Bistro Ten 18, New York

It might be surprising to find a kids menu at an upscale bistro, but as little ones gaze at Bistro Ten 18’s stone fireplace, they can dig into mac ‘n’ cheese with gruyere and pan-roasted chicken. Meanwhile, grownup foodies from across the city mingle with neighborhood regulars as they sip wines curated from France, Austria, and the Napa Valley, and, depending on the night, live jazz drifts past the stone fireplace and onto a patio.

For the past decade, Bistro Ten 18’s chefs have paid close attention to the tastes of their community, using only fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients to create a menu of "unpretentious yet upscale offerings," as New York magazine described the bistro’s lunch and dinner options. A cheese and charcuterie selection mixes and matches Les Frères cheese from Wisconsin-based Crave Brothers Farmstead Cheese with rustic salami and chorizo. Small plates of simply spiced veggies also make for a sociable start before diners erect a silverware fence around entrees such as Prince Edward Island mussels and berkshire pork chops.