Lighthouse

Before Lighthouse came along, pretty much nobody outside this edgy South Williamsburg enclave had even heard of Borinquen Place, let alone ventured there. The area is turning around, however, thanks to creative pioneers like Naama and Assaf Tamir (a sister and brother who've worked at Employees Only and Macao Trading Company) and chef Nicholas Cox (ex–La Esquina). Together they built the appealing windowed space from scratch, installing a cherrywood bar and communal wood tables and benches. The seasonal, New American menu is an interesting hodgepodge of pickled items, big salads, seafood, grilled steaks and chops, with sharing encouraged.