Does outsourcing affect our personal connection to food?

The Associated Press September 30, 2019, 2:56 PM

The growing options for outsourcing meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking can be called time-saving blessings or culture-destroying curses. In the end, they’re probably a complicated mix of both.

The positive spin goes something like this: Assuming you can afford it, you’ll save precious time by clicking a few digital boxes and getting someone else to choose your vegetables and deliver your groceries.

No time to plan a meal? An ever-expanding list of meal kit services including Blue Apron and HelloFresh will send you premeasured ingredients to whip up a variety of recipes — complete with step-by-step, photo-enhanced instructions. All that for around $8 to $10 per person.

No time to cook? Get a week’s worth of frozen meals delivered courtesy of Home Chef, Freshly or a host of other local and national services: It’s the modern version of a TV dinner, but it tastes better. And if hunger strikes and you need immediate gratification, you’re no longer stuck ordering a pizza or a few containers of takeout Chinese: Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub stand ready to deliver anything you crave.

But as people increasingly limit their involvement in meal prep, the question of how that affects our personal connection to food is debatable.

“As we exist at a greater distance from where these foods originated, we tend to forget — or now, perhaps not even learn — where things come from,” says Jason Seacat, a professor of psychology at Western New England University, who studies the relationship between people and food. “This growing disconnect not only contributes to a loss for humans but also for our natural world because greater disconnect often equals less concern for the natural environments that produce the food.”

Dana White, an associate professor, and sports dietitian at Quinnipiac University doesn’t see the situation as black and white: “It depends on what the baseline was before.”

If your someone who never cooks and eats out at fast food places all the time, ordering groceries or meal kits could be a step in the right direction

But “if it’s taking you away from the farmer’s market and you stop putting the basil plant in your backyard,” White says, these services may do more harm than good.

Mark Jenike, associate professor and chair of the department of anthropology at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, says food is both biological and cultural, and the approach to it needs to take both into account.

“It fulfills biological needs but is imbued with meaning that makes it very cultural as well,” Jenike says. “So I could certainly see for some people that getting a meal kit allows them to focus on bonding and together time as they prepare and consume a meal together. That could be a very appealing option.”

If an hour that would’ve been spent driving to the grocery store and rushing through the aisles is instead spent purposefully simmering a sauce, a home cook could become more connected to their food. And if a meal kit includes everything premeasured down to the last half-teaspoon of chili powder, White says, people who find cooking intimidating might discover it’s actually kind of fun.

But there are downsides. A growing number of young adults have no idea how to scramble an egg or cook rice. White often sees “students that come to college and they have no idea how to feed themselves. They don’t know how to grocery shop. They don’t have basic cooking skills.”

Jenike notices the same thing at his university: “One of the real problems with things like Uber Eats and eating out all the time and food delivery is that so many kids now grow up without the skills to prepare their own food.”

A company called Starship Technologies has begun delivering takeout via A.I.-controlled robots on a few college campuses nationwide. No need to even say hi to a delivery guy, which may present problems of its own.

If that isn’t enough to concern you, try this: In his work studying what “comfort food” really is, Jordan Troisi has found that the psychological comfort we get from foods has to do with the social meaning we attach to it. We’re comforted by spaghetti and meatballs not necessarily because of the tasty carbs, but because it’s what our family always ate.

“Food is a physiological need for humans,” Trioisi says. “As a consequence, it gets attached to so many other needs that we have, including feelings of safety, feelings of connection, feeling a sense that in times of stress, things are going to be OK.”

But what happens, he wonders, to a kid who doesn’t grow up with any “family recipes” because the meal kits they were raised on changed every week?

Last year, HelloFresh began offering an entire Thanksgiving dinner in a box and they’ve followed up with other holiday boxes, including one for Mother’s Day. Is this the end of family recipes, or is it possible that having the basics covered helps home cooks really focus on making a few family favorites from scratch as holiday side dishes?

Donna Talarico-Beerman and her husband Kevin tried ordering groceries. But with their hectic work schedules, produce would sit in the refrigerator instead of being used.

“I call our crisper drawer ‘The Mush Factory,'” Talarico-Beerman, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says. “We have good intentions, but we waste a lot of food.”

Coming up with meal ideas after a long day of work often felt like too much trouble, so they’d end up ordering takeout. But since they’ve begun ordering frozen meals from Schwan’s, a service their own parents used years ago, “we definitely eat more at home,” she says. And it’s been good.

“Even if we’re reheating stuff,” Talarico-Beerman says, “we’re setting the table together.”

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Melissa Rayworth writes frequently about lifestyle, design and parenting issues. Follow her on Twitter at @mrayworth.

Greeks in Uproar Over New York Times’ Pastitsio Recipe

By Kerry Kolasa-Sikiaridi

Pastitsio is a quintessential, traditional Greek recipe that is made, with some slight variations, not only throughout Greece, but in Greek households everywhere. But there is one thing that all Greeks can agree on — you never, ever put lamb in pastitsio!

This is a lesson that food writer Colu Henry and The New York Times (NYT) have learned the hard way. Henry caused an uproar in Greek households recently which reverberated like a shot heard around the Greek world. He ruined — RUINED! — every yiayia’s perfect pastitsio recipe, by using ground lamb!

“This classic, comforting Greek baked pasta, which bears many similarities to lasagna, derives its name from the Italian word ‘pasticcio,’ which translates to ‘a mess,’ but really indicates the forgiving, flexible nature of this dish. In this version, lamb is sautéed with garlic, cinnamon, fresh herbs and tomatoes,” as the post on cooking.nytimes.com describes the dish.

The recipe was posted as “Pastitsio (Greek Baked Pasta With Lamb, Cinnamon and Tomatoes)”, on the Times’ Facebook page. It immediately caused dozens of disturbed Greek-Americans to post “Cooking Notes” on the cooking.nytimes.com page, blasting the recipe. Maybe it was just a foodie’s creativity getting the better of him… but whatever the reason behind the recipe, it really struck a chord (in a bad way) with Greeks.

“The recipe is OK. But I’m more Greek than it is,” one reviewer posted in the “Cooking Notes” section of their webpage. Another said “Come on, this is NOT pastitsio. Greek pastitsio has beef ground beef, not so much tomato and, especially, spaghetti number three. Definitely!”

The outcry continued on the “Cooking Notes” page. “This really isn’t Greek. No one in Greece or Cyprus for that matter uses lamb for this dish. Also, way too much tomato sauce. And you do not use ziti. Pastitsio has specific pasta that you can buy at any place that sells Greek food. While your recipe may taste good, it’s just not the traditional pastitsio recipe,” according to one reviewer.

One observer had some practical advice for Henry, saying “This is NOT pastitsio. Stick to Yiayia’s recipe. Or find an actual Greek to show you the way.”

Another couldn’t help but highlight that even the Greek version of the “Despacito” parody song has something on this botched recipe: “Even the song “Thes pastitsio” has the right recipe,” they wrote in scathingly.

Some just wanted the error corrected — and for Mr. Henry to stop insulting all the Greek yiayias of the world — by simply removing every mention of “Greece” from the post. “Unfortunately, this simply isn’t pastitsio. It’s baked ziti. Please consider removing the Greek ‘moniker’, as there is nothing Greek about this dish!” an angry contributor added for good measure.

One lesson that the New York Times, and Henry, might have learned from this abuse of pastitsio is that you just don’t need to fix what isn’t broken. And traditional Greek food is definitely not broken, in any way, shape or form!

The 14 best cookbooks of the year will make the foodie in your life a very happy cook

Whether you're looking for something to put under the tree or an addition to your own collection, these books shine bright

2018 was a fantastic year for cookbooks. There were anticipated titles from some of the world’s best chefs, including René Redzepi and Yotam Ottolenghi, debuts from the likes of Naz Deravian and Mardi Michels, and Sean J.S. Chen’s groundbreaking translation of a centuries-old Chinese gastronomic classic.

