Manhattan: Nolita
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 6, 2009 at 2:15 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
One square big enough to share. A banana cake with the slightest tang of sour cream. A smother of chocolate, closer to a ganache than frosting. And a single banana chip to finish. Thumbs up. If you pop the cake in the toaster oven for a few minutes, the edges get extra crisp and the dark chocolate turns molten—a delicious lava bit with each forkful.
It's lovely, yes, but the single best item at Oro Bakery are those madelines, plump, moist and lemony. You might remember them from our post on Serious Eats's Guide to the Best Madeleines in New York City. They are stellar, I kid you not!
Oro Bakery
375 Broome Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-941-6368
orobakerybar.com
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, November 6, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Flickr: Lanaflickr]
Dosas may be the popular choice for Indian brunch in Curry Hill, but the Bowery's Indian-inspired Double Crown takes a totally different approach. Drawing from the historic blending of English and Southeast Asian cuisines, Double Crown's brunch has a refined culinary point of view that comes across clearly in all its dishes. Of those I've tried, my favorite is the Grilled Sambal Prawns with Scrambled Eggs, which gets a robust hit of flavor from the traditional chili jam—a condiment, somewhat ironically, that's typically served with dosas).
Surprisingly, though, it's the eggs and not the prawns that absorb most of the spice from the sambal. It's a comfortable heat that develops without overpowering, often balanced by the fine sprigs of cilantro strewn over the dish. The prawns—giant, whole, and grilled to a deliciously sticky, caramelized point—are definitely an unusual brunch protein, but their sheer size makes them hearty enough to stand up to the eggs and toast alongside them, while their delicate sweetness adds the kind of complexity you'd expect from a dinner entree.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, October 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Our Top Five
- The Winner: Two Little Red Hens
- Mona Lisa Pastry Shoppe
- Lady M Cake Boutique
- Cheesecake Factory
- Fairway Market
In the pantheon of iconic New York foods, not much outranks the proud cheesecake. Whether after dinner at Luger's, by the round at Eileen's, or shipped across the country by Junior's, New York cheesecakes are a force to be reckoned with. The cheesecake is a dessert that's perfect in its simplicity. A silky, creamy base, an optional thin crust—and that's it.
What makes a first-class cheesecake? It's smooth and creamy, just sweet enough, with a hint of tartness. If there's a crust, it adds something extra without overwhelming the taste of the cheesecake itself. And it's rich enough to seem a bit decadent, without going down like a cement pour. You should want to keep eating—at least, for more than one bite.
So we canvassed the boroughs for New York's best cheesecake, arrived at our finalists, and assembled our panel of crack tasters. All cakes were tasted blind, brought to the same temperature, in similar-size slices. We even scuffed up the edges of the more cosmetically privileged. And we had our tasters start with different samples, to cancel out the effects of palate fatigue—a real concern, after 14 cheesecakes. As it turns out, the first bite wasn't always the best bite.
(For the purposes of fair comparison, we went only with bakery cheesecakes, rather than restaurant ones. We also excluded all flavored and ricotta-based cheesecakes—stay tuned for later taste-tests.)
So after countless miles traveled, bites considered, and calories consumed, we've arrived at our winners. Our favorites, our surprise showings, and the best cheesecake in New York—after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, September 25, 2009 at 3:30 PM
[Photos: Nikki Goldstein; lekkercraft on Flickr]
I'd heard that brunch at Public was one of the lesser-known treasure troves in Manhattan, but it was only when they were awarded a Michelin star this year that my ears really perked. Shame on me—I realized after eating there how badly I’d been missing out. I have to go on the record and say that Public is officially one of my favorite brunches in the city, and this week I have not one, but two reasons why: the Turkish eggs and coconut pancakes.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 12, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Photograph by DelicatesseNY
I must confess that I'm kind of a plain cheesecake purist, but this strawberry cheesecake tart from Eileen's is so luscious-looking I'm rethinking my long-held views on this creamy, rich subject.
Eileen's Cheesecake
17 Cleveland Place, New York NY 10012 (map)
212-966-5585
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 6, 2009 at 2:15 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
One square big enough to share. A banana cake with the slightest tang of sour cream. A smother of chocolate, closer to a ganache than frosting. And a single banana chip to finish. Thumbs up. If you pop the cake in the toaster oven for a few minutes, the edges get extra crisp and the dark chocolate turns molten—a delicious lava bit with each forkful.
