New_York_Magazine_-_March_16_2020

58 new york | march 16–29, 2020

BANGKLYN EAST HARLEM’S

Pad Thai

YI JI SHI MO NOODLE CORP.’S

Rice Roll

THE JONES’S

Filet o’ Fish

KAWI’S

Yesterday’s Stinky

Soybean Stew

CHEZ MA TANTE’S

Pancakes

I SODI’S

Lasagna a Sugo

MOUNTAIN SWEET BERRY FARM’S

Tristar Strawberries

MAH-ZE-DAHR BAKERY’S

Cheesecake

when to get it BREAKFAST BRUNCH LUNCH SNACK DINNER LATE-NIGHT DESSERT GROCERY

BEST of NEW YORK

ADDA’S

Lamb Chops

Pad Thai convert Pat Kanhasura overcame his

distaste for the “too sweet” dish by taking

pointers from a Bangkok street vendor. His is

spiked with fish sauce and tamarind water, and

you can get it with “southern-fried” chicken and a

sunny-side-up egg.

Gently simmered cubes of pork belly hide in the

depths of this deliciously nourishing home-style

Korean treat, along with spoonfuls of fermented

soybeans that mingle with the dissolving fat in a

way that lodges in your brain long after dinner.

What raises this Indian-canteen-style dish into the

canon of meat-eating pleasures? There’s the double-

cut chop itself, plus the tandoor-oven technique,

which in the hands of a master can turn anything

into a piece of tender, charred, crunchy perfection.

Afloat in a cloud of caper-studded tartar sauce,

under a tarpaulin of American cheese

and nestled inside a yielding potato roll, the

titular fillet is a worthy homage to the anodyne

McDonald’s classic.

Extra yolks add richness. Lemon zest lends

brightness. But it’s butter that makes these hotcakes

shine: not just melting on top but whipped into the

batter and pooled so high in the pan the crisp little

Frisbees are practically deep-fried.

Everything a mainstream strawberry is not: low

yield, labor intensive, pretty puny, and too delicate to

transport long distances. Also: intensely aromatic,

perfectly sweet, and juicy through and through.

A bustling operation is headquartered in this

cramped Chinatown space, where liquefied rice

flour is steamed on trays, then folded into chewy

crêpes that melt in your mouth. Fillings, toppings,

and sauces complement but never overwhelm.

In a crowded field, I Sodi’s is a couture lasagna,

20-odd layers stacked up as neatly as a deck of

cards, the crisp-edged sheets melded together into

a supple, jiggly mass. If it’s a gooey mess you’re

after, look elsewhere.

Sour cream tempers the cream-cheese richness.

Bright flecks of zest convey a pleasant

undercurrent of lemon oil. And the cocoa-cookie

crust adds a bitter crunch as well as a black-tie

dapperness. It’s fancy without being ostentatious,

simple but sublime.

TRANSMITTED

REVISED

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58 newyork| march16–29, 2020

BANGKLYNEASTHARLEM’S

PadThai

YIJISHIMONOODLECORP.’S

RiceRoll

THEJONES’S

Fileto’ Fish

KAWI’S

Yesterday’sStinky

SoybeanStew

CHEZMATANTE’S

Pancakes

I SODI’S

LasagnaaSugo

MOUNTAINSWEETBERRYFARM’S

TristarStrawberries

MAH-ZE-DAHRBAKERY’S

Cheesecake

whentogetit BREAKFAST BRUNCH LUNCH SNACK DINNER LATE-NIGHT DESSERT GROCERY

BEST of NEW YORK

ADDA’S

Lamb Chops

Pad Thai convert Pat Kanhasura overcame his

distaste for the “too sweet” dish by taking

pointers from a Bangkok street vendor. His is

spiked with fish sauce and tamarind water, and

you can get it with “southern-fried” chicken and a

sunny-side-up egg.

Gently simmered cubes of pork belly hide in the

depths of this deliciously nourishing home-style

Korean treat, along with spoonfuls of fermented

soybeans that mingle with the dissolving fat in a

way that lodges in your brain long after dinner.

What raises this Indian-canteen-style dish into the

canon of meat-eating pleasures? There’s the double-

cut chop itself, plus the tandoor-oven technique,

which in the hands of a master can turn anything

into a piece of tender, charred, crunchy perfection.

Afloat in a cloud of caper-studded tartar sauce,

under a tarpaulin of American cheese

and nestled inside a yielding potato roll, the

titular fillet is a worthy homage to the anodyne

McDonald’s classic.

Extra yolks add richness. Lemon zest lends

brightness. But it’s butter that makes these hotcakes

shine: not just melting on top but whipped into the

batter and pooled so high in the pan the crisp little

Frisbees are practically deep-fried.

Everything a mainstream strawberry is not: low

yield, labor intensive, pretty puny, and too delicate to

transport long distances. Also: intensely aromatic,

perfectly sweet, and juicy through and through.

A bustling operation is headquartered in this

cramped Chinatown space, where liquefied rice

flour is steamed on trays, then folded into chewy

crêpes that melt in your mouth. Fillings, toppings,

and sauces complement but never overwhelm.

In a crowded field, I Sodi’s is a couture lasagna,

20-odd layers stacked up as neatly as a deck of

cards, the crisp-edged sheets melded together into

a supple, jiggly mass. If it’s a gooey mess you’re

after, look elsewhere.

Sour cream tempers the cream-cheese richness.

Bright flecks of zest convey a pleasant

undercurrent of lemon oil. And the cocoa-cookie

crust adds a bitter crunch as well as a black-tie

dapperness. It’s fancy without being ostentatious,

simple but sublime.