These 14 books are all excellent choices to place under the tree for the gourmands and foodies on your holiday shopping list.

The Noma Guide to Fermentation by Rene Redzepi and David Zilber.Artisan Books

1. THE NOMA GUIDE TO FERMENTATION

By René Redzepi and David Zilber
Artisan Books
456 pp; $60

Fermented foods hold an unmistakable funk and complexity of flavour. Rooted in traditions as ancient as civilization itself, a fresh take on the subject can be hard to come by. With no sauerkraut in sight, The Noma Guide to Fermentation is both an inspiration and requisite resource for burgeoning and experienced “fermentos” alike. The guide offers invaluable insight into how the four-time world’s best restaurant makes the ferments that enhance every single one of its dishes, all adapted for the home kitchen. “(This is) the book that I wish I had when I started,” says Canadian chef David Zilber, director of Noma’s fermentation lab. “It’s basically a book filled with everything I’d always wanted to know about fermentation.”

In the French Kitchen with Kids by Mardi Michels. Appetite by Random House

2. IN THE FRENCH KITCHEN WITH KIDS: EASY, EVERYDAY DISHES FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO MAKE AND ENJOY

By Mardi Michels
Appetite by Random House
192 pp; $29.95

Pint-sized cooks will love learning how to make impressive French classics, and Mardi Michels is uniquely qualified to instruct them. For nearly a decade, the Toronto-based French teacher has led a cooking club for boys age 7 to 14. Michels knows firsthand what kids can cook when given the opportunity. From a classic omelette to croissants and ratatouille three ways (each accommodating different skill levels), In the French Kitchen with Kids is filled with recipes that cooks of all ages will adore.

Season by Nik Sharma. Chronicle Books

3. SEASON: BIG FLAVORS, BEAUTIFUL FOOD

By Nik Sharma
Chronicle Books
288 pp; $50

In Season, acclaimed writer and photographer Nik Sharma chronicles his journey from Mumbai, India to Oakland, Calif. using cuisine as the lens. “Mine is the story of a gay immigrant, told through food,” he writes in the book’s introduction. Sharma’s distinctive photography style – instructional and inky with his food, and his hands, front and centre – and impeccable sense of flavour composition make this book a must for cookbook lovers.

Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian.Flatiron Books

4. BOTTOM OF THE POT: PERSIAN RECIPES AND STORIES

By Naz Deravian
Flatiron Books
384 pp; $45

In her debut cookbook, Bottom of the Pot, former Vancouverite Naz Deravian invites readers to gather around her Persian table. The IACP Award-winning writer and actor interweaves alluring essays based on memories of home with more than 100 recipes. Deravian’s family left Tehran, Iran for Rome, Italy at the height of the Iranian Revolution; a few years later, they departed for their new Canadian home. Now based in L.A., Calif., she describes her cooking style as “accented food”: reflective of a life lived largely outside of Iran but with Persian home cooking at its heart.

Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi. Appetite by Random House

5. OTTOLENGHI SIMPLE: A COOKBOOK

By Yotam Ottolenghi
Appetite by Random House
320 pp; $42

Yotam Ottolenghi is renowned for his flavourful, fresh and exciting cuisine. With Ottolenghi Simple, the London, U.K.-based chef proves that streamlined doesn’t necessitate compromise. Since the definition of “simple” can vary so widely cook-to-cook, each of the 130 recipes in the book is pared-back in one or more ways. Whether you’re short on time or set on turning out a moreish meal using 10 ingredients or fewer, Ottolenghi’s brand of simplicity satisfies.

Now & Again by Julia Turshen.Chronicle Books

6. NOW & AGAIN: GO-TO RECIPES, INSPIRED MENUS + ENDLESS IDEAS FOR REINVENTING LEFTOVERS

By Julia Turshen
Chronicle Books
304 pp; $50

Julia Turshen’s ode to leftovers will have you hoarding a few slices of meatloaf just so you can make her open-faced meatloaf melts the next day… and maybe the day after that (they’re that good). In Now & Again, the bestselling author demonstrates that leftovers are deserving of reinvention. Presented as seasonal menus, she provides a 125-recipe starting point interspersed with advice for spinning your leftovers to save time and resources.

Recipes from the Garden of Contentment: Yuan Mei’s Manual of Gastronomy translated and annotated by Sean J.S. Chen. Berkshire Classics

7. RECIPES FROM THE GARDEN OF CONTENTMENT: YUAN MEI’S MANUAL OF GASTRONOMY

Translated and annotated by Sean J.S. Chen
Berkshire Classics
468 pp; $125

Toronto-based research scientist Sean J.S. Chen found an unusual but extraordinarily impressive way to unwind while completing his PhD in biomedical engineering: teaching himself classical Chinese in order to translate a 225-year-old gastronomic masterwork. Recipes from the Garden of Contentment is the first English translation of the Suiyuan Shidan 隨園食單, a hugely influential Chinese cookbook written by famed poet Yuan Mei in the late 18th century. Thanks to Chen’s dedication to stress relief, we now have a unique glimpse into Chinese food culture with recipes for both elaborate imperial cuisine and humble dishes from the era.

Fresh India by Meera Sodha.Flatiron Books

8. FRESH INDIA: 130 QUICK, EASY AND DELICIOUS VEGETARIAN RECIPES FOR EVERY DAY

By Meera Sodha
Flatiron Books
304 pp; $45.50

Award-winning British food writer Meera Sodha finds joy in cooking vegetables, and her delight is contagious. Stemming from traditional, regional Indian home-cooking, her second cookbook, Fresh India, is packed with vibrant, modern food. Whether a show-stopping dish like grand vegetable biryani (mast biryani) or an any-day snack such as chestnut mushroom and walnut samosas, Sodha’s vegetable-led recipes are always worthy of celebration.

Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse by y Frederic Morin, David McMillan, and Meredith Erickson. Appetite by Random House

9. JOE BEEF: SURVIVING THE APOCALYPSE: ANOTHER COOKBOOK OF SORTS

By Frédéric Morin, David McMillan and Meredith Erickson
Appetite by Random House
352 pp; $50

There are instructions for making soap and growing endives. Preservation techniques like smothering fresh herbs in salt and burying potatoes in sand. Advice on brewing beer from bark, roots and twigs, and baking canned bread. Recipes for Mohawk corn soup and a savoury Saint Honoré cake crowned with whitefish-filled choux swans. Suffice it to say, the latest from Joe Beef, Surviving the Apocalypse: Another Cookbook of Sorts, is as singular as the Montreal institution itself. “This book is about how to build things for yourself,” Erickson writes, “about how to make it on your own.” It’s hard to imagine a more perfect book for the prepper with panache.

Feast by Anissa Helou. Ecco

10. FEAST: FOOD OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD

By Anissa Helou
Ecco
544 pp; $75

Anissa Helou – one of the world’s authorities on the cuisines of North Africa, the Middle East and Mediterranean – is just the chef to guide readers on a journey throughout the Islamic world. She conducted extensive fieldwork while writing Feast, travelling from India to Indonesia and Senegal to Zanzibar, collecting dishes along the way. Helou’s tales of continent-spanning journeys, historical background and recipes ranging from multilayered Yemeni bread to Azerbaijani yogurt soup make for a captivating read and colourful cooking experience.

