Pok Pok Ny
Andy Ricker’s Portland, Oregon import made waves when it first landed on an unassuming block in Brooklyn’s out-of-the-way Columbia Waterfront District last summer. Locals, intrepid Manhattanites, food media and more all reported lines that stretched down the cobblestone streets, where only the most determined lasted the two hours it took to finally cram into a tiny table and feast on Ricker’s faithfully rendered regional Thai specialities. You may not have to wait (quite) as long for your Hoi Thawt (broken crepe with mussels), Laap Meuang (minced pork salad), or Kung Op Wun Sen (prawns baked in a clay pot) nowadays, but that only helps legitimize the uncontrived everyman vibe Pok Pok is going...
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Perla
Chef Michael Toscano exercises his gift for nose-to-tail cooking at Gabe Stulman’s rustic Italian bistro, Perla. You can find seldom-seen cuts running through his selection of antipasti (Crispy Testa and Pigs Ear with grilled onions and cannellini beans, Veal Tongue with crispy capers, Tokyo turnips, and tonnato sauce), as well as primi (Garganelli with tripe and prosciutto, Pappardelle with cockscomb stew), although oddly, not necessarily in his hearty assortment of secondi. No matter, Lamb Breast with radicchio and sunchokes, Quail with cauliflower and brown butter sugo, and Saba Glazed Duck with pickled golden raisins and quince are every bit as interesting (and...
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Acme
The name on most restaurant scene-sters lips this year (or the ones that can ably pronounce it, anyway,) was undeniably Mads Refslund. Formerly of the world-famous Noma in Copenhagen, Refslund wove a world of culinary adventure into plates as inauspicious sounding as Radishes (listed on the menu under the heading Raw, and served with an oyster-parsley dip), Farmers Eggs (Cooked), an assemblage of cauliflower foam-filled shells over chicken wire, Salt-baked Carrots (Soil), with sliced lardo and blood orange, and a deceptively straightforward Roasted Bass (Sea/Land), flavored with wild onions, thyme and...
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Battersby
You can’t throw a locally-sourced egg without hitting a seasonally-minded restaurant in Brooklyn nowadays, but Battersby is hardly just riding the coattails of a passing fad. You’ll want to return time and again for well-conceived dishes like Veal Sweetbreads A La Meunière with Caesar Dressing, Hake with Chickpeas, Chorizo and Preserved Lemon, and Pappardelle with Madeira, Taggiasca Olives and Duck Ragu, but this being Brooklyn, their menu changes as frequently as the culinary...
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Atera
Not since wd-50 has a NYC restaurant so aptly justified the use of molecular gastronomy in modern American cooking. Executive Matthew Lightner walks an intriguing tightrope at this ambitious Tribeca restaurant, taking foraged, decidedly back-to-the-land ingredients (sorrel, parsley root, wildflower honey, hickory nuts), and engineering them into unique exercises of form and flavor (fried “lichen” is presented on a wooden box of hot stones, a charred leek is anointed with “hay ash” and dolloped with sheep’s milk...
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Mission Chinese Food
Does “Americanized Chinese Food” conjure up visions of uninspired, overseasoned beef and broccoli in brown sauce, or gloppy, MSG-laden chicken chow mein? Danny Bowien blew those misconceptions out of the water when he opened the first East Coast outpost of his popular San Francisco restaurant this year. What the team behind Torrisi and Parm did for nostalgic 1970s Italian in NYC , Bowien did for throwback Chinese, delighting patrons with Salt Cod Fried Rice, Kung Pao Pastrami, Tingly Tea Smoked Chicken, and of course, Broccoli Beef Brisket with Smoked Oyster...
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Acme
Teaser: Nordic cooking is having its moment in New York right now and perhaps the most exciting spot to sample it right now is Acme, where Noma’s co-founder Mads Refslund fortuitously turned up in the kitchen this winter. Talk about a makeover…
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Wong
What the chef, Simpson Wong, dubs “Asian locavore” cuisine takes cues from all over Asia, from India to Malaysia to China.
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Perla
Perla is Michael Toscano’s coming out party and he manages to make quite an impression at this casual Italian with seriously good and innovative cooking.
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Parm
A marriage of Italian and American, we like to think the menu at Parm is the best of both worlds, especially where comfort food is concerned.
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North End Grill
North End Grill is great for anything from a business dinner to a date or festive group dinner.
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La Promenade de Anglais
La Promenade de Anglais is great for a date night, chic group dinner, or Riviera craving.
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Kutsher’s Tribeca
Kutsher Tribeca is great for a jewish deli craving, group dinner, table for one at the bar, or casual date.
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Isa
We’d venture to Williamsburg for the homemade sourdough and multi-grain breads alone, but that’s just a glimpse at what Isa Brooklyn has to offer.
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Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria
Il Buco Alimentari is a market, salumeria, bakery, enoteca, and restaurant all wrapped up in one.
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Empellon Cocina
Empellon Cocina is great for brunch, special occasiond, Mexican outings, and large groups.
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Danji
Danji NYC is great for a dining destination, date night, or table for one at the bar.
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Brasserie Pushkin
Truth be told, I was ready to hate this Moscow import. It’s a big, flashy restaurant and a spinoff at that. But there’s quite a lot to like about this 7,200 square foot restaurant with glittery chandeliers, chocolate brown velvet banquettes and hand-carved wood paneling. There’s plenty of private dining and an upfront patisserie for breakfast pastries and takeaway sweets. It was the horseradish-infused vodka that got us thinking we should rethink Pushkin. Then came the pelmeni — delicate dumplings filled with a sweet, juicy mix of pork, beef and lamb — and a great rendition of borscht. While I’m not sure what salmon in a citrus vinaigrette has to do with Russia it was delicious. There’s Cornish hen, veal blintzes, and beef stroganoff. Dessert is one of the best cards they’re holding here, so save plenty of room....
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Boulud Sud
When a chef builds an empire, a new restaurant can sometimes feel like “just another,” but that’s not the case at all at Boulud Sud.
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