Both the food and service at Public are consistently excellent. Chef Brad Farmerie knocks out inventive, flavorful dishes that both look and taste great. It sure as hell isn’t cheap, but you absolutely get your money’s worth. Public is also a pretty well known event space. Hang out in Manhattan long enough and you’ll probably wind up at an after-party here, intoxicated in the restroom, trying to figure out how many little bars of Public branded soap you can shove in your pockets. Or maybe you can afford to buy your own fancy hand soap for your house. Must be nice.

Food Rundown:

Mushroom Ceviche
I loathe mushrooms and somehow really enjoyed this ceviche. Either my taste buds are rapidly maturing as I approach 30 or Public has some kind of magic potion in which mushrooms suddenly taste like candy. I’ll go with the latter.

Grilled Scallops
Load up on the shellfish apps, they’re all money. These grilled scallops with sweet chili sauce, crème fraiche and green plantain crisps taste as good as they sound.

Fried Barron Point Oysters
Fried oysters with a spicy Japanese flair? Yes please. We could eat these puppies all day. The wasabi-yuzu dipping sauce is real tasty.

Cured Wild Boar Plate with Garrotxa Cheese
When wild boar is on the menu, I order it. It makes me think of three things, all of which I dig: 1.) Lost (Locke) 2.) Friday Night Lights (Riggins) 3.) apizz (Wild boar lasagna). Served with olives, caper berries and crostini, this meat plate was solid, but unspectacular. Next time I’m doubling up on the fried oysters.

New Zealand Venison Loin
From one gamey meat, to another. It’s obvious Chef Farmerie enjoys a little hunting in his life. The entire table agreed that this was the standout dish of the night. Rich meat with deep flavors are complimented with cheese dumplings, mushrooms and salsa verde. It sounds like it’d be a heavy dish, but it’s not. The consistency is just right and the execution is spot on.

Roast Lamb Sirloin
Again, great presentation. The lamb roast shows up on top of a crispy goat cheese polenta with saffron braised baby vegetables. The meat is juicy, and well cooked. All love here.

Roast Duck Breast
Although overshadowed a bit by the venison and the lamb, the duck is another excellent option. We dug the accompaniments too: Korean pepper spaetzle, sautéed snow peas and a radish and grape salad. Seasonal and not what you typically see served with duck.

One of our all time favorite La Esquina dinners was the result of an unannounced Tuesday night visit. Smooth talking and a small diversion (smoke bomb) got our group of three dudes down without a reservation, and what ensued was a great meal at the chef’s table and a valiant attempt to drink Mexico into another agave shortage. Those are the nights that make us love this place. Even despite the weekday fashionistas and weekend crowds, La Esquina can still play host to the next great time you can’t remember.

Food Rundown:

Empanadas De Chorizo
A basic empanada, but the chorizo is spicy and delicious. A simple favorite of ours.

Quesadilla De Huitlacoche
A tasty, mushroomy quesadilla with corn and Mexican truffle. This is earthy and good, but different than most quesadillas you’ve probably come across.

Cangrejo Tostada
Our favorite of the tostadas on the menu (three per order), and a must have. The cool crab meat is piled high on a half-dollar sized tostada with mango and spicy mayo. It’s one big bite of goodness.

Tinga De Pollo
Chicken might not be the sexiest tostada option on the menu, but across the board, La Esquina’s slow-cooked, shredded chicken is a winner.

Elotes Callejeros
Don’t mess around. Each person at the table needs to have an ear of this grilled corn in hand. You’ll be smiling…with shit in your teeth.

Tacos
In order of our preference: bistec, pescado, carnitas michoacan (crispy pork), cochinita pibil (pulled pork). You really can’t go wrong.

Chile Relleno
A decent chile relleno, but not our favorite. File these under tasty Mexican food item that is usually disappointing in New York City Mexican restaurants.

Carne Asada
A good strip steak served with a nice chimichurri, but nothing special. In general, you will be happier if you stick to the smaller plates.

Perry St is in the ground floor of some super-modern, all glass building on the West Side Highway. It’s a nice place, but it’s completely sterile and a little stuffy. It’s definitely an older, more proper crowd. Got straight-laced family in town from Greenwich? This is the perfect Dinner With The Parents destination. Neither the maître d’ or the tables around us were too thrilled with our quasi-rowdy party, which by Perry St standards might as well have been a table rave. The food was a let down too. After eating a spectacular dinner at ABC Kitchen the week before, I was expecting a more dynamic meal from a Jean Georges restaurant. That being said, we would come back here and order the butter poached lobster anytime. That’s one of the single best dishes we’ve eaten this year, and it saved this review from the toilet. We also hear rumblings that they serve a decent brunch. Maybe we’ll come back and check it out, and this time we’ll bring grandma. On second thought, no we won’t. She’s too cool for this place.