The Nordic Baking Book by Magnus Nilsson. Phaidon

11. THE NORDIC BAKING BOOK

By Magnus Nilsson
Phaidon
576 pp; $59.95

If the Nordic people cook or bake it using grains, it’s within the covers of Magnus Nilsson’s impressive 450-recipe tome. The chef, famous for his work at two-Michelin-starred Swedish restaurant Fäviken, refers to The Nordic Baking Book as a documentary cookbook. He set out to collect and compile recipes from the entirety of the region, as well as explain why baking remains so vital to the cuisine today. As with his previous 700-recipe book, The Nordic Cookbook (Phaidon, 2015), one of Nilsson’s main motivations was to take readers beyond iconic dishes like Swedish meatballs and gravlax, and the exemplary restaurants that defined New Nordic Cuisine. These bakes, encompassing the traditional and the contemporary, reflect what the people of the region actually make in the comfort of their own homes.

How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry. Mitchell Beazley

12. HOW TO EAT A PEACH: MENUS, STORIES AND PLACES

By Diana Henry
Octopus Books
224 pp; $38.99

This book even feels like a peach, with its invitingly fuzzy cover. Dive in, and Diana Henry will tell you the best way to enjoy one: unhurriedly dunking the slices into a glass of chilled Moscato on a summer’s night, preferably somewhere in Italy. Henry is one of the U.K.’s best-loved food writers and if you’re new to her work, this collection will explain why. In her eleventh cookbook, How to Eat a Peach, she explores the connection between food and place in 24 seasonally-inspired menus and accompanying essays. From falling in love with the food of Brittany to missing New York in the winter, this beautiful book is ideal for those prone to culinary wanderlust.

Superiority Burger Cookbook by Brooks Headley. W. W. Norton & Company

13. SUPERIORITY BURGER COOKBOOK: THE VEGETARIAN HAMBURGER IS NOW DELICIOUS

By Brooks Headley
W.W. Norton & Company
320 pp; $39.95

In his second cookbook, James Beard Award-winning pastry chef Brooks Headley shares the secrets behind the tiny, all-vegetarian Superiority Burger in NYC’s East Village, including the recipe for its namesake hamburger. But the sought-after menu item, which GQ named “year’s best burger” in 2015, is literally just the beginning. It’s the first recipe in the book, and it is indeed delicious, but what follows is supremely exciting food…without caveats.

Waste Not by the James Beard Foundation. Rizzoli

14. WASTE NOT: HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR FOOD
Rizzoli
208 pp; $60

Changing your perspective on the bits and pieces many of us habitually throw away – stems and scales, tops and tails – can be a creative and tasty exercise. Canadian households produce a monumental amount of food waste (amounting to $17 billion nationwide each year), but doing your bit to mitigate the global issue needn’t feel like a burden. In Waste Not, the James Beard Foundation stylishly illustrates how to take your cooking in new directions using oft undervalued or ignored ingredients and innovative, achievable recipes from some of the U.S.’s best chefs.

A Fine-Dining Veteran Turns to Street Food

Diana Tandia draws on her high-end experience at Berber Street Food, serving specialties from Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal and beyond.CreditCreditNicole Craine for The New York Times

By Florence Fabricant

• Sept. 11, 2018

Diana Tandia’s path has taken her from her native Mauritania to Paris and finally to New York, where she studied political science at Borough of Manhattan Community College. The next step was the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center), and then the kitchens of Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten. Now, nearly 40, she has opened her own place, Berber Street Food, a minuscule canteen where she draws on her high-end experience to serve well-prepared street food specialties from Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, the Sahara and other parts of Africa, even touching down in the Caribbean with accra fritters and jerk wings. Senegalese djolof fried rice, Nigerian brochettes and a Moroccan vegetable tagine are a few of the other dishes on the menu. The restaurant, brightened with African fabrics, baskets and rainbow piles of hot chiles, seats 15 at chairs and stools, and fields a steady stream of customers for takeout. “Going out on my own, I did not want to stay in fine dining,” she said. Still, her presentation is gracious, overcoming the constraints of paper napkins and plastic utensils.

35 Carmine Street (Bedford Street), 646-870-0495, berberstreetfood.com.

Opening

Klein’s

The bright blue used by the painter Yves Klein, and reflected in the centerpiece Molteni equipment in the kitchen, inspired this restaurant’s name. The hotel it occupies, an English import, sits on the site of a former factory for Rosenwach tanks, the wooden water towers atop many New York buildings. At the behest of his employers, the chef, Matthew Deliso, a native of Long Island, has devised a mostly American menu with bucatini and meatballs, and charred Amish chicken. The setting is decidedly laid-back for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Summerly, a rooftop restaurant, and Backyard, a terrace for casual fare like wood-fired nachos, are also open.

The Hoxton, Williamsburg, 97 Wythe Avenue (North 10th Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 718-215-7100, thehoxton.com.

Misi

Just as she promised, the chef Missy Robbins is offering a menu in her new restaurant that consists of 10 vegetable-based dishes (listed as antipasti) and 10 pastas made in the restaurant’s own pasta room. You might start with grilled runner beans in a garlic vinaigrette, grilled baby artichokes with mint salsa verde, or whole roasted eggplant with Calabrian chile, lemon and olive oil. Then dig into spaghetti with fennel pesto and almonds, or tortelli filled with spinach and mascarpone in brown butter. It’s the food, not the neutral décor, that’s eye-catching.

329 Kent Avenue (South Fourth Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 347-566-3262, misinewyork.com.

Mekelburg’s

A larger, shiny new version of the Clinton Hill grocery, cheese and charcuterie shop, bar and restaurant has opened in the Two Trees development at Domino Park. It will be ready in stages, and will take about a month for all the new features to operate. The new space has a gas-fueled kitchen, which will eventually allow a broader menu than the sandwiches and craft beers for which the original is known. For now, the food menu is limited to pastries and cold sandwiches. There is also a coffee bar and a window to the street, which is open now.

319 Kent Avenue (South Third Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 929-457-6315, mekelburgs.com.

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Taquería

Harris Salat and the chef, Rick Horiike, have transformed Ganso Ramen into this spot for assorted tacos and a deep lineup of mezcals.

25 Bond Street (Livingston Street), Downtown Brooklyn, 929-900-8871.

Sans

Champ Jones, who was a sous-chef at Eleven Madison Park and the NoMad, has gone vegan for his first solo venture. He applies cheffy touches to dishes like sunchoke salad with roasted and pickled sunchokes with fried sunchoke skin, soy milk custard with tomatoes, and porcini risotto with barley and juniper. Daniel Beedle, who was a sommelier at the NoMad, is Mr. Jones’s partner and the beverage director who strives to use kitchen discards like pineapple skin in a rum drink. (Opens Friday)

329 Smith Street (Carroll Street), 929-337-6292, sansbk.com.

Adda

Roni Mazumdar and the chef Chintan Pandya, who own Rahi in the West Village, are adding this restaurant, which serves some familiar Indian comfort foods like butter chicken and lamb seekh kebab, along with less-common fare like a slow-cooked goat biryani and murgh razala, a curried chicken stew. (Wednesday)

31-31 Thomson Avenue (Van Dam Street), Long Island City, Queens, 718-433-3888, addanyc.com.

Peppercorn Kitchen

Mala means numbing and spicy, and it describes a category of Chinese street food that originated in Sichuan Province, spread to Beijing and is now firmly rooted in New York, most recently at this fast-casual edition near New York University. Ever since the MaLa Project, with its fiery dry pots, opened nearly three years ago, casual restaurants that deliver mala have been proliferating. This newcomer serves a chicken broth hot pot thick with ingredients and optional protein add-ins, including Spam. Check out the crinkle-cut fries, dusted with Sichuan seasonings. Did you know that China is the largest producer of potatoes?

289 Mercer Street (Waverly Place), 917-522-1600, peppercornkitchen.nyc.

The Future Of Food In The Age Of Instagram And Netflix

Laureen Barber, co-owner and design director of Blue Hill, talks about how technology and media are reshaping the restaurant experience.

