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The Spotted Pig
When you belly up to this bar, don't expect peanuts. Pub fare here means chicken liver toast, mozzarella with fava bean bruschetta, duck egg with tuna bottarga and much, much more. Busy at night, better for children in the day, and with at least two vegan options daily, The Spotted Pig's got something for everyone.
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Tía Pol
This closet-sized, romantic Spanish tapas bar is the real deal - and the hordes of locals who crowd into the front-bar waiting area to get one of six teeny tables filled with massive doses of deliciousness know it. Come on the early side and you may get seated in under a half-hour. But the wait's worth it for red wine and Spanish tortillas as both are beyond splendid here, along with just about everything else on the menu.
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Totonno's
Open daily as long as there's fresh dough -when it goes, the shop closes for the day. It's part of the 'only-do-it-when-it's-fresh' ethos that's run this pizza shop for decades. The crust tastes better and the sauce sweeter, making the whole experience worth a Coney Island trip.
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Town
There are just so many choices at Town! Start your day with creamy eggs benedict, balanced with wobbly perfection on lobster hash, or drop in for a midday snack of diver scallops with sausage and ginger lettuce. And then there's dinner - quail with citrus arugula and foie gras fritters, duck steak with endive and soba buckwheat pilaf, a bounty of rich risottos and beautiful chocolate beignets for dessert.
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Veselka
Famous for its delicious burgers, borscht, pirogues and fabulous location, Veselka doesn't stop - it's busy and bustling every moment of the day and is a great New York experience.
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Virgil's Real Barbecue
Rather than specializing in one specific style of BBQ (styles vary in sauce type and meat base throughout the US), Virgil's celebrates them all. Menu items cover the entire BBQ map, with Oklahoma State Fair corndogs, pulled Carolina pork and smoked Maryland ham sandwiches, and platters of sliced Texas beef brisket and Georgia chicken-fried steak. Meats are smoked with a combo of hickory, oak and fruitwoods, keepin' it all real.
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Wallse
Before you start wondering what Austrian food is, exactly, try the spätzle with braised rabbit, mushrooms, peas and tarragon. It may not answer your question, but you'll no longer care. Pair it with a sour cherry strudel and pistachio ice cream dessert, and life is complete. Classic European food tastes its best in neighborly places like Wallse.
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Yonah Shimmel Knishery
Here's how to make a living the old-school way - buy a pushcart c 1890, sell your wife's knishes on Coney Island, save up for a mini storefront on the LES, and turn it into a 92-year-old family business that still follows the original recipe and uses a century old dumbwaiter to haul potato, cheese, cabbage and kasha knishes up from your wood-burning stove in the cellar. One bite of a Yonah Shimmel knish and you'll be hooked.
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Zaitzeff
Finally, healthy but quick organic eats in downtown Manhattan. A former Wall St trader opened this zippy spot and now sells all-natural beef burgers (turkey, too) on whole-grain Portuguese buns to former colleagues. Plenty of organic muffins, salads, sweet-potato fries and vegetarian options available too (also for takeout or delivery).
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Zucco: Le French Diner
Swing by to grab a fresh, crispy sandwich pressed just right, served with white napkins and tiny wineglasses, or savor the deep, meaty flavor of the North African Merguez lamb sausage. Other French classics, along with the tin-pressed ceiling, include moules marinières , and grilled tuna à la Provençale .
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