In the site of her former favorite Figa, chef Lee Farrington took a health-conscious turn with this home for light fare like veggie bowls and bone broth served by the cup.

Website: lbkitchenportlandme.com

Address: 249 Congress St.

Phone number: 207-775-2695

Number of seats: 21

Entrée price range: $8-$15 

Popular dishes: The Avocado Addiction: Five-grain toast, truffle oil and “teeny greens”; Liquid Gold Bone Broth: Chicken bone broth with turmeric, chile oil, ginger and Himalayan salt; All the Vegetables: quinoa, seasonal vegetable stars, pickled beets and lacto-fermented kraut

What others say: “Healthy, beautiful food eaten by healthy, beautiful people.” — Yelp comment

The Avocado Addiction

Chef David Levi transformed his restaurant Rossobianco into a familiar but more elegantly simple, approachable eatery in the form of this new favorite named after — who else? — his Italian grandmother.

Website: trattoriafanny.com

Address: 3 Deering Ave.

Phone number: 207-233-6662

Number of seats: 45

Entrée price range: $11-$19 

Popular dishes: Spaghetti alla carbonara with duck egg and guanciale; polenta con baccala mantecato: salt cod pâté with polenta; torta della nonna with ricotta, lemon and pine nut cake

What others say: “You can count the ingredients for carbonara on one hand: the duck egg that comes from Amish farmers in northern Maine, Parmigiano-Reggiano that Levi sources from Micucci Grocery, and jowl from organically raised pigs.” — Karen Watterson, Maine magazine

Guazzetto

Spaghetti alla carbonara

In the East End, a couple who met in San Francisco and spent time studying in Japan (and living with family there) concocted this living tribute to the kind of taverns one might find in cooler parts of Tokyo.

Website: izakayaminato.com

Address: 54 Washington Ave.

Phone number: 207-613-9939

Number of seats: 37

Entrée price range: $4-$14

Popular dishes: Minato age dofu: fried tofu topped with jalapeño, soy sauce, bonito and green onions; JFC: Japanese fried chicken with boneless thigh meat; sashimi omakase

What others say: “The chef creates his own interpretations of classic izakaya-style food, using fresh Maine ingredients. Fish comes from nearby Harbor Fish Market or Upstream Trucking, as well as a Japanese seafood company that makes a delivery every Thursday.” ­— Karen Watterson, Maine magazine

The interior

Age ochazuke with ikura

“This is no corporate chicken!” says the website of this downhome yardbird lover’s favorite that shares space with Bissell Bros. Brewing Co.

Website: bigjschicken.com

Address: 4 Thompson's Point Rd.

Phone number: 207-747-4005

Number of seats: 25

Entrée price range:  $7-$16

Popular dishes: Half ’n’ Half chicken box with two bone-in pieces — one white, one dark; Picatta Caesar salad with lemon pepper dressing, pecorino cheese and crispy chickpeas; The Mugsy sandwich with fried or grilled chicken, smoked bacon, American cheese, roasted red pepper relish, lettuce and mayonnaise on brioche

What others say: “I’ll just come right out and say it: Big J’s Chicken Shack on Thompson’s Point is one of the best casual spots to open in Portland in a long time. I think about going there much more often than I actually do because I can hear my hips screaming, ‘Moderation!’ every time the thought of fried chicken pecks its way into my thought bubble. But it is so worth it.” — Meredith Goad, Maine Today

Fried chicken sandwich

Nashville hot chicken

In the neighborhood known as Back Cove, the operators behind the popular Central Provisions opened this homey, hearty Italian-inspired haven for wood-fired pizzas and pastas made by hand.

Website: tiporestaurant.com

Address: 182 Ocean Ave.

Phone number: 207-358-7970

Number of seats: 49 inside and 35 on the patio

Entrée price range: $10-$25

Popular dishes: Beef carpaccio with arugula, smoked allium aïoli, Parmigiano-Reggiano and aged balsamic; rye cavatelli with pork ragù, mascarpone and oregano; lamb sausage with harissa, za’atar, feta and arugula

What others say: “It’s true that there are more of those [Italian restaurants] around here than there used to be, but Tipo’s style is all its own. I’ll be back and likely on a day not that far away from today.” — Blogger, peterpeterportlandeater.com

Margherita pizza

The pizza oven