As we head into a new decade, the question on many a New Yorker's mind is “Where should I go for dinner?" Luckily for you, the Wine Chef did her research and and found many great spots. My list of recommendations only includes New York City restaurants I dined at in 2019. Many of my favorite places (La Esquina, The Lobster Club, Rubirosa, and Gramercy Tavern to name a few) aren’t listed since I didn't make it back to them last year. There are so many places and only one Wine Chef!

Please let me know your favorite restaurants in the comments section, and don’t forget to follow my instagram @nycrestaurants for top restaurant recommendations all year long.

Happy New Year and may your ‘20s be filled with epicurean delights!

ABC Kitchen, 35 East 18th Street. This longtime favorite still shines with excellent dishes like roast carrot avocado salad covered with crunchy seeds, and a gorgeous raw fluke crudo enhanced by gooseberries and serrano chiles. Good service, great ambiance (dim, cozy lighting), and an interesting wine list.

ABC Kitchen’s famous popcorn caramel and chocolate dessert.

abcV, 38 E 19th Street. You won’t feel deprived after a meal at abcV even if you’re an ardent meat eater. The plentiful, flavorful dishes, cocktails, wine, juices, and teas are served in a hip, bustling atmosphere, and will satisfy your body and your soul. Open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Aureole, 135 West 42nd Street. Joel and I have been dining at Aureole for 32 years!! The original Upper East Side townhouse may have been more charming, but the food and attention to detail is a constant, year after year. (Video above of spicy seafood bisque with a shrimp ravioli).

The Bar at the Modern, 9 West 53rd Street. A longtime favorite of many, this restaurant is Danny Meyer’s more casual (but not so casual!) spot at MoMA, with the fancier one being Michelin-starred The Modern. I enjoyed two pretty darn incredible meals here recently and I’m a big fan of the no tipping policy too.

**The Bar at the Modern’s fresh ricotta with jam. Amazing!**

Benno, 7 E 27th Street. I have yet to dine at Benno on my own dime (which is usually a requirement to be included here). But I thought you should know how good this place is. It’s so beautiful — whitewashed brick wall, art deco lighting, and gorgeous blue velvet-covered chairs that are incredibly comfy. Even more important is the excellent quality of the food — beautifully presented and with the freshest of ingredients. I can’t wait to go back, even if I am paying!

**Benno’s tuna and mushroom dish. Oh la la!**

Casa Mono, 52 Irving Place. This cozy, small restaurant in Irving Place offers a nice selection of tapas and drinks, including many fine sherries. Some of the food was excellent (the mussels, the scallops, lamb sausage, burrata with pears and hazelnuts) but a couple of dishes were just ok (the ceviche and the pan con tomate). The service was good and the place has a nice vibe. I would recommend going here if you have something to do nearby (we were going to an Off Broadway show), but probably not as a destination in and of itself.

**Casa Mono’s Mussels with chorizo and (beware!) lots of sliced garlic!**

Chef’s Club, 275 Mulberry Street. This spacious Nolita restaurant hosts residencies during which chefs from around the world take over the restaurant for a couple of months and offer a unique dining experience. Until 2/1/20, James Beard Award-nominated Katie Button from Asheville’s celebrated Cùrate is the resident. Button’s Spanish cuisine is not to be missed! Check out Chef’s Club’s website for details on upcoming residencies.

**Chef’s Club grilled tender pork loin and roasted eggplant drizzled with honey.**

Don Angie, 103 Greenwich Avenue. First things first: get the lasagna! It’s as light as a pillow and full of flavor. I grew up eating my grandma’s classic and delicious southern Italian lasagne, but this is a whole other beast, and not to be missed. This small, cozy spot (not easy to get a reservation, so plan ahead) offers great cocktails, wine, and beer as well. Other recommended dishes: gnocchi with black and white poppy seeds, pink snapper crudo with mushrooms and marsala, prosciutto with melon (as my daughter said, “a real sleeper!”), and black cocoa tiramisu.

