Tocqueville (View Menu)
1 E. 15th St., at Fifth Ave.; 212-647-1515
Husband-and-wife owners Marco Moreira and Jo-Ann Makovitzky will serve you Fisher Island oysters and seared scallops with foie gras off their special menu. But they agree their simple egg dish “works every time,” so consider it a sensual breakfast or midnight snack—in bed.
The Recipe: Creamy Scrambled Eggs With Caviar
Provence (View Menu)
38 Macdougal St., nr. Prince St.; 212-475-7500
Chef Marc Meyer proposed to Vicki Freeman here in 1996, eleven years before they purchased and spiffed up the flower-filled sunroom and indoor garden of this beloved Provençal bistro. Even so: Their oysters and crème fraîche are just as sexy chez vous.
The Recipe: Oyster Pan Roast With Maine Sweet Shrimp and Meyer Lemon Butter
Chanterelle (View Menu)
2 Harrison St., nr. Hudson St.; 212-966-6960
With Karen Waltuck overseeing the grand dining room and husband David preparing ravioli with two truffle sauces and leg of venison spiced with Hungarian paprika, a single evening becomes an effortless and grand affair. Meanwhile, preparing this complex dish is something you won’t soon forget, either.
The Recipe: Filet of Beef With Oysters and Wild Mushrooms
Sfoglia
1402 Lexington Ave., at 92nd St.; 212-831-1402
Chef-owners Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Marnell-Suhanosky one-up their whimsical summer delight of spaghetti with strawberries with their favorite Valentine’s Day pasta, which takes its hot-pink hue from fresh beets.
The Recipe: Farro Spaghetti, Beets, Brown Butter, Poppy Seeds
The Good Fork (View Menu)
391 Van Brunt St., nr. Coffey St., Red Hook, Brooklyn; 718-643-6636
Sohui Kim and Ben Schneider met when she was a culinary student and he was woodworking and acting. Since opening in March 2006, their marriage of rustic, Asian–accented eats and sleek carpentry has put them on the grid. Kim’s Korean ribs will seal the deal off any studio stove top.
The Recipe: Soy Braised Short Rib With Black Rice, Chestnuts, and Kimchee
ChikaLicious (View Menu)
203 E. 10th St., nr. Second Ave.; 212-995-9511
More than twenty years ago, Japanese–language major Don Tillman fell for a nutrition student named Chika in a Tokyo jazz club. In 2003, the husband-and-wife team opened the city’s first dessert bar. The concept was so successful, says Don, that Chika’s dessert-and-drink pairing has become “annually ritualistic” for guests.
The Recipe: Chocolate Soup With Honey-Banana Ice Cream and Pecan Wafer With a Sparkling Raspberry-Rose Cocktail