Latitude Zero

Forty degrees North. That's the latitude of chef/owner Eduardo Polit's (Fredrick's Downtown, Soho House) new South Williamsburg restaurant. In what we're nominating as an early contender for 2009’s fusion gimmick of the year award, Polit describes his menu as focusing on the "creative, eclectic cuisines of all the locations found around the equator." Unsurprisingly, since the chef has Ecuadorian roots, the menu’s dominated by Latin American flavors, like shrimp ceviche and Argentinean-cut steak with chimichurri sauce. But zero-latitude cousins like Indonesia and Africa lend ingredients too, while a few head-scratchers (unless we’ve completely forgotten our high school geography) like curried spinach palak paneer sneak onto the menu as well. In a move that will please the ever-growing numbers of diners with dietary restrictions, there are a handful of gluten-free and vegan dishes available too.

See more: South Side restaurants, Latin american restaurants