Food Rundown:

Arugula and Boston Lettuce Salad
A nice starter salad. I’m a sucker for anything with Boston lettuce and mustard vinaigrette, so this plays right into my weakness.

Rice Cracker Crusted Tuna
This tuna appetizer is one of Perry St’s signature dishes – it was the number one recommendation of our waiter. Sadly, it wasn’t that memorable, partially because we only got half the dish. The other half wound up being accidentally dropped into a water glass by our server and not being replaced. Thanks dude. The rice cracker crust is certainly tasty, but it’s nothing life changing, and we expected a little more from something that comes served in a sriracha-citrus emulsion.

Sweet Chili Crab Dumplings
Another dish that arrived at our table after being highly touted, but just didn’t do it for us. There was something missing, and we couldn’t understand how this slimy green dumpling could be one of their most popular dishes.

Cod With Miso-Yuzu Glaze
Not the best miso cod we’ve ever had, but the sriracha gives the fish a serious kick of flavor. If you don’t like it spicy, take a pass on this one.

Butter Poached Lobster
$35 and not a penny overpriced. God damn was this lobster dish ridiculous. It was easily the best thing we ate all night. Rich, buttery poached lobster served over an awesome potato ravioli in a lemongrass and kaffir lime broth. You should probably come here once, just to eat this.

Char-Grilled Cheeseburger
Not too big, not too small, and sporting plenty of flavor – this is definitely a solid burger, just not a reason to come like the butter poached lobster.

Time Out reports that J.G. is calling ABC his “hippie restaurant”. It’s such a well thought out concept, at first you almost want to roll your eyes and brush it off as one big cliche. Don’t do it. Embrace the flannel shirts, recycled paper towels and foliage free branches. This is industrial rustic done right. Everything is incredibly well executed, and the attention to detail really caught our eye. We’re usually not the type to discuss light fixtures or artwork at the dinner table, but for a brief moment in time, we actually managed to sustain a conversation about something other than our typical immature dinner banter. The ladies at our table were in heaven, and we’re honestly surprised that they didn’t try to stuff every piece of mismatched china and clay dinnerware into their purses. Speaking of purses, typically Jean-Georges dining comes with a hefty price tag, but that’s not the case at ABC Kitchen. This is actually an affordable way to experience his cuisine – indulge you should. A diverse mix of salads, pizzas, pastas and main course proteins decorate a menu that’s meant to be shared. Take a hit and pass, it’s the hippie way.

Food Rundown:

Ramp Toast
Make sure you sample at least one of the toast options on the market table section of the menu. We were all set to roll with the Peekytoe crab toast until we heard the specials. Either way, you won’t be disappointed.

Green Pea Soup
When was the last time you ordered pea soup and had whole peas show up in your bowl? This isn’t your standard pea soup…oh no, these peas are fresh out of JG’s garden and into your belly. There’s something refreshing about how simple this soup is – peas and carrots with a hint of mint. Good stuff.

Mackerel Sashimi
When eating off a balanced menu like this, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not messing with one of the light seafood apps. Since fluke rarely impresses, we went mackerel and really enjoyed it. The ginger marinade really gave it some nice additional flavor.

Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad
This is quickly becoming one of ABC’s signature dishes and with good reason. I usually leave words like “divine” for females to use on their own food blogs, but in this case, I might actually play that card. That’s exactly what a well constructed bite of this salad is – a little bit of carrot, some avocado and a few seeds all in the same mouthful. Divine.

Pretzel Dusted Calamari
This whole ‘pretzel dust’ thing is a little gimmicky and didn’t taste any different from other batches of calamari. My one complaint here is that underneath the alleged pretzel dusting was rubbery, overcooked calamari. The two dipping sauces were excellent though, and somewhat made up for the chewy squid

Bowtie Pasta with Kasha and Veal Meatballs
Jean-Georges’ take on an old Jewish dish Kasha varnishkes would probably have my ancestors rolling in their graves, but had us scraping the plate clean. If you are ordering one pasta dish, this is the one to get. The crispy kasha and fresh bowtie pasta played off the veal meatballs perfectly. Our table freaked out over this.

Whole Wheat Pizza with Clams
God damn. For me personally, it doesn’t get any better than this right here. A ridiculous amount little neck clams brought to life by hints of mint, parsley and fresh chilies. If you like clams, spicy and pizza like me, you’ll be in heaven.

