Tama Restaurant, Brooklyn

Chef Aniceto Reña Jr., also known as J. R., pays homage to his Filipino childhood at New York Times Critic's Pick Tamà Restaurant. It's here that J. R. spins out dishes like the arroz caldo, a creamy rice porridge topped with crispy, tender chicken and a luxuriously soft-boiled egg. For his hearty lumpia shanghai, J. R. crafts juicy pork spring rolls and serves them alongside his homemade banana ketchup, which he fashions from cane vinegar injected with chipotle peppers and caramelized bananas. Before sending out his dishes, J. R. carefully tucks a banana leaf into every bowl, begetting a bit of Filipino sensibility to each hungry diner.