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James brings a refined, hyper-localized touch to Prospect Heights in a handsome century-old brownstone. Proprietors Bryan Calvert (formerly of Bouley) and Deborah Williamson grow their own fresh herbs on the roof (the very ones advertised on an old-timey poster of herbs hanging on the restaurant’s mottled white brick walls), hand-mix tantalizingly strong brandy vanilla ice cream in the kitchen, and serve upscale cocktails from behind an antique wood bar. Seasonal is a style practiced here with fervor; expect occasional dishes like a puckeringly tart and sweet lemon blueberry tart and delicately roasted whole quail, depending on what local farms have to offer. Two of the menu constants prove divine: Crispy sweetbreads begin with a satisfying, breaded crunch and end with an elevating creaminess, in a pool of sweet rhubarb glaze and sharp dandelion greens; a kingly burger tops a soft brioche bun with an expertly grilled-to-order patty of grass-fed beef and melted Cotswold cheese. The perfect chocolate ganache cake explodes with mood-elevating, hazelnut-inflected dark chocolate at the touch of a fork. — Laurel Fantauzzo

Reservations accepted for groups of six or more.

Chocolate ganache cake, $10; crispy sweetbreads, $12; grass-fed beef burger, $14