New York Magazine - USA (2019-12-23)

66 new york | december 23, 2019–january 5, 2020

food

special year-end edition

The Underground Gourmet Digest

Our picks for the top new pizzas, pasta, burgers, and desserts of 2019, ranked. r.r. & r.p.

ILLUSTRATIONS

BY

ELLAPHANT

IN

THE

ROOM

1 The^ affogato,^ vanilla ice cream

“drowned” with espresso, is the

model of Italian simplicity. The

affogato sundae at CAFFÈ PANNA (↑)

is a daily-changing ode to

American ex cess and ingenuity

using drizzles, swirls, and crunch

(plus coffee) to bring things like

Thanksgiving pie and movie

concession stands to frozen-dairy

life. (77 Irving Pl.)

2 Thomas^ Keller has called^

TAK ROOM’s K+M dark-

chocolate layer cake a tribute to

Ebinger’s Blackout Cake, but you

can bet that legendary bakery

didn’t spike its frosting with crème

fraîche or make pudding out of

olive-oil-enriched chocolate bars.

(20 Hudson Yards)

3

Of all the variations on an

Iberian-cream theme that fill

the Pasteles display case at

MERCADO LITTLE SPAIN, the

cardenal reigns supreme. Light

but chewy, tinged with brandy,

and drowned in chocolate sauce,

it’s a meringue sandwich that eats

like a reengineered profiterole.

(10 Hudson Yards)

4 The^ City^ Bakery may be gone,

but founder MAURY RUBIN’S

HOT CHOCOLATE lives on in a series

of pop-ups that cocoa-philes can

track on Instagram. It’s intensely

rich, not too sweet, and virtually

a meal in itself.

5

CROWN SHY pastry chef

Renata Ameni transforms the

humble Creamsicle into a

sophisticated, multi-textured

composition of satsuma ice cream,

burnt meringue, and honeycomb

candy for crunch. (70 Pine St.)

1 We’re^ just^ going^ to^ come^ out^ and^

say it: The best new slice of New

York pizza is in ... New Jersey, at

Rick Easton’s BREAD AND SALT (↑).

Toppings change almost hourly,

but you can always count on pizza

rossa, an infusion of pure tomato

flavor seasoned with fragrant

olive oil and Sicilian oregano.

(435 Palisade Ave., Jersey City)

2 The^ Franks^ of^ Frankies^

Spuntino fame have come

late to the slice-joint game, but

at their sunny new F&F PIZZERIA,

they’ve created a thin-crusted,

bright-sauced “regular slice” that

is a paragon of the form.

(459 Court St., Carroll Gardens)

3

PHILOMENA’S Dave Acocella is

an equal-opportunity pieman,

having trained under New York

and Neapolitan masters. But his

heart belongs to the Roman-style

square: crisp and supernaturally

light, even beneath a mantle

of shingled Yukon Golds or

pepperoni, sauce, and cheese.

(41-16 Queens Blvd., Sunnyside)

4 Like^ Bread^ and^ Salt,^ LEO^ is^

a square-slice specialist with a

penchant for wild yeast, intriguing

toppings (try the potato and

dandelion greens), and a flavorful,

crunchy crust that might be even

better reheated at home. (123

Havemeyer St., Williamsburg)

5 Year-old UPSIDE fits seamlessly^

into its Port Authority

environs. In other words,

it’ s a dump—but a dump with

soul and some spectacular,

naturally leavened slices, the

sausage and pickled peppers in

particular. (598 Eighth Ave.)

1 On^ its^ own,^ the^ MOMOFUKU^ KO^

BAR ( ) burger is a well-

designed snack, three juicy ounces

of house-aged trimmings on

a Martin’s hot-dog bun. Add the

optional oven-melted (and likely

soon to be banned) foie gras,

though, and it becomes a textbook

Momofukian emblem of high-low

food culture and repudiation

of the conventional wisdom.

( 8 Extra Pl.)

2 What^ more^ can^ we^ say^

about RED HOOK TAVERN’s (↑)

cheeseburger that hasn’t

been said? We love it. You love

it. Even a vegan we know

loves it. As instant an instant

classic as there ever was.

(329 Van Brunt St., Red Hook)

3

At NOWON, three of the

biggest burger trends of the

past decade (dry aging, double

stacking, and rationing) converge

in one stupendous burger.

