Clinton St. Baking Company & Restaurant

This little storefront draws people from all over the world for its famous brunch, so divine are the pancakes with wild blueberries and warm maple butter, the soft scrambled eggs with house-smoked salmon and scallion cream cheese, and the signature buttermilk biscuits. Husband-and-wife team Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman originally conceived of Clinton Street as a neighborhood bakery, but over time it grew to be so much more. To avoid the weekend lines, try it on a weekday, when the lunch is every bit as good, or at night, when it's practically deserted (compared with brunch). That's when Kleinberg shows his talent beyond eggs and biscuits, especially with buttermilk fried chicken, fish tacos and cornmeal-crusted catfish.