Prune   

Despite the hype and boldface-type diners, the tiny, folksy Prune remains as unpretentious and focused on inventive and homey American cooking as it did when it opened to immediate acclaim in 1999. Gabrielle Hamilton's menu is filled with the likes of roast suckling pig with black-eyed pea salad and Manila clams with paprika butter. Stewed tripe Milanese establishes culinary bona fides, while the lengthy one-of-a-kind brunch menu marks Prune as a true neighborhood eatery. It pays homage to the Lower East Side neighborhood by offering Russ & Daughters bagels and Joe's Dairy cheese to compliment eggs en cocotte, lamb sausage & Malpeque oysters, and a giant Dutch pancake. It's worth waiting in line outside for the ten or so Bloody Marys alone, like the Green Lake (wasabi and beef jerky sizzler) and Chicago Matchbox (pickled brussel sprouts, baby white turnips, caperberries, green beans and radish). Not bad for a chef who just wants to cook for her neighbors, as Hamilton famously told Food and Wine magazine.