"Figure Eight in the West Village makes Chinese-American food inspired by the lowcountry, which sounds a little confusing. What’s not confusing is how to make a reservation here: one simply goes and chooses the time they’d like to dine. At this sister restaurant to Silver Apricot, you can get things like corn and jalapeño bolobao, “hong shao” collard greens, and a $55 seafood tower in a small, lively room that feels like an intimate dinner party. They also do a weekend tea for $88, where you can eat dainty sandwiches." - bryan kim, neha talreja, kenny yang, willa moore, will hartman