BY MARK WILSON - Source: Fast Company. Read the full article .here

Before any of us had ever heard the phrase “farm to table,” an understated garden restaurant off of New York City’s Washington Square Park called Blue Hill was serving a radical menu of local, seasonal dishes. A few years later, they’d add Blue Hill Stone Barns to the mix, a restaurant and educational center in upstate New York that brought hungry guests right into the thick of raising animals and growing produce, and spearheaded the rustic chic trend that’s since taken over Pinterest and every social event you know.

wasteED London service. [Photo: Andrew Meredith/courtesy Blue Hill Farm]

Laureen Barber is the co-owner and design director of Blue Hill, and sister-in-law of head chef Dan Barber. She’s also a judge in our upcoming Innovation by Design Awards, and I recently had the chance to chat with her about the present and future of the restaurant industry–from the rise of a new era of hospitality driven by fast casual, to working in the age of the hungry Instagrammer.

Fast Company: I sat in on a dinner with about 20 restaurateurs a few years back. And what they said was that the era of the mega chef who dictated a prix fixe meal to you was over. Now, they said, we were going to see a return to hospitality and the “customer is always right” mantra. But I haven’t seen it. Have you?

Laureen Barber: I guess my experience in New York, and dining at some of the top restaurants around the world, is that I’m still seeing the “sit down and really surrender yourself to the chef’s vision” approach. But you’re there because you want to experience the place, the environment, and the chef’s vision. And it only seems to be happening more.

I think the Netflix shows have helped fuel that really specific type of culinary experience because the personalities [of the chefs] are really highlighted. People feel like they know them and want to be a part of the kitchen. And it’s like any type of celebrity where you feel like you know them, even though you’ve seen them from afar.

FC: So is old school hospitality dead, then?

LB: Definitely in fast casual, I hear lots of conversations about technology being the driver in giving customers what they want. Like Clover in Boston–they’re an interesting company, the way they combine metrics and fast casual.

FC: Right, they’re the fast-casual chain, founded by MIT brains.

FC: They try to record preferences and then rework the menu around what people actually want. In their case, it’s technology gearing hospitality toward the customer. They measure how quickly they get the food from the order to you, and then they try to beat their time–they even have a clock ticking, and it’s on a giant monitor. So that’s a great intersection of technology and customer service, I think, in an organic, local, fast-casual setting.

FC: Last year, you threw a pop-up restaurant called Wasted. You literally served the food most kitchens dispose of as scraps. It was a huge sensation that sold out. Why did it resonate?

LB: I think we were doing it at the right time and the right place. I think that there’s a young audience that wants to engage with the story around wasted food, and the meal was affordable to them. It really spoke to their interest, and doing something thoughtful around food.

FC: You were serving garbage though!

LB: They’re things we’d positioned as forgotten, unused, wasted. The juice pulp is such an easy example. It’s full of nutrients and delicious. Why do we waste it? People could understand it pretty easily. So I think it resonated with people, young people especially. Young people are adventurous.

FC: Why haven’t you brought back Wasted again this year?

LB: It’s like opening a restaurant! It’s an endeavor you can’t do every year–at least, at the size of a company we are. You design a restaurant, then you close it in a month? It’s a lot of effort for a limited amount of time.

We’ve been recreating it on a smaller scale with different events. We recreate it when someone has an event at Stone Barns, or we’ve gone into companies and produced a meal for them as Wasted. We’re sort of taking it on the road, and we’re trying to integrate it into the regular menu.

FC: It feels like restaurants used to be made around the vision of a chef. But now, frankly, I see more menu items, and even places, designed around Instagram. Charcoal ice cream. Unicorn Frappuccinos. Rainbow bagels. Neon signs.

LB: I agree with you 100%. It’s happening, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Overall, I think it’s fun. But I don’t know. I guess I’m a little traditional when it comes to this. There’s part of me as a restaurateur that wishes people would just enjoy the meal and not take pictures of everything, but I’m all about the way things look and aesthetics, so I understand the urge to photograph and share a meal. Especially if it’s a one-time experience.

We have not had any strategy behind Instagram at all, except with Wasted. We made these little photo booths. And we put up little signs that said “Wasted” on the bathroom mirrors, completely with the purpose of people doing selfies in the mirror with the word “wasted.” We did incorporate social media because it felt like an event, and a celebration, and it would heighten the fun quality of Wasted.

FC: Have you seen any restaurants designed to create an incredible dining experience, but also design for those Instagram set photo ops–without ruining the experience?

LB: The Butcher’s Daughter. They have a place in the Lower East Side, and now in L.A., and it’s really popular with a younger set. I think it’s geared toward food trends. Lots of vegan dishes. Lots of gluten-free options. Just in terms of dietary preferences, I think they’re really good at responding to that type of thing, and they created a very unique environment that speaks to that. There are lots of plants all around, it looks really natural, but it’s got a hip vibe. They play cool music. The whole package is [cool], from the uniform, to the environment, to the menu–down to the copper cup that you drink out of with a cool straw. It’s all really current and responding to design trends as well as food trends in a really immediate way.

I don’t know how explicit they were when designing the place for Instagram, but it’s a really great place to take pictures. Maybe at this point, Instagram is just such part of our culture we design with it in mind without thinking of it. I bet for people doing new design, they really consider it without making it an explicit design strategy for sure.

FC: What about Blue Hill Barns?

LB: We’re on a farm. It is interesting is to see what people Instagram, and that can inform what you do from a design standpoint. Mostly people want to take pictures of the outside, because of the location and beauty of the building. So I think of social media existing more like, outside the restaurant, rather than inside the restaurant. I want to make sure that outside, everything looks beautiful.

FC: Will there be more pushback to the whole Instagram restaurant phenomenon?

LB: I think we’ll probably see more pushback. From personal experience, if you look around a restaurant and everyone is on their phone, it’s depressing.

FC: There’s actually research that says we’re measurably less happy when we eat a meal while on our phones.

LB: The table is, in my mind, for talking. You don’t see people on their devices in fine dining restaurants. You do see Instagramming, definitely. People love to photograph their food. It is part of the conversation we do have internally a lot, though. Because we want the experience to be so rich and fulfilling, and those types of interruptions don’t lend themselves to a flow in terms of your experience. And a lot has to do with the proper flow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mark Wilson is a senior writer at Fast Company. He started Philanthroper.com, a simple way to give back every day.

Mexico wine country: Foodie paradise and tastings in Baja

Diners at the Finca Altozano steakhouse enjoy sweeping views of Valle de Guadalupe, which is wooing more American visitors to cross the border to Baja’s wine country

It’s not Napa, but Valle de Guadalupe offers a relaxed, unpretentious, budget-friendly experience.

NICOLE EVATT

The Associated Press

ENSENADA, Mexico — Wine lovers, listen up: There’s a little-known gem just south of the border called Valle de Guadalupe.

It’s a bit dustier and rougher around the edges than California’s prized Napa Valley, but Baja’s wine country offers a relaxed, unpretentious, budget-friendly experience clustered along a main highway in this region of Mexico known as the Ruta del Vino.

The fast-growing wine mecca just two hours south of San Diego is home to hip boutique hotels, an impressive culinary scene and more than 100 wineries to satisfy the most discerning of aficionados.

The greenest and busiest time to visit is May through September, but other months welcome serious connoisseurs looking for a quieter trip with more personal attention — often from the winemakers themselves. Add in a few crisp evenings spent sipping your favorite chardonnay by a fire pit and you’ve got yourself a memorable wine getaway with a fraction of the fuss.

Viñas de Garza: This romantic hilltop tasting room has some of the best views in the valley. Tastings range from $10-$16. Don’t leave without trying the Blanco del Rancho Mogorcito, a delightful sauvignon blanc-chardonnay blend that delivers bright, fruity, unoaked flavors ($17.10 per bottle).