**The best lasagna in NYC is at Don Angie.**

Esca, 402 West 43rd Street. In the mood for some great Italian fare with a focus on seafood? You’ll find the freshest and tastiest pasta, crudo, and other fish at the newly re-vamped Esca, Chef Dave Pasternack and business partner Victor Rallo’s gem of a restaurant. The cuisine is not only a work of art to behold, but, most importantly, to taste and to savor! Don’t miss the raw fish offerings, each with a unique, yet simple preparation that elevates the fish to sublime status. Other favorites include seafood stew, crabmeat citrus salad, and light, pillowy gnocchi. Tip: Esca is participating in restaurant week January 21 - February 9th.

Fish Cheeks, 55 Bond Street. This bustling, popular Thai restaurant’s flavorful food is served family style. I recommend the coconut crab curry and steamed whole fish with Thai herbs (see photo). The restaurant’s two happy hours each day (12-3:45 and 5-7) with $1 oysters is a steal.

Frenche tte, 241 West Broadway. One of Tribeca’s hottest spots, the chef is known for his deft hand with meats, including a variety of innards. My friend and I, not the biggest of meat eaters, chose an all seafood dinner and that was fantastic too. The tender and flavorful sea scallops with grits and grapefruit was a light and refreshing starter. Also recommended: cod with a sunchoke veloute and monkfish on a bed of lentils with brussels spouts. For dessert, the rice tart with dulce de leche was light and delicious. Too light, in fact. I wished I had the whole thing to myself instead of sharing it with my friend! Note: many of the wines on the all natural list are quite funky. I tasted several by the glass and enjoyed most of them, but they may not be to everyone’s taste.

Gabriel Kreuther, 41 West 42nd Street. This luxurious, award-winning, Michelin-starred restaurant knocks it out of the park with dishes like roasted ‘Dock to Dish’ tile fish and Long Island duck leg confit. Upon arrival, the beautiful atmosphere of exposed beams and modern artwork will set your expectations high. Don’t worry, they will be met! Each skillfully prepared dish shows thoughtfulness and creativity.

Her Name is Han, 17 E 31st Street. This small, cozy spot, with warm, attentive service, delivers tasty Korean food using only traditional Korean ingredients. The beverage menu includes a limited selection of wine and beer, along with sowuju (house made soju infused with fresh fruits), and Korean spirits. My daughter had a delicious lychee cocktail and I enjoyed a Finger Lakes Boundary Breaks Riesling.

**At Her Name is Han, there are several stone pot soups to choose from, like this seafood one.**

Il Buco Alimentaria & Vineria, 53 Great Jones Street. Is this Italian trattoria the best of its kind in NYC? Probably not. Is it worth going to? Definitely! The warm welcome, inviting space, artisanal ingredients (housemate bread!) and good food make it a worthy destination.

**An excellent rendition of cacio e pepe at il Buco d’Alimentari.**

James, 605 Carlton Ave, Brooklyn. This cozy spot in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn offers “rustic fare with a refined, modern sensibility,” friendly service, an excellent wine list and tasty locally sourced food. Try the day boat scallops with roasted parsnips, fried capers, and pickled mustard seeds (see photo).

**Beautiful scallop presentation at Brooklyn’s James.**

Jams, 1414 Sixth Avenue. James Beard Award winner Jonathan Waxman’s latest spot is open for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch. I sat at the bar for dinner with a friend and the bartender was great. There’s a nice selection of wines and the food was delicious: fresh, vibrant, and filling.

Lafayette, 380 Lafayette Street. Lafayette is NoHo Hospitality’s grand French-inspired café and bakery in downtown Manhattan. The market-driven bistro menu spans a variety of regions, from Provence to Normandy and offers a Mix of traditional and signature dishes. The beverage team has curated an eclectic mix of cocktails, aperitifs, craft beers, and wine from up-and-coming regions as well as the classics. The Restaurant has a nice look of a traditional brasserie with mahogany floors, large murals, blue-tiled columns, and towering arched windows overlooking Lafayette Street

**Lafayette’s exquisite napoleon dessert.**

La Mercerie, 53 Howard Street. This café-by-day turns into an elegant dining room at night. The perfectly prepared dishes, along with craft cocktails and an all-French wine list will wow you. Many of the beautiful dishes and glassware can be purchased in the elegant store at the back of the restaurant.