It's lovely, yes, but the single best item at Oro Bakery are those madelines, plump, moist and lemony. You might remember them from our post on Serious Eats's Guide to the Best Madeleines in New York City. They are stellar, I kid you not!
Oro Bakery
375 Broome Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
212-941-6368
orobakerybar.com
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, November 6, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Flickr: Lanaflickr]
Dosas may be the popular choice for Indian brunch in Curry Hill, but the Bowery's Indian-inspired Double Crown takes a totally different approach. Drawing from the historic blending of English and Southeast Asian cuisines, Double Crown's brunch has a refined culinary point of view that comes across clearly in all its dishes. Of those I've tried, my favorite is the Grilled Sambal Prawns with Scrambled Eggs, which gets a robust hit of flavor from the traditional chili jam—a condiment, somewhat ironically, that's typically served with dosas).
Surprisingly, though, it's the eggs and not the prawns that absorb most of the spice from the sambal. It's a comfortable heat that develops without overpowering, often balanced by the fine sprigs of cilantro strewn over the dish. The prawns—giant, whole, and grilled to a deliciously sticky, caramelized point—are definitely an unusual brunch protein, but their sheer size makes them hearty enough to stand up to the eggs and toast alongside them, while their delicate sweetness adds the kind of complexity you'd expect from a dinner entree.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, October 19, 2009 at 10:00 AM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Our Top Five
- The Winner: Two Little Red Hens
- Mona Lisa Pastry Shoppe
- Lady M Cake Boutique
- Cheesecake Factory
- Fairway Market
In the pantheon of iconic New York foods, not much outranks the proud cheesecake. Whether after dinner at Luger's, by the round at Eileen's, or shipped across the country by Junior's, New York cheesecakes are a force to be reckoned with. The cheesecake is a dessert that's perfect in its simplicity. A silky, creamy base, an optional thin crust—and that's it.
What makes a first-class cheesecake? It's smooth and creamy, just sweet enough, with a hint of tartness. If there's a crust, it adds something extra without overwhelming the taste of the cheesecake itself. And it's rich enough to seem a bit decadent, without going down like a cement pour. You should want to keep eating—at least, for more than one bite.
So we canvassed the boroughs for New York's best cheesecake, arrived at our finalists, and assembled our panel of crack tasters. All cakes were tasted blind, brought to the same temperature, in similar-size slices. We even scuffed up the edges of the more cosmetically privileged. And we had our tasters start with different samples, to cancel out the effects of palate fatigue—a real concern, after 14 cheesecakes. As it turns out, the first bite wasn't always the best bite.
(For the purposes of fair comparison, we went only with bakery cheesecakes, rather than restaurant ones. We also excluded all flavored and ricotta-based cheesecakes—stay tuned for later taste-tests.)
So after countless miles traveled, bites considered, and calories consumed, we've arrived at our winners. Our favorites, our surprise showings, and the best cheesecake in New York—after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, September 25, 2009 at 3:30 PM
[Photos: Nikki Goldstein; lekkercraft on Flickr]
I'd heard that brunch at Public was one of the lesser-known treasure troves in Manhattan, but it was only when they were awarded a Michelin star this year that my ears really perked. Shame on me—I realized after eating there how badly I’d been missing out. I have to go on the record and say that Public is officially one of my favorite brunches in the city, and this week I have not one, but two reasons why: the Turkish eggs and coconut pancakes.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 12, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Photograph by DelicatesseNY
I must confess that I'm kind of a plain cheesecake purist, but this strawberry cheesecake tart from Eileen's is so luscious-looking I'm rethinking my long-held views on this creamy, rich subject.
Eileen's Cheesecake
17 Cleveland Place, New York NY 10012 (map)
212-966-5585
Posted by Ed Levine, August 5, 2008 at 11:30 PM
Photographs by Robyn Lee
The bar for tacos in Manhattan is not set very high, and the fish taco bar here is set even lower. So when Pinche Taqueria owner and Soho Films partner Jeffrey Chartier announces to the world that he is opening a branch of his Tijuana taqueria in part to show other downtown taquerias like La Esquina how to make a proper fish taco, it sounds like a plenty plausible throwdown.
