Self-Aggrandizement: Eat Here: East Village

Momofuku Noodle Bar (171 1st Ave @ 11th): Order the pork buns, the Momofuku ramen, and a Hitachino White Ale. It's so good, you won't even mind that you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting a reservation at Ko, David Chang's newer, hipper restaurant (an Asian knock-off of Per Se) just down the block.

Perbacco (234 E 4th St @ B): Cash only, so stop at an ATM first. Then skip the forgettable entrees, and instead order as many of the Sardinian, tapas-style appetizers (and glasses of the excellently paired Italian wines) as you can afford. You'll literally crave more for days after.

Itzocan (438 E 9th St @ A): Cash only here, too, plus a wait to get in and sweltering heat once you do, given the closet-sized space and the adjacent, hard-firing oven. Suck it up. It's worth it.

Kanoyama (175 2nd Ave @ 11th): You knew there had to be a sushi place on the list, and this one's extraordinarily good. If you're feeling adventurous, ready for top-quality slices of fishes you've never even heard of, order omakase ('at the chef's discretion') and enjoy the best sushi bang for the buck in all of NYC.

Eat Here: East Village Filed Tuesday, March 18 2008.

Eat Here: East Village
Filed Tuesday, March 18 2008.