The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week

The amount of excellent food available in New York City is dizzying — even during a pandemic — yet mediocre meals somehow keep worming their way into our lives. With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we do come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to keep any secrets. Check back weekly for the best things we ate this week — so you can, too.

October 26

Luke Fortney/Eater

Bacon, egg, and cheese with sauerkraut at Kitty’s Market

Roughly one hundred miles north of Manhattan, the borough’s most holy of sandwiches — the bacon, egg, and cheese — has been reinvented to delightful effect. At Kitty’s Market, the sandwich is served not on an everything bagel or roll, but on a fluffy sesame seeded bun, with the option to add sauerkraut for free ($7). The addition of ‘kraut lends an unexpected tang to this beloved sandwich, but the bulk of its flavor comes from its rich center: a mixture of egg and cheese that manages to keep its shape while staying creamy. The new spot in Hudson, New York comes from owners Lauren Schaefer and Anna Morris, who opened the restaurant in October. Is visiting Kitty’s worth the $62 round-trip Amtrak ticket on its own? Just about — but if you’re already making the day trip to Hudson, it’s a must visit. Beginning at 12 p.m., the restaurant also slings rotisserie chickens by the quarter, half, and whole bird. 60 South Front Street, at Cross Street, Hudson, New York — Luke Fortney, reporter

(Correction: October 26, 2020, 10:14 p.m. A previous version of this blurb incorrectly stated that Kitty’s Market comes from Amiel Stanek. The owners of Kitty’s Market are actually Lauren Schaefer and Anna Morris.)

Tanay Warerkar/Eater

Set B sushi platter at Maki Kosaka

A couple of friends of mine were visiting from Connecticut and were looking for inexpensive sushi near Grand Central. While not quite the 10-minute walk they had anticipated, I suggested we all go to Maki Kosaka, in Flatiron, where a 16-piece sushi set like the one pictured here appears for $27. A casual offshoot of the Michelin-starred Kosaka, the quality of the fish here is just as top notch, and you can really taste the freshness with every bite. This quadruple sushi set comes with tuna scallion, spicy salmon, sea scallops, and snow crab — that last one in particular stood out to me. I washed it all down with a delicious plum sake. 55 West 19th Street, near Sixth Avenue, Flatiron — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

Robert Sietsema/Eater

Feuille de Brique at Maison Harlem

Anyone who has visited Tunisia will remember the brick — a flaky hand pastry sold on main thoroughfares containing cheese and a freshly cracked egg, which squirts yolk all over your shirt when you bite into it, but tastes delicious. Rarely found in New York City, it popped up not to long ago on the breakfast and brunch menus at Maison Harlem, filtered through French sensibilities. Here, it consists of layers of filo trapping melted gruyere cheese and ham, topped with a poached egg, and napped with a fine ratatouille. This version ($17.50), pictured in the morning sunlight, is every bit as tasty as its simpler Tunisian counterpart, and as an added bonus, it is still likely to make a mess of your clothes. 341 St. Nicholas Avenue, at 127th Street, Harlem — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Erika Adams/Eater

Joy Cho’s Baker’s Box

It’s not the greatest picture, but I was lucky to get any photographic evidence of this pastry box before its contents started disappearing. The treats are from chef Joy Cho, formerly of Gramercy Tavern, who has been running a solo desserts business during the pandemic. Cho’s Baker’s Boxes ($30) include different goodies each week, and my pickup included soft and chewy snickerdoodle cookies, subtly sweet matcha shortbread cookies sprinkled with sesame seeds, squares of salted chocolate cake, and hotteok, a Korean street snack of pancakes here stuffed with a gooey brown sugar and walnut filling. The portions were quite generous, and I had planned on leaving the box around for weekend nibbling, but ended up plowing through everything within a day. Would wholeheartedly repeat. Preorder online and schedule pickups at one of two locations on the Lower East Side or Clinton Hill — Erika Adams, reporter

October 20

Robert Sietsema/Eater

Goat curry at Good Vibes

Good Vibes is a brand new Jamaican restaurant that opened on October 10 in central Harlem, and the output of its spruce new steam table is already promising. A dozen mains are available, to be accompanied by rice and peas along with either steamed cabbage or mixed veggies, in sizes of small, medium, and large. The medium serving of goat curry ($12) was wonderfully dense and spicy, with more meat than usual, much of it diced with a few bones here and there, and little in the way of potatoes. The cowfoot stew was also great, but the goat curry carried the day. 2234 Adam Clayton Powell Junior Boulevard, between 131st and 132nd Streets, Harlem — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Brisket, mushroom, and red wine pie at Bourke Street Bakery

