The topping of this Pear Crisp from Gramercy Tavern is my favorite part of the dessert. More

With entrees ranging from $12-$15 and sides in the $6 neighborhood, brunch at Maialino isn't cheap, exactly. Considering that we had no wait, friendly, helpful service and seriously delicious food, Maialino's got one of the best brunches in town. More

Torta di Olio d'Oliva ($8) is a memorable yet simple way to end any meal at Maialino. More

One Lucky Duck, the take-away spot from vegan restaurant Pure Food and Wine, is best known for their smoothies, juices, and raw desserts. But they also do an excellent lunch business, turning out raw and vegan salads to go at rapid speed during the busy lunch hours. More

We're big fans of Maialino, Danny Meyer's Roman-ish trattoria in the Gramercy Park Hotel, so we were thrilled to hear that they launched a happy hour menu—Monday-Friday, 5:00-7:00pm. Discounted drinks are a draw, of course, but so is Nick Anderer's food menu—eminently snackable plates like meatballs and anchovy-topped deviled eggs and crisp pork cracklings. More

At Veritas, pastry chef Emily Wallendjack (by way of Jean-Georges, Cookshop and Pierre Hermé!), reinvents the Dark & Stormy cocktail in the form of a killer sticky toffee pudding. More

Piccolo Cafe has two locations in Manhattan (and a third on the way), both of which are designed with reclaimed materials to emphasize a focus on sustainable, local products. The owners were coffee roasters in Italy and the menu reflects their origin; truffles panini, prochiutto and mozzarella di bufala omelettes, and housemade gnocchi. We visited the original location in Gramercy for breakfast. More

When the New York Times recently put out an article on veggie burgers, I had to do a little cheer because they mentioned my favorite veggie burger in the city. It was a burger that I was too embarrassed to tell friends about—lest they judge me for two facts: I not only 1) love veggie burgers, but 2) my favorite comes from a nationwide chain. More

Blue Smoke's sweet potato fries may be a misnomer—they're incredibly substantial, more like a quartered potato than a strip, essentially like a roasted sweet potato wedge. More

Both raw and vegan, the Cinnamon Crispies from One Lucky Duck taste more strongly of maple than cinnamon, but that's perfectly fine by me. More