This far Upper West Side restaurant that appeared more than year ago has one of the most far flung and fascinating menus of regional Chinese dishes the city has yet seen. Originating in the southern Wulong District of Chongqing, this sticky rice dish reads more as a clumpy soothing porridge, with big chunks of pork and taro adding richness and a mild yet intriguing flavor. Other amazing dishes abound at what is certainly one of the best Chinese restaurants in NYC. — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

This restaurant has been a staple in Northern Boulevard in Flushing, the heart of the Korean community. Even though the restaurant specializes in gam-ja-tang, a Korean pork bone soup, I was in the mood for jokbal, or braised pork feet. It’s full of collagen, resulting in the most satisfying, chewy, gelatinous texture after being braised in soy sauce-based stock for hours. You can create what I consider one of the best bites in Korean cuisine with this. Make a lettuce wrap with a few slices of jokbal, raw garlic, and some ssamjang (chile paste), and be sure to have it in one bite. Then, you will find yourself craving soju. Because jokbal is full of collagen, many believe that it’s good for your skin, keeping people looking young — making this perhaps the tastiest Korean skincare around. — James Park, Social Media Manager

Hutong’s soft shell crab really hits the spot, both visually and taste-wise. It comes out in a giant wooden casket with the crabs barely peeking out of dozens of dried Facing Heaven chile peppers, a type of medium-hot pepper that’s commonly used in Sichuan food. Despite feeling a bit cheated at the start, I quickly realized that the basket actually contained a generous portion of soft shell crabs that were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The dish leaves you with the lovely tingly sensation on your tongue that Sichuan food often does. — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

Pastry chef Kelly Nam constructs Electric Lemon’s namesake dessert as if it were a pastel-colored solar system, with airy orbs of light green lemon verbena sorbet sitting next to frozen moons of tart lemon curd. Homemade Pop Rocks, hidden throughout, emit an audible hiss and zap the tongue. The Electric Lemon, like most of the sweets at this restaurant inside the Equinox Hotel at Hudson Yards — from a chocolate confection that looks like a meteor to a frozen yogurt that wants to be an avant-garde study in green and white — proves that pure creativity can radiate even in the most soulless of neighborhoods. — Ryan Sutton, chief critic

In an outstanding meal from chef Jo Park at David Chang’s new Hudson Yards restaurant Kāwi, the marinated raw crab managed to rise above. It’s an ultra-sweet raw blue crab marinated in soy sauce and served alongside seasoned crab rice and dried seaweed. It’s a very interactive dish: You wrap up some warm rice in crackly seaweed, popping it into your mouth and sucking some crab meat into the bite. It’s pure pleasure that hits many notes, with the cool, mushy, and sugary crab; the crunchy and salty seaweed; and the warm, toothsome rice. Unfortunately the dish is no longer available, but I’ll happily try its standout replacement until it hopefully returns. — Stefanie Tuder, senior editor

Disclosure: David Chang is producing shows for Hulu in partnership with Vox Media Studios, part of Eater’s parent company, Vox Media. No Eater staff member is involved in the production of those shows, and this does not impact coverage on Eater.

This appetizer at Long Island City’s charming Indian restaurant Adda is the perfect blend of two of my favorite snacks: kale chips and pakodas, the latter of which are a type of tea-time snack in India where vegetables are dipped in chickpea batter and then deep fried. At Adda, chef Chintan Pandya takes the combination one step further by making it into a chaat — another type of Indian street food that features chickpea crisps, yogurt, a variety of spices, and tamarind and cilantro chutneys. Adda’s kale pakodas come doused in all of the above, and I would happily eat these at any time of the day. — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

Hug Esan in Elmhurst has a lot of Thai options that aren’t spotted much elsewhere, all executed well. My favorite was a dish that my friend ordered by first saying “it’s basic, but I want it”: a crispy pork belly, where pieces of pork are fried and come with a chile dipping sauce. Not a spot of grease was on the crispy fried breading, which had a crackly texture similar to that of a basket of fish and chips. And though the chunks of pork were big, none of them suffered from a poor fry-to-meat ratio. Every bar in New York should serve this as a drinking snack. — Serena Dai, editor

Concentrating on the food of Emilia Romagna, Rezdôra was one of the year’s biggest hits. The stuffed pastas were a particular delight, including this poetically named cappelletti (“little hats”). The vegetarian recipe involves roasted leeks, black mushroom puree, and pea shoots; and parmigiana was shaved over the top like a fresh snowfall on pine trees. The entire effect was enchanting in both a visual and gustatory fashion. — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