This pie ($8) is a permanent fixture of the Bourke Street Bakery menu in Sydney, but was relegated to ‘special occasion’ status for the NYC location given the lower demand for meat pies. (Diners might recall another Aussie export Pie Face, a pie-focused bakery that opened and closed a handful of Manhattan outposts around 2014). The crust is buttery on the bottom and flaky on top, with a rich, chunky beef stew sealed inside. Served hot from the oven, it’s a treat to huddle up with on the sidewalk, my hands absorbing warmth from the pie base while trying not to burn the roof of my mouth with an overzealous first bite. If the pie is sold out, the sausage rolls are equally as good — or just grab some frozen from the bakery’s market space to take home (and preferably pair with mashed potatoes and peas). 15 East 28th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, Nomad — Adams Moussa, lead social media manager

Erika Adams/Eater

Makdous peppers at Tanoreen

Established Middle Eastern spot Tanoreen in Bay Ridge has been on my list for awhile, and our takeout feast last night did not disappoint. The standout plate of the dinner was Tanoreen’s makdous peppers ($18), which came in the form of two roasted jalapeño and poblano peppers that were hollowed out and stuffed with bits of red pepper, walnuts, and harissa paste. Each packed slice of pepper was a spicy, meaty wallop of a bite. This will be the bar by which I judge all other stuffed pepper dishes. 7523 3rd Avenue, at the corner of 76th Street, Bay Ridge — Erika Adams, reporter

Spicy cumin lamb noodles at the Noodle

Don’t let the image put you off, these cumin-packed noodles are really some of the best noodles I’ve had recently. Over the weekend, I got some takeout from the newly opened the Noodle, in Harlem, an offshoot of one of my favorites — the Handpulled Noodle — when I lived in the western part of the neighborhood. Here, the noodles and dumplings are just as good, but the spicy cumin lamb noodles stood out in particular. The thin pieces of lamb are perfectly tender, and the julienned green papaya adds a nice crunch to all the other soft elements that make up this dish. Definitely adding this to takeout favorites list. 370 Malcolm X Boulevard, between West 128th and West 129th Streets, Harlem — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

October 13

Luke Fortney/Eater

Wagyu beef corndog at Olmsted

You might be asking yourself: What’s a restaurant that good doing in a photo that bad? And you’re right to ask, only nothing’s where it belongs at the new Olmsted. Take this corndog, for example, a hulking $16 mass that would never have appeared on the upscale restaurant’s menu before the pandemic. Sure, it’s made with wagyu beef and, fine, the fried sage that adorns it is more fanciful than flavorful, but all told this is still a very, very good corndog. The giant wagyu beef dog is held together using three skewers and battered in a coating good enough to eat alone as a side. Several dishes on the restaurant’s menu are likely to tug your arm, but give your inner (k)id what it wants and order this one, as well. 659 Vanderbilt Avenue, between Park and Prospect Places

Robert Sietsema/Eater

Mortadella pizzette fritte at Kimika

Is there any luncheon meat better than mortadella? I think not! And Japanese-Italian restaurant Kimika features it on one of the fried pizzas that anchor its rather unusual menu. The crust is first fried to a golden brown, wadded with pistachio-dotted mortadella before it cools, and warmed slightly as a dark miso sauce with a trace of sweetness is squiggled across its pink exposed surfaces. A trace of heat remains as the pizza ($19) is brought to the table and piece after piece is rapidly torn off and hoisted mouthward. 40 Kenmare Street at Elizabeth Street, Nolita — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Tanay Warerkar/Eater

Pastrami sandwich at Katz’s Deli

I’ve been in New York for the past 12 years but had never managed to check out Katz’s Deli — until this past weekend. With all the hype around this iconic sandwich, I was almost certain I wouldn’t like it all that much. I’m happy to report, however, that the hype is completely justified. Yes, it’s nearly impossible to eat this overflowing sandwich by yourself, so grab a friend — or better yet, save the other half for later in the day. The pastrami is fatty and tender and practically melts in your mouth, and the sharp yellow mustard packs a punch and balances all that richness. The rye bread ties all the elements together, but not neatly I might add, so expect a messy affair all around. 205 E Houston Street, at Ludlow Street — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

