New York

Now that Florent is closing, I need at least one key reason to stay in New York and not, for instance, head to sunny California (I always have Tony Roberts talking to Woody in Annie Hall playing in the back of my head: "California, Max...California..."). Fortunately Tom's has, in my mind, stepped up to the plate, since I'm now much more Brooklyn-centric anyway. And what a place it is--they hand you cookies and coffee if you're waiting in line for a table. Your food comes out with rocket-swiftness (possibly too fast, since you don't have too much time to enjoy the visual blitz that is Tom's decor). They've got grits. They've got egg creams. They've got Crab Cakes Florentine (it's a diner, remember). And they've got the nicest bunch of waiters you'll ever see gathered in one restaurant, ever. In short, it's awesome. And that's just breakfast...

Photo:  Rob Tallia