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Neighborhood favorite Cibao is the Dominican equivalent of a corner diner, with generous portions of hearty, home-style cooking served all day long. The place is not much in the looks department: Half a dozen oilcloth-topped tables dot the space, but an electric jukebox churns out Latin American classics, and families and single diners chat in a familiar way with the waitstaff. Soups and stews are a good bet here; beef soup (served Tuesdays and Fridays) rivals any grandmother's best effort for its curative properties, and chicken soup with rice puts the Maurice Sendak poem in a relatable light. Shrimp in garlic sauce comes overcooked, and Dominican sausages are forgettable fatty bundles, but tostones are a must: crisp and light with not a fleck of oil remaining. For a quick lunch, the Cuban sandwich is a tasty bargain at $4.50. — Jenny Miller