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A coal-oven pizzeria, of course. If any deep-pocket investors are reading, I know a location that used to house a coal-oven and that might be able to house a grandfathered-in oven. ;)

It would be a cafe in Amsterdam (no, not a 'coffee shop') - preferably in either de Pijp or Amsterdam East - one where people could just lie on the sofas and read their books for as long as they liked. There would be fantastic coffee and teas, and a fully stocked bar that did proper cocktails, not just mojito and caipirinha like all the other bars in Amsterdam. There would be some sandwiches, salads, a soup of the day, and some small plates of things to share. There would be free wireless intermet access and pastries, including almond croissants and chocolate tarte. There would be a resident cafe dog and cat.

*sigh* This is one of my all-time favourite fantasies.

If I was going to open up something in my current neighbourhood, it would be a little gourmet supermarket. But that idea is born out of necessity rather than whimsey.

I've had this fantasy for a while of a restaurant on Nantucket (an island off the coast of Massachusetts) that only serves local island food. So basically if you could get it on the island, or harvest it from the seas around the island, you could serve it. Nantucket has wild blueberries, cranberries, and beach plums, so you could those. Also if something was grown there (e.g. corn and tomatoes from the local farm), that'd count. But you couldn't serve beef, because there are no beef cows on the land. But there are deer, so you could do venison. No salmon, but you could offer bluefish. Crazy stuff like that. I'm not sure it would succeed, in fact, I'm pretty sure it would fail. Nantucket is now a tourist destination, and I think a lot of tourists want to eat "normal" food when they go out, not some crazy roast venison with a beach plum gastrique like I'm imagining. Fun question!

I would open a small authentic Italian eatery. I would serve only recipes in the style of the San Marino area of Italy. My Nonna is 82 and still going strong. She would supervise the kitchen to make sure everything rises to her cooking standard. She came up with a recipe for stuffed squid that is out of this world. That would be on the menu for sure! Also on the menu "green" lasagna, Canneloni, linguine with clam sauce, Capelleti soup and more!

Adam that coal oven is calling your name! How many places in NYC have the coal oven besides Lombardi's? I know there are a few in FLA but how many in the city?

i opened my dream cafe. i decorated it myself. i even built the banquettes myself. we were well-received by critics. it was utterly charming. we even made money. within a year i began hiding from the customers. within a year and half i had violent fantasies with respect to the people who LOVED the place the most. i say be careful what you wish for.

a hot dog joint... not one with $6.00 hot dogs, but a great place where you can get a really tasty chili cheese dog. Seems to be too much of a trend these days, but such a passion of my family