11. CALLIOPE

When the Spotted Pig opened eight years ago, it introduced gastropub dining and a contemporary British kitchen sensibility to New York, making it one of the most influential restaurants of the last decade. Calliope has a chance to do something similar for the bistronomie movement, led by Parisian chefs who have breathed new life into bistro cuisine. For Calliope’s owners and collaborative chefs, Ginevra Iverson and her husband, Eric Korsch, this means discarding the clichés and reviving French dishes so long out of style they seem fresh again. This fall, you could find tangy rabbit kidneys on toast with Cognac sauce. Last week, the pastry chef tweeted a photo of plucked woodcocks on the cutting board, right there in the East Village. 84 East Fourth Street (Second Avenue), East Village; (212) 260-8484.

10. BLANCA

Carlo Mirarchi’s gift as a chef is in finding ingredients that almost radiate their superior quality, and then cooking (or not cooking) them in ways that gently amplify their excellence. New potatoes and sweet potatoes with a splash of buttermilk had as much presence as the richly marbled and slowly roasted lamb with clear mint jelly. Only 60 people a week are served at the 12 leather captain’s chairs lined up along a porcelain counter, making this tasting room in Bushwick, Brooklyn, one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city. I might have been happier with a slightly faster and less costly meal ($180 a person before tax, tip or drinks), but at how many other restaurants can you spoon up caviar while listening to a vintage Fleetwood Mac LP? 261 Moore Street (Bogart Street), Bushwick, Brooklyn; (646) 703-2715.

9. LA VARA

La Vara’s menu is a tribute to the imprint of Jews and Arabs on the kitchens of Spain. What could have been an esoteric history lesson turned out to offer a fresh take on a cuisine that Americans are just starting to understand. Without footnotes, you might not know that chicken heart skewers rubbed with coriander come from the Arab side of the family tree, and the tender almond cake called Torta di Santiago from the Jewish side. Your palate, though, will pick up on a cluster of ingredients from the Middle East, like rice, eggplants, cumin and saffron, and soon you’ll be seeing all kinds of Spanish foods in a different light. 268 Clinton Street (Verandah Place), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 422-0065.

8. PERLA

Michael Toscano made lush, exuberant Italian food when he was at Manzo, inside Eataly. To enjoy it, though, you had to sit within partitions that stopped well short of the ceiling and offered views of a wing chair upholstered like the flag of Italy. Mr. Toscano finally got a restaurant that lives up to his cooking with Perla, a red-banquette-lined den that feels like “21” for people under 40. As it did at Manzo, beef figures prominently, charred in a wood oven for a two-serving rib-eye, or chopped and raw for a sophisticated tartare. And there is foie gras, shaved over a duck ragù or melted into the sauce for roasted guinea hen. Even the more restrained items gave strong testimony that Mr. Toscano is a chef who has come into his own. 24 Minetta Lane (Avenue of the Americas), Greenwich Village; (212) 933-1824.

7. POK POK NY

Even hardy explorers of the city’s Thai restaurants are bound to discover thrilling new flavors at Pok Pok Ny. A transplanted version of Pok Pok in Portland, Ore., this ramshackle little compound facing an unscenic stretch of the Brooklyn waterfront tries to reproduce the cooking of Northern Thailand. That means a lot of pork and a lot of grilled food, often both at once, as in the galangal-scented Chiang Mai sausage served with an array of vegetables and a mesmerizing green chile paste. It also means fresh herbs rarely seen in these parts, like the green leaves that you fold into catfish laap. 127 Columbia Street (Kane Street), Columbia Street Waterfront District, Brooklyn; (718) 923-9232.