I had heard people gushing about La Sirene for quite a long time, as it has a stellar reputation for being a cute, French, BYOB date spot. And that it certainly is—but consider yourself warned upfront that it is decidedly a splurge, so perhaps you should take extra precautions to make sure you really like your date first. More

Previous BYOBs Dante's The Islands Afghan Kebab House Angelica Kitchen Sigiri Ivo & Lulu Gazala Place Tartine D-list sushi—unlike bad pizza, say, or a not-great chocolate chip cookie—simply has no reason to exist. Eating it is a terrifying experience,... More

Midway in my journey home from work, I found myself eating fried chicken in Williamsburg, the straight way lost. To tell about that meal is hard—so tangled and rough—the very thought of it renews my fear. —Dante, loosely paraphrased.... More

“Someone who knows how to cook food is cooking this food.” Previous BYOBs Afghan Kebab House Angelica Kitchen Sigiri Ivo & Lulu Gazala Place Tartine As a West Village girl about to leave her borough behind, I know how hard... More

Previous BYOBs Angelica Kitchen Sigiri Ivo & Lulu Gazala Place Tartine When you've exhausted Indian and tired of Turkish, Afghan is an exciting next step. I associate Afghan food with rich flavor and subtle spice, ingredients like pumpkin and... More

"There is a place in the world for fresh, ingredient-driven vegan cuisine. Unfortunately, Angelica Kitchen didn't quite seem to be it." Previous BYOBs Sigiri Ivo & Lulu Gazala Place Tartine Vegans may miss out on many of life's gustatory pleasures,... More

Previous BYOBs Ivo & Lulu Gazala Place Tartine If you're familiar with one restaurant on this block of lower First Avenue, it's probably not Sigiri—you're more likely to have been strongarmed into an Indian joint by its zealous street... More

Photo from yummiliondragon on Flickr I so wanted to like Ivo and Lulu. It's a small slot of a restaurant in off-center Soho, just around the corner from my old office. Its French-Caribbean menu, heavy on duck and game,... More

In our series BYOB of the Week, Serious Eats writer Carey Jones stops by a different New York eatery each Thursday, her own bottle of booze in hand. Photo from gazalaplace.com Eating out in New York, I occasionally end up... More

Tartine is a solid B-plus of a bistro: nothing you haven’t eaten before, nothing you’ll dream about for days, but very good, occasionally excellent French fare. In our newest series, BYOB of the Week, Serious Eats writer Carey Jones will... More