Nuts for (Free) Nuts
Plus, there's a new rotisserie chicken in town.
Since we last spoke, our editorial team visited over 50 restaurants, bars, bakeries, and cafes in New York City (and beyond). As a wise one once said: No Days Off. Sonal finally made it to Eyval, Willa finally made it to Bánh Anh Em, and Arden just ate some really good chicken. And, almost everyone ate free nuts at the city’s newest hyper-fixation wine bar.
Where’d you eat between Christmas and New Year’s? Did you snag a bar seat at Minetta? Were you first in line for Torrisi just because you could be? And did you see Tate McRae leaving L’Artusi like Britt did?
Roscioli - Tiffany
Why I Went: For a holiday dinner with three friends.
Did the Roman feast downstairs. It’s a really good value: $95 for five courses but lots of little extras thrown in, plus $55 for the regular wine pairing and we kept getting top-offs. The somm is SUPER passionate about the wine—feel like they could pretty easily phone this in in the States, but I appreciate how committed they are to it here. A contender for Nice Touch: bowl of tampons in the bathroom.
The Nest - Arden
Why I went: Was in the mood for something quick and comforting between Senti Senti and Muji errands in Williamsburg, and remembered Will had just added The Nest to Openings.
I’m all for the Brooklyn rotisserie chicken explosion right now. This place is a little tacky and I mean that lovingly. Like, they really went all out “Parisian cafe” with cozy booths and soft yellow lighting and mirrored walls abound, but…it’s order at the counter and the menu is digitized on screens. Snap back to Williamsburg! That said, this is some good chicken. We also tried the mac and cheese, deviled eggs, spicy broccoli, and a mug of broth. My friend and I were the only people not dining solo, which is to say this is a great place to go alone with a laptop, a book, or your thoughts. Its location right around the corner from the Bedford Apple Store is incredibly useful when you want something healthy and warm that isn’t corporate and soul-sucking.
Bánh Anh Em (And Yellow Rose, Stars, And Banshee)- Willa
Why I Went: Have had Bánh Anh Em’s food twice (once when Will brought Molly and me leftover sandwiches to the office, and then also at EEEEEATSCON), and I was determined to dine in.
Finally! I was OOO and feeling fancy and free, so when I got there on Friday night around 6:15pm and asked for a table for two and was quoted three hours, I leaned right in. I was so determined. I proceeded to kill time by checking out Stars, which had a 30-minute wait, and again I was like, no problem, I’m gonna Be Chill about this. So we made our way to Yellow Rose (marg + queso) → Stars (wine + deviled eggs) → Banshee (martini + shrimp), and then finally → Banh Anh Em. Unlike other places, they don’t give you a 10-minute grace period to get back or anything. They just text you your table is ready, so we almost lost our table running over from Banshee. I actually would have cried. The resulting feast was great! Ordered so much. Highlights were the bánh mì (obv), the everything chicken pho, and the banh beo. The music in here is so bizarre and the vibes don’t fully do it for me, but the food speaks for itself…would recommend to anyone who is just looking to eat real good. If you need vibes and/or a drink, that’s what the wait is for.
Ping’s - Carlo
Why I Went: Was in the mood for dim sum on Saturday.
Really loved the crispy shrimp balls, thank you, Will, for the rec. Definitely not my favorite dim sum place, and not just because they don’t have carts. Har gow skin broke apart a lil too easy. Still a good option! Got there at 10:30am and they started to fill up around noon.
Le French Diner - Will
Why I Went: Killing time before a solo, 10pm viewing of Marty Supreme.
Feels like the kind of place you can share a meal with a stranger if you’re alone (though it didn’t happen for me). I was seated at the corner of the bar and chatted with my neighbors—one was a software engineer in from California who said that Petit Trois pales in comparison. That said, I did want a bit more from the food, especially my duck. It was simple and well prepared, but was lacking something to really push it over the edge. Steak tartare was great though.
Eyval - Sonal
Why I went: I’ve always wanted to go here (and to Sofreh), they were recently named one of NYMag’s 43 best restaurants, and when I invited my cousin and his wife, they said they’d been there three times, that it was the best meal they’d had in New York, and they were happy to go again.
I don’t know if anyone who doesn’t eat out professionally can relate to this, but you know how sometimes you over-order and everything is so delicious that it just kind of becomes a blur of good food? Especially when you’re sorta eating out professionally, but it’s the holidays, and you’re also sorta just trying to catch up with your cousins, and you’re really enjoying the meal but taking barely any notes? Anyway, go to Eyval and order one dish more than you need. In our case it was the ghormeh sabzi—I kept looking for leftovers before remembering that my cousin took them home.
That’s A Nice Touch spotlights a moment we realized we were being charmed against our will.
Stars
If you can’t tell, the whole NYC editorial team is hot on Stars in the East Village right now. It’s the new snacky wine bar from the Claud/ Penny people with only 12 seats, ample standing room, and moody, schmoozy lighting. It made our Bar Hit List with lightning speed. And you know what’s a very nice touch? Every party gets complimentary nuts. And not just any nuts. They’re lavender-laced almonds, and they’re bottomless. So bottomless that we watched two Frenchmen ask a bartender about the floral flavor, at which point she disappeared, and came back with a to-go container full of the things for them to take home.
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