u—0***

  1. Atoboy °°°°°°°*

    Modern but approachable Korean food in a relatively affordable prix-fixe menu at the precursor to Atomix (now I want to go even more than before!) Very compelling flavours in the small dishes, rounded out by the mains, where the rice and kimchi were unexpectedly the stars.

  2. Nakaji °°°°°°°*

    Excellence in (nearly) everything, as you’d expect—the classics with some surprises.

  3. Overstory °°°°°°°*

    Hard to get into but the drinks (and maybe the view?) are worth it.

  4. Au Comptoir °°°°°°°**

    I won’t shut up about…

  5. Botanist °°°°°°°*

  6. Kissa Tanto °°°°°°°*

  7. Stonemill Matcha °°°°°°°*

  8. Family Meal at Blue Hill °°°°°°°*

    An ultra-seasonal tasting menu served family-style (fun!)

  9. Chambers °°°°°°°*

    A small and sleek neighbourhood restaurant in Tribeca serving up well-considered seasonal dishes. The food here isn’t extremely inspired but it is very satisfying, and there’s a great selection of drinks to accompany dinner—mostly wine, having been a wine bar previously.

  10. Rule of Thirds °°°°°°°*

    Walking here from the train, it’s impossible to ignore the hipster–industrial vibe of this area in Greenpoint: a vintage thrift store; a record shop; a very modern-Zen dashi specialty store (that’s worth stopping by!)

  11. L’Abeille °°°°°°°**

    That feeling of dérangement is so rare and is such a fleeting memory, but you’ll never forget where you found it, and you’ll never stop wanting to go back, to try finding it again.

  12. Ramen Ishida °°°°°°°*

  13. Frenchette °°°°°°°*

    Creative French bistro fare in a warm and refined setting. The standouts are in the “Amuses” section (country ham and melon with pickled chanterelles), but the entrées are done well (duck confit, a classic) and won’t be disappointing. They’re known for the duck frites, which wasn’t on the menu when I went for dinner (next time!)

  14. Tonchin °°°°°°°*

  15. El Condor Coffee Roasters °°°°°°°*

  16. Momoya (SoHo) °°°°°°°*

  17. Ise °°°°°°°*

    Simple but amazing soba noodles.

  18. Ivan Ramen °°°°°°°*

  19. Ramen Danbo (West Village) °°°°°°°*

    So consistently good, surprisingly not busy at all being nestled in West Village. Reminds me of dark rainy days back home.

  20. BBF °°°°°°°*

    Great ambiance and service in an almost-empty restaurant (one other group came in while I was there—though there’s also an omakase bar in the back that I didn’t get to check out). The chirashi is a steal at $19, and there’s a nice sake selection to pair.

  21. NONONO °°°°°°°*

  22. Raku °°°°°°°*

    Tasty broth and noodles in a minimal-chic (as the Google Maps entry accurately describes) atmosphere. Maybe a little overpriced. They give you a frozen grape at the end though.