I saw this meme, about your five favorite local restaurants, on Ali‘s blog and thought it was a decidedly good challenge. Since there are about 20,000 restaurants in New York City, I thought I’d narrow down my favorites to among the couple hundred or so in my Park Slope neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Sushi restaurants are a dime a dozen in this city, but Blue Ribbon Sushi takes the cake. Homemade wasabi and soy sauce, plus mix-it-yourself miso soup, tastes so crisp and nice. And lets not forget the fish — fresh, simple and delicious! Yum. It’s my favorite place when I want to treat myself (or someone else) to a night of high quality eats.

Another favorite is Miriam’s, a wonderfully decadent Israeli restaurant. I’ve seen a few restaurants open and close in that space, but Miriam’s has the magic touch and has made itself into an “unpretentious neighborhood spot.” Half-off bottles of wine on Mondays and Tuesdays are tempting, as is the decently priced weekend brunch menu.

Another favorite brunch spot of mine is Beso, serving scrumptious South American influenced dishes. If you arrive before the noon and 1pm brunch crowds, you won’t have to wait. I love the empanadas and yucca hash browns, and friends of mine swear by the dulce con leche and chocolate french toast.

Bogota Bistro serves Central and South American dishes, with an emphasis on Colombian food, of course. Mmm, I can taste the plantain crusted chicken, fried yucca, and cilantro mashed potatoes as I write this!

The Brooklyn Fish Camp, an outpost of Mary’s Fish Camp in the West Village, serves almost any kind of seafood your heart could desire. Instead of facing hour-long waits on the weekends, I’ve taken to eating here on Tuesday nights, with great success.

My favorite part of it all, is that even the furthest away restaurant in this list is only a 10-minute walk from my apartment. Little wonder that my kitchen doesn’t get very much use!

What are your five favorite local restaurants?