Simon Kim's Flatiron Korean steakhouse holds a Michelin star for tableside grilling in New York City. The Butcher's Feast at $74 a head is the calibrated order.
Signature dishes: Butcher's Feast, Dry-aged ribeye
Must order: The Butcher's Feast: four cuts, banchan, stews, egg souffle.
Tip: Sit at the counter overlooking the grill for the full theatre. Wine list is unusually deep for a Korean room.
Address: 16 West 22nd Street, New York, NY 10010, New York City
Chef Helen Nguyen's Orchard Street Vietnamese kitchen in New York City runs sharp central-Vietnamese cooking: bun bo Hue, com tam, banh khot in clay pots.
Signature: Bun bo Hue, Banh mi
Order: Bun bo Hue with extra cha lua.
Tip: Lunch is the easy seat. Dinner books fast on weekends; Tuesday evenings are quiet and full menu still runs.
Wu's Wonton King on East Broadway carves a $58 Peking duck table-side in New York City. Big rooms, Lazy Susan service, two-bird minimum on busy nights.
Signature: Peking duck, Wonton soup
Order: Peking duck, three courses; wonton soup to start.
Tip: Order the duck when you book; same-day requests are routinely refused. BYOB with a small corkage.
Nan Xiang on Prince Street in Flushing pleats soup dumplings to 18 folds in New York City. Pork, pork-and-crab, and a green truffle-pork basket on weekends.
Signature: Soup dumplings, Pork-and-crab xiao long bao
Order: Pork-and-crab xiao long bao, basket of eight.
Tip: Take the 7 train to Flushing-Main Street; the room runs 60-minute waits at lunch. No reservations; expect a buzzer.
The two Franks have served Brooklyn-Italian on Court Street in New York City since 2004: handmade pastas, escarole salad, sausage cavatelli in a garden out back.
Signature: Cavatelli with hot sausage, Meatballs
Order: Cavatelli, hot sausage, brown butter and sage.
Tip: Sit in the garden in warm weather. The meatballs over polenta is the second pick if cavatelli has sold out.
Jody Williams and Rita Sodi's Grove Street West Village room serves Tuscan-leaning food in New York City. No reservations; the line outside is its own institution.
Signature: Insalata verde, Cacio e pepe
Order: Insalata verde, cacio e pepe, chocolate budino.
Tip: Walk in at 17:00 sharp for the first seating, or join the list around 20:30 for the second wave.
Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi's restoration of the Seagram Pool Room runs mid-century power-lunch food in New York City. Honey-glazed duck, tableside Caesar.
Signature: Prime rib, Tableside Caesar
Order: Honey-glazed duck for two, carved at the table.
Tip: Lunch is the move; the same room without the dinner price ceiling. Dress code is enforced: no jeans, no sneakers.