Pinche Taqueria
227 Mott Street, New York NY 10012 (between Prince and Spring streets; map); 212-625-0090; pinchetaqueria.com
Service: Friendly but surprisingly slow for what is basically a self-service operation
Setting: Your basic unairconditioned taco counter with a few seats inside and a bench and a two-person counter outside
Compare It To: La Esquina, Pampano Taqueria, Bonita
Must Haves: Fish tacos, shrimp tacos, carnitas mulita, huevos con chorizo, aguas
Grade: A for the fish tacos and the shrimp tacos, B+ for the carnitas burrito or tacos, and a B- for the rest of the food
I had fish tacos from Pinche and La Esquina within minutes of each other. One bite in at Pinche and I could tell that these folks knew exactly what they were doing. They make a killer fish taco. Chunks of crisp fried fish are tucked into a house-made tortilla and topped with cabbage, a spicy cilantro-spiked mayonnaise, and guacamole. These tacos are crunchy, flaky, spicy, and creamy. What more could you want from a taco? It really is the first good fish taco I've had outside Southern California or Mexico, though the one I had at Bonita in Williamsburg was damn good. And the shrimp taco (both the fish and the shrimp tacos are $3.75) may be even better, as the crisp, small-but-not-teeny shrimp have some actual shrimp flavor.
Meanwhile, over at La Esquina, just watching the guys in the kitchen make my fish taco, I knew it was going to be no contest. The cook took what appeared to be a pregrilled fish kebab out of a fridge and put it on the grill. It was a lame, half-hearted fish-taco-making effort.
So Chartier wins this hyperlocal fish-taco throwdown handily. But what about the rest of the food?
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, January 12, 2008 at 9:00 AM
I hadn't been to Lombardi's in a year or so, so when two pizza-crazed colleagues from Minneapolis came to New York this week, I decided they should experience eating at the oldest pizzeria in America. We ordered three pies: a small sausage; a small half-pepperoni, half-pancetta; and a small half-plain white, half–sautéed spinach. All the pies were at least very good, and the white pie was awesome.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, January 4, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Our lady in Paris (at least half the time), Dorie Greenspan, posted on Serious Eats yesterday about the French seasonal cake galette de rois. Magically (well, not quite magically, in fact I ordered one) a galette des rois (pictured above) appeared on the Serious Eats doorstep yesterday from the SoHo French pastry shop Ceci Cela. I don't know if Ceci Cela's version is as good as one made from Dorie's recipe, but I can tell you that this is one delicious cake.
Dorie's description is right on: "The galette is really very simple—it’s an almond and pastry-cream filling sandwiched by two rounds of (all-butter) puff pastry dough—but so, so good."
I thought the almond part of the filling would make it taste marzipany, but in fact it was simply ground almonds.
Ed Levine diet watchers should note that I took two bites. Email the Serious Eaters for corroboration.
Ceci Cela Patisserie
55 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 (b/n Mulberry and Lafayette); 212-274-9179
166 Chambers Street, New York NY 10017 (b/n West Broadway and Greenwich); 212-566-8933
Website: ceci-celapatisserie.com
Posted by Ed Levine, November 9, 2006 at 10:32 AM
Thanks to the tireless eating efforts of Serious Eats readers I have discovered a couple of other apple turnovers worth eating.
At Balthazar (80 Spring Street (bet. Broadway and Crosby Sts.), 212-965-1785, the apple turnover is light but still substantial and incredibly buttery. The apple filling is soft but not mushy. The Balthazar apple turnover moves up to No. 2 behind Duane Park Patisserie's in the ELE Turnover Survey.
Down the street at Ceci Cela (179 Duane St. (between Hudson and Greenwich Sts.) 212-274-8447, the apple turnover needs a little more apple filling, though the pastry is mighty fine.
And speaking of Balthazar the bakers there make a mean chocolate cake doughnut made in the same machine the late, great Dreesen's Market.
Posted by Ed Levine, October 10, 2006 at 6:53 AM
In honor of Columbus Day I started thinking about meatball heroes. A great meatball hero is hard to find. Most meatballs are leaden and way too dense. They're weighed down with too many breadcrumbs. Most hero rolls are cottony disasters, with no chew to the crust. When you find a good meatball hero it's cause for celebration. But when I tried to come up with a top five meatball heroes list I came up short: I could think of three that I truly loved. They are:
Frankie's Spuntino
Address: 457 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map); 17 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002 (map)
Phone: 718-403-0033, 212-403-0033
Website: frankiesspuntino.com
The gold standard of meat ball parm heroes. The meatballs are light, the mozzarella is fresh, and the bread is Sullivan Street bakery pizza.
Caputo's
Address: 460 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)
Phone: 718-855-8852
A family-run Italian grocery store with very high standards, Caputo's features Mrs. Caputo's surprisingly light meatballs, made with beef, pork, and veal.
