File photos. From left: Tuna sandwich at Be'wiched, Butterscotch pudding at Nick and Eddie, Veal tenderloin at D'Amico Cucina and trout pasta at Broders' Past Bar. Veal tenderloin at D'Amico Cucina

The D'Amico empire's flagship proved that, even at the ripe old age of 20, it still has the right stuff. Chef John Occhiato slow-cooked veal, sous-vide style, coaxing the already tender meat into divine new levels of suppleness.

Trout pasta at Broders' Pasta Bar

Chef Michael Rostance knows his stuff, gently tossing perfectly al dente spaghetti with an unusually complementary blend of lemon, basil and Wisconsin-raised trout.

Tuna sandwich at Be'wiched

Albacore never tasted so good, especially when co-owners Matthew Bickford and Michael Ryan layered on preserved lemons, cucumbers and husky olives, sandwiching it all between rosemary-flecked focaccia. Their pastrami is similarly revelatory.

Espresso-rubbed lamb at Pazzaluna

New chef Calogero Rino Baglio sounded his arrival with a beaut': fragrant lamb, its espresso-crusted exterior a dazzling foil to its swooningly melting interior.

Ribs at 128 Cafe

The restaurant's legendary baby backs, skillfully revived by chef Ian Pierce, demonstrated why the reopened restaurant could have a second career as a top-rated ribs joint.

Ribs at Heartland Wine Bar

A butcher's perfect finger food was also the star of the show at Lenny Russo's wine bar, where long-boned, meaty things were cured in brown sugar, slow-roasted and then glazed with sultry tomatillo-poblano sauce.

Butterscotch pudding at Nick and Eddie

Talk about love at first bite: Pastry chef/co-owner Jessica Anderson's luscious blast from the past was a deliriously delicious exercise in retro fulfillment.

Creamed corn at Harry's Food & Cocktails

It's called comfort food for a reason. Chef Steven Brown distilled the joys of summer into a bowl, combining sun-kissed, flavor-peaked kernels with a blissful -- or is that sinful? -- amount of butter and cream.

Coq au vin at Cafe Levain

Speaking of comfort food, chef Eric Sturtz, cooking low and slow, coaxed every possible flavor molecule -- and then some -- as a demonstration of his obvious command of this classic chicken dish.

Gazpacho flight at Sontes

A road trip to Rochester revealed a bright new talent in chef Justin Schoville, a 23-year-old whiz who excels at cooking for his wine-focused clientele. One example: an inventive gazpacho trio that cleverly pushed a familiar format into dramatic new directions.

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