Mama Maria's Restaurant

After scoring a spot on Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares in 2012, owner John Esposito turned his parents' red-sauce joint—a stalwart since 1957—into a contemporary Italian restaurant to service a younger Cobble Hill clientele. Italian-American purists can still be satisfied with classics like the chicken parmigiana, veal francese and ricotta cheesecake. More modern offerings include pizzas topped with fresh clams or shrimp and arugula.