**La Mercerie’s Lemon and vanilla: Almond sablé, lemon mousse, vanilla ganache.**

L’Artusi, It was 6 PM on a Wednesday evening when I arrived at L’Artusi and the place was packed! Every seat at a the long marble bar was taken and there were only a few unoccupied tables, one of them being mine. After eleven years in business, this popular West Village spot is still going strong and a big reason for that is its outstanding Italian food.

**L’Artusi’s Amazing buratta and tomato salad.**

Le Bernardin, 155 West 51st Street. Chef Eric Ripert just keeps getting better! Le Bernardin is one of just two restaurants (the other being Per Se) in New York City to have earned and retained three Michelin stars since 2006 when the guide first published the NY edition. This seafood mecca’s polished service, quality of food, and wine pairings is truly exceptional. You’ll be blown away with each course, beginning with the baked in-house bread selection to the crystallized wasabi to the lightly sautéed Dover sole in a soy-lime emulsion. The lounge is a bit more laid back with the same menu and a beautiful bar. The lounge doesn't take reservations, so it's perfect if you just want to walk in to catch up with someone over drinks and a few dishes. After nearly 34 years in business, Le Bernardin remains one of the top fine dining establishments in NYC.

**Upscale Surf & turf at Le Bernardin.**

Lilia, 567 Union Ave, Brooklyn. There’s so much to love about Lilia. Let’s start with the lighting: perfectly lit. Candles glow on each table but the overhead lighting keeps it from being dim. The room’s glow sets the right tone for a special night out, even if the space was a former garage. But, let’s face it, you’re not going to Lilia for the lighting. It’s all about the food here. Chef Missy Robbins, awarded “Best Chef in NYC” for the 2018 James Beard Awards, is cooking up some crazy good pasta (and lots of other delectable food) at her small restaurant located on a quiet corner of Williamsburg. Don’t miss the soft and creamy cheese-filled agnolotti with saffron, dried tomato and honey (to die for!). The soft-serve ice cream desserts are pretty special too. I love the one sprinkled with fennel dust (insider tip: it’s not on the menu — ask for the ‘Italian Job’).

Lilia’s always amazing sheeps milk cheese agnolotti.

Llama San, 359 Sixth Avenue. I had one of the best meals of 2019 here. Creative Peruvian-Japanese cuisine is served in a warm, casual setting. The interesting wine list that includes both traditional selections as well as orange wines. The Gaia Thalassitis Assyrtiko from Santorini, Greece was smashing with the food. Get everything!! It’s all superb.

Marea, 240 Central Park South. Marea is the type of restaurant that makes you feel pampered and happy, with attentive but not overbearing service and beautifully prepared seafood, pasta and more. The wine list has some great selections and the sommelier is very helpful. At the end of your meal, you’ll wish it was the beginning! There’s a fun, lively bar at the entrance to have a drink and a bite — just get there early before it gets packed.

**Perfectly prepared baby chicken at Marea.**

Marta, The Redbury Hotel, 29 East 29th Street. Thin-crust pizza, pasta, meats, fish and vegetables — it's all good here! Another Danny Meyer hit with a large, airy space and an open kitchen. A nice selection of wines, beers and cocktails as well.

**Do not miss the fabulous stracciatella pizza at MaRta.**

Nobu 57, 40 West 57th Street, and Nobu Downtown, 195 Broadway. I remember going to opening night for the first Nobu in downtown Manhattan in in 1994 and thinking, “What a fabulous new place with such innovative modern, Japanese cuisine, unlike any other sushi joint in town.” Fast forward 26 years and, although Nobu has become a chain restaurant with locations all over the world, it still delivers the same great experience that it has since the beginning.

**The tuna sashimi salad, one of Nobu’s iconic dishes, on the menu since day one.**

The Nomad, 1170 Broadway at 28th Street . This is the only restaurant where I order chicken! But every dish here is sensational and the service couldn’t be nicer. And to accompany all this greatness is an excellent selection of cocktails and wines. In short, The Nomad is a beautiful, comfortable restaurant where you’ll want to hunker down for the evening and savor the whole experience. And take my word for it: the best chicken in NYC!

