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Wow Adam, you've got yourself some good Italian options in your hood.

This is my local and extended local short list:

UWS
- Sal's and Carmine's, B'way between 101 & 102nd: best New York style pizza in NY. Thin salty crispy yet chewy crust, tangy plum tomato sauce, whole milk shredded mozzarella with a touch of olive oil. They cook their pies slightly on the rare side, which I personally love. They've been slinging slices in my neighborhood since before I was born. Nuff said.

- PicNic, right next to Sal's: mostly local organic veggies and free range hormone free meats, house cured salmon, home made bread and pastries, Alsacian French fare. A few big steps above brasserie food. Very good, open kitchen, everything made to order and friendly service, but a tad expensive.

- Yakitori Sun Chan, B'way bet 103 & 104th: dark greasy hole in the wall Japanese place, but they have a great yakitori grill. Shortribs and pork belly skewers are awesome, so are the enoki wrapped in bacon, and the baby clams in butter miso broth are the real deal. I haven't tried the udon yet, but they look super slurpylicious.

- Flor de Mayo, B'way bet. 101 & 100th: old school NY Cuban Chinese (chino latino, also known as comida criolla y china) very good roast chicken, pork chops, steaks, squid with rice in its ink, shrimp with garlic sauce, Peruvian specialties, flan, cafe con leche. Some ugly labor dispute issues, but I've been eating there since they opened over 15 years ago, so I'm loyal.

- Pio Pio Salon, 94th & Amsterdam Ave: Peruvian food, the shrimp soup is KILLER, they make an excellent roast chicken. Where I go when I am cheating on the Flor

- Dock's, B'way bet 89 & 90th: yankee seafood in a brasserie setting (think Legal Seafood) great seasonal assortment of clams and oysters, the steamers are to die for, and they will do all the fusiony variations that you could want like tempura soft shell crabs with gaspacho. Know for their key lime pie.

- Ouest, B'way & 84th: a legit high end dining experience. The style is a blend of the chef's favorite influences, so it's hard to peg it. It's French method at it's base with Italian flourishes. Knock-out stuff.

Midtown
- Sushi Yasuda, 43rd bet 2nd & 3rd: best sushi in NYC, hands down, no question. Also, the entire dining room and sushi bar was hand made by Mr. Yasuda. You can feel the love.

- Naniwa, 46th bet 5th and Madison: not Yasuda, but totally legit Japanese. Go there for their ~$11 lunch special during the week, usually 4 or 5 "courses." Best lunch deal in Midtown.

- Sukhadia's Gokul: 45th bet 5th & 6th: excellent all vegetarian Indian. All you can eat lunch buffet. Lots of pastries. Very spicy, not dumbed down for the "white man's" palette, lots of ghi used here too.

Flatiron
- Hill Country BBQ, 26th bet B'way & 6th: Texas style cue, this place has had enough hype that you've surely heard of it, but it bears repeating. The fatty brisket will dispatch you straight to Heaven, no need to stop and get approval for entrance at the Pearly Gates. You will go directly to the Throne and gaze down upon all Creation, and you will Know, and it will be Good.

West Village
- Mama Buddha's, 11th & Hudson: basic chinese food, nothing spectacular cuisine wise, just very fresh and CLEAN. Best sesame chicken.

Chinatown
- Goodies, East B'way at Chatham Square: best soup dumplings in NYC but it doesnt stop there. Sizzling hotpots are amazing, get your salt baked soft shell crabs here when in season. Even standard issue dishes like sesame beef are infinitely better there.

Flushing
- Jang Tuh Sutbulgi, 37 Ave & Main St: Korean BBQ heaven. The kalbi is marinated in their secret sauce, they bring out a blazing hot bucket of hardwood coals which fits nicely into your table for you to cook over, and their sides are always amazing, including blue crab served raw and twitching, freshly hacked in half with spicy sauce and scallions, egg custard, and cabbage stew with beef tendons and coagulated blood. Sounds gross? You haven't lived yet.

I feel like I'm forgetting stuff, but these are my regular champions.

Here's my list!

Davis, CA (where I went to college and now work)
Sophia's Thai Kitchen
The Mustard Seed
Cafe Mediterranee
Davis Noodle City
Tucos Wine Market and Cafe
Kathmandu Kitchen
Konditorei

Marin County, CA (hometown)
Sam's Anchor Cafe - Tiburon
Sushi to Dai for - San Rafael
Royal Thai - San Rafael
Sushi Ran - Sausalito
Lotus Cuisine of India - San Rafael
Powell’s Sweet Shoppe - Novato

For Washington, DC, and environs:

* Parkway Deli, Silver Spring/Chevy Chase, MD - matzoh ball soup; whitefish salad; latkes, lox, and eggs (yes, all in one dish, with a bagel on the side)
* Arucola - Chevy Chase, DC - great neighborhood Italian bistro, a step above red sauce
* Spices - Cleveland Park - pan-Asian, run by Malaysians
* Marcella La Bersagliera - Chevy Chase, MD - pizza, red sauce pasta, and deli; fabulous non-deep-fried eggplant parmigiana sub; zeppole in season
* Lebanese Taverna - small local chain, but each one is different and has its own character; excellent food all around.
* Yosaku, Tenleytown, DC - my go-to Japanese restaurant, with highly reliable sushi and friendly service
* 4912, north of Tenleytown - excellent, inexpensive Thai food, doesn't suffer from over-sweetness of other places

Gotta Try Fincastles in Greensboro, NC

It is the home of the World Famous JoelBurger. This burger is so popular it has its own blog.

www.thejoelburger.blogspot.com

in DC:

Mount Pleasant:
- Radius Pizza - New York Style Pizza yumm
- Adam Express - Korean takeout - they also have Chinese food under hot lamps (yuck) and sushi (fine and cheap, tho not stellar), but the Korean food is made to order and very tasty. Plus the older couple who run the place are sweet.
- The Taco truck at 17th and Columbia

Capitol Hill:
Aatish - Pakistani food, better than any I had in London
Las Placitas - cozy Salvadoran and Mexican food

Hey chlamers, I live in Davis, too, and our lists could be identical but you have to include the Farmers' Market!