New York Magazine - USA (2022-01-03)

Likemany new

venturesinDanny Meyer’s

morerecent,real-estate-

influencedfine-dining

portfolio,thismidtown

establishment(whose

namemeans“Hereweare”

or“We’vearrived” in

Italian)is locatedinan

out-of-the-waypart of

town—aglitteringbut

soulless new plaza at the

back end of Hudson Yards—

that is almost impossible to

find (pro tip: If your Uber

driver attempts to enter the

LincolnTunnel,start

yelling).Butonceyou’ve

finallyarrivedat thedining

room,withitslongbar,

comfortablerowsof

banquettes,andopen

kitchensmellingfaintlyof

woodsmoke,you’ll beglad

youmadethetrip.Thechef

incharge ofthevarious

state-of-the-artwood-

burning ovens and grills is

the talented Hillary

Sterling, formerly of Vic’s,

and her slim, one-page

menu has clearly been

engineeredtolureNew

Yorkersoutoftheir

collectivecovidstuporand

ge t themtostartslowly

enjoyingthepleasuresofa

goodrestaurantmeal

again.Turnyourattention

towardtheoniontart, the

puffy wheelsoffocaccia

bakedinironskillets,and

thesimpleroast half-

chicken, which Sterling

fires on a bed of crushed

sunchokes and pours with

generous amounts of

house-rendered schmaltz.

➽Withonlytendishesonthemenu,sixof

themcostingunder$20,ShenarriFreeman’s

pint-sizeEast Village experimentinplant-based

“southernsoul”cookingwinsthisyear’s

covetedpound-for-pound,dollar-for-dollar

best-restaurantaward,andthecompetition

isn’t evenclose.FreemancomestoNewYorkby

wayofVirginia,andherparticularbrandof

down-homevegancuisineis informedbyher

top-notchclassicaltrainingandthebountiful

Sunday-church-picniccultureofheryouth.

Youcangeta crunchy wedge saladdousedwith

nondairyranchdressingat the12-seat dining

counterhere;bowlsofsmokedgritsgarnished

withfrizzledshallots,amongotherelaborate

things;andgreat moundsofpotatosalad,

madewithredpotatoes,accordingtoFreeman’s

mother’s familyrecipe,mixedtogether

withhintsofDijonmustard,dill,andthat

surprisinglypalatablesubstancecalled

Vegenaise.If oneofthefreshlybakedhouse

piesis onthedessert menu,orderit,andthe

samegoesforFreeman’sodetothecrispy

Buffalo-chickensandwich,whichsheconstructs

withcrispedoystermushroomsinsteadof

theusualfattypalechicken,squeezingthem

withavocado,pickles,andspoonfulsofranch

dressingbetweena toastedpretzelbun.

Cadence 122 E.7thSt.,nr. Ave.A;833-328- 4588

➽Theunlikelyproprietorofthis

boisterous South Bronx barbecue joint

is Kenneth McPartlan, a self-taught

pitmasterwhosefamilyhasruna

salooninthenorthernpart ofthe

boroughforthreegenerations.He’ll

tellyouthereareallsortsofbarsnacks

(fourkindsoffried-chickensandwiches,

a classicsmash-burger,a multitude of

smokedchickenwings)tosample“in

casethemeat runsout,whichhappens

a lot,” butwestronglysuggestyoudo

everythingpossibletogetthereintime

fora tasteoftheporkribs,ortherib

tips,orthepork-bellyburntends,

whichMcPartlanandhissous-chef,

BilalMuhammad,smotherintheir

ownspecialsweet sauceandservein

thekindoflittlepaperboatsyou’ll find

atreveredbarbecuedestinationssouth

oftheMason-DixonLine.Theside

dishes(collardgreens,bakedbeans,

porkcrackling,twovarietiesof

coleslaw)anddessert (bananapudding)

arealsowortha specialtrip,butif you

makejust onepilgrimage, doit ona

Saturday,whenMcPartlansmokesup

hisversionofHillCountry–style

bone-inTexasbeef ribsfor 16 hours

overnight;cruststheminsalt,pepper,

anda radicaldoseofgarlicsalt;and

sellsthemuntilthey’regone.

Hudson

Smokehouse

37 Bruckner Blvd., nr. Alexander Ave.,

Mott Haven; 718-872-7742.

48 newyork| january3–16, 2022

Buffalo-oyster-

mushroom sandwich

at Cadence.

Ci Siamo

100 Manhattan West Plz.

(385 Ninth Ave., nr. 31st St.)

212-219-6559

where to eat