Chili-Herbed Black Sea Bass
A nice piece of fish, this sea bass with a little extra kick was good, not great. If we could do it all over again, we’d roll with the arctic char or cod.

Organic Crispy Chicken
Ideally crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside. Well executed and highly recommended.

Dessert
Saving a little space for sweets here is worth your while. Definitely order the sundae with salted caramel-peanut ice cream, candied popcorn, whipped creme fraiche & chocolate sauce. All you need is a couple bites, but those couple bites are glorious. Other fan faves included the chocolate cake with marshmallow icing and vanilla & citrus cream doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce. Good times.

Now, I can’t claim that I was around when The Bowery was home to Syd Vicious and Dee Dee Ramone and all the people they did smack with. But I did manage to get here before CBGB turned into a John Varvatos and before Daniel Boulud took a dump on it’s memory by naming his restaurant DBGB. That’s right Danny, God Save the Queen. Unfortunately, I missed the really good stuff, when the neighborhood was filthy and punk rock changed the world. But I did at least experience something a little different – before Mickey and Goofy cleaned up the streets and put in a gift shop.

Either way, Keith McNally is here now, and he’s brought his flagship Pastis over from the Magic Kingdom. What’s the difference between Pastis and Pulino’s? Pizza. Ultimately, this is just another McNally franchise, which is fine, but you better know what to expect before you eat. You aren’t coming here for a great New York pizza experience. You’re coming here to either stare at, or show off some ridiculous legs in a miniskirt, and God bless you for that. The pizzas are definitely decent, but this place is more about the scene and having a good time. We’ll go on record saying that we are totally cool with that…but let’s not shower the joint with Michelin Stars just yet. If you want to avoid the craziness but still get in on the action and get a table, we recommend rolling up at about 10:45 on a Friday night. The bar will still be bumping, but you should sit quickly, and at midnight they begin serving a limited number of killer late night burgers. Part of us definitely wishes there was still some grit to the area, but another part of us is also just fine with late night food and miniskirts. Maybe Disney World isn’t so bad after all.

Food Rundown:

Mozzarella Burrata
A killer burrata, drizzled with olive oil, and all around fantastic. You need this at your table.

Baked Ricotta
Another must to kick off your meal at Pulino’s. This is a cast iron pot of baked ricotta cheese, served with crusty bread. The edges are crispy and brown and the middle is soft, warm and perfect.

Margherita Pizza
The true test of a quality pizza. Believe it or not, this is one of the better pies we had at Pulino’s. Simple and delicious.

Gamberi Pizza
Rock shrimp and speck is an interesting pizza combo, but it definitely works here. The briny shrimp and salty speck are friends when they’re together in my mouth.

Porchetta Pizza
Ah yes, now we’re in our element. Porchetta on pizza is a good fucking idea. The pork is tasty and liberally dispersed, and the fennel comes through strong. This one racked up a few points on the rating for sure.

Funghi Pizza
A pretty basic mushroom pizza. The ’shrooms are good, and this is fine, it’s just nothing special.

Salcissia Pizza
Sausage and broccoli rabe, with a nice kick from some chiles. We liked this one quite a bit.

Cafe Gitane is the epitome of the “it” downtown cafe – a quintessential Nolita eatery and place to See and Be Seen that so many places try (and fail) to replicate. The food is actually prettty good. Dinner can be underwhelming, but brunch is indeed chronic, and the prices aren’t as bad as you might expect. But Cafe Gitane isn’t for everyone. The place is tiny, and staring down a bunch of really hot people while you cram your fat ass into a little chair isn’t always awesome. You are also pretty much guaranteed to face long waits, but during the summer it’s a great Warm Weather Dining destination, and can be worth hanging around for a table on the street or near one of the big windows. Especially if you’re looking to drink some coffee and watch the action go by.

Food Rundown:

Baked Eggs
Served with basil, tomato and cream, it’s the tangy tomato sauce that makes this dish. The eggs get nice and crisp on the outside edges and absorb the sauce and flavor in the middle. It’s a must to get some crusty bread for dunkage.

Orange Blossom Waffle
Orange blossom waffle? What? Don’t worry about it. Just order it. Topped with bananas, blueberries and strawberries, this big circular waffle looks like it came out of the same waffle maker you got off your wedding registry. You’re welcome.

Granola with Raisins, Cashews, Fresh Fruit and Yogurt
I admit there is nothing unique or original about this dish. You can find it on pretty much every brunch menu in town, but Cafe Gitane does good work with the basics.

