"Price: $$$$ No single restaurant can please everyone; at Off Alley, a 14-seat brick-walled restaurant in Columbia City, chef Evan Leichtling and partner Meghna Prakash embrace that truth. You don’t always find a meticulously seasonal chef’s-choice cooking style and a hand-written list of cool natural wines paired with punk music and attitude, but that approach is working here. The menu changes daily, so check the website to see what you might encounter, from juicy smoked mussels with celery on sourdough and whole quail with nettles in a cream sauce to salt cod with squid ink rice and a burning-hot Scotch bonnet ice cream. Know before you go: Reservations are offered for the tasting menu only; you can walk in if you want to eat the a la carte bar menu, but be advised this is a small restaurant that fills up quickly. You can get a spot at the “standing rail” and get a 10 percent discount on your meal." - Harry Cheadle