10 Downing Food & Wine

There are delays, there are delays, and then there's 10 Downing: the frantically blogged-about West Village spot that—through a perfect storm of construction and inspection snafus—saw its opening pushed back over a year. The restaurant has finally landed with executive chef Jason Neroni at the helm, working closely with consulting chef Katy Sparks (Balducci's) on a Mediterranean-tinged American menu filled with dishes like squid-ink agnolotti and grilled lamb with feta, chickpea and Provencal herbs. “This menu is a collection of pretty much everything that I’ve ever done,” Neroni says. “There’s beets, there’s a la plancha , there’s a cocoa-bean soup. I think of food as music: harmony in notes.” The bright, airy space serves as an art exhibit of sorts: Gallery owner Tracy Williams helps curate a selection of works from artists like Alex Katz and Lorna Simpson.

See more: Greenwich Village restaurants, American contemporary restaurants