In 2006, the derelict Ye Waverly Inn, a Village insitution gone to seed, reopened to great fanfare, minus the “Ye” (a prescient choice given Kanye’s mental deterioration) and plus a shrewd new ownership team that includes AIR MAIL editor Graydon Carter, the hotelier Sean MacPherson, and the rakish Emil Varda, who runs the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. The new team respectfully kept the chicken pot pie on the menu and the charmingly rickety bones of the old space intact. But they also did a fine job of sprucing up the place and the menu. The walls are now covered in Edward Sorel murals depicting Village luminaries, the banquettes are comfortably tufted, and you can order simply (oysters, tuna tartare), classically (Dover sole, roasted Amish chicken), or fancifully (mac and cheese topped with truffle shavings). This versatility elicits an entertainingly varied crowd. You’re likely to see younger people dolled up for a big night out, casually dressed locals chilling out with E.O.D. martinis, and New York entertainment machers welcoming their L.A. counterparts. With frontage on two particularly beautiful blocks of Bank Street and Waverly Place, the Waverly Inn also happens to have one of the best outdoor dining set-ups in the city. —David Kamp

David Kamp is a Writer at Large at AIR MAIL and the author of several books, including The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution