Upland is a large, comfortable dining space, accommodating up to 88 diners.

When I arrived I was impressed by the country decor. It looked as if Ralph Lauren’s glam team had just departed.

In actuality, design firm Roman and Williams, which designed The Breslin and Lafayette, transformed the old Manzanilla space into a brasserie-style Flatiron restaurant.

The interior is lined with preserved lemons in jars, each one illuminated by three tiny LEDs. They cast a citrus shadow, radiating a golden glow.

My lunch date was comprised of infamous mother/daughter tag team of Toby and Courtny.

I am not a huge fan of Park Avenue South restaurants. The dining establishments are usually overpriced and uninspired, but Upland was a wonderful surprise.

We started with an unusual presentation of burrata ($19). There were heaps of trout roe and fried leeks piled on top and it was fabulous…great combination of flavors and textures.

We followed that up with more greenery to match the decor with The Five Lettuce Caesar ($16).  It was framable food. Not only was it delicious, but the presentation was gorgeous.

Our server, Harris, was very enthusiastic about all the items. He was spot on in highly pimping the burger.

We decided to split the cheeseburger. It was juicy and delectable with crispy fries ($20). The appearance, taste and secret sauce really reminded me of an In-N-Out burger…remember, the chef is a California boy. It’s all good.

I am always sampling hamburgers and I am hard to please. As noted in past reviews, I love the burger at Landmarc at Columbus Circle, but Upland now ranks high on my list.

In the kitchen, Justin Smillie was recruited from Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria where he won national notice.

Upland is named after the town Chef Smillie grew up in in San Bernardino County. There are heavy Californian as well as Italian influences in his cooking.

Upland is not about pomp and circumstance, but the food excels. It is worthy of Presidential recognition.

Upland 345 Park Avenue South entrance on 26th Street. Open for Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:30am-3pm, Dinner on Sunday 5-10pm and Monday-Saturday 5-11pm, Brunch: Saturday and Sunday 11am-3pm. Reservations on OpenTable.com.