The kimchee mayo could spark

another trend. (507 E. 6th St.)

4 What’s^ even^ better^ than^

kimchee mayo on a burger?

How about mushroom-

garlic-gochujang aïoli? That’s

the special sauce on the

sesame-scallion milk bun that

houses a six-ounce grass-

fed-beef patty at GOLDEN DINER.

(123 Madison St.)

5 We’re^ not^ sure^ whether^

Jean-Georges Vongerichten

is riffing on a French dip

or a bowl of Fr ench onion soup

with his Gruyère burger au jus

avec crispy onions at THE FULTON.

Whatever it is, it’s freaking

delicious. (89 South St.)

1 Cincinnati chili is Greek-style

meat sauce sloshed over

spaghetti and topped with beans,

raw onion, and shredded Cheddar.

Most New York fine-dining chefs

wouldn’t get near it with a ten-foot

pole. But HIHI ROOM’s (↑) Walker

Stern is not most chefs. His duck-

ragù riff captures the creative spirit

of the original and then some.

(138 Smith St., Boerum Hill)

2

PORTALE’s Alfred Portale may

be a French-trained super-

chef, but he’s also Italian and

he knows pasta. He sauces

housemade lumache with

a Bolognese bianco that would

have gangs of Bolognese

nonne lining the streets to sing

its praises. (126 W. 18th St.)

3

Pasta snobs overlook angel

hair: too thin, too soft. Nick

Anderer’s angel-hair francese

at ANTON’S refutes this. He makes

his own noodles, cooks them

carefully, and dresses them in

a lip-smacking sauce inspired by

Greenwich Village icon Gene’s.

(570 Hudson St.)

4 To prove their readiness

for marriage, young Turkish

women would fold manti so

small that 40 would fit in a single

soup spoon. LOKANTA’s Orhan

Yegen is neither young nor

available, but his meatball-stuffed

manti are knockouts.

(3116 Broadway, Astoria)

5 The bXLB agnolotti—eauty^ of^ RED PAShanghaiPER^ CL sIPoup’s

dumpling meets Piedmontese

pasta—is that you can pop them in

your mouth whole, no XLB bib

required. (120 Christopher St.)

pizza slices pastas burgers dessert

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66 newyork| december23,2019–january5, 2020

food

special year-end edition

The Underground Gourmet Digest

Our picks for the top new pizzas, pasta, burgers, and desserts of 2019, ranked. r.r. & r.p.

ILLUSTRATIONS

BY

ELLAPHANT

IN

THE

ROOM

1 Theaffogato,vanilla ice cream

“drowned”with espresso, is the

modelofItaliansimplicity. The

affogatosundaeat CAFFÈ PANNA (↑)

isa daily-changing ode to

Americanex cess and ingenuity

usingdrizzles,swirls, and crunch

(pluscoffee)tobring things like

Thanksgivingpie and movie

concessionstands to frozen-dairy

life.(77IrvingPl.)

2 ThomasKeller has called^

TAKROOM’s K+M dark-

chocolatelayercake a tribute to

Ebinger’sBlackout Cake, but you

canbetthat legendary bakery

didn’tspike itsfrosting with crème

fraîcheormake pudding out of

olive-oil-enriched chocolate bars.

(20HudsonYards)

3

Ofallthevariations on an

Iberian-cream theme that fill

thePastelesdisplay case at

MERCADOLITTLE SPAIN, the

cardenalreignssupreme. Light

butchewy, tinged with brandy,

anddrownedinchocolate sauce,

it’sa meringuesandwich that eats

likea reengineered profiterole.

(10HudsonYards)

4 TheCity Bakery may be gone,

butfounderMAURY RUBIN’S

HOTCHOCOLATE lives on in a series

ofpop-upsthatcocoa-philes can

trackonInstagram. It’s intensely

rich,nottoosweet, and virtually

a mealinitself.

5

CROWNSHYpastry chef

RenataAmeni transforms the

humbleCreamsicle into a

sophisticated,multi-textured

compositionofsatsuma ice cream,

burntmeringue,and honeycomb

candyforcrunch. (70 Pine St.)

1 We’rejust goingtocomeoutand

sayit:Thebest new sliceofNew

Yorkpizzais in...NewJersey,at

RickEaston’sBREADANDSALT(↑).

