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.
Olmo opened recently, a New York take on a Mexico City cantina. While you can easily have a full meal here, as I did, ordering almost the entire menu, dish sizes are on the snackier side and are best enjoyed with one of their truly excellent cocktails. Some favorites included the chicharrónes, with a creamy coleslaw-esque take on the side dish; the eggplant milanesa (make sure to order a side of their flour tortillas), and my favorite, the sopes ($14), made here with plantains, sweet and earthy, with a kick from the salsa macha. It’s best enjoyed with one of Olmo’s salty micheladas (we preferred the original one, over the one with the more stunty Clamato paleta), or, for shaking up a rum-and-Coke order, try their version with Mexican Coca-Cola and tequila. This area has seen several new openings over the last month, including Badaboom, a French rotisserie chicken spot, and Dolores, another Mexican cantina, this one from the couple behind Winona’s; both, I’m happy to report, are also great, and I’m lucky to have them all in my neighborhood. 103 Saratoga Avenue, at Decatur Street, Ocean Hill — Emma Orlow, Editor, Northeast
I absolutely love a minimalist dessert: My last-year-favorite was an Alphonso mango on ice served with a pour of 1950-something Chartreuse at the downstairs Sip of the Sip and Guzzle bars. More recently, I enjoyed the sliced Harry’s Berries on ice — naked! — at the Corner Store, served with a lightly salted vanilla bean Chantilly cream with a lemon cookie crumble. Like lobster, though, they’re available at market price. Expect it to be around $15, but it could be a little higher or lower depending on the day. 475 West Broadway, at West Houston, Soho — Melissa McCart, lead editor, Eater Northeast
The sesame mochi cake at Sunn’s. Nadia Chaudhury/Eater Northeast
Sesame mochi cake at Sunn’s
My early solo dinner at the little Korean restaurant has been one of the most pleasurable dining experiences I’ve had in New York this year. Much has been said about a really lovely assortment of banchan ($25) — my favorite was the tahini-doused pickled mushrooms — along with the duk mandu ($27) and lucious tteokbokk ($26), rice cakes in this spicy tomato sauce and a heaping scoop of stracciatella, but it was the not-too-sweet sesame mochi cake ($12) that won my heart. There was something so simple and satisfying about this slab of chewy cake with this beautiful crunchy top layer of sesame seeds, with a pile of konggaru, a soybean powder, for an added dusting of nuttiness. It was light enough to cut through the richly flavor-packed dishes before it. The dessert also reminded me of the sesame candies I love from my uncle’s store. It’s a bonus that I had more than enough food to enjoy as a single diner, and the team beautifully arranged my leftover banchan in a to-go box. 139 Division Street, between Division and Essex streets, Chinatown — Nadia Chaudhury, editor, Northeast
Sandwiches and a pie slice at Salty Lunch Lady’s Luncheonette. Stephanie Wu/Eater
I’ve been wanting to visit Salty Lunch Lady since we featured the restaurant in an episode of The Experts. We got the Dill Party ($16), the extremely popular thinly shaved turkey sandwich, and a special, the tomato sandwich ($16.50). The Dill Party was as great as everyone says: heavy on the dill, fantastic roasted turkey (which they slice in-house) — but I absolutely loved the Tomato. It was extremely simple, with olive oil-toasted bread, fresh tomatoes, and a basil mayo, and tasted exactly like summer. We closed it out with the fantastic chocolate almond cream pie ($11), which was big and rich enough to share. Pro-tip for those who can plan ahead: Order online before they open to skip the line. 565 Woodward Avenue, at Menahan Street, Ridgewood — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief
The fried chicken ice cream sandwich from the Nugget Spot. Stefania Orrù/Eater
Fried chicken ice cream sandwich from the Nugget Spot
“WTF” was my first thought upon biting into the Nugget Spot’s fried chicken ice cream sandwich ($15). My second thought: “I’m annoyed at how good this is.” It’s been getting some much-deserved attention across Instagram, and even though I’m not usually a hype-food chaser, I gave this one a try and was shocked at how well-executed it is. The chicken is crispy and pleasantly spicy, and the generous scoops of chipotle ice cream really seal the deal. Impressively, the bun remains intact even when the ice cream starts to melt — a very much appreciated feature of this mad concoction. At first glance, it looks like a sandwich you can’t put down as it would be too messy to pick back up, but I think the sturdiness of the bun definitely allows you to pause and reflect between bites if needed. Rest assured, I did not pause, and any ice cream drippings were swiftly mopped up between bites with a swift-yet-thorough scarpetta action that would make my ancestors proud. 641 Shunpike Road, Chatham Township, New Jersey — Stefania Orrù, head of video production
The PB&J cake at Hani’s Bakery. Nat Belkov/Eater
Celebration calls for cake, and just recently, we celebrated one of our own, bidding them farewell as they embarked upon their next adventure to the west coast. To do so, I turned to Hani’s, the maker of all sorts of original and reinvented sweets that turn out to be not too sweet. Nailing nostalgic flavors between layers of sumptuous vanilla bean-flecked cake, chef-owner Miro Uskokovic crowns this creation ($65) with inky wild blueberries and sesame-peanut brittle that sends the final product into an orbit all its own. 67 Cooper Square at East Seventh Street, East Village — Nat Belkov, associate creative director
The pesto campanelle at Isabelle’s Osteria. Beth Landman/Eater NY
The pesto at this friendly Flatiron restaurant was so fresh, it made me feel like I walked into a garden and took a deep inhale. The basil, mixed with just the right amount of garlic and pecorino, was almost heady, tossed over al dente campanelle, with asparagus, peas, and tomatoes ($29). It had a perfect consistency and crunch, and the generous dollop of burrata added a velvety creaminess. I grabbed a seat at the outdoor cafe, watched the street action, and didn’t even leave one noodle on the plate. 245 Park Avenue South. between 19th and 20th streets — Beth Landman, contributor, Eater NY