Here's the updated nymag list for 2013
http://nymag.com/restaurants/wheretoeat/2013/
A lot of Brooklyn spots. Battersby is great and not much of a trip.
If you like old school red sauce style italian try Parm for a pretty cheap lunch/dinner or really ball out and hit Carbone (the one on Thompson). Same chefs/owners for both, along with Torrisi, which steps outside of the steroetypical italian flavors a bit more.