Patties at the Pup: The patties at Paradise Pup in Chicago weigh in at one-third of a pound and taste like juicy, backyard-cookout burgers.

Grand Sichuan International:The new outpost of this NYC mini-chain brings a much needed source of good Chinese food to the Upper West Side.

Art Cliff Diner: Short-order classics and a list of stand-out specials (sweet potato rolls with salty maple butter, anyone?) make brunch worth a trip at this spot in Vineyard Haven, MA.

900 Degrees: This new restaurant in New York's West Village offers visitors four distinct genres of pizza: Neapolitan, Roman, Sicilian, and "tomato pie," in addition to a sort of category-defying menu subsection dubbed "Pizza Americana."

Going to the Theater? The whimsically named Elsewhere brings somewhere good to eat to Times Square.