Best of NYC Dining: 10 Most Exciting Restaurants

When chefs trek through the Greenmarkets to prep their pantries, they bend over the splintered crates and inhale, then tear off a leaf and chew, imagining how the flavor will play out on the plate. And in the Best of NYC Dining series that continues throughout this month and next, Manhattan does something similar in assessing today’s diverse restaurant scene. Of course, opinions are like “Guess who I saw at Babbo?” stories—everybody’s got one—so we began this process by asking a group of contributors to weigh in on our editors’ picks for the city’s most exciting restaurants, the classics and the scenes that are truly worthy of the hype. Then our editors and restaurant critics went out and tried them all again—many more than once—to distill all the opinions and information down into this definitive package. Think of it as a tasting menu of the top toques and trends. Think of it as an edible love letter to New York. Think of it as a snapshot of what the rest of the country will be cooking next year.

10 Most Exciting Restaurants
1. Marea
Now that they’ve won practically every award, Marea’s chef Michael White and partner Chris Campbell’s decision to go all-out (million-dollar marble bar, anyone?) at the nadir of the stock-market crash looks like nothing less than sheer genius. Whether you’re indulging in the most innovative raw-fish tasting menu in the city at the front-room crudo bar or having a full-tilt dinner in the Love Boat–like dining room, the pristine seafood dishes and killer pastas have combined to elevate the dining scene in Manhattan. "Marea’s Michael White sources the most exquisite seafood on the planet," says Top Chef judge Gail Simmons. 240 Central Park S., 212.582.5100

2. Aldea
Talk about stealthy. In an environment where well-kept secrets become double-height headlines with a single keystroke, Aldea has truly managed to stay under the radar. On a quiet Flatiron block, George Mendes catalyzes 20 years’ cooking experience and uses it to fashion a dining progression unlike any other in the city right now. With his Iberian heritage as his guide, he takes ingredients other top-tier chefs wouldn’t dare touch—soy nuts, almond milk—and integrates them in preparations that go beyond merely edible to downright addictive. "I still dream of the sea urchin 
toasts at Aldea. It won’t be under-the-radar much longer," says Andrew Steinthal of immaculateinfatuation.com. "Aldea is a new classic. I was blown away," agrees Manhattan dining consultant Elizabeth Bishop. 31 W. 17th St., 212.675.7223

3. Minetta Tavern
Step one: Abandon the pretense that a mere mortal can secure a prime-time reservation. Step 2: Walk in for a 5:30 or 11pm reservation if you can—chances are Madonna, Jerry and Gwynnie have called it a night. Step 3: Sit where you’re told, soak in 85 years of West Village history and relish that butter-drenched juggernaut, the $26 Black Label burger. "The hottest restaurant in New York, if only because Bill Clinton has been there like 10 times, is Minetta," says a Razor, a Shiny Knife's Michael Cirino. "Even my prettiest friends don’t always get into Minetta," says food critic Ryan Patrick Sutton. 113 MacDougal St., 212.475.3850

4. Corton
Don’t wait for a special occasion: Head to Corton for dinner tonight. Seemingly past his youthful indiscretions, Paul Liebrandt has become one of the city’s most innovative chefs, both artful (that salad!) and luscious (rabbit with shrimp and artichokes). From a quiet white-walled room to a can’t-lose wine list stocked with both incredible values and abandon-worthy splurges, this Drew Nieporent–owned spot is one to love. "Corton is the high water mark for modern cookery in NYC, thanks to Paul Liebrandt," says Cirino. 239 W. Broadway, 212.219.2777

5. ABC Kitchen
Rumor has it Jean-Georges Vongerichten resisted this Greenmarket-gone-glam concept, but now he and partner Phil Suarez are laughing all the way to the bank. If the food wasn’t so damn good—the Arctic char, crispy chicken and carrot salad are all standouts—then the flea-market finds and mildly preachy manifesto could have led the place off the rails. Instead, JGV is now the engine driving this undeniably cool and delicious movement. 35 E. 18th St., 212.475.5829

6. La Grenouille
At 48 years old, this bastion of elegance (its weekly flower bill is $3,000), is back in vogue with the fashion, media and culinary glitterati. Lately, you’re as likely to see Anna Wintour here as you are Henry Kissinger. And whether you choose the $29 lunch prix fixe or the $95 three-course dinner tasting with options like frog legs Provençale, this restaurant excites by changing as little as possible. 
3 E. 52nd St., 212.752.1495