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Scrambled eggs with sturgeon, "The Classic" board with lox, Pastrami Russ sandwich, "Shtetl" board with smoked sable, bissel of caviar
Russ & Daughters, New York
For tins of exquisite osetra caviar I’ll schlep my paycheck to 101-year-old Russ & Daughters on East Houston Street. For an appetizing feast of kippered salmon and smoked sturgeon on handsome boards, I’ll queue up at the Russ family’s old-timey charmer (white walls, marble counters and tabletops, pale blue vinyl booths) that opened in May 2014. Scrambled eggs requested soft came to the table nubbier than I’d have hoped; next time I know to leave more room for the chocolate babka French toast rightly listed as a dessert. 127 Orchard Street, New York, (212) 475-4881, russanddaughterscafe.com
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Tilghman Island crab cake at Woodberry Kitchen
Woodberry Kitchen, Baltimore
Spike Gjerde’s menu has evolved since 2007 to include evermore subtle nods to Maryland heritage. In the summer, he gives the people what they want: crab. Sweet lumps of crabmeat may dot corn soup, top a flatbread with quark and egg, lull in a creamy dip, star in a beautiful rye tart, and stand gloriously on its own in a dense, golden crab cake baked in the oven and served, as every crab cake should be, with tartar and cocktail sauces.
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Warm vegetable salad at Townsend
Townsend, Philadelphia
I spent most of my recent visit to Philly gorging through the restaurants owned by Mike Solomonov and Steven Cook, but more than one local food writer friend encouraged me to detour to Townsend — an elegant, unapologetically French newcomer nestled along the booming East Passyunk corridor. One knockout: a warm vegetable salad, teetering between spring and summer, with peas, favas, tomatoes, morels, and an enriching mound of chopped lardons. 1623 East Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, (267) 639-3203, townsendrestaurant.com
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Piperade's namesake dish
Piperade, San Francisco
On a recent hunt for stellar lunch options in San Francisco, I remembered Gerald Hirigoyen’s calm, steady ode to his Basque heritage that sits on a quiet street in North Beach. The namesake dish — peppers and onions sauteed to melting submission with a poached egg and a strip of bacon-like ventrêche — is as eloquent as it was when the restaurant opened 13 years ago. 1015 Battery St, San Francisco, (415) 391-2555, piperade.com
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La Gamelle's steak frites and roasted duck breast
La Gamelle, New York
This spring my Eater NY colleagues were buzzing over this Bowery newcomer — neither bistro nor brasserie, exactly, but a fetching addition to the neighborhood and further proof that French cooking in all forms is reappearing countrywide. Favorites: a generous chacuterie spread and the quintessential steak frites. (Note: The image atop the story is of escargot at La Gamelle.) 241 Bowery, New York, (212) 388-0052, lagamellenyc.com
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Frasca's zlkrofi "spoon dumplings"
Frasca, Boulder
Spoiler: Frasca, whose gracious hospitality is matched by its earthy, clean-tasting northeastern Italian cuisine, will remain on the national Eater 38 in 2016. The summer dinner that cinched its place included zlkrofi, a variation on "spoon dumplings" from Slovenia filled with roasted chicken, prosciutto, and ricotta and garnished with fresh porcini mushrooms. 1738 Pearl St, Boulder, (303) 442-6966, frascafoodandwine.com
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King crab leg with nasturtium at The American Restaurant
The American Restaurant, Kansas City
The dining room’s gilded decor and sweeping expanse speak to the restaurant’s 1974 origins as the anchor of Hallmark’s Crown Plaza. Michael Corvino, the executive chef since 2013 who was previously executive sous chef at Dallas’s Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, doesn’t play to the past. His tasting menus draw from an up-to-date trove of global ingredients and techniques. One fine example: hunks of king crab leg nuzzled against satiny chicken mousse and covered by nasturtium leaves and chips made of turnip greens. 200 East 25th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, (816) 545-8001, theamericankc.com
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A snack of king salmon with pickled green strawberry at Lazy Bear
Lazy Bear, San Francisco
3416 19th Street, San Francisco, (415) 874-9921,
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Sweet corn risotto at Gunshow
Gunshow, Atlanta
924 Garrett Street, Atlanta, (404) 380-1886,
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Acorn's king salmon with pickled ramps, edamame, and white miso
Acorn, Denver
3350 Brighton Blvd, Denver, (720) 542-3721,
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Jon & Vinny's meatballs with ricotta and garlic bread
Jon & Vinny’s, Los Angeles
412 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, (323) 334-3369,
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Clam chowder with squid at Townsman
Townsman, Boston
120 Kingston St, Boston, (617) 993-0750,
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