Grub Streets Restaurant Power Rankings: Where to Eat While You Wait for Spring

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Each week, Grub Street surveys the entire restaurant landscape of New York, crunches the numbers, and comes up with this: A list of the most-talked-about, must-visit places in the city. They might be new, or they could be older places that have gotten a recent jolt of buzz. No matter what, these are the restaurants where you should make a point to eat sooner rather than later.

1. Narcissa (Last week: 3) The major critics still have to weigh in, but at the moment, it seems John Fraser's five-week-old downtown restaurant is a major hit, thanks at least in part to those truly excellent carrot fries.

2. Mission Cantina (1) Danny Bowien's menu has been constantly evolving since Cantina officially opened back in November, and this week's bringing the biggest changes yet. If you have not yet been, this is just one more reason to get in on it.

3. Ivan Ramen's Slurp Shop (6) The star attraction at Gotham West Market is Ivan Orkin's superlative ramen spot, and as Pete Wells's ramen roundup this week made clear, it is a true standout among all of the city's top ramen destinations, too.

4. The Cleveland (4) The Soho-Nolita restaurant got a welcome jolt of buzz recently thanks to the announcement that Max Sussman is the new chef. And reports back indicate the chef's work lives up to the hype. Sussman's daily changing menus look very impressive, too.

5. French Louie (14) The cozy, L-shaped dining room at this Atlantic Avenue spot has been more or less full-up since French Louie opened last week. The welcoming vibe and the just-tweaked-enough bistro food look as though they have the potential to make this place a neighborhood favorite for the long haul.

6. Dover (2) Speaking of neighborhood spots, Dover's spare, unfussy storefront dining room belies the level of polish on the food that's coming out of chefs Walker Stern and Joe Ogrodnek's kitchen. Of note: The much-praised lamb-rib dish served here is the kind of entre you can't stop thinking about, even days after your meal.

7. The Clam (5) Turns out the straightforward Market Table approach to cooking works very well when applied to seafood-shack classics just one reason why people continue to crowd into Mike Price's charming new Hudson Street spot.

8. Contra (11) Much has been made of this LES restaurant's $55 tasting menu's value, but don't overlook the hospitable service and truly outstanding wine list, either.

See the rest here:
Grub Streets Restaurant Power Rankings: Where to Eat While You Wait for Spring