Many things that have in the past made New York seem like.well, New York, have taken a hit over the years. La Cote Basque, CBGB, the moving of the Second Avenue Deli to somewhere that wasn’t Second Avenue. It’s a little hard to take for those of us die-hards who don’t like to see our favorites replaced by, say, an American Apparel store or an Olive Garden (shudder).

But then there are places like Barney Greengrass, who for over 100 years (100 years!!) has been keeping the Upper West Side in smoked fish and eggs. “Gotta stop off at Barney Greengrass for some bagels and Nova – it doesn’t really get better than this for taking the morning and turning it into a beautiful day,” says chef Michael Lomonaco of Porterhouse, to which Les Halles’ Anthony Bourdain concurs; it’s long been a favorite haunt of the hard-to-please “No Reservations” pirate chef,