This contemporary Korean restaurant a la NYC stalwarts Atomix and Jungsik dazzles with its seasonal tasting menus served at the six-seat chef’s counter, but the selection of reimagined Hanguk creations offered a la carte in the moody dining room are just as laudable. No matter the menu, the dishes are gorgeous, be it hobakjuk pumpkin porridge with rice cake, pepita brittle and water kimchi, or a sizzling bibimbap teeming with uni, scallop, and octopus.

The sister resto to Miami’s Mila, Ava opened to much buzz this year thanks to its attractive space, dishes and clientele. The place certainly gets lit with its tableside firings of honey-slicked halloumi, and salt-crusted branzino, not to mention the keftedes served inside a flaming stone bowl. Mediterranean flavors seep into the cocktail arena as well – Ava’s Gibson is flavored like a Greek salad, though the impressive selection of Greek wines is hard to overlook. The mille-feuille tart with its mascarpone cream and Lillet-infused berry coulis between layers of phyllo has proved popular.

After gratifying the hordes inside East End Market, owners Patrick and Brittany Walsh Lyne are setting out to conquer Park Avenue with this full-scale restaurant whose deco/minimalist style is as fetching as their healthy and comforting breakfast and lunch items. Like the East End Market original, local sourcing is of the utmost importance. It makes all the difference in such dishes as the Mediterranean breakfast and the biscuit breakfast sandwich. Banana bread topped with a round of local honey butter and berries is great any time of day. 

Top-quality seafood and ingredients go into chef David Tsan’s seasonally curated menu of sashimi, nigiri, aburi, hand rolls, and other nibbly creations presented piece-by-piece at this slick 8-seat sushi bar inside the Plant Street Market. Some of the unique creations: Hamachi popcorn and geoduck belly sauteed in sesame oil and served with black bean sauce. As the menu states, “No California roll or cream cheese here.”

The 8-person standing sushi bar from Domu and Tori Tori chef/founder Sonny Nguyen lets on-the-go gourmands with no time to waste to feast on standout slices of fish and seafood. Orders are limited to 12 pieces of nigiri (selections range from otoro to Faroe Island salmon to sweet red prawns) ensuring quick turnarounds. A nice selection of Japanese beers and canned sake keep things fluid.

The “upscale social lounge” is the latest in a line of food and beverage outlets transforming the strip along E. Colonial Drive between Mills and Shine Avenues. “Flamboyant,” “devious,” and “spirit-forward” are categories of cocktails served here but could easily describe the vibe at The Moderne. Asian-inspired small plates of note include five-spice beef kushiyaki, miso cream pasta with grilled chashu, and Japanese poutine with curry gravy. Interesting note: The same architectural/design firm was behind the builds of neighbors Haan Coffee, Sampaguita Ice Cream & Desserts, Mamak, as well as Tori Tori around the corner on Mills Avenue.

This hotly anticipated Filipino concept by Kadence founding partners Lordfer Lalicon and Jamilyn Bailey lives up to the hype with its nostalgia-steeped interior and deeply personal dishes that veer less toward fried and porky fare and more toward seafood and vegetables. It’s “casual fine dining” at its finest, presented in five “waves” fusing mostly Florida ingredients with familial Filipino recipes.

The swank neighborhood rum bar oozes all the midcentury Cuban charm and lively conviviality without the deafening clamor and clang. Experienced bartenders shake, stir and pour refined Cuban-inspired rum-based cocktails like the ”guava pastelito” and espresso-roasted “Bustelo Biafra,” but there’s a focused selection of Cuban fare to be had as well. The shrimp cocktail is served with an outstanding horseradish sauce, while ropa vieja and mojo chicken are solid and more substantial options.

This sister resto to Bad As’s Sandwiches offers nothing but Australian wagyu burgers starting at a very reasonable $8. Specialty burgers are double the price and double the pattied featuring such standouts as “The Marley,” cramming a mix of roasted pineapple, caramelized onions, jerk mayo, and gooey gouda in between brioche buns, and “The Warbucks” with foie and truffle-manchego cream. Don’t overlook the French onion soup, or the scrummy shakes. 

 The seafood towers may not reach the jaw-dropping heights of Toronto’s famed Fishman Lobster Clubhouse Restaurant, but the salvers of fried seafood at this modern Cantonese restaurant in Dr. Phillips impress nonetheless. Other prized catches to consider: XO-style clams, jumbo oysters with steamed ginger-soy-black bean sauce, Hong Kong-style roasted chicken and whole flounder done two ways (crispy fried and sauteed). Cantonese-style dim sum, while pricey, may be the best in town.