Restaurant: Clarkson (pictured right)
Location: 225 Varick Street, Hudson Square
Team: Owner Georges Forgeois (Le Singe Vert and Bar Tabac) and chef Rebecca Weitzman (‘inoteca)
Decor: Feels like an explorer’s club that “evokes the notion of a deluxe train car from the golden age of railroads”
Best bets: Seared diver scallops with sweet potatoes and pomegranate, roasted bone marrow, braised rabbit sandwich and an extensive raw bar menu
Talking point: The 1940s wood low-boy oyster fridge bar that Georges found at a Paris flea market 10 years ago

Restaurant: Cole’s
Location: 118 Greenwich Avenue, West Village
Team: Partners David Rabin (The Lambs Club and Jimmy at the James) and Larry Poston (The Waverly Inn) and chef Daniel Eardley (Chestnut)
Décor: Stephen Gambrel (for his first commercial project) created a cozy, romantic room inspired by the artistic scene of 1950s Greenwich Village
Best bets: The Sage Sazerac cocktail: rye, absinthe, simple syrup, Peychaud’s Bitters and sage, chopped root vegetable salad, cod with celery root puree and lentils and the lemon curd dessert
Talking point: The chic burlap paneled walls in the dining room are festooned with artwork provided by charity partner ACRIA

Restaurant: Pearl & Ash
Location: 220 Bowery, Soho
Team: Owner Alessandro Zampedri and chef Richard Kuo (Corton)
Décor: Natural textiles like blonde American poplar tables, moss-filled boxes and classic Americana antiques
Best bets: The Spritual America cocktail: Lillet Rose, blood orange, lime, Dolin Dry vermouth, pork meatballs, veal cheeks with forbidden rice and long beans with chili and uni
Talking point: The small wooden built-in boxes, filled with vintage Kodak cameras, glass vases and books and other antiques, that line the restaurant’s main wall

Restaurant: Ichabod’s
Location: 15 Irving Place, Union Square
Team: Owners Brian Krawitz and Eric Sherman and chef Matthew Etchemendy (Koi)
Décor: A rustic space decorated with raw and reclaimed wood from throughout the Northeast to evoke a modern farm
Best bets: The Bramble cocktail: gin, lemon juice and house-made berry jam, flowering kale salad, heritage pork ribs and duck leg with polenta
Taking point: Creative cocktails from the Mulberry Project crew