Red rooster, 310 Lenox Ave.; 212-792-9001
More than a year in, chef Marcus Samuelsson is still bringing the hip to Harlem with his sizzling comfort food.
Jason Kempin
2 of 15
A crowd of fashionable revelers convene at the comfortable front bar and lounge where there’s sometimes live music, while others check into the mod dining room for $26 fried yardbird and $18 mac ’n’ greens.
Rebecca Sahn
3 of 15
Reserve a banquette in the swank new Ginny’s Supper Club, below Red Rooster, for cocktails galore and a short list of retro dishes like $12 maitake mushroom dumplings. DJs, jazz orchestras and even Roberta Flack (Wednesday) keep the joint jumping into the wee hours.
David Rosenzweig
4 of 15
Super Linda, 109 West Broadway; 212-227-8998
South American flair — and an expansive menu of grilled meats — hits trendy TriBeCa at this corner spot orchestrated by Matt Abramcyk (Beatrice Inn, Tiny’s) and Serge Becker (Café Select, Miss Lily’s).
Eilon Paz
5 of 15
A room holding 120 fashion-meets-finance types is split between seating near the bar and more-private dining area near a wall of windows that open come summer. Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon recently celebrated her birthday in a spot looking onto Duane Street.
Eilon Paz
6 of 15
A kitschy equestrian theme marks the 72-person subterranean El Jockey lounge with an entrance hidden behind the restaurant’s host stand. Emphasizing after-work cocktails and a pared-down menu, it also houses two private dining nooks for VIPs.
Eilon Paz
7 of 15
Catch, 21 Ninth Ave.; 212-392-5978
The brains behind Tenjune and Abe & Arthur’s are making waves with this seafood restaurant helmed by “Top Chef” winner Hung Huynh (left).
Michael Sofronski
8 of 15
Dark and energetic, the loungey Catch Roof boasts a glass-enclosed deck and a crowd of pro athletes and big spenders such as David Beckham, Cameron Diaz and P. Diddy who like to hang out courtside. Tough door, especially on Monday nights.
9 of 15
Fish in the Meatpacking District? Big-time. Two floors full of yuppies, celebs, tourists and tastemakers alike tear into Galapagos Island-size Cantonese lobster ($78) and king crab ($90) that’s worth the extra clams. At least patrons Jay-Z and Beyoncé think so.
Zandy Mangold
10 of 15
ACME, 9 Great Jones St.; 212-203-2121
The cartoonish Acme sign that hung over this faux Cajun restaurant for 25 years is all that remains now that a team including Jean-Marc Houmard of Indochine has turned it into a hipster double-decker a stronghold for noted Danish chef Mads Refslund.
Eilon Paz
11 of 15
A buzzing combination of foodies and fashionistas put the din in dinner at this street-level spot. The $20 chicken-and-eggs entree is a standout dish that could come with a side of Bacon — as in Kevin, who’s dined here with his wife, Kyra Sedgwick.
Gabi Porter
12 of 15
The rockabilly stage is gone, but this bourgeois bohemian basement bacchanal features live jazz from 8to 11 p.m. Now, $12 will bayou a rum-and-bitters-based Jones St. daiquiri. Only a late-night downstairs doorman makes bilevel table-hopping bumpy.
Eilon Paz
13 of 15
Alison Eighteen, 15 W. 18th St.; 212-366-1818
Alison Price Becker is a New Yorker straight out of a Woody Allen film — smart, pretty and pedigreed (Dad helped found the Paris Review, Mom is a choreographer and director). And her new restaurant reflects that.
David Rosenzweig
14 of 15
Classic and grown-up, the ground floor space has a large front bar and a clubby back dining area perfect for enjoying straightforward but delicious dishes such as $26 rotisserie chicken, and for watching the likes of Kyle McLaughlin and Nicole Miller.
Gabi Porter
15 of 15
With a baby grand and a soon-to-be-installed pool table, the downstairs space will play host to author dinners, a film series with the Criterion Collection, backgammon tourneys and an event in conjunction with the Woodstock Writers Festival on April 21.
David Rosenzweig
