The Week USA 03.20.2020

“Some of the best wine you’ve never

heard of is being made right now in

Virginia,” said Amy Glynn in Paste

Magazine.com. That’s partly because

local vintners have more freedom to ex-

periment than their peers in, say, Napa.

Below, three “uniquely expressive”

wines worth chasing down.

Barboursville Vineyards Vermentino

Reserve ($22). This posh white “cries

out for seafood.” Its green- almond

core supports spring fl orals and notes

of chamomile and citrus rind.

Hamlet Vineyards Eltham ($25).

This Bordeaux-style red blend is

“jammy but urbane,” gaining pep-

periness from petit verdot grapes

and coconut notes from oak aging.

2016 Michael Shaps Petit Manseng

($30). This voluptuous white from

Charlottesville opens with tangy

pineapple, followed by peach,

mango, apricot, and a lively fi nish.

Call it “dry, but with curves.”

LEISURE^27

Food & Drink

Golden Diner New York City

“If you need proof that great diners are still

among us,” said Robin Raisfeld and Rob

Patronite in NYMag.com, you should visit

Manhattan’s Chinatown. In a century-old

storefront that sits in the shadow of the

Manhattan Bridge, chef Sam Yoo only has

to gesture at the genre, with a Formica

counter and swiveling stools, to establish

his intent. The rest is in the food, and in

“that intangible spirit of egalitarian bonho-

mie you look for in a joint like this.” Yoo,

a Queens-born alum of David Chang’s

Momofuku Ko, initially just wanted a

casual menu that mixed the influences of

Little Italy, Chinatown, and the rest of the

Lower East Side. Now that menu features

an egg-and-cheese sandwich distinguished

by its sesame-scallion milk bun and “super-

crispy” hash-brown layer; it includes a

tuna melt that has become “the last word

on tuna melts.” Yoo also serves a stellar

matzo ball soup, an inimitable mushroom-

Reuben quesadilla, and a burger that’s eas-

ily one of the city’s best. And don’t let the

quality of the food intimidate you; “even

if it’s your first time there, you feel like a

regular.” 123 Madison St., no phone

Vertical Diner Portland, Ore.

When you step into this recently reimag-

ined 1950s diner, said Jordan Michelman in

Willamette Week, “it still feels like the Mad

Men era, save for the lack of ashtrays—

Critics’ choice: Yet another new life for the American diner

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Wine:The Virginia edge

Making true Nashville-style hot chicken at home isn’t easy, said Genevieve Ko

in the Los Angeles Times. For an everyday solution, try this adaptation, which cuts

out the deep frying and relies on your favorite pepper sauce for its heat.

Recipe of the week

• Heat oven to 450 with a rack placed in
  its top third. Line a rimmed baking sheet
  with foil and set a wire rack in it. 


• Whisk mayonnaise, pepper sauce,
  mustard, ¼ tsp garlic powder, and ½ tsp
  salt in a large bowl. Add chicken,
  turning to coat evenly. Let stand.


• Combine panko, Parmesan,
  1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne
  pepper, and 1 tsp salt in a shal-
  low dish. Rub mixture together
  with your fi ngers, breaking
  crumbs into smaller bits. Roll
  drumsticks in mixture to coat
  completely. Shake off excess

crumbs and place drumsticks on rack. Let

stand at least 15 minutes.

• Bake chicken until golden brown,
  crunchy, and cooked through, about
  30 minutes. Combine sugar with remain-
  ing garlic powder, paprika,
  cayenne, and salt in a medium
  heatproof bowl. Heat veg-
  etable oil in a small saucepan
  over medium heat until wavy.
  Pour oil over spices and stir
  well. As soon as chicken
  comes out of the oven, drizzle
  spiced oil evenly over drum-
  sticks. Serves 6 to 8.

Oven-fried Nashville-style hot chicken

¼ cup mayonnaise • ¼ cup hot pepper sauce • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard • ½ tsp garlic

powder • 2½ tsp kosher salt • 12 chicken drumsticks • 1½ cups panko bread

crumbs • ½ cup fi nely grated Parmesan • 1½ tsp paprika • 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cayenne

pepper • ½ tsp granulated sugar • ¼ cup vegetable oil

and, of course, the entirely meatless menu.”

Believe it or not, you won’t miss the real

bacon, because everything on the all-vegan

menu is made in-house, and “the attention

to detail and quality shows in the food.”

The pancakes are perfect, for instance;

“if you didn’t know they were vegan in

advance, you would never guess.” Other

highlights include tacos filled with kimchi

and jackfruit, and fried seitan nuggets in

a “zippy, zingy, just-sweet-enough” wing

sauce. The jukebox plays an eclectic mix

of oldies over the drone of memorable

banter from diners in neighboring booths.

That’s key, because though the food at

Vertical Diner is excellent, “it’s that tinge

of strangeness that elevates it from a great

vegan diner to a great diner than happens

to be vegan.” 8124 SW Barbur Blvd.,

(503) 206-6150

Wonderkid Atlanta

“If you’re looking for a diner experience in

Atlanta like you’ve never had before, don’t

wonder too long,” said Ligaya Figueras in

The Atlanta Journal- Constitution. Come

spring, everybody will be out walking or

biking the Beltline, and few will be able

to resist Won der kid. The all-day hangout

has a “retro-modern” vibe, with a 1970s

palette of olive, burnt orange, and brown,

plus lounge seating where you might expect

more table booths. Perhaps no dish on

the menu makes the case for merging eras

better than the falafel waffle, topped with

tabbouleh and roasted eggplant dress-

ing. Certain other meatless dishes remain

works in progress, but Won der kid caters

to nonvegetarians, too, serving perfect

diner eggs, a solid chili, and an outstanding

meatloaf melt with bacon jam and pimento

cheese. The desserts, including the caramel

layer cake and pineapple Bundt cake, are

“simply wonderful.” You can even grab

a soft-serve cone on your way back out

to the Beltway. 777 Memorial Drive SE,

(404) 331-0909

The counter at Manhattan’s Golden Diner