The Best End-of-Summer Dishes NYC
For most of us, Labor Day marks the sad, unceremonious close of summer, but in reality, the season doesn’t officially end until this Thursday, September 22nd. And that’s really just a meaningless date — until it turns legitimately chilly, you should still have access to tomatoes, corn, zucchini and more, as evidenced by the menus at the following, autumn-avoiding restaurants. So seize the next few weeks at Floyd Cardoz’ Paowalla, Casa Apicii & more…
Casa Apicii
While chef & owner Casey Lane has been undoubtedly spoiled by the four season bounty of his native L.A., he’s made good use of New York’s local farms and greenmarkets; composing Salads with fresh greens and red plums, pairing balls of Ciliegine Mozzarella with peaches and honey, and mounding tubes of Rigatoni with anchovy-seasoned strips of zucchini.
Read MorePaowalla
Inventive breads are just a starting off point for Floyd Cardoz’ new, elevated Indian restaurant, which pushes the envelope with Heirloom Radish and Cucumber seasoned with chat masala, Summer String Beans dotted with earthy lentils, and Cardoz’s famous Rice Flaked Halibut, atop an inspired, seasonal watermelon curry.
Read MorePrune
Even 17 years later, it’s still a trial to snag a table at Gabrielle Hamilton’s East Village triumph, Prune. Your persistence will pay off, however, in the form of a “Jersey Shore” Dinner slicked with Old Bay butter, sides like Warm Pole Beans with pickled grape tomatoes, and slabs of Alda’s Zucchini Tian; compressed layers of potato, summer squash, red onions and tomato, topped with seasoned breadcrumbs and baked in a cast iron pan.
Read MoreFaun
Original Vinegar Hill House chef, Brian Leth, has finally returned to Brooklyn. And he’s giving nearby Olmsted a run for its money with highly seasonal, subtly Italian-inspired items, like Watermelon Salad with ricotta salata, irregular rags of Quadrucci Pasta tossed with tomato, basil and brown butter, and Blue Crab and cubanelle peppers augmented with cantaloupe from the restaurant’s own garden.
Read MoreAtoboy
A former Jungsik chef has put Korean banchan at the forefront of his chic Flatiron eatery, turning out highly creative, smartly structured small plates like Eggplant teamed with snow crab, tomato and lemon, Zucchini treated with an umami blast of seaweed and ginger, and summery Corn Kernels, bulked out with taleggio, bacon and doenjang.
Read More21 Greenpoint
Chef Sean Telo has taken a page from Dan Barber, by shining a spotlight on unloved, unattractive and often wasted ingredients, and transforming them into wholly appealing dishes, like an “Ugly Vegetable Snack,” featuring gnarled radish and carrot remnants swirled through carrot top pesto, Stracciatella cheese garnished with puntarelle and green tomato guts, and Fried Late Summer Eggplant doused in oil infused with assorted hot peppers.
Read MoreOsteria Morini
Michael White’s casual, rustic, Emilia-Romagna-influenced trattoria is a constant, timeless classic, offering handmade pastas, like Shrimp Ravioli with cherry tomatoes and sugo, Salads made with plums, toasted almonds and wild arugula, and Tuscan Spit Roasted Porchetta, accompanied by summer vegetables in a pickled mustard seed vinaigrette.
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