Traif

Takes a lotta chutzpah to name your new resto Traif: It's Hebrew for "non-kosher," and—in the case of this pork-fab Williamsburg joint—it's akin to a ballsy battle cry. "It's ironic," says chef-owner Jason Marcus (who, yes, is Jewish), "that the stuff that I really love to cook with and love to eat are theoretically the things that I'm not supposed to eat." Thanks, Marcus—totally works out for the rest of us! Exhibit A: pork. It's everywhere! Pork belly salad with braised artichokes, pork rillettes with pimenton aioli, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with blue cheese. Exhibit B: shellfish. Mmmm…baked lobster, shrimp a la plancha, scallops with snap-pea risotto. Marcus plans to add a new dish every few days, and to do a complete menu overhaul every few months.

See more: South Side restaurants, American restaurants