Cienega Restaurant, New Rochelle

Chef Jorge Adriazola's imaginative dinner menu of small plates and entrees puts an exciting spin on Latin classics and earned Cienega recognition as one of Westchester's Best New Restaurants. Beginning with one of four types of ceviche—which splash fruity or Asian flavors over morsels of cold seafood—diners move on to pass shareable plates inspired by Mexican street food or classic Colombian dishes. Full entrees, meanwhile, mingle traditional Latin recipes with innovative garnishes such as tomatillo-parsley gastrique, or spiked tomato sauce, each of which can accompany sides that the New York Times says are "stars in their own right." During brunch, locally sourced eggs beget coconut-crusted french toast and chorizo-laden benedicts to reinvent morning meals better than the recent inception of unsliced bread. With its lofty ceilings, slick dark wood, and twinkly hanging lights, Cienega's contemporary interior offers the ideal ambiance for a first date or last supper before tomorrow's breakfast. Diners can drop in Sundays for meals accompanied by the sweet jazz serenades of a quartet of international musicians.