Deb’s New York
“Where should I eat when I come to New York City?”
… is most Frequently Unanswered Frequently Asked Question on this site. If you’ve emailed me or left me a comment asking the same in the last 5 years, odds are good that I didn’t respond. I never meant to be rude; I just didn’t have a response. I’m ridiculously uncomfortable telling people where and how to spend their hard-earned money; maybe I went gaga over a triple-digit steak for two (hi, North Fork Table and Inn! I love you.) that you know you make better on your grill every Friday night; maybe there’s a restaurant on 7th Avenue I went back to one a week for three years (until they changed owners, sigh) for the artichoke salad alone — it’s my weird thing, perhaps not yours. Plus, there’s nothing exhaustive or carefully considered about my choices. I’ll never be a restaurant reviewer; I’d be too much like this guy.
But! We love going out to eat. It’s not always a restaurant, sometimes it’s just a little something-something we picked up en route to the playground. Sometimes, we mapped out a walk to a playground just because it would take us by something tasty. Essentially, I’m always enamored with some food outside my apartment and so I’ve decided to take a list-type approach instead. It will be updated whenever I find something new to obsess over. I kind of hope it is today.
A short, sporadically updated list of tasty things in New York City:
- Hot buttered radishes and grilled half artichoke at Monument Lane. I am pretty sure that the deliciousness of hot buttered radishes needn’t be further explained, but should that not convince you, the meatloaf will. Yes, I said meatloaf.
- Bacon-wrapped quail and the Mahon flatbread (which I tried awkwardly to copy over here) at Salinas, plus every other thing on the menu. Make sure you eat under the stars by sitting in the back, where there’s this architectural feat of a sliding sunroof/ceiling that I now covet for my Dream Home.
- Ramp pizza at Motorino: I suspect this won’t be in season much longer. I love this because it so effectively uses ramps, they’re not just an accent or one ingredient of many, the entire pizza is covered in their delicious greens and bulbs. There’s barely any cheese, either, and somehow we don’ t miss it. They get bonus points for high chairs, crayons and coloring pages.
- Salvatore Ricotta, handmade in Brooklyn with nothing but the freshest, richest New York State milk, lemon juice and salt. Strained long enough that it spreads thickly, we are head-over-heels addicted. Whatever you do, do not sprinkle your morning granola over it. Just don’t do it. You might never eat yogurt again.
- Every single thing at Brooklyn Larder, but most especially the prepared salads. I will fight you for the last marinated mushroom.
- Patisserie Claude makes, hands down, the best croissants there could possibly be. They’re almost always warm from the oven and the smell of butter will assault you when you walk in. Oh, and the quiche. The quiche. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- Linguine with Clams at Porsena. Apparently, someone on Yelp complained that there were too many clams in the dish. Yes, really. (P.S. I attempted to recreate their green bean salad a little while back.)
- Latte with faintly spiced Mexican chocolate at Everyman Espresso. I’m pretty sure I wept the first time I tried it. Ahem, I admit nothing.
- Asparagus from Kernan Farms (Union Square Greenmarket on Wednesdays, Brooklyn GAP Market on Saturdays). It makes the best ribbons.
- The Back Forty house cocktail. I became so obsessed with it that I attempted my own at home.
Previously:
- Milk Thistle Milk. Spooning some of the cream on top into my toddler’s oatmeal makes me feel like a 1950s housewife, but in a good way.
- The almost bittersweet chocolate sable from Balthazar’s Bakery, that is, if the toddler lets me have a bite.
- Homemade cream cheese from Russ & Daughters. Plus, the nicest people on the planet work there.
Small type:
* How do I decide where to eat next? I get about 50 percent of my leads these days from Tasting Table’s New York Newsletter, 25 percent from my husband, who follows both Eater New York and New York Magazine’s Grub Street and 25 percent from friends and/or wandering around and seeing something that looks good.
* I kind of hate having to say this at all, but just wanted to footnote that I still have a ‘no free stuff’ policy on Smitten Kitchen. Everything listed on this page is a reflection of something we sought out on our own, and paid for with our own pocket change. And Jacob’s. We shake him down all of the time for loose change.
