The Three Decker Diner reinvented the classic Greenpoint restaurant, modernizing the menu, and serving up American nostalgia. We ate lunch and dinner there.

New York City has slowly become a barbecue town, and one of the destinations that continues to deliver is Hometown Bar-B-Que. Despite its location in Red Hook far from subway stations, the restaurant regularly has long lines extending out the door. We showed up on a warm September Saturday in the late afternoon before the dinner rush and still had a 40-minute wait time. But in the end, it was probably worth it.

We ate at Bonnie’s, a Cantonese-inspired, Chinese American restaurant embracing some Italian American influences.

We had lunch at Zaab Burger, a newish burger stand infusing smash burgers with the flavors of northern Thailand.

Pig Beach in Astoria, Queens, is a fun play to have barbecued meats.