"If you snatched a trattoria out of Rome and placed it on a corner in Mapleton, Brooklyn, next to a barbershop, and across the street from a restaurant called Pizza Daddy, you’d get Ortobello’s. Not only does the family-run spot from the '70s make the best chicken parmesan in all five boroughs, but their linguine with clams has whole garlic cloves in it that get crushed lightly and cooked gently. Ortobello’s is just as worthy of a birthday dinner as it is a Sunday night meal. Especially if you need a break from tiny bowls of three to five agnolotti." - bryan kim, neha talreja, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, tiffany yannetta