Amazing Stews to See You Through Winter NYC
The weather may be regularly ping ponging from spring-like to frigid, but while it’s still officially winter, best to get your stew fix while you still can. And we’ve aided your search by rounding up the most potent potages around, from the classic French Coq au Vin at Vaucluse, to the seafood-studded Cioppino at Upland, and the hearty Pozole at El Atoradero in Brooklyn.
Vaucluse
Despite its delicious, fancy pants proclivities, the Altamarea Group’s first French spot honors the brasserie tradition of Specialties du Jour, including the ever-rustic Cassoulet Maison on Tuesdays, Boeuf Bourguignon on Wednesdays, Bouillabaisse on Fridays and best of all, Coq au Vin on Sundays; a Burgundy staple originally made with old rooster (although most modern spots employ chicken thighs), slow-braised for hours with mushrooms, lardons and wine.
Read MoreLucky Bee
This brand new farm-to-table Southeast Asian restaurant on the Lower East Side serves vibrantly flavored, family-style dishes, like a selection of curries — try the verdant Green version, with market vegetables and pickled mustard leaves, the heady Red Curry, thick with prawns, eggplant, bell pepper and basil, or the subtly sweet Massaman; chunks of lamb shoulder and kipfler potato, cut with pineapple vinegar.
Read MoreUpland
Justin Smillie’s Upland specializes in that awesomely briny San Francisco treat, Cioppino; a fisherman’s stew brimming with clams, red shrimp, mussels, striped bass and Jonah crab, in a tomato and wine broth, unexpectedly spiked with gochujang.
Read MoreMission Chinese Food
One of the best loved dishes at Mission Chinese Food is the Westlake Porridge, an extra-creamy take on congee fortified with rare beef, a funky concoction dubbed “crunchy scallop floss,” floral cilantro and an oozing soft poached egg.
Read MoreLlama Inn
Eleven Madison Park vet, Erik Ramirez, serves refined Peruvian fare in this eye-catching spot, such as a structural take on the classic one pot Spanish dish, Arroz con Pato. Instead of humble chicken flavored with sofrito, at Llama Inn, it features crumbles of beer-marinated duck sausage, reclined over moist rice dotted with crunchy cracklings and clods of duck liver mousse.
Read MoreEl Atoradero
A Brooklyn reboot of the relocated Bronx favorite, Puebla native, Denisse Lina Chavez makes her own tortillas and tends moles for days at Prospect Heights’ El Atoradero, in addition to dishing out traditional stews like Pozole Rojo; a chile-laden broth fortified with hominy, swimming with chicken, and brightened with diced onion, fresh cilantro and lime.
Read MoreTagine
Look no further than the aptly named Tagine, if you’re craving the earthy Moroccan stews, cooked and served in their signature, cone-lidded clay pots. Needless to say, they come in multiple permutations, from Chicken paired with Sweet Potato, Currants or Preserved Lemon, to Spring Lamb with Prunes, Potatoes or Saffron Sauce.
Read MoreMaite
Chef-owner Ella Schmidt (formerly of Il Buco, Al Di La and Craft) references her Colombian and Basque heritage at this rustic Bushwick charmer, which deserves your attention (and a trip to Brooklyn!). Here, it’s scrumptiously represented in a tomato-based Basque Fish Stew, thick with sea bass, shrimp, clams and scallop, and served with Crimson Crisp apple aioli and chunks of charred bread.
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