Alder
After wandering in the thickets of molecular gastronomy for too long, Wylie Dufresne finally joins the comfort-food parade, with stellar results.
Aska
Fredrik Berselius’s Williamsburg tasting room is ground zero for fans of the fashionably spare, hyperforaged Scandinavian dining aesthetic.
Betony
Bryce Shuman and his pack of Eleven Madison Park refugees bring a much-needed dose of 21st-century-gourmet style to 57th Street.
The Elm
The mercurial Paul Liebrandt never stays in one place for long, so catch his new Brooklyn act while you can.
Estela
At this jolly Nolita establishment, Ignacio Mattos raises the term bar food to another level.
Han Dynasty
Sure, Han Chiang comes from Philly, but this clean, Sichuan-accented cooking is some of the best Chinese food New Yorkers have seen in years.
Luksus
Ninety-five bucks may be a lot to pay for a first-class tasting menu in Greenpoint, but compared with other regions of Brooklyn, not to mention Manhattan, it’s a steal.
Marco’s
The Franny’s team mastered nouveau-Brooklyn pizza in this space. Now they get the nouveau-trattoria model almost exactly right.
Pearl & Ash
For a restaurant this size, the wine list is exceptional. You could argue that Richard Kuo’s New Age fusion cooking is even better than that.
Sushi Nakazawa
Jiro Ono’s acolyte brings a little bit of the old master’s magic to the West Village, along with the best sake pairing in town.