Lafayette
380 Lafayette St., at Great Jones St.; 212-533-3000
A French grand café and bakery from the team at Locanda Verde, serving up a contemporary version of a classic cuisine.
Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria
53 Great Jones St., nr. Bowery; 212-837-2622
The popular, painstakingly rusticated market-restaurant spinoff of Il Buco, on Great Jones Street.
Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St., nr. Bleecker St.; 212-475-3850
The vibe at Minetta is buzzy, exclusive, and properly chaotic, but the menu is a compact, carefully edited compendium of practiced brasserie favorites.
Alder
157 Second Ave., nr. 10th St.; 212-539-1900
This 56-seat pub-style restaurant serves the latest avant-garde dishes from wd~50 Chef Wylie Dufresne.
Carbone
181 Thompson St.,nr. Bleecker St.; 212-254-3000
Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s upscale, old-school pasta palace serves up gargantuan entrées and impressive cocktails, like a Chartreuse-tinged daiquiri.
SEE ALSO: Top 5 Brooklyn Scenes Top 5 Hipster Haunts Top 5 Rising Chefs Celeb Spots
