When it comes to dining in the five boroughs, Staten Island often gets left off of the radar. People are willing to make the trip out to Flushing or Sunset Park, but rarely across the water. I'm sure part of it is the trip itself; to get to Dosa Garden I had to take the train to the ferry, then another train, and then I had to walk (uphill) for almost a mile. Yet the stretch of Victory Boulevard between the Tompkinsville stop of the Staten Island Railroad and the restaurant was positively flush with sights that would make even the most jaded New York foodie sit up and take notice: a roti shop, a Nigerian grocery, and multiple Sri Lankan restaurants. More

The motley nature of Sri Lankan food has few rivals, as amply displayed at Banana Leaf, a narrow, dark, and winning restaurant on an unprepossessing strip in northern Chelsea. Here, an appetizer sings in Hindi, while one entree speaks fluent Thai and another whispers with a Dutch accent. The flavors on display demonstrate centuries of cross-cultural exchange, utterly upending any notion of indigenous purity. More

Previous BYOBs Ivo & Lulu Gazala Place Tartine If you're familiar with one restaurant on this block of lower First Avenue, it's probably not Sigiri—you're more likely to have been strongarmed into an Indian joint by its zealous street... More