LEISURE^27
Food & Drink
Danny Lee, Daniel Krieger/The New York Times/Redux
Plenty of Broadway theatergoers grab a bite
wherever they can in New York City’s Theater
District, “but this corner of midtown Manhattan
is home to some superlative restaurants if you
know where to look,” said Max Falkowitz in The
New York Times. Though they don’t compete
with the city’s premiere culinary destinations,
these three local options can be depended on
for excellent food. Plus, “they know how to
pace a meal so you won’t miss the curtain.”
China Xiang “Midtown has become a hotbed
of great Chinese restaurants in recent years,”
and this casual modern storefront right on 42nd Street can be an easy stop on show
night. “China Xiang specializes in the spicy, often smoky, pickle-packed food of Hunan
Province,” so skip the routine Chinese options and focus on the smoked meats, stew-
like casseroles, and braised fi sh dishes. 360 W. 42nd St., (212) 967-6088
Don Antonio This narrow little pizzeria ought to be cozier than it is, but it produces
beautiful Neapolitan-style pies with “poofy, almost creamy crusts that sag in the
middle as they’re supposed to.” The burrata and buffalo mozzarella are also on point,
so let them shine: “The simpler your pie, the better.” 309 W. 50th St., (646) 719-1043
Danji You’ll need a reservation to score seats in Hooni Kim’s 36-seat restaurant, but
the reward is “some of the fi nest Korean cooking in New York.” You could share a
spicy whelk salad or the “intricately fl avored” ddukbokki (stir-fried rice cakes) if you’re
in a hurry. If not, fi ll up on bacon kimchi fried rice or black cod poached in soy sauce.
346 W. 52nd St., (212) 586-2880.When sautéing a thin fish fillet, “there are
several tricks to achieving that lightly crispy
exterior and moist interior you’re after,”
said chef Tenney Flynn in The Deep End of
Flavor (Gibbs Smith). At my New Orleans
restaurant, GW Fins, we dredge flounder
fillets in very finely grated Parmesan before
dropping the fish in a pan. It’s “an easy
way to add extra flavor and crunch with-
out a bunch of extra ingredients.”The recipe below will also work for
snapper, trout, or sheepshead fillets—
whichever’s freshest at the market. Be sure
to use a seasoned cast-iron skillet. And if
you wish to skip the crabmeat, you can.Recipe of the week
Parmesan-crusted flounder with brown
butter, asparagus, capers, and crabmeat3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 tbsp capers, drained
6 large spears asparagus, bottom third peeled
2 (5- to 6-oz) flounder fillets
Vegetable oil spray
½ cup very finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp salted butter
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp minced parsley
4 oz jumbo lump crabmeat, picked throughHeat 1 tbsp oil in a skillet on medium-highParmesan-crusted flounder: A restaurant dish in minutes
heat. Add capers; fry for a few seconds, just
until buds are open and crisp. Remove with
a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.Bring a large pot of salted water to boil
and prepare a large container of ice water.
Add asparagus to boiling water; boil until
tender-crisp but not limp, about 3 minutes.
Remove with tongs (keep water hot for
reheating) and plunge in ice bath. Drain on
paper towels.Place a cast-iron skillet large enough to
accommodate both fillets on medium heat.
Coat the fillets liberally with vegetable oil
spray. Spread Parmesan on a plate and
dredge skinless (or rounded) side of fillets
in it, coating well.Add remaining 2 tbsp oil to hot pan, then
place fish, cheese side down, in hot oil.
Do not disturb for about 4 minutes. Put
about 1 tbsp of the cheese into the skillet,
as a test, when fish is added. When you
can slide a spatula under that fried cheese
medallion, you can carefully loosen the fil-
lets and turn them. A golden-brown cheese
crust is what you’re looking for. (Lower
heat if browning occurs too quickly.) Cook
about 2 minutes on uncoated side.While fillets cook, return asparagus to
the pot of hot water for a minute or so to
reheat. Move fillets to a warm plate. Wipe
out pan with a paper towel; immediately
return it to heat and add butter. When
butter is medium brown (take care not to
burn), stir in lemon juice, parsley, and crab-
meat. Turn off heat.Using tongs, divide hot, drained asparagus
between two heated plates. Place fillets on
top of asparagus, spoon brown butter and
crabmeat mixture over fish, and sprinkle
with fried capers. Serves 2.Easy flavor once you have the touchBroadway eats: Where to dine in New York’s Theater District
Communal dining at DanjiThanks in large part to a pretty, pink-
skinned grape, Japan is emerging
as “the world’s newest serious wine
frontier,” said Elin McCoy in Bloomberg
.com. Koshu, a grape well suited to
Japan’s humid climate, produces white
wines with delicate fl oral aromas and
distinctive fl avor notes. Fifteen years
ago, koshu was a sweet wine not worthy
of wide attention. But Japan’s winemak-
ers have since adopted the techniques
of Bordeaux, and today, almost all
koshu is dry, though varied in style.
2017 Château Mercian ($27). “Light
and citrusy, with hints of green ap-
ple,” this wine “has the rich, savory
quality of koshu aged on the lees.”
2017 Haramo Koshu Lees Contact
($18). This koshu is “a bit like richer
Muscadet with spice and tang.”
2015 Shizen Sparkling Koshu
($50). “Crisp and lemony,” this
Champagne-like sparkler “has
an almondy richness and salty
character.”Wine: A Japanese white