Chicken thighs at Market Bistro

Both indoor and outdoor tables remain largely packed at this modern Jericho staple, located right by the historic Milleridge Inn, but the Sutton family still sticks to takeout-only. The resident chefs recently added a braised chicken thigh dish ($26) to the menu, which is reasonably avant-garde by Long Island standards, where most patrons expect their poultry to be roasted. A generous bath of tomato sauce functions as tart counterpoint to the rich, bone-in meat, while black olives and pancetta impart varying degrees of umami and brine. Toast a few slices of bread at home to sop up all the drippings, and there’s your light Saturday night dinner. 519 N Broadway, Jericho, Long Island — Ryan Sutton, chief critic

October 5

Tanay Warerkar/Eater

Masala lamb burger at Rahi

I rarely — if ever — would opt to get a burger at brunch, but this lamb burger ($17) burger at Rahi really called out to me on a recent outing. And I was so glad I did. The lamb was melt-in-your-mouth tender and bursting with flavor, with particularly strong hits of crushed coriander seeds, which made it all the more appealing to me. The mint chutney drizzled on top is a nice, herby complement to the rich burger, and the spicy chips that come along with the burger pack a crispy punch. I also recommend getting the sweet and salty coconut utthapam waffles ($18) and the tangy artichoke chaat ($15), but the burger particularly stood out to me in Rahi’s top-notch brunch menu. 28 Greenwich Ave., near Perry Street, Greenwich Village — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

Robert Sietsema/Eater

French fries with especial sauce at Pommes Frites

Sure you can pay a little extra at Belgian fry specialist Pommes Frites and have your choice of dozens upon dozens of exotic-sounding sauces. But it’s the free ones I always go for, especially the one called especial. On a paper cone of beautiful twice-fried french fries are squirted quantities of thick mayo and ketchup, then further heaped with chopped white onions. The trick is to get a mixture of these toppings on every fry as you hoist it mouthward. Shown is the small size, which will set you back $6.25, and is enough fries for anyone. 128 Macdougal Street, between Minetta Lane and West 3rd Street, Greenwich Village — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Luke Fortney/Eater

Red chile doughnut at Ursula

There’s a golden 30-minute window at Ursula — between 11:30 a.m. and 12 p.m. — in which customers can order from both the restaurant’s breakfast and lunch menus. (Think: poblano rellenos, sopaipillas, chorizo breakfast burritos, and housemade pastelitos all in one sitting.) It’s a strategy I highly recommend when visiting the Crown Heights newcomer for the first time, and one that I wasn’t able to make happen on my most recent visit to the restaurant. Instead, I sampled a few items from its breakfast menu, including a standout chorizo breakfast burrito ($10) and this picturesque red chile doughnut. The pastry — recommended by both of the workers in the restaurant that morning — didn’t disappoint, its light and airy interior speckled with red chiles. 724 Sterling Place, at the corner of Bedford Avenue — Luke Fortney, reporter

Amanda Kludt

Chocolate Sesame Twist + Sesame Bagel at Edith’s

I went to the Edith’s pop-up at Paulie Gee’s for the bagels, which were great, but was ultimately won over by the obscene sesame and chocolate twist. It’s an (excuse me) phallic-looking pastry made of twisted soft challah dotted with two types of chocolate and coated in a sweet tahini glaze and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Just a thrilling combo. It’s one of those confections where you tell yourself you’re just going to try a taste and then minutes later the whole thing is gone. I also recommend the bagels, just note that some of the items on the menu — the Edith’s X Paulie Gee’s pizza bagels, the honey schnecken — sell out early and were already gone about an hour and a half into service on Sunday. 60 Greenpoint Ave., near Franklin St., Greenpoint — Amanda Kludt, editor in chief

Egg Sandwich at Sullivan Street Bakery

Sullivan Street in Hell’s Kitchen was a staple Sutton pre-pandemic breakfast spot. My typical move was two slices of tomato pizza — some of the city’s best — and a cup of coffee. Every now and then, however, I’d grab this crazy good BEC: room temperature scrambled eggs on lemony brioche with crisped prosciutto. Thing is, the $5 sandwich was only snack-sized, something meant to be paired with other pastries. But so the story goes that on my most recent visit, the sandwich — this one made with soft boiled eggs — was as big as a bodega BEC, meaning it constituted a proper breakfast all by itself. Cost: $7. I’ll be having more of these. 533 West 47th Street between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues — Ryan Sutton, chief critic