Ted's Pick! The latest addition to Andrew Carmellini's growing New York empire, Little Park is doing something incredible with vegetables. Run by chef de cuisine Min Kong, the kitchen is incredibly inventive, producing dishes like beetroot tartare and heirloom carrots with "crumb brûlée."

Ted's Pick! Alphabet City is now host to a delightful neighborhood gem. tuome is casual and comfortable, yet refined. And so is its food. Everyone raves about the Pig Out — a handful of crispy Berkshire pork belly with many fixin's — and rightfully so. But save room for the chicken liver and the surprisingly complex side of rice. They were recently devastated by a fire, so go support this small business.

Ted's Pick! We're hosting our PEPCID® Tastemakers Dinner at The Cannibal, and for very good reason. The menu from Momofuku alum Francis Derby includes steaks, tandoori lamb belly, slow-roasted pig head, and all manner of sausages and charcuterie items. With all over 450 craft beers from around the world to chose from, The Cannibal delivers on every indulgent craving you have.

Eater's own Ryan Sutton recently gave Semilla a glowing four star review, calling it New York's "Next Great Restaurant." This ambitious Williamsburg spot, which started as pop-up Chez Jose, serves up a $75 full of highly local, highly seasonal surprises. Its cabbage dish may prove to be your new favorite sandwich. It is a meal you'll be thinking about many days.

Ted's Pick! Before acclaimed Mexican chef Enrique Olivera's Cosme opened, the pre-opening anticipation of New York's food-obsessed reach an unprecedented fever pitch. Thankfully, Olvera did not disappoint. His cuisine is indescribably layered and complex, but approachable and stunning. If you're with a group, grab the duck carnitas. You'll regret it if you don't.

Once a pop-up in Bricktown Bagels, Mu Ramen is a brand new Long Island City joint that may produce the city's finest tonkotsu. Run by Heidy and Joshua Smookler, the ramen balances new and old traditions that produces some very deep, interesting flavors. If your dining companion doesn't want to slurp noodles, give the uni with spicy tuna and trout roe or foie gras-stuffed chicken wings a try. Fair warning: cash only.

Run by the venerable Alex Raij and Eder Montero, La Vara is a quintessential cozy Brooklyn restaurant. The menu is an unusual mix of Spanish, Moorish, and Jewish cuisines and unlike any menu in the city. The seafood-studded fideua and crispy eggplant are go-tos.

Chef-owner Rawia Bishara opened Bay Ridge's Tanoreen in 1998. Bishara, who is of Palestinian descent but raised in northern Israel, derives many of her dishes from her mother's recipes. The mansaf — lamb simmered in dried and fresh salted goat’s milk yogurt — is worth the trek alone.