Brooklyn Diner U.S.A.

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The name conjures a humble eatery in Canarsie, but this diner two blocks from Central Park South has a genteel attitude to match its Manhattan address. Most days, the maître d’ will politely inform you of a twenty-minute wait, whether you’re a publishing exec having a lunchtime meeting or a concertgoer on your way to Carnegie Hall. The booths and tables surround a full bar where magnums of Champagne are displayed, and vintage black-and-white blowups of the Brooklyn Bridge hang overhead. The food consists of swanky, dressed-up staples with price tags to match: Macaroni and cheese is a toothsome knot of fresh tagliolini and shredded Black Forest ham in a creamy Parmigiano-Reggiano sauce; the inch-thick cheeseburger, topped with maple-smoked bacon and frizzled onions, is served on a toasted sesame roll. Even the chicken soup, loaded with white-meat chunks, tender egg noodles, and fresh dill, is far from “the usual.” If you can’t find room for a slice of strawberry-blonde cheesecake or double-chocolate-pudding pie, at least get a vanilla egg cream to go; its milky, seltzer-sweet taste will transport you to the Brooklyn of lore faster than the lumbering F train. — Sarah Gold

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Best of New York Awards

• Gael Greene: Best High-End Burger (2007)
• Best Cheeseburger (2000)

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