Embers

You’ll see some substantial slabs of beef, and we’re not talking about the hefty fellas in active wear and gold chains. (They celebrate special occasions in this modest dining room, along with neighborhood moms and kids.) Enormous steaks, such as a 36-ounce T-bone—for one—are fresh from sibling Vinnie’s Meat Market –next door. Sides include soft, garlicky green beans and a crusty, twice-baked prosciutto-and-–mozzarella-filled house specialty called potato potpie. Lamb, veal, fish, pork chops and lobster tails are broiled simply or prepared Embers-style, in hollandaise sauce. Given the quality and quantity, it’s a wonder that you pay so little—and no wonder that the regulars are so big.