Hacienda la Lomita: Family-run Lomita, and its biodynamic sister location, Finca La Carrodilla, are committed to organic farming. Lomita’s tiny, but trendy tasting room is known for its artsy ambience and ruby red rosé, a marshmallow and caramel flavored dream ($11.82 per bottle). Tastings range from $12-$21.

Villa Montefiori: Set back off the main road, Montefiori’s tasting room is a large viewing deck perched above its sprawling vineyard. They boast “Mexican wines with an Italian heart” with vines imported from owner Paolo Paoloni’s home country, Italy. Try a glass for $4, tastings range from $6-$24 and bottles run $16-$64.

Monte Xanic: This lakeside oasis is owned by a collective of Mexican families. It’s one of the largest, oldest and well-manicured properties in the area. The winery’s dry and fruity malbec ($37 per bottle) was a standout. Tastings are $10-$17 and bottles range from $12-$53.

Food finds

Come for the wine, but stay for the food. Valle de Guadalupe’s restaurants serve up artistic, creative haute cuisine with a more palatable price than a comparable meal stateside.

Finca Altozano: This rustic, Instagram-friendly, steakhouse whips up locally sourced, seasonal delights such as wood-fired quall ($13.25) and ahi tuna tostadas ($5). The most memorable meal of the trip was Finca’s grilled pacific octopus ($8.75) in a mouthwatering citrus soy sauce. Don’t forget to check out the gorgeous grounds and the larger-than-life wine barrel viewing decks, perfect for stargazing with a nightcap.

Adobe Food Truck: For a casual lunch with outdoor seating, stop by this popular food truck serving sandwiches, salads and tapas. Many plates are $5 or less.

Deckman’s: Dine under the stars with an outdoor kitchen helmed by Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman. The locally grown, farm-to-table fare includes Thai curry mussels ($12.75) and a five-course tasting menu for $39.80.

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New York’s Major Food Group Bellies Up to Two New Bars

Restaurateur behind Parm and Sadelle’s expanding its alcohol-focused offerings with Pool Lounge and Polynesian

By Charles Passy - March 10, 2018 8:00 a.m. ET - The Wall Street Journal 

Jeff Zalaznick, left, and Mario Carbone of the Major Food Group toasted at the Heineken House at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, N.Y., in 2014. Mr. Zalaznick is looking to tap a mixology-crazed market with his latest establishments. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES FOR HEINEKEN

True to its name, the Major Food Group has built its reputation as one of New York City’s pre-eminent restaurateurs. Most notably, in the past year the company opened the high-end dining spots the Grill and the Pool in the East Midtown space formerly home to the Four Seasons.

Now, Major Food Group is turning its attention to the boozy side of the business.

In the coming weeks it will open the Polynesian, a 100-seat contemporary-themed tiki bar in the Pod Times Square hotel. The idea, say company officials, is to update the island-minded concept of generations ago for the mixology-crazed market of today that demands better-crafted drinks.

The bar also will offer what Major Food Group managing partner Jeff Zalaznick said will be the largest selection of rum in the city, with hundreds of choices.

The Polynesian will join another new Major Food Group drinking spot, the Pool Lounge, which is connected to the Pool restaurant. Opened in the second half of 2017, the bar focuses on cocktails built around a single flavor, as evidenced by drinks with such straightforward names as “Cinnamon” and “Sour Apple.”

Major Food Group officials declined to say how much they have spent developing their recent bar projects, but it is clear the company isn’t cutting corners. At the Polynesian, architectural details include hand-carved woodwork in the tiki tradition, Mr. Zalaznick added.

And at the Pool Lounge, the glassware is from the Japanese brand Sugahara, said director of bar operations Thomas Waugh. A single glass can retail for up to $100, he said.

“These are like collection pieces,” he added.

Major Food Group’s move comes as other big names in fine dining also have branched out into the bar world. Union Square Hospitality Group, the New York-based restaurant company headed by Danny Meyer, opened Porchlight, a craft cocktail bar, in west Chelsea three years ago.

Hospitality-industry insiders and experts say such moves shouldn’t come as a surprise because the bar business can be lucrative, with product and labor costs typically much lower than in restaurants. And, in the era of craft cocktails, bars have become a forum for the kind of creativity and showmanship once exclusively associated with dining spots.

“Now, mixologists are rock stars,” said bar and nightlife entrepreneur James Morrissey, whose New York venues include the VNYL and the Late Late.

Major Food Group officials don’t see themselves as jumping on the bar bandwagon, so to speak. They say they their latest forays into the nightlife scene are reflective of the seven-year-old company’s longstanding commitments and interests. In particular, they note that they opened ZZ’s Clam Bar, a Michelin-starred craft cocktail bar in Greenwich Village that also offers raw fish, in 2013.

Moreover, the group sees the Polynesian, which also will offer outdoor seating, as exemplifying the company’s approach of taking classic concepts and tweaking them for modern times. So, much as Major Food Group put a new spin on Italian-American cuisine with its Parm restaurants or Jewish food with Sadelle’s, now it plans to take tiki into the 21st Century.

The Polynesian “falls into the Major Food Group mold,” Mr. Zalaznick said.

The challenge that Major Food Group could face is that the bar and restaurant worlds ultimately are very different, said Stephen Zagor, a dean at the Institute of Culinary Education, which has a campus in New York.

In restaurants, patrons tend to spend a fairly consistent amount, making it easier to gauge revenue, he explained. By contrast, in bars, some guests pop in for a quick drink, while others make a night of it.

The bar business “is a lot more unpredictable,” Mr. Zagor said.

Write to Charles Passy at cpassy@wsj.com

The NYC Restaurants Ordered Closed This Week

These places were found to be too dirty to stay open.

By Adam Nichols, Patch Staff | Feb 25, 2018 8:25 am ET

NEW YORK, NY — Filth flies, roaches, mice and unwashed hands — restaurants across the city have dirty secrets they'd rather you didn't know about. Fortunately for the diner's well-being, New York City's Health Department is watching.

Every year, inspectors go unannounced into more than 24,000 restaurants in the city. Of them, the majority are fine, but some fall disgustingly short of the city's cleanliness requirements.

The most common violations, according to the city, are food stored at wrong temperatures, vermin, "plumbing" issues (the mind boggles) and basic food safety protocols not being followed.

Every week, Patch will tell you which restaurants have gotten the chop – try not to read over your lunch break.

Inspection scores above 28 earn eateries a C grade and extra close monitoring from the city's health department – which could decide to shut it down.

These are the restaurants closed down since Feb. 16, 2018, according to the Department of Health:

Manhattan:

Johnny Rockets
1 PENN PLAZA

Violation points: 62

• Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
• Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Sanitized equipment or utensil, including in-use food dispensing utensil, improperly used or stored.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
• Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.

CHAWLAS 2
216 THIRD AVE

Violation points: 40

• Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
• Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.

KIIN THAI EATERY
36 EAST EIGHTH ST

Violation points: 33

• Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Live roaches present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

BAKER STREET PUB
1152 FIRST AVE

Violation points: 33

• Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated (FRSA) flies present in facility's food and/or non-food areas. Filth flies include house flies, little house flies, blow flies, bottle flies and flesh flies. Food/refuse/sewage-associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

EASTEND BAR & GRILL
1664 FIRST AVE

Violation points: 66

• Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
• Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Wiping cloths soiled or not stored in sanitizing solution.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
• Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.
• Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.

Brooklyn:

YUAN MENG GOURMET
4508 EIGHTH AVE

Violation points: 41

• Sewage disposal system improper or unapproved.
• Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained and/or not properly sealed, raised, spaced or movable to allow accessibility for cleaning on all sides, above and underneath the unit.

