It may well be best known for its view – which, in our opinion, is just about the best one in all of New York City. Where else can you sit and gaze from the grand foot of the Brooklyn Bridge upon Manhattan and its twinkling, blinking lights? It’s like eating dinner in a picture-perfect post card. But even more than the view, this Kings County jewel has launched the career of such luminaries as Charlie Trotter and David Burke, and the high-standards still remain.

From the outstanding wine list created by long-time beverage director Joseph DeLissio (whose foresight into the potential of California wine back in the late 1970s formed one of the best cult-Cal lists in town) to the classic but never ho-hum menu (the crisp, olive-branch smoked duck breast is some of the best you’ll ever have). At meal’s end, don’t skip the legendary Brooklyn Bridge – a chocolate replica of the awesome structure that’s deliciously entertaining.