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Manhattan

Chelsea

  • Txikito: The website at Txikito declares that the restaurant is a love letter to the Basque country. i can’t agree more heartily. The menu is a collection of small plates broken up into sections labeled “Snacks”, “Chilled”, “Hot”, and “Sweet”. Each and every dish presented is seasonal, wonderfully delicious, and distinctively Basque. Traces of Japanese influences weaves itself deftly through the menu, present in condiments, seasonings, and some proteins. All beautifully woven together by the highly skilled kitchen at Txikito. The Kroketas (del dia) is a daily special of perfectly golden fried croquets, crisp outer shell enveloping warm wonderful bacalhau (bacalao), the light fluffy cod melting beautifully with every bite. The Pulpo, a plate of elegantly plated petals of octopus carpaccio forming a lovely bloomed flower and drizzled with olive oil, lemon juice, and a scattering of Espelette Chile powder is one food memory that has stayed with me, now a month and some weeks after having dined at Txikito. Truly an example of beautiful simplicity at its finest! Look for the daily specials, if suckling pig is on the menu, do not hesitate! It has been a long time since i had such a deliciously prepared dish of pork, served with the crisp skin, the meat melting and succulent, all dressed in lovely traces of melted pork fat. No dress code, reservations are a must!

Chinatown

  • Corima: Located on Allen Street between Canal and Division, Corima is a new (as of March, 2024) restaurant showcasing the flavors and sensibilities of Sonora and Chihuahua states in Mexico. The menu is focused, each dish offered truly shines with intention and leaves you with unique taste memories. Though each and every dish is special in its own way — the tender and succulent Carne Asada, the fantastic Duck Enchiladas, or even the elegant and revelatory Mole that dresses some of the dishes — the one thing that haunts me is the freshly prepared Sourdough Tortillas! Soft, fresh from the cook top hot, pillowy, and delicious, theses tortillas elevates each and every dish, from the Beans to the various seafood offerings! We were so taken with these beauties that our final cheque accounted for 4 orders of the tortillas as we sought to envelope each bite of each dish with a piece of this magic. On its own, the tortillas are served with a spiced whipped butter, that, already, is quite heady. However, used to sop up sauce or to conduct morsels of food, the tortilla really transcends. Yes, i think my ode to the tortilla consists of about half of this review, but i feel i have not done it justice! No dress code. Reservations are required. The front dinning room serves the ala carte menu while the dining room in the back where the open kitchen is located, a tasting menu is served.

  • Mee Sum Cafe: what could i say about Mee Sum Cafe on Pell Street? Well, it is a local hangout, especially in the mornings. It is not much to look at and everything is there to serve a purpose: for serving, for prepping, or for storage. However, the food. You are not browsing a tome as you would in a typical Chinese restaurant, Mee Sum serves the HK Cafe classics, various toasts, serveral varieties of rice rolls, a number of Zhongs (Chinese tamales, highly regional in seasoning and fillings), and various rice and soup noodle dishes. The Won Ton Noodle Soup is served with 5 or so pork and shrimp won tons the size of a monkey’s fist in a simple broth with well prepared noodles. Perfect start to the day or a quick bite at lunch or an early dinner (they do open at 0530 and close at 1730). The Rice Rolls with Scallion and Sausage is freshly made and steamed, soft and smooth rice rolls, steamed scallions giving that lovely flavor and scent and crumbled Chinese sausage to give it a bit of sweet and salt and meaty delight. The Peanut Zhong was wonderful. Seasoned sticky rice, a generous half Chinese sausage cut lengthwise so it runs through the zhong and a strip of fatty pork composes of the stuffing. Peanuts, steamed through but still with a light crunch gives a nice textural contrast to the seasoned sticky rice. If you like HK cafes and simple (yet flavorful and complex) Chinese fare, can’t go wrong with Mee Sum Cafe! No dress code, no reservations taken.

