United Noodles
349 East 12th Street
(212-614-0155).

TV’s maître d’ from hell resurfaces with a restaurant of his own, serving delightful French-American fare—and no drama.

Danzón, 126 East 28th Street (212-252-1345). Dinner, Monday through Thursday 5 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday till 11:30 p.m., closed Sunday. Appetizers, $9 to $13; entrées, $15 to $21. All major credit cards.

From the people who brought you Rao's, another great Southern Italian restaurant -- Baldoria. And this one you might even manage to get into.

Roy Liebenthal's Pop has all his regular accoutrements; ample attitude, seductive lighting, plus food that's almost as tempting as its patrons.

if your vision of Korean cuisine involves clothes-permeating barbecue smoke and rice that sizzles to a delectable crunch on the bottom of its too-hot-to-touch bowl, WaWa might come as something of a newfangled surprise.

Just to prove that you can't judge a boîte by its cover, Sciusci ("shoeshine" in Sicilian) offers Italian-style culinary comfort in a chilly, almost Nordic space.

With a sly wink, Upstairs at '21' targets diners seeking pure, retro luxury—and a little guilt with their pleasure.

Brasserie 8 1/2 is restaurant dining at its most Fellini-esque: a subterranean stage where the scene, not the food, is the main attraction.

The brick-walled, tin-ceilinged spuntino is less than a restaurant and more than a bar.