Clinton St. Baking Co. & Restaurant

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What originally put Clinton Street Baking Company & Restaurant on the map was its impeccable brunch line-up, from its signature blueberry pancakes to its mouthwatering buttermilk biscuit sandwich with scrambled eggs, melted cheddar, and tomato jam. Founded in 2001 by husband-and-wife team Neil Kleinberg and DeDe Lahman, the restaurant expanded to lunch and dinner. Regulars were ecstatic: the blueberry pancakes became available day and night. Chef Kleinberg, who trained at The Water Club under Rick Moonen and who did a stint at catering powerhouse Bridgewaters, offers a fresh, formidable dinner roster for the restaurant's downtown, relatively youngish customers. There are fish-of-the-day tacos, a Maryland crab cake dinner , and spicy shrimp and cheese grits with fried green tomatoes. But loyalists troop back for the buttermilk fried chicken, with its crispy, craggy crust encasing incredibly moist chicken, accompanied by a honey Tabasco dip, coarse-cut homemade coleslaw, and a slab of sublime jalepeño cornbread. But don't let this small restaurant's portions defeat you. The sumptuous cherry pie, the intensely flavorful, extra-thick milkshakes, and the hot fudge sundae will rival the best you've ever had. In recent years the restaurant has racked up numerous best-in-NYC-type paeans and accolades (best muffins, best biscuits, best brunch, etc.). Happily, the praise is warranted. — Nina Mehta

On Monday and Tuesday evenings the restaurant serves half-priced bottles of wine. There's also a $15 beer and burger combo Monday through Thursday, from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Vidalia onion rings, $7; blueberry pancakes, $14; buttermilk fried chicken, $18

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