GOODAS BAR & LOUNGE
971B E NEW YORK AVE

Violation points: 64

• Raw, cooked or prepared food is adulterated, contaminated, cross-contaminated, or not discarded in accordance with HACCP plan.
• Live roaches present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Hand washing facility not provided in or near food preparation area and toilet room. Hot and cold running water at adequate pressure to enable cleanliness of employees not provided at facility. Soap and an acceptable hand-drying device not provided.
• Personal cleanliness inadequate. Outer garment soiled with possible contaminant. Effective hair restraint not worn in an area where food is prepared.
• Food contact surface not properly washed, rinsed and sanitized after each use and following any activity when contamination may have occurred.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
• Thawing procedures improper.
• Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.

Queens:

SANDWICH BAR

7132 MAIN ST

Violation points: 50

• Food Protection Certificate not held by supervisor of food operations.
• Live roaches present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.
• Plumbing not properly installed or maintained; anti-siphonage or backflow prevention device not provided where required; equipment or floor not properly drained; sewage disposal system in disrepair or not functioning properly.

BLACK THAI
8116 NORTHERN BLVD

Violation points: 46

• Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
• Tobacco use, eating, or drinking from open container in food preparation, food storage or dishwashing area observed.
• Food not protected from potential source of contamination during storage, preparation, transportation, display or service.
• Facility not vermin proof. Harborage or conditions conducive to attracting vermin to the premises and/or allowing vermin to exist.

Michelin-Approved Mexican Restaurant From NYC Is Headed to Napa

The Brooklynites of Gran Electrica arrive in March

by Caleb Pershan  Feb 15, 2018,  - Eater SF

Gran Electrica, a New York Mexican restaurant with a Michelin Bib Gourmand seal of approval, is opening a West Coast location in Napa at 1313 Main Street. The previous occupant at that address, the restaurant and Wine Bar 1313 Main, quietly closed over the holiday season, and the new restaurant will open in mid-March.

Partners Tamer Hamawi, Elise Rosenberg, and Emelie Kihlstrom, also of Colonie in Brooklyn, opened Gran Electrica in 2012 in the Dumbo neighborhood. There, it’s known for fresh cocktails and regional Mexican dishes in an energetic atmosphere punctuated by playful design — think wallpaper figuring Brooklyn hipsters in Day of the Dead scenes inspired by the Mexican artist José Guadalupe Posada.

In a 2013 interview, Tamer, who is Australian, told Eater NY he’d originally dreamt of opening a Mexican Restaurant in his hometown of Melbourne, but instead brought his business plan with him to New York. Now, he says, “We could not be more thrilled to bring our Gran Electrica concept to Napa. The anticipation is definitely building, and the current local community buzz could not be more encouraging.”

RELATED

The Essential Napa Valley Restaurants

According to a job listing, Gran Electrica Napa’s chef will be Igancio Beltran and its general manager is Kate O’Reilly (Ciccio).

New York’s finest have given it a go in Napa before, with the high-profile opening, and then closing, of Ninebark in 2016. But that three-story restaurant project from NYC hospitality group AvroKO and chef Matthew Lightner (Atera) was more deluxe in its aims, while Gran Electrica might have more neighborhood-serving ambitions.

The 38 Essential Restaurants in New York City, Winter 2018

It's time to update the Eater 38, an elite collection of restaurants from across the city that will satisfy the restaurant needs for locals and visitors alike: Find an NYC classic as well as a top-notch neighborhood restaurant, a barbecue spot as well as a natural wine destination.

Every quarter, a few restaurants drop out of the list to make room for places that have stepped up their game or have increasing relevance. To warrant inclusion, a restaurant has to have been open for at least six months.

Rather than having a stage-four meltdown over the exclusion of a favorite restaurant from this list, wouldn't it be more productive to just nominate it for inclusion?

Added in January 2018: For the new year, the 38 is switching out nine restaurants. Upscale additions include The Grill (Major Food Group’s over-the-top Midcentury chophouse), Aldea (George Mendes’ upscale Portuguese in Flatiron), and Cote (a modern Korean steakhouse). Momofuku Ssäm Bar (David Chang’s meaty mainstay that now has a new chef), Prune (Gabrielle Hamilton’s East Village American stalwart), and Victor’s Cafe (colorful Midtown Cuban restaurant) also join the list. And finally, Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken (a Harlem destination for old-school fried chicken), Flaming Kitchen (a Sichuan standout on Bowery), and Dumpling Galaxy (Helen You’s Flushing dumpling emporium) are now on the 38.

To make room, Lure Fishbar, Mission Chinese, The Breslin, Momofuku Noodle Bar, Cosme, Gramercy Tavern, Patsy’s, Prime Meats, and The NoMad have all said goodbye for now.

1 - Spicy Village

This postage stamp-sized, low-fi, BYOB, cash-only restaurant punches far above its weight class, offering some of the city’s best noodles. The Chinatown restaurant is operated by the husband and wife team of Wendy Lian and Ren Fu Li and specializes in the cuisine of the Henan region. Order the big tray of chicken with noodles and several pork pancakes. For the less carnivorous, the sweet and tangy egg and tomato noodle is a good bet.

68B Forsyth St
New York, NY

(212) 625-8299

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2 - Flaming Kitchen

New York’s a Sichuan Chinese-obsessed town, and bilevel Bowery restaurant Flaming Kitchen stands out from the rest with sharp takes on classics like pork dumplings in chili oil and mapo tofu. But the place on the menu to dive is the array of whole fish. Though flaky, tender bits of fish look doused in pools of chili, spice tends to be gentle rather than biting — while not sacrificing on flavor. The roomy, bright space makes it an ideal setting for large parties, families, or a date with a longterm spouse.

97 Bowery
New York, NY 10002

(212) 925-8083

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3 - Le Coucou

Restaurateur Stephen Starr and chef Daniel Rose take cues from traditional French restaurants, transforming their place into one of the most exciting restaurants in New York. The dining room offers perfect light in a room adorned in stately yet stylish decor. The menu is obvious in its luxuries: Lobster, foie gras, and oysters all make appearances. Also look for dishes like the caviar course and the halibut beurre blanc. For dessert, do not miss the omelette Norvegienne, essentially a baked Alaska.

138 Lafayette St
New York, NY

(212) 271-4252

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4 - Wildair

At Wildair, Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske — the chef-restaurateurs behind Contra down the block — serve inventive small plates that don't easily fit into any one culinary classification. A meal here might include Southern-style white shrimp, rich pork rillettes, crispy squid with green onions, bright scallop ceviche, and spicy chopped tuna on toast. To drink, this Lower East Side neo-bistro offers an exciting selection of natural wines, available by the bottle or by the glass. It’s minimalist decor and a tight squeeze, yet the vibe is super convivial.

142 Orchard St
New York, NY

(646) 964-5624

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  5 - Uncle Boons

Like a 1970s cocktail den, this Nolita lounge is still turning out some of the city’s most captivating Thai fare, courtesy of Per Se alums, Ann Redding and Matt Danzer. Look for dishes like green curry snails, wood-fired yellowtail collar, a spicy lamb laab, or a savory crab fried rice. The space is an eclectic way to start a night out; order an overflowing beer slushie to get in the mood.

7 Spring St
New York, NY

(646) 370-6650

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6 - Balthazar

Restaurateur Keith McNally's enduring Soho brasserie is the best everyday restaurant in New York City. Period. The Balth is a terrific choice for a breakfast meeting, a steak frites lunch, or special-occasion dinner. For a splurge, get the Balthazar plateaux and the chicken for two.

80 Spring St
New York, NY

(212) 965-1414

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7 - Katz's Delicatessen

In more than 125 years, little has changed at Katz's. It remains one of New York's — and the country's — essential Jewish delicatessens. Every inch of the massive Lower East Side space smells intensely of pastrami and rye loaves. The sandwiches are massive, so they are best when shared. Order at the counter, and don't forget to tip the slicer.

