Blue Ribbon Brooklyn
280 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn (718-840-0404).

Sueños means “dreams” in Spanish. With potent margaritas and fresh south-of-the-border cuisine, the restaurant may well inspire visions.

Craft 43 East 19th Street (212-780-0880). Lunch, Mon.-Thurs. 12-2 p.m.; dinner, Sun.-Thurs. 5:30-10 p.m., Fri. and Sat. till 11 p.m. Dishes range from $6 to $32. All major credit cards.

Barbequed ribs. Gourmet steaks. Pork bellies. The city's restaurants are filled with enough platters of sumptuous, mouthwatering meat to make even Dr. Atkins happy. And with Chinese home cooking, a spate of new gourmet pizza joints, and lethal margaritas popping up all over town, it's no wonder that one thing we're really excited about spending our time -- and our cash -- on these days is good food. A highly opinionated tour of the city's best culinary establishments, from high-end to down-home.

Fiamma
206 Spring Street
(212-653-0100).

Medi
45 Rockefeller Plaza
(212-399-8888).

Spun off from two popular Italian sandwich bars, ’inoteca and Bread Tribeca are full-fledged ristorantes.

Cutting-edge food is alive and well in New York. It just comes in small packages. Take Josh DeChellis’s West Village standout, Sumile.

At Casa Mono and Bar Jamón, the latest Mario Batali–Joseph Bastianich creations, the plates may be pequeño, but the flavors are decidedly grande.

One new little palate-cleanser of a place, one old-fashioned Italian madhouse.