Ortine

Former Keith McNally vet Sarah Peck (Pastis, Schiller’s) is keeping it a homegrown family affair at her new Prospect Heights restaurant, which she describes as “Continental with a European-style café feel”: Her mother-in law creates the lasagna and pizzas; her hubby, an acupuncturist, serves up healthful Kombucha teas; her father made the wooden tables; and Peck herself plastered the wallpaper. Even the ingredients are literally homegrown, with herbs coming from Peck’s rooftop garden and maple syrup from her dad’s upstate farm. Expect seasonal fare with a locavore lilt, like roasted cornish hen with oven fries, a portobello mushroom–and–goat cheese sandwich, and a braised short ribs. And with entrees hovering around $15, Peck isn’t worried about diving head-first into today’s turbulent economic waters: “Having an affordable menu in a café setting is still accessible,” she says. “It’s not gonna break anyone’s bank, and it’s simple, filling food.”

See more: Crown Heights restaurants, American contemporary restaurants, European continental restaurants