Secret Restaurants of Celebrity Foodies

The Country Inn Krumville, N.Y. They serve Fleisher's meat, plus more than 500 varieties of beer. It's comfortable, occasionally raucous, and always friendly (1380 County Rd. 2, 845/657-8956, entrées from $9). —Julie Powell

Candle 79 New York City My favorite vegan restaurant in the U.S.—I recommend the grilled seitan (wheat gluten) chimichurri appetizer with a citrus-herb marinade (154 E. 79th St., 212/537-7179, appetizers from $8). —John Mackey

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Chiyono New York City The pork belly is amazingly good because it's properly braised and has lots of good fat. It's served in a clean broth with a thumb-smear of Japanese mustard on the side of the bowl (328 E. 6th St., 212/673-3984, entrées from $9.25). —Gabrielle Hamilton

Congee Village New York City You won't find better five-buck noodles anywhere in the city; try the soy-sauce chow mein (100 Allen St., 212/941-1818, noodles from $4.25). —David Chang

El Quinto Pino New York City There's a lady bartender with serious attitude who brings out small dishes and Spanish wines. I always have the pringá sandwich: slow-cooked pork with a hint of morcilla, a type of blood sausage (401 W. 24th St., 212/206-6900, tapas from $3). —David Tanis

Otafuku New York City This tiny stall in the East Village serves traditional Japanese street food like okonomiyaki, a savory flour pancake with cabbage and seafood, topped with a sweet sauce, and yakisoba, pan-fried noodles with vegetables and meat (236 E. 9th St., 212/353-8503, from $5). —Masaharu Morimoto

Russ & Daughters New York City The bialy with smoked salmon and cream cheese is so delicious, I'd even triple-park to get one (179 E. Houston St., 212/475-4880, sandwiches from $5.50). —Eli Zabar

Tuck Shop New York City Tuck Shop is the best place for Australian pies. I take my lamb shepherd's pie with an ice-cold Coopers ale (68 E. 1st St., 212/979-5200, pies from $5). —April Bloomfield

Vietnam Restaurant Philadelphia I bring my kitchen staff over for the beef-stuffed grape leaves on the B.B.Q. Platter (221 N. 11th St., 215/592-1163, entrées from $9). —Masaharu Morimoto

Big Mama's House of Soul Pittsburgh Big Mama (Brenda Franklin) is known for her collard greens, ribs, and peach cobbler. She can also sing—sometimes she belts it out while she's working! (1603 Penn Ave., 412/471-2910, entrées from $8.50). —Lidia Bastianich

MEXICO

La Cueva del Chango Playa del Carmen This place is stunning: an open hut bordered by beautiful gardens. For breakfast, they serve fresh fruit juices, like guava and kiwi, and home-baked breads (38th St. near 5th Ave., 011-52/984-147-0271, breakfast from $3). PHOTOS 1 of 3 —Jacques Pépin