South of Tribeca, once you get past the discreet facade, you're blown away by a minimalist interior, long and super spacious, built around a huge counter. The menu boils down to five appetizers and five mains that skillfully juggle between fish, meat, and vegetables.

Not too many ingredients, the products are showcased and respected, and the indulgence is definitely alive and well. But let's get to what brought us here: the wine list.

The wine selection is absolutely insane. Plenty of European restaurants would pale reading it, there are so many incredible references.

To give you an idea, just the champagnes alone take up five entire pages of bottles (from independent vignerons only) in impeccable condition. And the best part of the story is that the prices are nowhere near crazy.

Of course, it's a bit pricier than on the other side of the Atlantic, that makes sense... but the difference is really measured. A restaurant you have to hit without hesitation, especially since they keep walk-in spots and reservations only open two weeks in advance... there's really nothing missing, except maybe the smile that apparently wasn't on the menu that night.

Chambers