Dumont, Brooklyn

Overall: Worth the trip!
Cost: $40 incl. 1 cocktail
Yes, I crossed the water for food (and friends)! Although there was a very long wait (45min on Sunday night), their heated garden made for a spacious holding pen with delicious hot toddies. The food was good all around, from crab cakes in cilantro sauce, to a mac-and-cheese of creamy Gruyere and tasty bacon; a real find at these prices. And this cute restaurant is literally just steps away from the L train's Lorimer exit. The Dumont family is becoming a little Williamsburg empire, with Dumont Burger and the more upscale Dressler, both of which are now next on my restaurant list.