35 The all-veg menu at Per Se
10 Columbus Circle #4, Columbus Circle (www.perseny.com) $$$ The standard chef’s tasting menu at Thomas Keller’s pitch-perfect restaurant in the Time Warner Center is full of luxury ingredients like truffles, foie gras and caviar, but the more inventive option is the all-vegetable menu offered each evening. It takes true mastery, after all, to transform a plate of Brussels sprouts into the pinnacle of haute cuisine.
it means to be a ‘Brooklyn restaurant’ than Roberta’s, a rough-and-tumble high-end pizza place in Bushwick. The pizzas get silly names like Thunderdome (Taleggio, pancetta, mushrooms) and inventive cocktails are served alongside cans of Budweiser. It doesn’t take itself too seriously—and is all the better for it.
40 Lunch at Shake Shack
In Madison Square Park, Flatiron District (www.shakeshack.com) $ Head to Madison Square Park and look for the line. There are seven Shake Shacks in New York now, but the best of the bunch is still the original outdoor stand. Go on a nice day, gird yourself for a wait, and enjoy the burgers and frozen custard sitting al fresco in the park.
39 Banh Mi at Saigon Vietnamese Sandwich Deli
369 Broome Street, Little Italy (www. vietnamese-sandwich.com) $ Banh Mi sandwiches spread like wildfire in New York a few years ago, but skip the trendier, cheffed-up versions on offer and head to this tiny shop on Broome Street instead. The sandwiches are combinations of gamey pâté and ham, bright pickled vegetables, and featherlight rolls to hold it all together.
36 Porterhouse for two at Peter Luger Steak House
178 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (www.peterluger.com) $$ There’s no shortage of dry-aged beef in New York City, yet the de facto place to bask in it remains this Williamsburg stalwart, a holdover from the time when the term ‘Brooklyn restaurant’ didn’t carry the same hip connotations. There are arguably better steaks in town, but there’s no better place to experience old New York— right down to the fact that credit cards aren’t accepted.
41 Thai at SriPraPhai
64-13 39th Avenue, Woodside, Queens (www.sripraphairestaurant.com) $ Asian food has cropped up at lots of new places in New York, yet this Queens institution is where New Yorkers go for the real deal. The dining room has little charm, but the authentic renditions of Thai classics keep people coming back.
42 Sushi at Sushi Yasuda
204 East 43rd Street, Midtown East (www.sushiyasuda.com) $$$ As many sushi restaurants as there are in New York, there are surprisingly few pure, exemplary sushi experiences to be had. Midtown’s Sushi Yasuda is the best. The variety of fish every night is unmatched and the chefs’ prowess on display at the bamboo bar is impressive.
37 Brunch at Prune
54 East 1st Street, East Village (www. prunerestaurant.com) $$ The wait is long, the dining room is cramped, and your chair won’t be very comfortable. But that’s all part of the appeal at awardwinning chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s restaurant. You can go at any time, but Hamilton’s uncomplicated cooking really shines during the always-popular weekend brunch service.
43 Uni panini at El Quinto Pino
401 West 24th Street, Chelsea (www. elquintopinonyc.com) $ Stop in at this seriously tiny wine bar in Chelsea for one of the city’s truest tapas experiences. While there, make sure to order the uni panini, a small pressed sandwich of fresh sea urchin and spicy mustard oil. In a city full of sandwiches, this just might be the best.
38 Locavore pizza (and more) at Roberta’s
261 Moore Street, Bushwick, Brooklyn (http:/ /robertaspizza.com) $ No place is more representative of what
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