205 E Houston St
New York, NY

(800) 446-8364

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8 - Prune

Chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s East Village mainstay, open since 1999, is the kind of restaurant that offers an idealized version of the American fare one might want to cook at home. Dishes like a whole grilled branzino in fennel oil or a homey soup topped with fried chicken skin turn classics into worthy restaurant fare. Brunch — and its Dutch pancakes — is the destination meal, but dinner, when co-chef Ashley Merriman is more likely to be spotted, is also worth the trip. Order dessert, like the creme de menthe parfait or flaming Turkish disco pistachios.

54 E 1st St # 1
New York, NY 10003

(212) 677-6221

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9 - I Sodi

For the ideal neighborhood Italian restaurant, I Sodi is the answer. Open since 2008, I Sodi channels Tuscany, where chef-owner Rita Sodi grew up. Locals may recognize Sodi's name from her other venture — Via Carota with partner Jody Williams — but I Sodi is all her own, and that passion shows. The osteria-style menu is simple, letting ingredients shine in dishes like whole baked branzino and housemade pastas. It's a tiny West Village space, lending a cozy feel to the whole experience — though expect to wait in line for it.

105 Christopher St
New York, NY

(212) 414-5774

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10 - Oiji

At this small East Village restaurant, chefs Tae Kyung Ku and Brian Kim serve traditional Korean dishes executed with a few modern touches. The ideal meal includes a truffle seafood broth, beef tartare, mushroom salad, and a particularly unique fried chicken with a flaky crust. End the meal with the honey butter chips with ice cream, and be sure to try a cocktail or two, all of which are just as creative as their food counterparts. Most of the shareable small plates are priced in the teens, and the menu also includes a $38 ssam platter for two.

119 1st Ave
New York, NY

(646) 767-9050

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11 - Hanoi House

Hanoi House is decorated with tropical storm shutters, wooden lattice work, and potted foliage that give it a colonial vibe. Sitting there makes a diner feel like a spy in Graham Greene’s The Quiet American. One of the city’s first restaurants to specialize in the cuisine of the northern Vietnamese capital, Hanoi House offers a sublime version of pho, assertive with the flavor of onions and green onions and based on a particularly strong beef broth. The noodles are delicate, and the beef add-ins include a great brisket and a good filet.

119 St Marks Pl
New York, NY 10009

(212) 995-5010

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12 - Superiority Burger

Brooks Headley’s tiny East Village cafe is so much more than a veggie burger spot — it's one of the best restaurants in Lower Manhattan — because he’s shopping for the finest ingredients and offering the same vegetables served at a fine-dining spot for a far more affordable price (most dishes are under $6). In addition to the must-get burger, go Mondays for the fried tofu, or other days for whatever seasonal vegetable dishes are on offer. Do not miss the spectacular gelato and sorbet.

430 E 9th St
New York, NY

(212) 256-1192

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13 - Momofuku Ssäm Bar

Though superstar chef David Chang doesn’t spend much time in the kitchen at Ssäm anymore, newly promoted executive chef Max Ng has breathed new life into the menu at the East Village restaurant, adding addictive dishes like spicy shell-on shrimp with Sichuan garlic butter and skate roasted in banana leaf. The greatest hits — pork sausage rice cakes and pork buns — are still there by request, but the restaurant as a whole has grown up as Chang has, with soundproofing and more comfortable seating.

207 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

(212) 254-3500

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14 - Shuko

Masa alums Nick Kim and Jimmy Lau, the proprietors of Shuko, will serve diners personally at the bar — and the fish is stunning. They’re not afraid to use heat to jolt the palate and take the edge off richness, such as the Thai bird chiles added to a torched tuna sinew. Take note it’s $135 for sushi-only, or $175 for a tasting of composed dishes plus nigiri.

47 E 12th St
New York, NY

(212) 228-6088

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15 - Aldea

Quietly putting out top-notch Portuguese fare since 2009, chef-owner George Mendes’ food has not faltered. The Flatiron restaurant has had a Michelin star for most of its life, for dishes like mussel soup, suckling pig terrine, and the ever-popular duck rice, served in a comfortable room with a very open kitchen. It’s an upscale option with a price that’s comparatively low — it’s possible to get four courses for $89 — making it an accessible way to experience one of NYC’s top fine-dining restaurants.

Photo via Aldea

31 W 17th St
New York, NY 10011

(212) 675-7223

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16 - Los Tacos No. 1

While this isn’t the most relaxing or comfortable place on the Eater 38 — it’s in Chelsea Market, with too few seats and long lines — there’s good reason to visit: It’s where you’ll find some of the city’s best tacos asada, adobado, pollo, or nopal. Don’t forget the chips and guacamole.

75 9th Ave
New York, NY

(212) 256-0343

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17 - Cote Korean Steakhouse

One of New York’s most exciting debuts of 2017 was Cote, a Korean barbecue restaurant in Flatiron that takes inspiration from New York’s classic steakhouses. Owner Simon Kim and chef David Shim earned a Michelin star for their slightly sceney and upscale version of classic Korean barbecue using dry-aged meats. First-timers will want the Butcher’s Feast, a $45-per-person option with four cuts of beef, banchan, egg souffle, spicy kimchi stew, and a soft serve dessert. Repeat visitors will want to experiment with variations on funky beef, which are dry-aged in a room downstairs.

16 W 22nd St
New York, NY 10010

(212) 401-7986

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18 - Sullivan Street Bakery

Jim Lahey’s pioneering breads make this a must-visit for a take-home loaf and a quick espresso. Or stay awhile and order a breakfast sandwich like the verdura with eggs and seasonal vegetables, or a ceci sandwich — chickpea fritters with cucumber, red pepper, onion, basil, and more. Don’t miss the bomboloni, the most underrated doughnuts in the city.

Sullivan Street Bakery

236 9th Ave
New York, NY 10011

(212) 929-5900

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19 - Jongro BBQ

South Korean chain Jongro BBQ offers everything from pleasing lunch deals to a fun late-night scene. Try to go with a group of eight-plus for the group menu, which comes with three or four appetizers; among mains, get the beef platter with rib-eye, kalbi, skirt, and marinated beef cooked by servers on the tabletop and served with banchan. Don’t get confused by the unassuming office building entrance — head to the second floor for the rowdy scene.

Jongro BBQ

2
22 W 32nd St, New York, NY 10001

(212) 473-2233

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20 - Sakagura

Tucked in a basement of a nondescript office building, the location may not seem like much, but here’s the kind of place one could eat every night, for dishes like tempura vegetables — starchy taro root, savory mushrooms, and soft eggplant in a salty-sweet, soy-based broth. Also try the udon or soba, or snacks like dango, the potato and rice flour fritter dusted with powdered sugar. There are no culinary pyrotechnics here, but it is a serious spot for sake drinking.

Sakagura

211 E 43rd St
B1, New York, NY 10017

(212) 953-7253

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21 The Grill

Major Food Group’s revamp of the historic Four Seasons space — one of the few landmarked interiors in the city — will be worth visiting for the stunning room alone, but the group also makes a meal there feel like a lively, theatric, and delicious ode to Midcentury New York chophouses. Visit the Midtown bar for a drink just to check things out, and for a splurge dinner with a see-and-be-seen vibe, book a reservation well in advance. Chef Mario Carbone’s standouts include the prime rib, pheasant Claiborne, and pasta a la presse, a dish where the server first comes to the table to dramatically squeeze juice out of duck bones using an antique press.

