I was in New York last week and did almost no cooking, but I did plenty of eating. Here are some of my recommended stops.
Caselulla - Beautiful wine and cheese bar with a small kitchen that turns out cured meats, salads, pulled pork sandwiches and mac & cheese. Pick a bottle, the helpful and knowledgeable staff will suggest a cheese (with accompaniments) board.
Penelope - Marco met me for breakfast and we talked nerd over coffee, pumpkin waffles and homemade granola. Charming, reasonable, inviting and warm, a perfect breakfast or brunch place.
Times Square hot bagels - I’m sure there are probably better bagels in the city, but these guys gave me a mixed bag of two dozen and plenty of cream cheese for under $20. Nothing buys the love of your coworkers like fresh bagels and no place does bagels like New York. These were tasty, crunchy but chewy on the inside and my everything bagel was flavored just right.
Margon - Affordable lunch in midtown is such a notoriously bad scene there are whole blogs dedicated to finding the standouts. Margon is a hole in the wall Cuban sandwich joint that did a great job. The Cuban pork sandwich special, with a Corona, was less than $10.
Chin Chin - Old school family Chinese restaurant filled with thick necked men in shiny suits. They didn’t pile on any schtick, the waiters wore tuxes, the tables had white table clothes and the tea smoked duck with scallion bread was great.
Momofuku milk and ssam bars - So much praise has been heaped on David Chang and his Momofuku empire I certainly don’t need to add to it but rest assured it’s well deserved. I reserved a Bo ssam about a week ahead of time for myself and five friends and it was worth it — an entire pork shoulder slow cooked served with Korean accompaniments of Bibb lettuce, kimchi, pickled vegetables and fresh oysters. The brussel sprouts, fuji apple salad and pork buns are each amazing in their own way and a worthwhile appetizer even if you’re getting more pork later. The bar is tended by some of the best, most creative in town, you’ll order at least two cocktails before you leave.
The Meat Hook - Every neighborhood should have a butcher like The Meat Hook and everyone should have a friend like Buzz that will take you there. Dry aged meats, house made stocks and fresh sausages are just the beginning, they also stock a little seasonal produce and everything you need to make your own beer. Buzz and I picked up a pork shoulder that we turned into carnitas chili about four hours later that was so damn good we didn’t even care that it was midnight before we ate. Bonus: they have a great twitter feed
Diner - Simple, unpretentious but still somehow ambitious food seems to be the norm in Brooklyn and Diner was no exception. I had the open faced ham sandwich with a poached egg and an apple slaw after splitting a poached pear, dried cherry and blue cheese salad. It was a fantastic Sunday brunch before the Williamsburg hipsters drove me out of town for not wearing skinny enough jeans.
The Breslin - I had high hopes but low expectations for this rather hyped restaurant in the recently opened lobby of Manhattan’s Ace Hotel (a nod to my beloved Pacific Northwest). It was excellent — my pal Chrys and I split a small terrine board that included guinea hen, rustic pork (with pistachios!), rabbit and prune, head cheese and liverwurst and each was distinct and wonderful. If you’re not yet sold on terrines or just think they’re glorified cold cuts, think again. The star, though was the “stuffed pig’s foot” which was really the entire forearm of a pig, deboned, the meat removed and spiced then stuffed back in the leg, slow roasted, then breaded and pan fried. It was amazing and could have easily fed four. The atmosphere is dark but still cozy and inviting, the only knock being the crowd, especially at the bar, ran a bit too young, drunk, tacky and touristy.