Arugula, Beets, Apple, Olives & Walnuts Salad
Every restaurant in NYC has some play on this salad, and this one is head and shoulders above the competition. Everything about it is on point, from the fresh ingredients to the portion size. If you’re going salad, get this one.

Baked Feta
Served with capers, thyme, olives and tomatoes, this is one of the better “petit plats” on the menu. This part of the menu is straightforward; what you see is what you get. Brie & Apple? A couple slices of cheese, a couple slices of apple. The plats are a great way to start the meal or snack on while enjoying a coffee, just don’t expect to have your mind blown.

Avacado on Seven Grain Toast
Another “plat” (i really like writing that) not to miss. An excellent dish to share, this toast is topped with avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and chili flakes. Excellent.

Moroccon Couscous
One of their more popular specialties, this (sometimes leaning) tower of couscous is served with red peppers, raisins, toasted pine nuts, hummus and eggplant. We prefer the chicken add-on as opposed to the merguez sausage, although both are pretty solid.

The food is simple and very good – straightforward American, with something for everyone. Fish and meat dishes are equally tasty, and if all else fails, there’s french fries cooked in duck fat. There’s also a nice curbside patio and a huge wine list, which just so happen to work together very nicely. Order a few bottles and hang out for a while.

Food Rundown:

Buffalo Mozzarella
I haven’t met a buffalo mozzarella that I didn’t like, but this one is especially good, largely due to the balsamic carmelized onions on top.

Troutlings
Whole baby trout, deep fried and served with a tartar sauce. These are awesome. Pop them in your mouth head and all. I used to do this with goldfish in college, but they were alive and I was drinking Keystone Light out of a bucket instead of expensive wine. Otherwise not much else has changed.

Duck Fat Fries
I don’t know what to say about this other than to state the obvious. These are french fries, fried in duck fat. Enough said.

English Cut Lamb Chop
A huge cut of lamb that looks like a t-bone steak. Served with baby carrots, anchovy, and fennel. Excellent, but this is a massive plate of food, so come hungry. Those baby carrots are amazing.

Pan Seared Salmon
A really nice piece of salmon. Perfectly cooked and the peas and guanciale on the plate make it that much better.

Sauteed Skate Wing
Another great piece of fish, this one is a perfectly cooked piece of skate served with brown butter and golden raisins.

As for the food – it’s fine. Better than average even, but nothing spectacular. Brunch is better than lunch and lunch is better than dinner. Everything is a little pricey, but the portions are big and you won’t leave hungry. They do enough things well to keep people coming back and also serve a limited menu 24 hours a day, which is rare for this ‘hood. If you’re in search of good brunch below Canal Street or maybe just a chance to see Jude Law getting down on something other than his kid’s nanny, this is your spot.

Food Rundown:

Pancakes
Thick and extremely hearty, these p’cakes are generally a crowd pleaser. Our two favorite varieties are the blueberry and the chocolate chip (subject to availability). Some batches are better than others, but the fact these are on the menu at 4am is kind of amazing, and makes up for any inconsistency. It’s entirely possible these will cure your hangover before it even starts.

Bubby’s Breakfast
A typical diner style breakfast. Two eggs any style, a choice of hash browns or grits, breakfast meat and toast. No better than what you would find at your local greasy spoon, other than the fact that the grits are awesome.

Spinach Salad
Bubby’s salads are good for lunch, but like every other business class salad, are too big and too expensive. Regardless, the spinach salad has long been my favorite.

Matzo Ball Soup
They’re not as good as Grandma’s, but these big, cakey matzo balls are more than serviceable. The move here is to order their alphabet soup and have them add matzo balls.

Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwich
Sandwiches are what Bubby’s does best. Sandwiches and pie…more on that later. The grilled ham and cheese is an excellent specimen. Thinly sliced hickory smoked ham, sharp white cabot cheddar and grainy mustard make for a good situation.

Peanut Butter & Jelly
I get sucked in every once in a while on this, forgetting that the time before really wasn’t anything special. This is a double decker PB&J on toasted seven grain bread that doesn’t taste as good as it looks. Then again, why am I ordering PB&J when I’m out to eat? That only flies if you’re seven, or really high.

Chicken Salad Sandwich
I love chicken salad – it’s one of my all time favorite foods – but this stuff is just too smoky for me. It’s too bad, because everything else about this chicken salad is right in my wheelhouse: grapes, pecans, and minimal mayo.

Grilled Chicken Club
Best sandwich on the menu by far. A typical club with the addition of avocado – it’s simple and amazing. Slam dunk.

