Sharz Café & Wine Bar (CLOSED)

Displaced from its digs on Lexington Avenue, Sharz is now hidden in a cozy duplex on a residential block. Because the East Side regulars are swooning over Atkins, chef Sharleen Cowan revamped the menu, adding a mishmash of homey protein-laden treats. Her endive-and-cheese salad, shrimp curry and rich meat loaf topped with Dijon mustard sauce join the few pasta holdouts, such as penne in a creamy pink fennel sauce. Desserts are worth the carb splurge: a terrific butterscotch bread pudding; a biscuit-based strawberry shortcake. Many of the 60 bottles on the smartly chosen wine list are less than $30, and servers offer doubters a money-back guarantee on their recommendations.