Eats & Treats: Best Restaurant Smackdown >>

• Best Restaurant Smackdown
  We wanted to do this smackdown in person, but, really, we're so busy running around town looking for new restaurants that the two of us are rarely in the same place at the same time. So we delivered the blows by IM, trying our best to hate on each other. (But the truth is, we like each other too... More >>
• Best Indian Restaurant
  Dosa Garden; Southern Spice
  SarahDG: If you'd let me, I'd just go on and on about Mumbai Xpress, and even Aamchi Pao, but let's mix it up a bit and talk about the excellent Dosa Garden, which opened last year in Staten Island. RobtS: Hey, no one's stopping you. SarahDG: I know you've been there and totally approve, so... More >>
• Best Bistro
  Joseph Leonard; Standard Grill
  RobtS: You know I loved Minetta Tavern, but that can't be my favorite bistro, because the place is way too velvet-ropey. You have to be able to walk into a bistro and sit down without being scrutinized. SarahDG: Agreed. RobtS: So I'm picking Joseph Leonard, a tiny place that offers a traditional... More >>
• Best Street Food
  Tacos Deliciosos; Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
  SarahDG: Sunset Park is one of the best street-food neighborhoods. RobtS: Can't disagree with that, but so what? SarahDG: I dunno, I just get excited about it—I like that Chinatown is vibrant, but relatively chill. You can get charcoal-grilled Northern Chinese skewers along Eighth Avenue,... More >>
• Best Seafood
  Marea; Liman
  SarahDG: I'm sure you'll pick an obscure, cool Turkish joint in Bay Ridge or something, but at the risk of being square, I'm going with Marea. RobtS: I should have known you'd pick some expensive spot! SarahDG: Yes, you may have to pay with your first-born child, but it offers the most... More >>
• Best Korean (2 Comments)
  NY Hot Dog and Coffee; Han Ah Reum Mart
  RobtS: The biggest news on the Korean food scene continues to be the franchise restaurants, most originating in Seoul, that have set down here. A drive down Northern Boulevard reveals nearly a dozen fried-chicken franchises. Even more curious is the hot dog chain, NY Hot Dog and... More >>
• Best New American
  10 Downing; Fort Defiance
  RobtS: The designation "New American" is absurd because it's really a catch-all for all sorts of creative food that lacks one particular ethnic influence. SarahDG: Seconded. RobtS: Where the rubber meets the road is in places designated as bistros. While Joseph Leonard is clearly a French... More >>
• Best Middle Eastern
  Gazala Place; Lamb and Chicken Carts, everywhere
  RobtS: Middle Eastern restaurants have been one of New York's best choices for quasi-healthy food delivered quickly and at reasonable prices—ever since Mamoun's handed its first falafel over the counter in the 1970s. SarahDG: Cut to the chase, please! RobtS: The collection of overlapping... More >>
• Best Southeast Asian
  Pho Sure; Thailand's Center Point
  SarahDG: I'd say Fatty Crab, but it's way too expensive. RobtS: That's very frugal of you! SarahDG: Still, I'd like to bathe in the belacan-shot sambal, while eating the nasi lemak and being spoon-fed the assam laksa. RobtS: Sounds erotic. SarahDG: Let's forget you said that. Michael "Bao" Huynh... More >>
• Best Breakfast
  East Corner Wonton; Tartine
  SarahDG: Why do Westerners insist on such boring breakfasts? RobtS: A friend told me that her mother used to fry up a pound of bacon and a dozen eggs every day when she was growing up. SarahDG: Eggs are best for topping laksa, not for scrambling. Anyway, hit up East Corner Wonton, an old-school... More >>
• Best Bakery
  Baked NYC; Grandaisy Bakery
  SarahDG: Scratchbread, which borrows the wood-burning oven at Toby's Public House, is an admirable newcomer this year, but without a main retail outlet, the breads are too hard to come by. RobtS: Never heard of it. SarahDG: Doesn't matter, I'm going with Baked NYC—a little hipster, it's... More >>
• Best Fast Food
  Saigon Banh Mi Bakery; Ba Xuyen
  RobtS: I've got to admit that whenever I want some fast food, I get on my bike and pedal to the best banh mi shop in town. SarahDG: Hey, you were just telling me about how dull Vietnamese food had become! RobtS: A real banh mi, untinkered with, is still a joy to behold. Luckily, I don't often... More >>
• Best Regional Chinese
  M & T; Metro Café
  RobtS: You know, Sarah, this is a real toughie. 2009 has been the year of the regional Chinese restaurant in the city, and between the new food stalls and stand-alone restaurants in Flushing, Bensonhurst, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge, I could name a dozen spectacular restaurants. Instead, I'll... More >>