Darina Restaurant, Staten Island

Darina Restaurant's chefs specialize in Russian cuisine, as well as the artistry of plating it. They don't just serve lamb loin with vegetables and mashed potatoes—they arrange the vegetables into an elegant tower and carefully sculpt the mashed potatoes into the shape of a rose in bloom but without all the prickly potato thorns. Even pasta dishes such as the capellini with shrimp in white sauce feature elegantly placed ingredients that show off the dish's contrasting colors.