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TurkishMidtown
ABA Turkish Restaurant on West 57th runs charcoal-grilled lamb and Mediterranean mezes a block from Central Park in Midtown West, New York City.
OrderIskender kebab: vertically grilled lamb on pide bread under tomato sauce and yoghurt.
TipHalal kitchen, open 11:00-22:00 daily; the lamb chop platter and the kunefe dessert are the consistent picks across recent reviews.
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ThaiFlatiron
Thai Villa near Union Square serves Bangkok and Chiang Mai cooking in Flatiron, New York City. Order the crab fried rice and the khao soi northern curry.
OrderCrab fried rice and the khao soi northern curry.
TipTwo seatings on weekends: 18:30 and 21:00. The 21:00 service is quieter and easier to walk into without a wait.
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CaribbeanEast Village
Miss Lily's on Houston Street has run Jamaican island food in SoHo, New York City since 2010. Jerk chicken from the wood smoker, daiquiris from the back bar.
OrderJerk chicken, rice and peas, fried plantains.
TipDJ nights run loud past 22:00. Brunch is the calmer service if you want to talk.
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Japanese IzakayaLower East Side
Yopparai on Clinton Street runs the Lower East Side's most serious sake bar in New York City. 70 by-the-cup sakes, izakaya snacks, 25 covers.
OrderSake flight of three small cups and the daily sashimi.
TipSake flights run with three-paragraph notes per pour. Bring patience and a friend who reads.
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GreekLower East Side
Kiki's on Division Street has poured retsina and grilled lamb chops in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2014. Priced at $$. Kitchen leans greek.
OrderLamb chops, saganaki, peasant salad.
TipWalk in at 17:30 or 22:00 for the only two short waits. The garden out back is the prize.
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SichuanEast Village
Han Dynasty's East Village outpost runs Chengdu-style numbing-spicy Sichuan in New York City. The dan dan and the dry pot are the room's calibration plates.
OrderDan dan noodles, dry pot fish, cucumber salad to cool.
TipThe spice scale runs 1 to 10; the menu says 7 is hot, the kitchen means it. Start at 5.