GOTHAM BAR AND GRILL
12 E. 12th St.
212-620-4020.
At the age of 21, the Gotham Bar and Grill is better than ever, warm and welcoming, justly confident, informal but professional. A scattering of Asian notions chef Alfred Portale has fallen for while visiting Hawaii alternate with the masterworks of Gotham tradition. I often order the roast squab on a crisp of potatoes with its spinach and roast-garlic custard, knowing my guy will share the rack of matchless New Zealand lamb.
—Gael Greene
MURRAY’S BAGELS
500 Sixth Ave.
212-462-2830
242 Eighth Ave.
646-638-1335
The New York bagel of yore—crusty and chewy enough to dislocate your jaw, flavorful enough to eat plain—is largely a thing of brunches past. But the aggressively old-school Murray’s honors tradition, using time-tested methods to achieve a glossy sheen, a resistant bite, and a flavor so good we’re willing to forgive minor transgressions like sun-dried-tomato bagels and maple-raisin-walnut cream cheese.
—Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld