Mike’s Bistro (CLOSED)

The menu items at Mike’s Bistro on the Upper West Side don’t sound especially Jewish, but the food is 100 percent glatt kosher. Since graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1997, Brooklyn-born chef-owner Michael Gershkovich has dreamed of opening his own kosher restaurant—one where the food is as important as the biblical dietary regulations. After a stint at the upscale kosher steakhouse Prime Grill, he’s now running his own show with dishes like braised duck gnocchi, barbecue-glazed steak and steamed snapper. There’s a full bar, but don’t expect a party scene on Saturdays; it’s closed for the Sabbath.