Last Licks of Winter's Best Dishes

Spring
officially kicked off on Saturday, but it often takes a couple weeks for
restaurants to switch modes and menus.  Which means that there’s still
time to savor hearty stews, braised meats, and bistro classics.  We
recommend you get your last licks of winter before spring vegetables replace
root vegetables at the Greenmarket.  Sure, some dishes are menu fixtures,
but we’d rather devote springtime to the short-lived season of asparagus and
ramps while we can.  

Bar
Boulud and
DB Bistro Moderne

1900
Broadway, between 63^rd and 64^th Streets

55
West 44^th Street, between 5^th and 6^th Avenues

Phone:
(212) 595-0303 

Last
Licks: Coq Au Vin or Braised Oxtail Consomme with Root Vegetables

The French have always had a way with
hearty, bistro classics, like cassoulet and tarte tatin.   And nobody does
French better than Daniel Boulud.   Cafe Boulud’s house specialty is coq au vin, made with braised
chicken, hand rolled pasta, lardons, onions and mushrooms.  The menu also
features Gascon-style soup with braised oxtail beef consommé & winter root
vegetables.   For a modern approach to the French bistro, try the
crispy duck confit with wild mushrooms and broccoli rabe at Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne.

 

Dressler

149
Broadway, between Driggs and Bedford Avenues (Williamsburg)

Phone:
(718) 384-6343

Last Licks: Braised Lamb Shank with
Barley Risotto & Sweet Potato Creme Caramel

This Williamsburg gem paved the way for
the Brooklyn restaurant revolution.  Dressler’s rustic, yet refined
American menu, currently features the best of winter on a single plate —
braised lamb shank with barley risotto, tuscan kale, wild mushrooms, and
roasted tomato.  There’s also an oxtail ragout with hand-rolled pasta
& herbed ricotta.   The desserts are just as rich and rewarding,
including an outstanding, sweet potato crème caramel, warm apple crumble, and
pear tart tatin.

 

Prime
Meats

465
Court Street, at Luquer Street (Carroll Gardens)

Phone:
(718) 254-0327

Last Licks: Goulash, House Special of Beef Sauerbraten

Everything from the dark, wood trim and
the tavern setting to the northern European menu suggests homey, hearty
cooking.   It doesn’t get more wintry than house-butchered pork
goulash and homemade spaetzle.   Prime Meats is the latest venture from
the duo behind Frankie’s Spuntino, who’ve devised a menu with only artisanal
ingredients and meats butchered on the premises.  Start with a salad of
apples, beets, mixed greens, and pumpkin seeds, and the “house
special” — an amalgam of beef sauerbraten, braised red cabbage, and
pretzel dumplings.   The latest venture from the duo behind Frankie’s
Spuntino   Savor the last of a winter with a salad of apples, beets,
mixed greens and toasted pumpkin seeds.e house special of beef sauerbraten,
braised red cabbage and pretzel dumplings.  If you only knew goulash as
the tomato-based stew served in your school cafeteria, you are in for a
pleasant surprise with Prime Meats Hungarian stew of pork gulyas and spätzle.

Savoy

70 Prince
Street, at Crosby Street

Phone:
(212) 219-8570

Last Licks:
Wild Game & Sticky Toffee Pudding

Peter Hoffman has a knack for
translating the seasons on your plate.   This charming, two-story eatery
boasts two fireplaces and meticulously sourced ingredients from the farmer’s
market.  There’s two seating options, but we prefer the downstairs café
and bar.  This winter, Hoffman’s embraced the chilly weather with savory
wild game, such as roasted saddle and braised leg of Hudson Valley rabbit with
chanterelles, polenta, and olives.  For an equally decadent finish,
there’s two possibilities — warm,  sticky toffee pudding or candy cap
creme brulee.

Bubby’s

120 Hudson
Street, at North Moore St.

Phone:
(212) 219-0666

Last Licks:
Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf with Brown Gravy

This isn’t your average diner food, but it’s
arguably some of the city’s best comfort food.  Especially the
bacon-wrapped meatloaf with onion straws and brown gravy.   If you
don’t get your fill of root vegetables, you’ll find plenty beneath the rich
crust of their chicken pot pie stocked with a mix of leeks, chicken, and root
vegetables.   The dessert menu is packed with a dizzying array of
southern pies, including apple whiskey crumble and triple chocolate devil’s food
cake.  But the best part about Bubby’s is that they’re open 24/7 for night
owls and late-night