Pies
Make sure to save room for Bubby’s world renowned pies. Our favorites include coconut custard, chocolate peanut butter, and banana cream.

Honestly though, for us that’s all part of the game. Yes, it can be annoying to deal with an unpredictable situation, but for a pizza this good, we’re willing to deal with it. It’s all about knowing what to expect going in, and understanding that you might not end up with a table, no matter what they told you twenty minutes ago. Want to save yourself some disappointment? Don’t bring your fiance’s parents here. Don’t come without a backup plan. Don’t bring a date that you’re trying to impress with your restaurant game. Don’t try to hit Lucali before you have to catch a flight, report for military service, or do anything else that you can’t be late for. But if you’re down to just grab a bottle of wine, show up at 6pm, and pray that you get a table, you might be diving into some of the best pizza this city (and therefore Planet Earth) has to offer. Read below for what might be the shortest food rundown in Infatuation history – your options are pizza or calzone. Order both.

Food Rundown:

Pizza
Yes, it’s expensive for a pizza. $26 is a lot to spend on a pie. But it’s so fucking good, we don’t care. There will be a list of available toppings for the night, and if they don’t mention it, you can’t have it. Not to worry. I’m not sure it matters what you put on top. The thin and crispy crust, incredible sauce, and bubbly cheese are so perfect, it could be sprinkled with asbestos and we would eat it.

Calzones
Made from the pizza dough folded over onto the toppings, this comes in three sizes. The small is absolutely massive, and sort of resembles one of the monsters from that movie Tremors. For three people, we rocked a pizza and a small calzone, and walked away feeling stuffed but euphoric.

Photo Credit: Adam Kuban/Serious Eats

On this island, taking a break from the beach and rolling to the local clam bar in flip flops and a bathing suit doesn’t happen. While our concrete jungle does indeed have a few solid fish shacks and oyster bars (The Mermaid Inn, Luke’s Lobster), most come with a certain Manhattan spin that seems forced and rather lame (Ditch Plains, Lure Fishbar). Mary’s is the rare authentic feeling fish house around these parts. It could easily be transported to Montauk or Cape Cod and fit right in. The pale pink and blue decor, simplistic dishes and laid back attitude are what we expect from a place that only serves seafood. Sure, the prices are a bit high, but this is Manhattan- everything is expensive. Mary’s is always jammed, so go in expecting to put your name on the list and then grab a drink around the corner. They’re accurate on their wait time and will call you as soon as your table is ready. As far as we’re concerned, Mary’s is one of the best seafood jams in Manhattan. Get some.

Food Rundown:

Half Dozen Malpeque OystersOysters are a mandatory order at Mary’s.

New Zealand Cockles with White Beans and GarlicThe cockle broth is really freakin good, and they serve this dish to you with a huge side of bread for dunking.

Fried Oysters and Clams with Fish Camp Tartar SauceThese little nuggets of fried goodness are always a fun way to start off a meal. Mary’s tartar sauce is particularly good too.

Wild Maine Mussels with Red Curry and Fresh CorianderLast time we were there, these mussels were HUGE and quite flavorful. Mussels can generally be hit or miss, but Mary’s are usually pretty consistent. The red curry broth gives this bowl a nice kick.

Iceberg Lettuce Wedge with Buttermilk Dressing and Double Smoked Bacon Buttermilk dressing and double smoked bacon? Sold. Don’t waste an appetizer item here on a non-fish order. Instead, we recommend ordering this as a side as it’s better than the individual vegetables they serve as side dishes.

Spicy Florida Conch ChowderI love their conch chowder. It’s an excellent move on a cold night or for lunch.

Lobster RollMary is known for her beautiful, rich and incredibly tasty pink lobster rolls. Big chunks of lobster are served over a toasted hot dog bun with a huge side of fries. For those who don’t like a lot of mayo on a $25 roll, this is not for you. For those who do, you’ll agree that this is the best mayo-heavy lobster roll in the city.

Pan Fried Cod Sandwich with French FriesAnother one of Mary’s specialties, this beautifully fried cod filet is served on a sourdough roll with lettuce, tomato and a side of Mary’s flattened shoestring fries.

Emerald Basin Skate with Brussels Sprout LeavesA nice portion of skate drenched, in balsamic brown butter. This dish is incredibly tasty and rather filling. If you don’t like balsamic though, don’t order it. That flavor is a little overwhelming

DessertSince everyone around you is eating Mary’s ridiculous looking hot fudge sundae, it’s impossible to not order dessert. Both the traditional looking sundae and the banana pudding will finish off your meal just right.