Freemans

Freemans sits at the dead end of Freeman Alley, a narrow lane off Rivington Street that most people walk straight past. It opened in the fall of 2004 as what it calls a rugged colonial American tavern, and the hunting-lodge room of taxidermy and old portraits helped set the look of a decade of New York restaurants.

The hot artichoke dip and devils on horseback (bacon-wrapped dates) have been on the menu since the start, and the big dry-aged porterhouse is for sharing. On Thanksgiving it does a set dinner with turkey, Brussels sprouts with bacon and pie.