**The Nomad’s famous chicken stuffed with foie gras (at least for now!) and truffles.**

Nougatine, 1 Central Park West. This Jean-Georges spot is still hopping after all these years, due to solid food, cocktails, and a nice wine list.

**Order the crispy rice cakes with salmon crudo at Nougatine.**

Oxomoco, 128 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn. A fun new Mexican spot with killer cocktails like the ‘Sin Fronteras’ with 50/50 bourbon/mezcal and mole bitters. The food is delicious too. Order the corn tlayuda, flank steak, any of the tacos. For dessert don’t miss the Oaxacan chocolate cake with coffee ice cream, cajeta, and walnut crumble.

Pearl Oyster Bar, 18 Cornelia Street - One of my all-time favorite restaurants that transports me back to the coast of Maine. I always order the same thing: creamy, bacon-infused clam chowder, the meaty, bursting-with-flavor lobster roll, and the best-ever butterscotch parfait. A transplanted New Englander's heaven!

**The always amazing Butterscotch parfait at Pearl Oyster Bar.**

Rezdôra, 27 East 20th Street. A great new addition to the Italian scene in NYC, this restaurant’s menu focuses on the cuisine of Emilia Romagna. Chef Stefano Secchi, an alumni of Michelin three-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, knocks it out of the park with house-made pastas (there’s even a pasta tasting menu) and other dishes like buratta with braised leeks and a perfect grilled and stuffed quail. See video above of one of the many incredible pastas.

The River Café, 1 Water Street, Brooklyn. This restaurant is simply divine! From the moment you arrive, you’ll feel like you've stepped into another world. A beautiful world, maybe what you would imagine heaven could be like! I love the bar with the piano player and those incredible views and delicious cocktails. Executive chef Brad Steelman and his entire staff do a phenomenal job wowing critics and diners alike. Whether you go for dinner, brunch, or lunch — everything is delicious and beautifully presented (scroll down for photos of the food). At brunch, I particularly liked the pork appetizer and a lobster and truffle risotto main course. Even the bathroom is pretty here!

Saint Julivert, 264 Clinton Street, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. This small restaurant in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn offers fresh, flavorful seafood along with an interesting wine list.

Shuko, 47 East 12th Street. The only way you’ll know you’re in the right place on East 12th Street is the number 47 to the right of a tall, green door and a bouquet of dried herbs to the left. This is a SPLURGE restaurant, but not stuffy, with a cool, fun ambiance. A friend and I chose the Sushi Kaiseki tasting menu ($225 each; the Sushi Omakase menu is $180). With two drinks each along with the tip, we paid a whopping $350 each. Was it worth it? YES! Book a table at the long bar overlooking the chefs in action. Then sit back, relax and let the amazing culinary experience begin! The Kaiseki menu includes cooked small plates as well as a comprehensive assortment of the freshest sushi (one piece per dish). Most of the fish is flown in from Japan that day. Each preparation showcases unique flavors of the fish with subtle Japanese ingredients as a complement. It might just be a small splash of yuzu or a dice of shoshi mixed with scallions, but the combinations are out of this world.

Toloache, 166 East 82nd St or 251 West 50th St. Creative and delicious Mexican food in a fun, colorful, and upbeat atmosphere. Great margaritas! There’s also a downtown location at 205 Thompson Street.

**Thin-crusted pizza and a grapefruit mezcalita at Toloache.**

Wayan, 20 Spring Street. (4/17) Cédric Vongerichten (son of Jean-Georges) opened this Indonesian restaurant in 2019 in Nolita and it’s off to a great start. The atmosphere is cozy and inviting, all teak wood and whitewashed brick, and the food and cocktails are impressive — lots of spice!

Wayla, (12/16)100 Forsyth Street. Fun, hip Thai spot serving “fresh homestyle Thai food with a greenmarket approach.” Chef Tom Naumsuwan’s inspiration came from the markets in Bangkok where he grew up.