Violette's

Chef Peter Botros named this restaurant for his mother, Violette, who died of cancer, and he has said he is a survivor himself; part of what diners spend here goes to cancer care at Northwell's Florina Cancer Center on Staten Island. It opened as Violette's Cellar in a below-street space on Hylan Boulevard that once held La Botte and later Troy, and today it has four rooms for private parties.

The cooking is contemporary American with an Italian accent, and the dinner menu is built for sharing. Brunch runs seven days a week, which makes it a weekend default on this stretch of Hylan. Weekly nights give regulars a reason to return: lobster on Twin Tail Tuesday, steaks for two on Steak House Thursday. For a bigger occasion, the chef offers tasting menus of seven or twelve courses. Violette's belongs to a small local group, Bread & Butter Hospitality.