Serenata Restaurant & Bar, New York

For over a decade, the cooks at Serenata Restaurant & Bar have been sizzling up imaginative—and healthy—takes on Mexican and Latin dishes inside a space that's just as vibrant as the food. Read on to learn more before your first visit:

• House specialty to try: the grilled filet mignon with baked tortilla casserole, avocado, and poached egg
• Three things you can add to your guacamole: edamame, chorizo, and chapulines (or grasshoppers—yep, honest-to-goodness grasshoppers)
• Beverages you can get unlimited amounts of at brunch: mimosas, bellinis, margaritas, and bloody marys
• Dish to accompany your drinks at brunch: poached eggs with Mexican–stlye biscuits and hickory-smoked salmon
• The ambiance: bright, vivid wall paintings and blue, luminous bar lighting lend the space an exotic vibe.