If traditional, ultra-expensive sushi parlors are a defining trait of the modern gastronomic era, the duck nigiri at Llama San in Greenwich Village constitutes the opposite: something wildly creative and affordable-ish. Chef Erik Ramirez places a slice of aged duck over a pat of fragrant cilantro rice, uniting the duo with a slice of sweet banana. The brilliant Japanese-Peruvian dish recalls the whimsical early days of Nobu. — Ryan Sutton, chief critic

I’ve had many a Thai corn salad over the years, but the one at Fish Cheeks particularly stands out for several reasons. The corn kernels are intact in chunks instead of broken up into tiny individual pieces, making for nice texture. The contrasting spicy and sour flavors from the Thai bird’s eye chile and the lime, respectively, elevate this dish as does the hint of sweetness that comes from the cherry tomatoes. The green beans add a lovely crunch, and I would happily return to Fish Cheeks just for this salad. — Tanay Warerkar, reporter

This Japanese cafe serves breakfast toasts all day and bowls of Japanese comfort foods starting at 11 a.m. I opted for the mentai spaghetti ($15), and it was just the thing to soothe nagging hunger pangs. The bowl of pasta covered in spicy cod roe and a sprinkling of nori is savory, creamy, and entirely satisfying. I paired it with a black sesame kinako latte, which felt a bit indulgent, but was just as delicious as the pasta, and together, they offered an ideal escape from the frigid temperatures outside. — Monica Burton, associate restaurant editor

When I first came across this small udon restaurant in Brooklyn, I was overwhelmed and excited with so many different kinds of udon options. But, kamo seiro, a dish that allows you to enjoy both hot and cold udon noodles, was a standout. Since Hanon is one of a few places in NYC where they make udon noodles in house, the noodles’ texture is truly incomparable. They are plump, bouncy, and chewy, and they cling on a thick, gravy-like sauce that arrives in a bubbling pot. Sliced duck breast gets poached in the same broth, adding another meaty and flavorful layer of flavor. The best part of this dish is to smell the aroma and steam as a bubbling pot of sauce reveals itself right in front of you. Be sure to order both white Zenryufun and green Sasauchi noodles for an ultimate udon experience. — James Park, Social Media Manager

Fort Greene’s Middle Eastern Miss Ada was one of the best meals I’ve had this year — all the produce involved tasted like the most ideal versions of themselves, and dishes were surprising and creative. A mango hummus special came topped with pieces of watermelon and feta, a combo that could have been too much happening but instead was a fruity, fresh start to the meal. A creamy, stretchy, and milky stracciatella came with bright slices of tomato. My favorite, though, was dessert: a labne mousse with mango granita that was like eating tart pieces of pillowy cloud. — Serena Dai, editor

It’s hard to walk into brand-new restaurants — or any restaurant, really — with high expectations, but Billy Durney’s new old-school-style tavern in Red Hook managed to exceed them. All of chef Allison Plumer’s food impressed me, from the garlicky clams to the decadent romaine bacon salad, but it was the burger that had me hooked. It was super simple, just supremely beefy dry-aged meat cooked to a red medium rare, salty American cheese, tangy raw white onion, and a hefty but not overwhelming bun that held it all together. The wedge fries on the side aren’t my favorite form of potato, but they did the job. — Stefanie Tuder, senior editor

Maison Yaki, the new restaurant from Olmsted’s Greg Baxtrom and Max Katzenberg that combines French cuisine with Japanese yakitori, makes it easy to try lots of things. The focus is on skewers, but while there were quite a few delicious bites on sticks (the duck a l’orange in particular), my favorite dish wasn’t a skewer at all but a side on the menu: the pommes dauphines. Served in a paper cone, the fried balls of mashed potatoes were wonderfully crisp on the outside and full of soft, comforting potato on the inside. It’s a highly underrated way to eat fried potatoes, and I’m very happy Maison Yaki has this excellent version on offer. — Monica Burton, associate restaurant editor

When I’m feeling down about all the fast-casual chains and rococo steakhouses, I assuage myself by thinking of Haenyeo and its rice cakes. Chef Jenny Kwak submerges firm tteok (rice cakes) into a crock of chile sauce, melts a layer of milky Oaxacan cheese on top, and anoints the whole shebang with crumbly chorizo. The stunner of a Korean-Mexican dish, which recalls fundido (melted cheese) as much as it does baked ziti, suggests that an auteur-esque neighborhood spot can still thrive in modern New York. — Ryan Sutton, chief critic