Though owners include one Robert DeNiro, chef Andrew Carmellini is the real star here. After almost three years, this rustic neighborhood Italian restaurant is still one of the hottest tickets in town.[Krieger]

This 92-year-old Chinatown restaurant serves terrific dim sum in a dining room that has a lot of old-school charm. Wilson Tang, the nephew of long-time proprietor Wally Tang, breathed new life into Nom Wah when he took over a few years ago. This is a great place to go for a cheap and satisfying meal in Chinatown, and Nom Wah is always a big hit with out-of-towners.

Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone's 20-seat restaurant is one of the more unique dining experiences in New York right now. Soulful Italian-American food, cooked by two vets of some of the city's best kitchens, in a highly personal, totally charming space. [Photo]

Great for dates and business lunches alike, the subterranean Lure Fish Bar offers up a solid roster of sushi offerings as well as seafood, steak, and one of the best burgers in the city.

At Commerce, chef Harold Moore serves terrific fresh pastas, a monster pork chop, and one of New York's very best chickens for two. The space here has a cool old-school vibe, and the bar is a fun place to grab a drink at the beginning or end of the night. Commerce is a great date night restaurant. [Photo]

Takashi is a meat-lover's paradise. The menu features a long list of top-quality raw beef which you cook at your table on little electric grills. Offal-freaks will want to try the stomachs, intestines, and tongues, but there are a few steaks on the menu for less adventuresome diners, too. [Krieger]

One might expect owners and regulars like Jay-Z and Bill Clinton to distract from the food, but chef April Bloomfield holds her own and then some at New York's top (wait … for it) gastropub. One of the best restaurant burgers in New York is served here, as anyone who has braved the two-hour wait for a table can tell you.[Krieger]

Harold Dieterle and Alicia Nosenzo's contemporary Thai restaurant has a relaxed vibe, a great wine list, and awesome food. Dieterle has a knack for fusing Thai cuisine with his own New-American style, and the result is one of the most unique menus in New York right now. [Krieger]

Hearth only gets better with age. Marco Canora's East Village restaurant still serves one of the best ragus in the city, and the menu always includes a few terrific vegetables dishes, monster meat entrees, and gracefully prepared fish courses. If you really want to see what the kitchen is up to these days, consider the seven-course tasting for $80.[Krieger]

The lone Spanish baby of Molto Mario’s empire, Casa Mono has been an Irving Place destination since it opened in ’04. Chef Andy Nusser has crafted a menu of substantial tapas and medium-sized entrées, done mostly “a la plancha” with unmistakably Catalan flavors; get the duck egg with mojama. NB: If you have trouble securing a table, and chances are you will, little sister Bar Jamon is right next door. [Photo]

The food at April Bloomfield and Ken Friendman's fish restaurant is a mix of English/Italian/Mediterranean cuisine that's completely original. If it's not too busy, The Dory is a cool place to pop in for oysters and cocktails. For a special occasion, ask about the chef's table tasting in the kitchen.[Photo]

This generic-looking Chelsea Chinese restaurant serves some of the best Sichuan food in New York City. The chef here, Ding Gen Wang, is something of a star in his native China. Although everything here is very good, the best dishes are off-the-menu. Make sure to ask about the vegetable specials, and if you're in a large party, get the incredible fish soup. [Photo]

Get a mutton chop with a side of history at this century old steakhouse that offers classic delicious food, perfect cocktails, and a killer ambiance. Those on a budget can hit up the bar room. [Krieger]

Head to this Chinese gem near Bryant Park for crispy cumin lamb, soft tofu with spicy pork, and braised whole bass with chili and scallions. The Sichuan specialties here are all excellent, and the dining room has a certain charm that you don't often find in Midtown Chinese restaurants. Go in a big group, and order a lot of food. [Photo]

Gabriel Kreuther cooks French-American food that looks great and tastes even better. You can have a fine light meal mixing and matching the small plates from the first two pages of the menu, but the restaurant is also a great pick for a serious three-course meal. Pro tip: the tarte flambee is one of the best bar snacks in NYC. [Photo]

Non-theatre-goers sometimes forget about Esca due to its Siberia-adjacent location, but in many ways Esca is as good as the four-starred Le Bernardin. If nothing else, it's cheaper, more relaxed and, bonus, also serves Baltali-brand pasta.

Cesare Casella’s small plates parlor is great place for a few bites of premium imported antipasti and a glass of wine, or a larger meal of more substantial meat and pasta dishes. It's the perfect spot to hit up before any event at Lincoln Center, or after long stroll through the park. [Photo]

Daniel Boulud's foray into Mediterranean cuisine is a solid choice for date night on the UWS, or a meal before a show at Lincoln Center. Even the most exotic dishes like the zaatar baked cod have that signature Boulud touch. [Photo]

This Upper West Side New American restaurant is one of the best places for brunch in the neighborhood (try the patty melt), as well as a solid choice for a leisurely meal during the week. Chef Bill Telepan has a gift for cooking greenmarket vegetables, but his menu also includes a few great splurge dishes like the lobster bolognese and the grass-fed ribeye for two. Telepan also offers a steal of a five-course tasting for $69.

This stylish and comfortable Upper East Side restaurant serves a menu of modern Mediterranean cuisine made with local ingredients. Standout dishes include the crudo plates, the pastas, and the chicken under a brick. Amali is also something of a destination for Greek wine enthusiasts.

One of the best places in the neighborhood for Japanese food. You won't find any sushi rolls on the menu at Donguri, but there are a few excellent soba and udon dishes, and a number of lightly-composed fish and vegetable items. The lobster miso soup is a must-try dish. [Photo]

Marcus Samuelsson's hot Harlem global soul food joint is luring the food lovers and critics from across the city uptown. A gamechanger for the neighborhood and totally worth the trip. [Krieger]

The specials are the dishes to order at Diner (and yes, the servers still write them down on the table). Right now, chef de cuisine Ken Wiss is turning out inventive plates of Italian-influenced American fare, but you can always get the excellent burger and a serious steak, too. In terms of atmosphere, food, and value, Diner is one of North Brooklyn's best restaurants.

Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli have opened several great restaurants in the past few years, but their original is still a total classic. The cavatelli pasta alone is worth the trip to Carroll Gardens, but, then, so is the rest of the food and scene here, which is quintessentially Aging Hipster in the best possible way.

Mark Iacono's pies are the stuff of legend. His crispy thin crusts are topped with vibrant tomato sauce, a rich blend of three cheeses, and a few sprigs of fresh basil. Lucali still serves some of the city's finest pizzas, and the dining room is a real beauty.

The menu at this homey Red Hook restaurant has a little something for everyone: you can get a textbook roasted chicken, a serious pub burger, homemade pork dumplings, Korean-style steak and eggs, or a Peking duck leg, if you like. The Good Fork just launched a $25 three-course prix fixe menu that's serve Tuesday-Thursday.

Vinegar Hill House has one of the most unique dining rooms in NYC — it feels like a slightly warped storybook cottage, or maybe a hip Woodstock bed and breakfast. The food's great, too, especially the cast-iron chicken and the salads, and there are plenty of great finds on the budget-friendly wine list. [Krieger]

Head to this Elmhurst Thai restaurant for fiery curries, perfectly composed salads, and awesome whole fish dishes. No meal is complete without an order of the fried bananas and the mango over sticky rice, when it's in season. Ayada is one of New York's best Thai restaurants, and you'll never have to fight monster crowds to snag a table. (Photo)