Leo's Latticini
Address: 46-02 104th Street, Corona, NY 11368 (map)
Phone: 718-898-6069
Also known as Mama's, Leo's Latticini only has meatballs on certain days of the week. So call first.
Crosby Connection
Address: 290 Elizabeth Street, New York, NY 10012 (map)
Phone: 212-677-8444
Website: crosbyconnectionnyc.com
The crosby special is a meatball hero with ricotta and mozzarella. It's a little messy and I wish the bread were a little better, but overall the Crosby Connection makes a fine meatball hero. The price is right, as well: $6.
In theory, based on their track record, the following places should be prime territory for meatball heroes:
Esposito's
Address: 357 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231 (map)
Phone: 718-875-6863
The quintessential Brooklyn pork store, Esposito's makes meatballs, fresh mozzarella, has decent bread, and they have pretty high standards.
DiFara
Address: 1424 Avenue J, Brooklyn, NY 11230 (map)
Phone: 718-258-1367
I've never had a meatball parm hero at Dom's, but let's face it, the man knows how to cook and he takes great pride in everything he makes. Anybody had a meatball hero at DiFara?
Meatball Hero Emeritus
Corona Heights Pork Store: The Corona Heights Pork Store is closed (I haven't been able to get in touch with the Cappezzas to find out why), but Mary Lou made a meatball parm hero that was as good as an old school hero could be. Her meatballs were clouds, her sauce was loaded with meaty pork flavor, and she used excellent hero rolls from Rose and Joe's Bakery in Astoria.
I'm also thinking that Faicco's on Bleecker St. and Brooklyn must make a really fine meatball hero, but I've never had one there. Any reports? And what about Royal Crown in Brooklyn?
Posted by Ed Levine, September 18, 2006 at 7:27 AM
A number of ELE users commented, and rightly so, that all the places on my Best Italian restaurant list were all pretty damned pricey. So I thought I should take a stab at a list of potential top five neighborhood Italian restaurants. How do I define a neighborhood Italian restaurant?
A restaurant where you can eat two courses and a glass of wine and spend $25. Neighborhood restaurants that don't require as much of a financial commitment and advance planning. You might wait on line because in many cases these restaurants don't take reservations.
The trouble with most neighborhood Italian restaurants is that most often they serve food that is well-meaning but mediocre at best. That said, there are a number of wonderful neighborhood Italian restaurants sprinkled all over NY. The over-all experience at these neighborhood spots will not likely be as satisfying (service and space can often be lacking), but the food can be delicious.
Here is my list of contenders:
Anthony's: Park Slope
Bianca: Noho
Biricchino: Chelsea
Celeste: Upper West Side
Cono & Sons: Williamsburg
Da Andrea: West Village
Frankies 457 Spuntino: Carroll Gardens
Frankies Clinton St. Spuntino: Lower East Side
Franny's: Park Slope
Gennaro: Upper West Side
Il Bagatto: East Village
Inoteca: Lower East Side
Joe's of Avenue U: Gravesend, Brooklyn
Manducatis: Long Island City
Nick's: Upper East Side
Sapori D'Ischia: Woodside, Queens
Sette Medi: Morningside Heights
Tommaso's: Bensonhurst
Via Emilia: Flatiron District
Have I missed any?
Posted by Ed Levine, November 2, 2005 at 1:48 PM
You'd think someone who'd just spent a year eating a thousand slices of pizza researching a pizza book would be sick of 'za. Then why do so many of my posts revolve around pizza.
I went to Lombardi's last night and was struck by how much the pizza has changed there in the last few months.
The crust is thinner and a little less pliable and yeasty than it has been in recent years, and it's a marked improvement over the thicker crust with clumps of unbaked dough that has all too often marred the pizza recently at Lombardi's.
The toppings are still superb: fresh mozzarella, great pepperoni, pancetta, sausage and house-roasted peppers.
It's actually a miracle I enjoyed the pizza at Lombardi's so much, because on my way there I stopped to try the new taco place around the corner from Lombardi's, La Esquina, 106 Kenmare St. Tel: 646-613-1333. I tried three tacos, the carne enchilada, made with grilled pork, cilantro, onions and a not incendiary pineapple-habanero salsa; a cochinita pibil, pulled pork, shredded cabbage, pickled onions, and japapeno; and a chorizo taco with potatoes, shredded cabbage, and salsa verde. The tacos were okay, nothing more((surprisingly bland), but they weren't a bad appetizer before pizza.
Or maybe I should just think of the pizza as a chaser for the tacos.
