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What originally put Clinton Street Baking Company & Restaurant on the map was its impeccable brunch line-up, from its signature blueberry pancakes to its mouthwatering buttermilk biscuit sandwich with scrambled eggs, melted cheddar, and tomato jam. Founded in 2001 by husband-and-wife team Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman, the restaurant expanded to lunch and dinner. Regulars were ecstatic: the blueberry pancakes became available day and night. Chef Kleinberg, who trained at The Water Club under Rick Moonen and who did a stint at catering powerhouse Bridgewaters, offers a fresh, formidable dinner roster for the restaurant's downtown, relatively youngish customers. There's a Cajun seared fish of the day, a mammoth Po' Boy sandwich, and spicy shrimp and cheese grits with fried green tomatoes. But loyalists troop back for the buttermilk fried chicken, with its crispy, craggy crust encasing incredibly moist chicken, accompanied by a honey Tabasco dip, coarse-cut homemade coleslaw, and a slab of sublime jalepeño cornbread. But don't let this small restaurant's portions defeat you. The sumptuous cherry pie, the intensely flavorful, extra-thick milkshakes, and the hot fudge sundae will rival the best you've ever had. In recent years the restaurant has racked up numerous best-in-NYC-type paeans and accolades (best muffins, best biscuits, best brunch, etc.). Happily, the praise is warranted. — Nina Mehta

On Tuesday evenings the restaurant serves half-priced bottles of wine. There's also a $10 beer and burger combo Monday through Thursday, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Note
Cash only for lunch.

Vidalia onion rings, $6; blueberry pancakes, $13; buttermilk fried chicken, $16; Po' Boy sandwich, $15

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