Acme
Unlike lots of the monkish locavore joints around town, this downtown bistro manages to be inventive, righteous, and fun at the same time.
Atera
It’s no easy trick to meld the disparate worlds of molecular gastronomy and haute foraging, but Matthew Lightner pulls it off.
Battersby
Take two talented, motivated, highly trained chefs, put them in a tiny galley kitchen on Smith Street, and you have the apotheosis of Brooklyn chic.
Blanca
Carlo Mirarchi’s new, much-hyped tasting room combines the raffish, communal vibe of Roberta’s with top-notch gourmet cooking.
Calliope
Exceptional “new” French-bistro cuisine in an unpretentious downtown setting, at very reasonable prices.
Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria
At their first spinoff, the rustico Il Buco pioneers get the casual Italian market-restaurant concept exactly right.
Neta
The Masa disciples Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau give you a taste of the master’s style, minus the pretension and exorbitant cost.
The NoMad
The prices are steep for a “casual” hotel joint. But you can’t argue with the range or quality of Daniel Humm’s stylish country cooking.
Perla
Gabriel Stulman’s most ambitious restaurant to date features a convivial bar and the best nose-to-tail Italian cooking in this carnivore-mad town.
Pok Pok Ny
Thanks to Andy Ricker, you don’t have to travel to Chiang Mai to taste real Northern Thai cooking. You just have to get yourself to the Brooklyn waterfront.