Photo by Gary He

99 E 52nd St
New York, NY 10022

(212) 375-9001

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22 - Victor's Cafe

This old-school Cuban restaurant first opened in 1963 and remains an elegant, multi-level destination for some of New York’s best Cuban fare. Now run by the founder’s daughter Sonia Zaldivar, Victor’s feels like nightclubs of the 1950s with its live music, tropical decor, and brightly colored art. It’s ideal for a celebratory family meal or a special date night, particularly before a nearby Broadway show. Try the ropa vieja, a Cuban national dish of shredded beef, or the lechon asado, roast pig with crackling skin.

236 W 52nd St
New York, NY 10019

(212) 586-7714

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  23 - Indian Accent

New Delhi import Indian Accent brings high-minded, upscale Indian cuisine to Midtown in an opulent, modern dining room accented with imported “Calcutta gold” white marble. The menu from the renowned Indian chef, Manish Mehrotra, is offered as a three- or four-course prix fixe, but is also available a la carte at the bar. Either way, enjoy such delicacies as blue cheese-stuffed mini naan bread, filet mignon kebabs with bone marrow sauce, and ghee-roasted lamb served with roti pancakes. There is also a full-blown, paycheck-busting tasting menu, replete with optional beverage pairing.

123 W 56th St
New York, NY

(212) 842-8070

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24 Boulud Sud

Daniel Boulud's Mediterranean-inspired restaurant near Lincoln Center has a cushy, earth-toned dining room, and a menu that's got a little something for everyone, with an urbane vibe, lovely ingredients and fine-tuned skills in the kitchen. Make sure to explore the eclectic wine list, which is a hybrid of Old World classics and domestic newcomers.

20 W 64th St
New York, NY

(212) 595-1313

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25 - Flora Bar

Estela duo Thomas Carter and Ignacio Mattos have created an elegant and stylish seafood- and vegetable-focused restaurant that’s a perfect fit for the Met Breuer on the Upper East Side. The space is split: Flora Bar offers a mighty wine list alongside dishes that include raw oysters with Sichuan mignonette, croquettes with potato and Raclette, and mussels bourride with toast. The more casual Flora Coffee is ideal for a mid-day coffee and an always-stellar, super nutty sticky bun.

945 Madison Ave
New York, NY

(646) 558-5383

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26 - Charles Country Pan Fried Chicken

Chef Charles Gabriel started his Harlem soul food institution out of his house, moved onto a food truck, and then to a storefront. The latest rendition of the restaurant is in a more prominent location, though he’s still serving the same tender, crispy chicken cooked in a cast-iron pan that pushed him into the limelight. This new outpost is still humble, with a menu above the counter and cafeteria-style ordering, but also, thankfully, has more seating.

2841 Frederick Douglass Blvd
New York, NY 10039

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27 - Mu Ramen

Joshua Smookler’s two-year-old utilitarian ramen shop serves one of the best tonkotsu broths around. Beyond ramen, Mu also offers some plates that dabble in fine-dining ingredients like foie gras-stuffed chicken wings, as well as dry-aged Japanese wagyu beef specials. Mu, located in Long Island City, is just 10 short minutes away from Midtown via the 7-train.

1209 Jackson Ave
Queens, NY

(917) 868-8903

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28 - Cheburechnaya

Cheburechnaya is tucked in a no-frills dining room that offers Kosher Uzbek fare like chebureki, deep fried turnovers bursting with potatoes and meat, rice pilaf, and lamb kebabs grilled over a charcoal trough. Don’t miss the borscht as well as lagman with handmade, irregular-shaped noodles, beef, and plenty of dill.

9209 63rd Dr Ste A
Flushing, NY

(718) 897-9080

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29 - Dumpling Galaxy

Inside a Flushing mall, chef Helen You delivers an expansive menu of dumplings — pan-fried, steamed, and boiled, with variations of seafood, lamb, pork, vegetable, and beef. Spicy beef dumplings with ginger, lamb and squash, and pork and chive are all solid orders, as are the har gau. Bring a big crew and try a bunch.

42-35 Main St
Flushing, NY 11355

(718) 461-0808

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30 - Lilia

At this always-hip Williamsburg restaurant, chef Missy Robbins serves an inventive and highly-personal style of Italian cuisine. Standouts include the veal steak, the cacio e pepe fritters, and the mafaldine pasta with pink peppercorns. The dining room is a repurposed auto body shop with soaring ceilings that somehow manages to feel intimate. It’s an ideal date night restaurant.

567 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 576-3095

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31 - St. Anselm

The tender, butter-drenched butcher's steak is a great slab of meat, but the pricier cuts at Joe Carroll's Williamsburg steakhouse are even better. The New York strip offers a lot of bang for your buck, and the ax handle rib-eye, which ranges from 35 to 60 ounces, has developed a loyal following.

355 Metropolitan Ave
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 384-5054

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32 - Peter Luger Steak House

Peter Luger was founded in 1887 when Williamsburg was a city onto itself, and some say Luger is the greatest steakhouse in the world. Even if that’s an overstatement, the steaks are damn good, especially the signature dry-aged prime porterhouse, which flies from the kitchen sizzling and already sliced. Don’t miss the bacon appetizer or lunch-only hamburger either, in these bare-bones and charmingly antique premises."

178 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 387-7400

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33 - Marlow & Sons

Marlow & Sons has a lively dining room in the back and a sunny cafe in the front serving excellent pastries and great coffee. On the menu, there are oysters, cured meats, and the famous brick chicken, as well as rustic, seasonal specials. Like its next-door sibling Diner, Marlow & Sons has had an influence that extends far beyond its Williamsburg neighborhood.

81 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 384-1441

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34 - Roberta's

Roberta's is the epicenter of the modern Brooklyn food scene, with its rec room meets reclaimed wood vibe. The pizzas are great, but the Bushwick restaurant really flexes its muscles with the vegetable dishes. In addition to the pies, consider ordering the radishes, the romaine salad, the roasted beets, and some of the charcuterie. Brunch is also one of the neighborhood’s best.

261 Moore St
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 417-1118

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35 - La Vara

At the Michelin-starred La Vara in Cobble Hill, chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero are serving Spanish cuisine with Moorish and Jewish influences. Plates will please conservative and adventurous diners, which include lamb meatballs, paella-style fideúa, and chicken hearts.

268 Clinton St
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 422-0065

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36 - Olmsted

Alinea, Blue Hill, and Per Se alum chef Greg Baxtrom has crafted the perfect 21st century neighborhood restaurant. This includes having a backyard garden that serves to both supply the Prospect Heights restaurant with fresh ingredients and provide a charming spot to wait for a table. The quirky and often earnest menu is constantly evolving. Must-orders do exist and have included a novel twist on crab rangoon, the carrot crepe, and watermelon sushi.

659 Vanderbilt Ave
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 552-2610

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37 - El Atoradero Brooklyn

Chef Denisse Lina Chavez has returned to the kitchen of her low-key Prospect Heights restaurant El Atoradero, where she’s turning out some of the city’s best Mexican fare. Check in for a table and then go next door to check out the restaurant’s sibling Madre Mezcaleria, which has a generous selection of mezcal. Once back at El Atoradero, remember to try one of the specials, such as the albondigas enchipotladas.

708 Washington Ave
Brooklyn, NY

(718) 399-8226

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38 - Hometown Bar-B-Que

Barbecue aficionados agree that Billy Durney is cooking up some of the best Texas-style barbecue in the city. Straightforward classics like smoked brisket and baby back ribs are always a strong choice, but there are also options like pork belly tacos and a lamb belly banh mi. The space is sprawling in a way that feels like the real deal, and Durney himself can usually be found working the room, and keeping a watchful eye on the smoking meats. It's counter service only, and there's often a line, but for the scene and certainly, for the meat, it's easily worth the trip to Red Hook.

454 Van Brunt St
Brooklyn, NY

(347) 294-4644

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Note: Restaurants are listed based on geography, starting with lower Manhattan, then over to Queens, and down through Brooklyn.