Best Spring Dishes NYC
It’s easy to see why chefs adore springtime — it’s almost impossible to go wrong with dishes that are accented with buttery fava beans, delicate peas, mild onions and ramps, silky asparagus, meaty artichokes, musky morels, juicy soft shell crabs and grassy, uniquely coiled fiddlehead ferns. And since it’s exceedingly hard to choose just eight new, noteworthy creations, consider this list a mere jumping off point for a season’s worth of great eating, at places like Danny Meyer’s Untitled, Rebelle, George Mendes’ new Lupolo and more!
Untitled
Gramercy Tavern’s Michael Anthony is the top toque at Danny Meyer’s Untitled, in the recently revamped Whitney Museum. Is there any question why this was one of the most eagerly anticipated openings of the season? And a veggie-focused menu means that dishes embody the current bounty of the greenmarket, including Spring Onion and Bacon Tart, Sugar Snap Peas and Beets, Marinated Mussels tossed with fava beans, and Lamb Chops paired with asparagus, quinoa and kale.
Read MoreRebelle
The Pearl & Ash team’s chic new French restaurant on the Bowery couldn’t have opened at a better time, debuting with a menu simply bursting with spring’s best. Think Lamb Tartare with fava beans and crème fraiche, Asparagus with ramps and fiddlehead ferns, as well as Rhubarb paired with lemongrass jelly, biscuits, and vanilla ice cream for dessert. Lest we forget to mention their incredibly seasonal cocktails, which happens to be their forte!
Read MoreLupolo
A breath of fresh air in the dining dead zone near Penn Station, George Mendes’ newest Portuguese restaurant boasts numerous hyper-seasonal small plates, such as Grilled Green Asparagus with dried sea urchin and sorrel, Fava Beans with blood sausage, ramps and chanterelles, and Ervilhas com Chourico e Ovo; sunny side eggs dotted with chorizo and green peas.
Read MoreAlder
Now that wd-50 has officially closed, Wylie Dufresne has turned his full attention to Alder; replacing the quirky, a la carte menu with a prixe-fix, five-course tasting (filled with inventive, spring-appropriate options like Lamb with ramp panisse and smoked yogurt), and launching a “Test Kitchen Tuesdays,” showcasing creations in their development process, such as Boudin Corndogs with meyer lemon mustard and poblano relish.
Read MoreContrada
This Italian-esque revamp of the East Village charmer, Calliope, has gone out of its way to forge relationships with local food artisans and suppliers. Which is why the menu is fully in tune with the season, currently featuring Grilled Asparagus with hazelnuts, Saxelby Ricotta Toast with fava beans and mint, Sepia with spring greens and vegetables, and Chesapeake Rockfish with vibrant pea puree.
The Clam
If you can see past the seafood at Mikey Price and Joey Campanaro’s The Clam, you’ll find veggie-focused starters that positively scream spring, such as a Butter Lettuce and Asparagus Salad with pickled rhubarb, goat’s cheese and black garlic-rubbed toast to get your spring fix.
Read MoreBKB
While most forms of shellfish are available year round, soft shell crab really has a season. So don’t miss the perfectly fried, spring-centric crustaceans at East Hampton offshoot, BKB, served with mango salsa and slaw, and offered as an appetizer or entrée.
Bar Bolonat
Lamb is the ultimate spring protein, so its unsurprising to find it prominently featured on Bar Bolonat’s Middle Eastern menu — think velvety, slow-braised Lambs Neck shrouded in a mantle of emerald, fabulously fragile pea shoots.
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