You're never without a fresh hot flatbread at Yemen Cafe.

By my estimate, there are at least 15,000 restaurants in Brooklyn, and I love about 200 of them at any given time. So this list reflects ephemeral choices, what I want to eat now as I sit at my desk, breakfast-less, and dream about climbing on the train and heading to neighborhoods like Bath Beach, Bed-Stuy, and Bushwick.

Here are my 13 favorite places to eat in Brooklyn. Ask me tomorrow and the list will be different.

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The Upper East Side has had some work done. A culinary facelift? It sure seems that way, judging by the neighborhood's growing tally of inventive new food spots that have emerged over the last few years. At the same time, old favorites have continued to increase their followings. Sure, those with platinum cards may still get priority seating, but those without have plenty of options, too.

Here's our updated list of the ten best restaurants on the Upper East Side, 2013:

[See More: 10 Best Hot Booze Cocktails in New York City | 10 Best Restaurants Near Brookyn's Barclays Center | 10 Best Things to Eat Around Union Square]

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You've survived another holiday season. Have you ever had better reason to settle into a dark bar with a stiff drink?

I didn't think so. But, as we battle through the next few long john-wearing months, now feels like a good time to order up a strong, warm drink -- with a whole lotta booze.

Here are our top 10 picks for the best hot cocktails around the city:

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Welcoming the whelks!

Some dishes you dig into without hesitating -- you know the terrain and keenly anticipate the execution. These sorts of dishes make eating pleasurable and worry-free. Other things you like the idea of, but once the dish arrives the fork hesitates over the plate. Either the appearance is alarming, or the strange combination of ingredients gives you pause. But somehow your fork begins to fly faster and faster. Here are some menu selections that scared us this year but turned out to be wonderful.

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Hey, it's been a pretty good year for food books! Among the hundreds of new cookbooks, essay collections, and food memoirs that we read, here's a handful that really stood out:

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The Velveeta double burger at No. 7 is perfect pre-sports fare.

One of the first impressions you'll get of the Barclays Center is how stunning the exterior of the building is, and how proud you feel exiting the subway and seeking out the front doors. But once inside, you'll find a cramped interior, nosebleed seats so close to each other you'll be able to count your neighbor's ear hairs, and a vending area that offers some beguiling choices, but few places to sit down and eat. (Believe us, it would be a dexterous and dangerous challenge to try to carry food to your seat.)

Accordingly, dine in the vicinity of the stadium in a relaxed atmosphere before entering the fray. Here are 10 commendable places to do so, some only a block away, some further, but all easily walkable.

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Walking around Lower Manhattan these past few nights, it is clear that something is in the air. Literally. Take a deep breath in and find your lungs greeted by wave of pine from the tightly wrapped trees that now seem to line every street corner.

By next week, it will be impossible to dodge the holiday reminders. Don't worry, you still 24 days left to shop. But you don't have as many left to make dinner reservations for Christmas Eve. Most places will begin taking reservations this Saturday, December 1, so check out our list and plan accordingly.

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Holiday shopping is stressful. If you stayed home to eat Thanksgiving leftovers with friends and family instead of shopping like a lunatic on Black Friday, good for you. When you're ready to start thinking about what to get the food lovers in your life, Fork in the Road has some ideas. For the nerds looking for gastronomical essay collections and vintage mixing glasses, to the ones trying to rebuild their local food communities, here are 12 spots to find holiday gifts this year:

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Thanksgiving is a battlefield of a holiday, a war against our belt buckles that we knowingly enter year after year. The most triumphant participants are often the same ones who leave with whisky-breath, unbuttoned pants and the knowledge that they've eaten their weight potatoes. But this epic mess of an afternoon is one of the ultimate perks that comes with living in America today. To show our appreciation of the fourth Thursday in November, here's a look back at some of Fork in the Road's favorite Bird Day stories.

[See More:10 Food Idioms Explained: What the Hell Does 'Piping Hot' Mean?]

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He could be your new best friend.

Any disaster of Sandy's proportions elicits the usual thoughts about how fragile life is and how much we all must look out for each other. We leave such observations to those more philosophical than ourselves. Here's what we've learned from the hurricane in life's great Barclay's Center of food and drink.

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