With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to keep any secrets. Check back for the best things we ate this week.
For a catch-up dinner with a best friend visiting from out of town, we headed to the new Spanish restaurant from the Ernesto’s team. It’s a cute little bistro a few steps below sidewalk level that’s absolutely bustling on a Thursday evening. We were seated in a corner nook in the convivial, luxe yet comfy back dining room while chef Ryan Bartlow — identifiable by his chef hat — weaves through the Madrid-styled tavern, checking on guests and dishes. Yes, the ajo blanco ($25) was as delightful as described — refreshing with those spheres of melons. But we were particularly taken with the arroz del dia ($55), a square pan full of squab slices, rice cooked in squab, and mushrooms. Visually, it was a work of art, and flavor-wise, it was an umami-packed dish with comforting textures. Even the table next to us (the two had complimented our outfits) asked what we ordered. 310-312 West Fourth Street, near West 12th Street, West Village — Nadia Chaudhury, deputy dining editor, Northeast
After a leisurely afternoon of art inside the recently reopened Frick Collection (my aunt is a member), it was up to me to pick a lunch place nearby. Cafe Commerce’s new Euro-chic home was buzzing on a Friday with gallery-goers who had the same idea. Grilled cheese with tomato soup seemed aggressive for a hot afternoon, but the air conditioning here is strong and the sizable sourdough sandwich oozing with cheddar and Gruyere paired perfectly with the non-creamy take on the soup. My mom and her sister went with the chicken salad special, which gets the pretty plating treatment that its James Beard-nominated chef, Harold Moore, is known for. Our comfy red booth offered views of a striking oil-and-gold leaf mural running the length of a mod bar lined with vermouth and rose. Unlike the Frick, pics are welcome here. 964 Lexington Avenue, at East 70th Street, Upper East Side — Tierney Plumb, editor, Northeast
Recently, I attended a preview dinner for LenLen, a vibey new bar and restaurant inspired by 1970s Bangkok. The crab and durian curry was the undisputed champion of the table. The velvety orange sauce tamed the sometimes divisive durian, and the fruit’s almost-floral sweetness felt like such a natural fit with the curry’s aromatics that I was surprised I’d never had the pairing before. I also love a dish that plays with textures: Here, the chunks of shredded crab were juxtaposed with shreddy strands of spaghetti squash. 40 East 20th St, between Broadway and Park Ave South, Flatiron — Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter
Matzo ball soup for breakfast? I highly recommend it. It had been more than 20 years since I’d visited Katz’s Deli, but when a former coworker suggested meeting there early in the morning for breakfast while I was in town, I was intrigued by the idea. The ever-popular classic deli is less crowded before 9 a.m. than it is typically during the rest of the day. You can go for more traditional breakfast fare, like lox with a bagel or a pastrami-spiked omelet. But I went the matzo ball soup route ($9.95 for a generous bowl) and didn’t regret it. Their version is textbook, with an epic-sized fluffy ball surrounded by a few hearty chunks of carrot and chicken. I paired it with a kraut-topped frankfurter ($5.95) for a satisfying start to the day. The only hassle was remembering Katz’s hectic ordering and ticketing/checkout system after more than two decades. 205 East Houston Street, at Ludlow Street, Lower East Side — Missy Frederick, editorial director
People are still gathering on the massive veranda of chef Rocco DiSpirito’s pop-up restaurant, which runs through the end of September, for a mix of rustic Italian fare and local bounty, and this dish is a prime example. Sourced from Gragnano, famous for bronze-die pasta with its rougher surface designed to hold sauce, the noodles are firm and chewy, the way I love them, and a perfect vehicle for the sugo, rich with local heirloom tomatoes, chunks of lobster, and wild Gulf shrimp. The mix is fragrant with basil and topped with Montauk’s sweet, wild royal red shrimp. While a plain piece of fish in the Hamptons this summer can easily be $60, and lobster even more, this dish was a relative bargain at $38 for a generous portion, which I thoroughly appreciated after a day of cycling. 136 Main Street, Southampton — Beth Landman, contributor, Northeast