Vert Frais

This sunny, white-walled café in Long Island City does not look like a serious restaurant. It looks like the kind of place where you’d grab a coffee with friends or pull out your laptop at a communal table. But with the backing of Kanoyama’s long-standing chef, the kitchen is not to be underestimated. The classic shio ramen is a must, the broth fragrant and deep with smoky, charred slices of cha-shu and crunchy bamboo shoots. Thin slivers of sushi-grade salmon laced over a mound of warm rice with scallions and topped with poppy ikura are also a source of easy comfort. Dessert is all but bound to set social media feeds on fire: Fluffy, tall, jiggly souffle pancakes that are light as air, none too sweet, and impossible not to finish in a few big bites.