Seersucker

Arkansas native Robert Newton puts an upscale spin on Southern food at this hip Brooklyn bistro. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to his predilection for seersucker suits, arrived at with his co-owner girlfriend, Kerry Diamond (whose background includes being the beauty director at Harper's Bazaar and the public relations vice president at Lancôme). Stylish patrons frequent the tasteful, streamlined space, and many crowd around the bar, where there's Red Hook Winery rosé and local craft beers on tap. Newton has cooked at Aquavit, Le Cirque and Tabla, and brings refinement to lightly fried catfish, chicken and dumplings, and dreamy shrimp and grits. To start are stellar snacks like homemade-spiced potato chips with pimento cheese and fried bologna on an English muffin laced with fiery Dijon.