La Mediterranee, New York

In 1980, Ernesto Morel purchased La Mediterranee, painted over the old menu with bold swaths of Provençal cuisine, and commissioned sprawling murals of the sun-warmed South of France. Executive chef Edgar Navarrete labors over rich sauces and steaming pots in the kitchen, and a piano player serenades diners and coaxes steamed mussels from their shells. In the dining room, which New York magazine calls "a local hangout," lamps cast gentle cones of light across white tablecloths and brimming plates. Warmer months grant access to an outside eating area ideal for people watching, sipping wine, and improving reception on tin-can phones.