Flatiron District

  • S&P Lunch: Located across 5th Avenue from the Flatiron Building, this space has been a diner/sandwich purveyor since 1928. Formerly Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop (which formerly, according to New York Time, was S&P), S&P Lunch is a narrow diner with a long 20 odd seat bar in front and a slightly wider dinning room in the back that will accommodate another 20 or so across tables of 4s and 2s. The menu is a throw back to a time before. Egg cremes, coffee milk (milk with coffee syrup), a variety of soups and sandwich selections vie for space with several Jewish classics. They cut their Pastrami thick and it is phenomenal in a sandwich, grilled on the griddle and served on a plate, or chopped and griddled with scrambled eggs. Their Matzo Ball Soup is uncomplicated in everything but the flavor, which is deep delicious and evokes warmth and comfort. The matzo ball is soft, soaking up the broth and very present in size and goodness. The Burgers at S&P are juicy, tasty and filling, but what i do most love is the Kasha Varnishkes, a holdover from my days as a college student in Boston and exploring the Jewish eateries of Newton and Brookline, is a dream containing bowtie pasta, gravy, and buckwheat. The Potato Latkes at S&P is another highlight. Fried to golden with crispy edges and a flavor of onion running through, it is perfect as a main, topped with sour cream and apple sauce, or as a shared starter with people you love and can forebear sharing such delicious goodness. i love this place, the last time i spent 4 days in NYC, i was at S&P for breakfast and lunch 3 times. No dress code, no reservations taken, there is often a line but the line does move very quickly so settle in, get to know your fellow liners (or not) and get ready for delicious goodness!

Hell’s Kitchen

  • Yakitori Torishin: A well appointed restaurant serving delicious yakitori and more, Torishin will satisfy your yakitori cravings beautifully. The menu consists of an omakase option and an al a carte option with a “Select Counter” where a special omakase menu is served. The yakitori selection is broad, consisting of meats and vegetables, available till skewers are sold out so, if there is a skewer you have your heart set on, best order now than later as popular skewers has a habit of selling out over the course of dinner service. The Tare used at Torishin is complex but not overpowering, allowing it to highlight instead of mask the natural flavors of the meats or vegetables it is paired with. The skewers are also highly seasonal, featuring the best produce available to the kitchen. A large and comprehensive sake selection is available to the diners with a knowledgeable staff to help you navigate the highly regional tastes inherent in this wonderful brewed alcohol. No dress code but do dress. Reservations are highly necessary if not required.

Lower East Side

  • Wildair: Formerly the twin to Contra (currently under renovation and coming back soon with new menu and concept), Wildair is a casual restaurant serving serious considered and wonderfully formulated and prepared dishes of great exception. The menu is ever evolving, taking great pains to highlight everything that is in season. Visiting it regularly, and you can taste the beginning, the peak, and the leaving of a favorite produce during the correct growing season, each part of that produce’s seasonal best being highlighted and featured in Wildair’s menu. The menu is compact but flavorsome and will appeal to all types of appetites, be it a snack to go with a sampling of Wildair’s well curated wine list or a lingering meal with friends to journey through Wildair’s flavor wonderland. The Boudin Noir, in its various iterations, has never disappointed. Give the Pithivier a go! Both pronouncing it and enjoying that delicate pastry encased filling. A favorite is the Stuffed Olives, great with a drink or while contemplating the night, the day, the week or the year. No dress code. Reservations are strongly recommended.

NoMad

  • Atoboy: They bill themselves as “Innovative Korean" cuisine, i feel that is a most modest description for the delights that Atoboy presents to its dinners. The menu is a seasonal prix-fix menu served in three courses (Appetizers, Light dishes, Main proteins) along with a dessert course and a possible add-on Korean Fried Chicken that is worth every cent and more in the additional 28 dollar cost. When i say a seasonal prix-fix, i do mean an ultra seasonal menu. What is fresh, what is at the height of the season, a wonderful way to enjoy the bounties that is available. Though the three courses of three dishes per course are all delicious and moreish, it was their dessert, Sujeonggwa Granita, that really blew my mind. A granita of lychee yogurt, walnut, and burrata cheese, i found myself unable to keep going back for more and more and more! The restaurant is modern, a bit stark, and bright. No dress code. Reservations are a must!

