Upcoming beer garden from the Bromberg brothers on the 2nd floor of the 60 LES Hotel. Open in summer and fall, popular place to hang out, play some pong and have some bbq.

Restaurant from the folks behind neighborhood favorite Littleneck, serving up an eclectic menu for dinner and brunch.

As one much inevitably expect on Carroll Gardens' Smith Street, Kittery offers sustainable seafood from the East Coast's long and meandering shoreline, straight into the Gulf of Mexico, styling itself as a Maine-style seafood shack and featuring tried and true favorites like oysters on the half-shell, seared sea scallops, lobster bisque, and calamari, as well as selections that show off the flair one takes for granted in the five boroughs, like beer-poached shrimp cocktail, a market vegetable plate, and even a scintillating lobster stew.

Created by the prominent founders of Ben And Jack's, Empire Steak House offers one of the best prime beef dishes out there, the porterhouse. The delicious seafood dishes also deserve a lot of attention, from the fresh Chilean sea bass to the Norwegian salmon, and topping off the menu, a delicious and tender 4 lb lobster. All are complemented with a variety of side dishes such as German potatoes and creamed spinach. Empire Steak House offers a large selection of appetizers, including the cold seafood platter, served family style featuring lobster, jumbo shrimp and crab meat cocktail. So come in and experience a steak house like no other.

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co. holds the belief that the longterm viability and future of the world's seafood starts with responsibly managed fisheries, transparency, traceability, and well-informed consumers. Thus their rigorous focus on local and seasonal seafood from fishermen and purveyors with sustainable practice.

Do try the ribs, brisket and prime rib, all priced by the pound, for the chicken does not measure up to the pork or beef offerings. You'll note that brisket can be had lean or slightly more fatty, and recall that fat means additional flavor. Your meat comes with crackers or white bread, both nice mopping-up options, especially if you go heavy on the sauces. Side dishes are fairly standard, ranging from black-eyed peas to macaroni (with or without chili) and sweet potatoes. Desserts are predictable, whether banana pudding or the familiar take on the pecan pie. The beer selection is below average for Manhattan, and you can order cocktails, wine and all other drinks at your table. Calculating the gratuity can be a challenge here, in particular if you procured your own beverages from the bar; we'll leave the bloggers to sort out this issue. While we find the barbecue here to be one of NYC's top contenders, despite the ever-increasing popularity of BBQ in the flatlands of NYC, Hill Country lacks the quirky authenticity you would find in Kansas City, Oakland or Austin. On the other hand, since faux authenticity and sparklin'-clean floors delight New Yorkers of all stripes, Hill Country certainly succeeds in recreating this Austin legend.