New_York_Magazine_-_March_16_2020

62 new york | march 16–29, 2020

EL QUINTO PINO’S

Uni Panini

Alex Raij didn’t invent plopping orangey lobes of

sea urchin on bread. But when she worked some

Korean-mustard-oil compound butter (and a

panini press) into the proceedings, she changed

the game—not unlike the guy who introduced

peanut butter to jelly.

THE BEATRICE INN’S

Fried Chicken

What started as a staff meal can now be had by the

paying public—off menu, barroom only. But these

hoops are worth jumping through for a hot-sauce-

spiked honey glaze and a crust as crunchy as a

Greenpeace sidewalk solicitor.

VESELKA’S

Borscht

Lots of borscht out there. Hot borscht. Cold

borscht. Red borscht. White borscht. And then

there’s Veselka’s Ukrainian borscht, the

borschtiest borscht of them all, made with beef

stock and pork butt and capable of stopping a

cold front in its tracks.

At this fusion-momo joint, the tastiest variety is

one of the most traditional: golden-fried

beef-filled crescents tossed with soy sauce,

chiles, and ginger and topped with “buff jerky”—

the air-dried buffalo called sukuti—along with

cilantro, tomato, and onion.

MOMO CRAVE’S

Sukuti Momo

CEVABDZINICA SARAJEVO’S

Cevapi

The national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

craggy little sausages kissed with fat, flame

grilled, and as compulsively edible as a bowl of

salted peanuts. Stuff them in fluffy flatbread

with ra w onion and red-pepper spread (ajvar)

and make a sandwich.

CROWN SHY’S

Sticky Toffee

Pudding

The swirled design could be too cheffy, but it’s

drowning in gooey toffee. On separate plates:

quenelles of apple sorbet and double-thick

whipped cream. Altogether, the update on the

stodgiest of Anglo puddings is shockingly

balanced—and almost impossibly satisfying.

There is comfort food that comforts, there is comfort

food that fills you up, and then there is Çka Ka Qëllu’s

kacamak, a fine-grained white polenta cooked with

milk and bolstered with kaymak, the clotted cream of

the Balkans. It arrives at the table piping hot, and

although it may look like a convalescent pile of mush,

it is epic: rich and tangy and about as light and fluffy

as a La Grenouille soufflé.

ÇKA KA QËLLU’S

Kacamak

HOMETOWN BAR-B-QUE’S

Pastrami

Sandwich

Don’t get us wrong. We haven’t lost our ticket and

forsaken Katz’s. But out at Industry City, there is a

contender: thick, wobbly, hand-cut planks of

supremely fatty smoked meat piled high on rye and

tasting even richer than it looks. Two bites could be

lunch; a half-sandwich is lunch and dinner; the whole

shebang makes for a sort of large-format feast.

RIBALTA’S

Spaghettoni al

Pomodoro

Top-notch pasta secca and preserved cherry

tomatoes of such superb flavor they could give

San Marzanos an inferiority complex. No dish

better proves that the quip about Italian food

being 95 percent shopping and 5 percent

cooking isn’t a put-down.

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

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62 newyork| march16–29, 2020

ELQUINTOPINO’S

U i P i i

sea urchin on bread. But when she worked some

Korean-mustard-oilcompoundbutter (and a

paninipress)intotheproceedings,shechanged

thegame—notunliketheguywhointroduced

peanutbuttertojelly.

THE BEATRICE INN’S

Fried Chicken

What started as a staff meal can now be had by the

paying public—off menu, barroom only. But these

hoops are worth jumping through for a hot-sauce-

spikedhoney glazeanda crust ascrunchy as a

Greenpeacesidewalksolicitor.

VESELKA’S

Borscht

Lots of borscht ou here. Hot borscht.Cold

borscht. Red borscht. White borscht. Andthen

there’s Veselka’s Ukrainian borscht,the

borschtiestborschtofthemall, made withbeef

stockandporkbutt andcapable of stoppinga

coldfrontinitstracks.

At this fusion-momo oint, the tastiest varietyis

one of the most traditional: golden-fried

beef-filled crescents tossed with soy sauce,

chiles, and ginger and topped with “buff jerky”—

theai g with

MOMOCRAVE’S

SukutiMomo

CEVABDZINICASARAJEVO’S

Cevapi

The national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina:

craggy little sausages kissed with fat, flame

grilled, and as compulsively edible as a bowl of

salted peanuts. Stuff them in fluffy flatbread

withra w onionandred-pepper spread (ajvar)

andmakea sandwich.

CROWNSHY’S

StickyToffee

Pudding

The swirled design could be too cheffy, but it’s

drowning in gooey toffee. On separate plates:

quenelles of apple sorbet and double-thick

whipped cream. Altogether, the update on the

stodgiest of Anglo puddings is shockingly

balanced—andalmostimpossiblysatisfying.

There is comfort food that comforts, there iscomfort

food that fills you up, and then there is ÇkaKaQëllu’s

kacamak, a fine-grained white polenta cooked with

milk and bolstered with kaymak, the clotted cream of

the Balkans. It arrives at the table piping hot, and

although it may look like a convalescent pile of mush,

it is epic:richandtangyand about as light and fluffy

asa LaGrenouille soufflé.

ÇKAKAQËLLU’S

Kacamak

HOMETOWN BAR-B-QUE’S

Pastrami

Sandwich

Don’t get us wrong. We haven’t lost r ticket and

forsaken Katz’s. But out at Industry City, there is a

contender: thick, wobbly, hand-cut planks of

supremely fatty smoked meat piled high on rye and

tasting even richer than it looks. Two bites could be

lunch; a half-sandwich is lunch and dinner; thewhole

shebangmakesfora sort of large-format feast.

RIBALTA’S

Spaghettoni al

Pomodoro

Top-notch pasta secca and preserved cherry

tomatoes of such superb flavor they could give

San Marzanos an inferiority complex. No dish

better proves that the quip about Italian food

being pping and 5 percent

a put-down.

whentogetit BREAKFAST BRUNCH LUNCH SNACK DINNER LATE-NIGHT DESSERT GROCERY