New York City’s Nominees for the 2023 James Beard Awards

This one was worth waiting for: part two of the remake of the old Del Posto space (part one was the wood-oven pizzeria Mel’s), with that onetime four-star Italian destination’s executive chef, Melissa Rodriguez, in charge of the kitchen. The place looks different, but is no less elegant, and the food is better than ever.

With a subterranean dining room and food from Gerardo Alcaraz that promises to whisk you to Mexico, Aldama is your best bet for pure escapism. Expect tiny tumblers of mezcal served with sal de gusano-slicked orange wedges, warm tortillas made from freshly-milled masa, mesmerizing trompos spinning soon-to-be-shaved meats, and an energy fused with Latin pop tunes that’ll keep you going well into the night, wind tunnels be damned.

For the last five years at Atoboy, Junghyun Park has proven that a Korean banchan concept centered around small plates can be a big deal. After a constant stream of rave reviews (and a Michelin Bib Gourmand), present-day Atoboy boasts a five-course prix fixe (but choose-your-own-adventure) menu, at a price that makes you feel like you’re getting away with something. Pro tip: The optional (arguably non-optional) fried chicken add-on is a modern classic — do not miss it.

Brooklyn-born chef Calvin Eng named his modestly sized Williamsburg Cantonese-American restaurant after his mom — who, he says, taught him everything he knows about classic Cantonese cooking, with a uniquely New York lens. Pro tip: Save room for the showstopping fish entrée.

Executive chef Shenarri “Greens” Freeman has accomplished the seemingly impossible: a next-level Southern and soul food vegan concept. Cadence is the culmination of Freeman’s love affair with plant-based cuisine, and her plates — smoked grits, Southern lasagna, and the usual suspects — are something else.

Lightning strikes again with Danny Meyer’s latest — a stylish new Italian place on the second floor of Manhattan West, just opposite Hudson Yards. And it’s in no small part due to chef Hillary Sterling, whose Italian fare drew raves at Vic’s. This time around, the accomplished chef is going personal and veering for delicious simplicity, making pastas in-house and cooking meat and fish on a custom-built wood-fired grill.

Everyone’s favorite contemporary Korean barbecue is known for their $68 Butcher’s Feast, but you should really dine here if you appreciate an excellent wine list, too. Crafted by Victoria James and Mia Van de Water, it’s the perfect pairing for Cote’s exceptional dry-aged cuts.

Dante is a New York institution, and its new owners have maintained most of its historical integrity. It’s an excellent Greenwich Village standby for a cocktail and/or some pasta.

Leave it to Amanda Cohen to still be blowing to smithereens every preconceived notion about vegetarian dining. The chef-owner of Dirt Candy is a James Beard nominee, a pioneer of the vegetable-forward culinary movement, and a leader intent on building a better industry: Thanks to a no-tipping system, the entire team shares equally in the restaurant’s profits.

This storied Brooklyn landmark went through hell and back to get to where it is now. And it was well worth the effort, and the wait. Gage & Tollner shines just as bright as it did more than 100 years ago, thanks to a revamped menu that pulls from its chophouse and oyster bar past and a complete restoration of its glitzy Victorian fixtures. Throw in a trio of respected industry vets, including chef Sohui Kim (Insa, The Good Fork Pub), and know this: You’re in very good hands.

HAGS is a fine-dining experience unlike any other. Helmed by executive chef-owner Telly Justice and sommelier-owner Camille Lindsley, it’s a tiny East Village haven that’s both creative and welcoming, and most of all, fun.

When the chef-owner who was behind Fish Cheeks delves into what Thailand’s royalty and aristocracy feasted on, you pay attention. And such is the case with Kru, which will surprise you with its treasure trove of old Thai recipes you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in New York.

When something as simple as anchovies and butter is a revelation, you know it’s special. And such is the case at La Vara, where wife-and-husband team and tapas extraordinaires Alex Raij and Eder Montero explore Spain’s Moorish and Jewish heritage to craft some of Cobble Hill’s most riveting small plates. Bonus: The Spanish-minded wine list is a treasure trove worth investigating.

What happens when a Korean American chef hones his craft in Italian and French fine dining kitchens? You get something akin to LittleMad. Backed by Hand Hospitality (Her Name Is Han, Cho Dang Gol, Izakaya Mew), chef Sol Han gets personal with a menu that twists and turns Korean flavors with French techniques. Shiitake beef tartare, anyone?

Chef Erik Ramirez puts forth deliciously complex and forward-thinking Peruvian cuisine, which you think would be more than enough, yet what’s more is that Llama Inn also happens to be a very fun restaurant, very worthy of a night on the town.

Michelin-starred The Musket Room, a Soho mainstay since 2013, is still one of the city’s best restaurants for incredible, thoughtful cooking. And now, under executive chef Mary Attea and pastry chef Camari Mick, it’s become an exemplary testament to what a fine dining restaurant can, and should be. Attea’s seven-course tasting menus, one for omnivores and another that’s vegan, take you on a culinary journey, while Mick’s desserts are truly sublime. If the weather’s nice, a table in the serene backyard patio lined with flowers can’t be beat.

Chef Ayesha Nurdjaja has bottled lightning twice. First, at Shuka, her thrilling ode to the flavors and cuisines of the Eastern Mediterranean in Soho, and most recently with Shukette, which brings forth a bold Levantine menu that’s bent on charcoal-grilled meats and housemade breads in Chelsea.

In a luminous townhouse setting, chef-owner Nasim Alikhani lovingly restyles the Persian dishes of her childhood, doling out some of the most compelling (and fluffy) rice dishes in town. You’ll also want to order any and all desserts laced with rosewater. Also anything that features the kitchen’s housemade yogurt.

Getting a reservation at this perpetually packed West Village destination for housemade pastas, pitch-perfect Negronis, and a non-negotiable chopped steak always feels like winning the lottery. At Via Carota, Jody Williams and Rita Sodi have perfected the art of seasonal Italian cooking.