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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. Highlights from the menu constants include salmon cured in-house paired with roasted beets and mildly spicy horseradish oil and a kingly burger that tops a soft brioche bun with an expertly grilled-to-order patty of grass-fed beef and melted Cotswold cheese. The chocolate pot de creme is made with ingredients from Mast Brothers.
— Laurel Fantauzzo

Reservations accepted for groups of six or more.

Chocolate pot de creme, $9; grass-fed beef burger, $16