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[title]Breads Bakery Loaf legend Uri Scheft—the brains behind Tel Aviv's Lehamim Bakery—brings his dough-kneading talents to Union Square with this 9,000-square-foot bakeshop. Grab one of 25 seats for a warm chocolate croissant or take out a box of the baked treats if you don't want strangers to see you licking chocolate off your fingers. You can also pick up a range of breads, including Danish ryes, fresh focaccia and crusty baguettes. 18 E 16th St between Fifth Ave and Union Sq West 212-633-2253
Desmond's Steakhouse & Grill A glass-enclosed dry-aging room—offering a sneak peek at dangling slabs of beef—greets diners at the entrance of this grand 8,000-square-foot Art Deco chophouse. Match your appetite to the portion with a menu of six cuts of steaks in ten possible sizes, from an 8oz filet mignon to a 74oz porterhouse for six. Alternatives to the red-meat mains include a whole herb-roasted chicken, Dover sole slathered with escargot butter and a garlic-rubbed rump of lamb. Beverage consultant Tom Richter (the Beagle) presides over the 74-foot-long marble-topped bar, featuring variations on classics like a Black Manhattan, which subs in the herbaceous Averna amaro for sweet vermouth. 513 Seventh Ave at 38th St 212-391-6100
Harvist Find South Carolina low-country fare at this 130-seat restaurant inside Harlem arts center MIST. Chef Cassandra Quinlan-Ashford (Judson Grill, Tabla) serves classic dishes like Anson Mills organic grits topped with prawns and chicken-fried bacon strips, as well as tropically influenced plates, like a rum-marinated skirt steak with piquant salsa verde or chimchurri-topped mussels. For dessert there are twists on standards like a red-velvet souffle and sweet-potato cobbler. Frosted glass-pendant lamps lend a modern touch to the room's otherwise natural vibe, outfitted with cork floors and woven wood walls. 46 W 116th St between Fifth and Lenox Aves 646-738-3050
The LCL Bar & Kitchen Get cocktails and American bites at this roomy, walnut-planked lounge in the Westin New York Grand Central. Organic Avenue supplies cold-pressed juices, available in the morning for rejuvenation (carrot, orange, grapefruit) and at night for recovery (pear extract mixed with cognac, lemon and champagne). Early risers can also grab steaming cups of Stumptown coffee, a Balthazar croissant or a Ronnybrook yogurt parfait. For dinner, order appetizers featuring locally sourced farm goods (deviled organic eggs, tossed field greens) and hearty entrées (a bacon-topped LaFrieda burger, aged New York strip steak). 212 E 42nd St between Second and Third Aves 212-405-4399
Milk and Honey In 2000, Sasha Petraske recast the mold for the Gotham cocktail bar, igniting a worldwide fascination of pre-Prohibition tipples, with Milk and Honey—the reservations-only temple of mixology guarded by a secret phone number. Thirteen years and countless imitations later—the secret long out—the visionary Petraske shocked the booze cognoscenti with his recent Flatiron move of the legendary bar: Ditching the unlisted number, the relocated, expanded and now democratic drinkery will welcome walk-ins for the very first time. There are more changes afoot. In the coming weeks, look for bistro dishes (another new addition) such as club sandwiches, as well as an expanding library of whiskeys and rums and a near-comprehensive selection of aperitivi. But some habits die hard: Patrons still talk through their drink orders with barkeeps (there are no cocktail menus). Ask for one of the contemporary classics created at the original location, like the ginger-and-Scotch Penicillin or the Gold Rush, a honey-sweetened bourbon quaff. Sixty-two seats—set within Art Deco digs (pendant lamps, a Mondaine clock)—welcome all comers, but expect stiff competition for one of the six stools at the African-wood bar. As for Milk and Honey’s old, shuttered LES space, it will find new life when longtime bartenders Michael McIlroy and Sam Ross—whom Petraske handed the keys—reopen it as Attaboy. 30 E 23rd St between Madison Ave and Park Ave South (No phone yet)
Pho 66 Noodle Bar & Grill In a love letter to Vietnam's national dish, Greg Hugunin (Bouley, Blue Hill) retools the traditional bowl with French techniques for this Hell's Kitchen pho haven. The toque—who spent years probing the Bay Area's Vietnamese scene as the SF Weekly's food critic—took a six-month trek across Southeast Asia to bone up on Far East flavors. Here he applies classic techniques to the humble street food: making sous vide chicken breast for his pho ga (chicken noodle soup), browning bones to deepen flavor and straining his stock through a chinois. Similarly, the bar program embraces culture clash: Juleps are spiced with zesty ginger, Bloody Marys infused with fish sauce and Thai chili, and iced tea perfumed with star anise and cardamom. 673 Ninth Ave between 46th and 47th Sts 212-315-9797
Suzume BondSt alum Michael Briones dishes out ramen and sustainable sushi at this cabinlike Japanese joint, designed by partner and carpenter Sam Barron (the Emerson). Employing line-caught fish, Briones stuffs spicy tuna rolls with Montauk yellowfin and tops miso ramen with Canadian salmon. Sample izakaya-inspired bites (fried chicken wings with spicy butter and ginger yogurt) or opt for a more traditional tonkotsu bowl, crowned with pork belly and swaths of seaweed. The drinks program showcases sakes—focused on small prefectures like Northern Japan's Akita—but there are also craft beers (Tröegs DreamWeaver Wheat) and biodynamic wines. 545 Lorimer St at Devoe St 718-486-0200
'wichcraft The Craft sandwich empire expands with its 16th location—a 3,800-square-foot café in Chelsea Piers. Regulars can find the usual spread of handcrafted salads, soups and sandwiches, including favorites like tuna and fennel or pork shoulder with pepper relish. To fuel gym rats working up a sweat at the nearby sports complex, this outpost will also have grilled veggie burgers, a Stonefield organic yogurt bar, and kid-friendly fare like PB&Js with Greenmarket fruit preserves. Pier 62 at Twelfth Ave 212-780-0577