Per Consumer Reports, for top freezers without icemakers, only 4 brands are rated, I would guess because the others don't make fridges w/o icemakers. Frigidaire & GE have the fewest repairs, as reported by consumers. Then Kenmore & Whirlpool follow. But Frigidaire & GE are 7%, while Kenmore & Whirlpool are at 8% repairs, so there's not much difference among any of them. Personally, I've read so many bad reviews about other models of GE that I wouldn't buy a GE unless it had the perfect dimensions and was cheaper than everything else. If you find one you love but it has an icemaker, you should be able to remove it easily. There's just a few screws there. Maybe a line to snip (but maybe not). There's probably instructions on Youtube. (That's what I plan to do. Like you, I don't care for icemakers.)

The Cafe series has the built-in hot water dispenser, pretty slick. It isn't as useful as it may initially seem since it takes a couple minutes to heat up each time you want to use it, and the amount you can dispense in one go is limited, though it is easy, clean, and cool nonetheless. The Profile model (which I have) has ultrasonic sensors that will detect the size of the cup and fill it up to the top. Again, nothing life changing, but a neat/convenient feature.

I am going to be doing this Recessing Of My Fridge/Creating An Alcove For My Fridge Project in the next few days, just received Today an Estimate from my Handyman for the Project. Plan summing up everything I've read in this post is to Remove the Baseboard then cut into the wall & remove the Drywall on the Kitchen Side + Studs. Then Frame in a Header as it is a Load Bearing Wall. Cut a 4x8 Hole & install a Cold Air Vent in the Drywall on the Dining Room Side of the Alcove. Reinstall the Baseboard then Cut 3 ~1/2" Holes 12 Inches Apart along the Back of the Floor of the Alcove closest to the Wall. The left most hole will be for the Water Line running through the Crawlspace. The middle hole will be a Drain Hole with a Drip Pan below in the Crawlspace. The right hole will be for the Electrical Cord from the Fridge which will run to relocated Electrical which will be below in a Surface Mount Electrical Box on the nearest stud in the Crawlspace. Mud & Paint All then install Medal U-Channels Horizontally from Top to Bottom the Wall spaced 15" apart to add support & a ventilation gap. I think that's everything. Let me know if I've missed anything or any further suggestions/comments.

Thank you all! Sorry for the delayed response. We've been out of town and also a bit crazed with project management. Your points are well taken. We are going to bump the fridge space width up to 32." This means the sink will no longer be exactly centered between the outlets (which are already in the wall), but I think that's fine. One good thing, is that the model we are purchasing does not have a typical handle; it's flush with the top of the door. So, we don't have to worry about that, though the hinge sticks out a bit when opened. We are opting for a 17.6 cubic foot fridge, so it errs more toward "apartment sized." Not huge, but also not so small we can't use it for party platters, etc. The price point was less than smaller models, and not much difference in terms of energy savings. Thanks again!