  • Çka Ka Qëllue: Albanian cuisine served in an atmospheric and warm space on 31st between Park and Lexington. The restaurant has two dining rooms, one in the front that is a bit more spacious and one in the back that is narrow and long. Both rooms are warmly decorated and comfortable. The food, rustic and hearty, with a large focus on grilled meats and clay dish cooked rice and dumplings. Greatly enjoyed the Sausage Dip (think cheese dip populated with sausage chunks) and the Cheese Pickled Peppers (cream cheese stuffed pickled peppers that was addictive) from the appetizer section. Their Mantia, Albanian dumplings of veal that is much like Turkic Mantu or more robust Chinese Xiao Long Bao with a thicker springier dumpling wrapping, is filling and delicious. The Tava Kosi, lamb and rice in a tava clay dish is a lovely homely comforting dish. The grilled meats, well, meats, well grilled. How can one go wrong? No dress code. Reservations strongly recommended.

  • Dominique Ansel Workshop: Located on 27th between 5th and Madison, Dominique Ansel Workshop is a bakery counter featuring the creations of the famed Cronut creator and pastry chef Dominique Ansel. A variety of both plain and filled Croissants are tempting you from behind the case. If you manage to survive the temptation, delightful pastries of varied shapes, flavors, and adornments are next. i strongly recommend to let go and just indulge. Truly wonderful for breakfast or lunch along with a great cup of coffee that they also serve. Wonderful also as a gift to impress, best of all, you get to partake in the gift if you play your cards right! No dress code, no reservation, some outside tables if you want to eat nearby.

  • NoNoNo: Corner of Madison and 30th, this two floor Izakaya serves up delicious cocktails to go with their selection of yakitori, ramen, sushi, and assorted rice and cooked Japanese dishes. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, the service is efficient and the selection on the menu is extensive. The yakitori selection will change through out the night as demand outpaces prepared quantities so do enquire before you set your heart on more rarified choices like Chicken Oyster or Skin (which they do quite a good job with). The Ramen is hearty and satisfying with a deep rich broth. A great place to meet up with friends or, with planning, larger parties. A solid and delicious Izakaya where one will not be disappointed by both drink and food! No dress code, reservations are very strongly recommended.

  • Stretch Pizza: Long ago, there was WD50, which blew my mind and left taste memories that still remain with me. Today, Chef Wylie Dufresne has ventured into the realm of Pizza making and has produced a pie that is, to me, unique to Stretch Pizza. Not quite a New York slice, not a Neapolitan slice, but a pizza who’s dough is a joy to taste and eat and chew upon. However, the restaurant is more than just pizzas. The Parisian Gnocchi is an ethereal dream, the Potato Chip Salad makes you wonder why you are not incorporating a bag of kettle chips into every salad you eat! Meatballs comes in two ways, dressed in a robust Marinara Sauce and served on a plate or served between soft buns in a Pull Apart Slider. In terms of pizzas, i’ve not had a bad one, really want to try the Everything, but recently was happily surprised by the El Cubano, a cubano sandwich in pizza form, roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and a drizzle of yellow mustard (yes, pickles and yellow mustard, it all works!). No dress code. Reservation recommended.

    Tribeca

  • Shion 69 Leonard Street: This 8 seat counter only Japanese restaurant is helmed by Amakusa-born and Tokyo-trained Chef Shion Uino. The space is bright, clean lines, and elegant, there to allow you to focus on the art of Chef Uino and the artfully presented delights presented before you. The menu features the best available seafood of the season/month/week. The reservation is for the omakase menu only, there are options for add-ons of what is freshly procured on the day, there to elevate and entice most wonderfully. The dinning experience is most refined, most attentive staff that sees to your every need. It is an experience, a delicious experience. Yes, the cost is quite high, but truly a meal that one will remember for quite sometime after. No dress code. Reservation absolutely required.