East Village Taiwanese Standout Ho Foods Adds Weekend Brunch

Taiwanese breakfast arrives at Ho Foods

Tiny East Village restaurant Ho Foods will introduce a brunch menu this weekend focused on Taiwanese staples like an egg sandwich made with soft scrambled eggs and a thin layer of pork floss; a breakfast burrito wrapped in sticky rice; and turnip cakes. Soy milk that is made in-house will be served hot in a bowl, curdled with vinegar, and flavored with scallions, sesame oil, pickled radishes, and fried crullers — to be enjoyed like soup, rather than a drink. The menu from chef-owner Richard Ho kicks off Saturday, November 3, and will be available only on weekends from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Smorgasburg makes its way to Lower Manhattan

Outdoor food market Smorgasburg is making its way to World Trade Center next week during a three-day food festival taking place in the Oculus Plaza. It kicks off Thursday, November 8, with music and a beer garden, and Smorgasburg vendors like Chef Katsu, Ramen Burger, and the Choripan will be on site November 9 and 10 from noon to 7 p.m. The event is backed by New York’s Port Authority, which aims to transform the World Trade Center into a community gathering space.

Saint Julivert Fisherie does “small plates” right

Not every restaurant nails the small-plates affair, but Saint Julivert Fisherie has got it down, writes critic Hannah Goldfield in her latest review in the New Yorker. She finds an “impressive gamut of exciting bites” that even “small-plate averse” diners would be happy with at the new Cobble Hill restaurant. There are “pleasingly gummy” Cantabrian anchovies, scallop tacos whose shell is a “fragrant” shiso leaf, and a Portuguese-inspired steak sandwich served on a “squishy” ciabatta and “slathered” with garlic, butter, and mustard flavors. But she wasn’t a fan of the jerk collar, which she described as “overly aggressive.”

Baar Baar will feature a new pre-fixe menu for Diwali

East Village Indian gastropub Baar Baar will celebrate Diwali, widely known as the festival of lights, with a five-day, three-course menu focusing on the foods tied to the holiday. Diners will find dishes like tuna papdi chat, which comes with avocado, tamarind, puffed black rice, green mango, and baby radish; lamb keema hyderabadi, served with potato mousse, green peas, and buttered pao; and rasmalai tiramisu tart, a take on the Indian dessert rasmalai that is cottage cheese dumplings in sweetened milk. The set menu, available from November 7 through 11, will cost $60 per person.

Openings and coming attractions

Black Seed Bagels has put signage up for what looks like a new location on 123 Court St. between Atlantic Avenue and State Street in downtown Brooklyn. An Australian cafe dubbed Sonnyboy will open at 65 Rivington St., between Allen and Eldridge Streets on the Lower East Side. Salads, sandwiches, and share plates will be on offer. Flowers Cafe may be returning to the LES three years after its initial departure, according to Bowery Boogie, which spotted teaser signage on the windows of 39 Essex St., between Grand and Hester Streets. Finally, Upper East Side diner Green Kitchen is opening a second location at 1619 Second Avenue, between East 84th and 85th Streets.