Toppingschange almost hourly,

butyoucanalwayscountonpizza

rossa,aninfusionofpuretomato

flavorseasonedwithfragrant

oliveoilandSicilianoregano.

(435PalisadeAve., JerseyCity)

2 TheFranksofFrankies

Spuntinofamehavecome

latetotheslice-jointgame,but

attheirsunny newF&FPIZZERIA,

they’vecreateda thin-crusted,

bright-sauced“regularslice” that

is a paragonoftheform.

(459CourtSt., CarrollGardens)

3

PHILOMENA’SDaveAcocellais

anequal-opportunity pieman,

havingtrainedunderNewYork

andNeapolitanmasters.Buthis

heartbelongstotheRoman-style

square:crispandsupernaturally

light,evenbeneatha mantle

ofshingledYukonGoldsor

pepperoni,sauce,andcheese.

(41-16QueensBlvd., Sunnyside)

4 LikeBreadandSalt,LEOis

a square-slicespecialist witha

penchantforwildyeast,intriguing

toppings(trythepotatoand

dandeliongreens),anda flavorful,

crunchycrust that mightbeeven

betterreheatedat home.(123

HavemeyerSt., Williamsburg)

5 mlessly
i
envi
it’ s a dump—b mpwith
soulandsome cular,
naturallyleavenedslices,the
sausageandpickledpeppersin
particular.(598EighthAve.)

1 Onitsown,theMOMOFUKUKO

BAR( )burgeris a well-

designedsnack,threejuicy ounces

ofhouse-agedtrimmingson

a Martin’shot-dogbun.Addthe

optionaloven-melted(andlikely

soontobebanned)foiegras,

though,andit becomesa textbook

Momofukianemblemofhigh-low

foodculture andrepudiation

oftheconventionalwisdom.

(8 ExtraPl.)

2 Whatmore canwesay

aboutREDHOOKTAVERN’s(↑)

cheeseburgerthat hasn’t

beensaid?Weloveit.Youlove

it.Evena veganweknow

lovesit.Asinstantaninstant

classicasthereeverwas.

(329VanBruntSt., RedHook)

3

AtNOWON,threeofthe

biggestburgertrendsofthe

pastdecade(dry aging,double

stacking,andrationing)converge

inonestupendousburger.

Thekimcheemayocouldspark

anothertrend.(507E.6thSt.)

4 What’sevenbetterthan

kimcheemayoona burger?

Howaboutmushroom-

garlic-gochujangaïoli?That’s

thespecialsauceonthe

sesame-scallionmilkbunthat

housesa six-ouncegrass-

fed-beefpattyatGOLDENDINER.

(123MadisonSt.)

5 We’renotsure whether

Jean-GeorgesVongerichten

is riffingona Frenchdip

ora bowlofFr enchonionsoup

withhisGruyèreburgeraujus

aveccrispyonionsatTHEFULTON.

Whateverit is,it’s freaking

delicious.(89SouthSt.)

1 Cincinnati chili is Greek-style

meat sauce sloshed over

spaghetti and topped with beans,

raw onion, and shredded Cheddar.

Most New York fine-dining chefs

wouldn’t get near it with a ten-foot

pole. But HIHI ROOM’s (↑) Walker

Stern is not most chefs. His duck-

ragù riff captures the creative spirit

of the original and then some.

(138 Smith St., Boerum Hill)

2

PORTALE’s Alfred Portale may

be a French-trained super-

chef,buthe’s alsoItalian and

he knows pasta. He sauces

housemade lumache with

a Bolognese bianco that would

have gangs of Bolognese

nonne lining the streets to sing

its praises. (126 W. 18th St.)

3

Pasta snobs overlook angel

hair: too thin, too soft. Nick

Anderer’s angel-hair francese

at ANTON’S refutes this. He makes

his own noodles, cooks them

carefully, and dresses them in

a lip-smacking sauce inspired by

Greenwich Village icon Gene’s.

(570 Hudson St.)

4 To prove their readiness

for marriage, young Turkish

women would fold manti so

small that 40 would fit in a single

soup spoon. LOKANTA’s Orhan

Yegen is neither young nor

available, but his meatball-stuffed

manti are knockouts.

(3116 Broadway, Astoria)

(^5) XLB The b^ D PASha^ oupIP’s
dumplin edm
pasta—is that you can pop them in
your mouth whole, no XLB bib
required. (120 Christopher St.)
pizza slices pastas burgers dessert