APPLEWOOD
Homey, easygoing and urbanely rustic, Applewood manages to evoke the country smack dab in the middle of the city. Chalk up that feat to its quiet, tree-lined street, the green wood bench on its raised front stoop, the broad fireplace in the middle of one of its dining room’s yellow walls, and the seasonal, locally grown produce that works its way into dish after dish.
(718) 768-2044; 501 11th Street (Seventh Avenue); $$.

BAR MINNOW
Bar Minnow’s brick walls and tin ceiling give the place the feel of a venerable tavern, inviting customers to sidle up to the stretch of marble bar. The owners, Aaron and Vicki Bashy, who are also the chef and the pastry chef, offer sandwiches, salads and bar food, often based on meats and fish they smoke at their parent restaurant, Minnow, two doors down.
(718) 832-5500; 444 Ninth Street (Seventh Avenue); $$.

BLACK PEARL
This is a new spot for seafood prepared by Frederico Duarte, who worked at Dos Caminos and Da Silvano. The menu includes lobster risotto, king crab legs, tuna burgers and thin focaccia pizzas.
(718) 857-2004; 833 Union Street (Seventh Avenue); $$.

CAFE STEINHOF
With its wraparound windows and neon sign, Cafe Steinhof is just about New York’s homiest Austrian outpost. The cooking is simple, and nothing costs more than $13. There are bacon-studded sauerkraut and thin-crumbed, acceptably chewy pork Wiener schnitzel blanketing cold, cubed parsley potatoes, and marinated cucumbers.
(718) 369-7776; 422 Seventh Avenue (14th Street), $.

MIRACLE GRILL
The popular Southwestern restaurant on 415 Bleecker Street in the West Village opened this branch last year. True to its name, the menu features grilled items including sirloin burgers, chicken and pork chops as well as a selection of quesadillas and catfish tacos.
(718) 369-4541; 222 Seventh Avenue (Third Street); $.

SETTE ENOTECA E CUCINA
This new, sophisticated Italian place doesn’t let its ambitions trump the relaxed atmosphere or distract it from trying to win diners’ hearts in direct, unpretentious ways. The chef, Amanda Freitag, formerly of ‘Cesca, has a way of taking familiar dishes and administering subtle tweaks, like tuna, rolled in ground fennel seeds before being seared and topped with olives and preserved lemons.
(718) 499-7767; 207 Seventh Avenue (Third Street); $$.

Seventh Avenue Chow [NY Times]
Diner’s Journal: Applewood [NY Times]
Black Pearl Cometh? [Eater]
Pilsener and Schnitzel [NY Times]