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.
I had hand-pulled noodles on the mind because I recently finished reading Automatic Noodles, a short book about abandoned robots who open a noodle shop (it’s quite good). It’s also been so long since I’ve been to Xi’an, and I was pleased to realize there was a location along my walk to the office in the Financial District. Ordering is way different now, with faster service courtesy of the digital kiosks. I went with the O.G. dish: the spicy cumin lamb hand-ripped noodles ($14.15), which handled the trek back to my desk well. It’s a glossy, beautiful pile of biang-biang noodles, lamb, and shiny vinegar-soy sauce doused in cumin and chile powder – spicy and flavorful. I recommend trying to build the perfect bite with a big chunk of noodles with a little piece of lamb, but be careful: The noodles are very long, so you’ll have to bite them apart, and be prepared for some splatters. Multiple locations — Nadia Chaudhury, deputy dining editor, Northeast
I popped into Bong with a few colleagues shortly after we named it one of our Best New Restaurants in America. Everything that hit the table was a knockout, laced with fiery, pungent Khmer flavors. The menu got quite an overhaul for the fall, including the Crabbage ($25) dish our server recommended — sauteed napa cabbage, with a roux-like sauce that reminded me of the Chinese cooking I had growing up, studded with loads of crab meat and Sichuan peppercorn for an extra punch. The menu still sports a few carryovers, including the famous Mama Kim’s lobster, but don’t sleep on these newer additions. 724 Sterling Place, at Bedford Avenue, Crown Heights — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief
Savory cocktail descriptions can create suspicion: Do I really want my drink to taste like Japanese curry? In the case of the Take You There ($22) at relocated Japanese speakeasy Angel’s Share, the answer is a definitive yes. The drink combines ingredients you can’t immediately decide will work together: butter fat-washed whiskey, pineapple juice, apple-spiced agave syrup, coconut water, lemon juice, and aquafaba; curry powder plays an important garnish. Our server provided the Japanese curry comparison, which is my husband’s favorite dish, so we had to give it a spin. The results are actually more sweet than savory; despite this, the drink really does invoke the comfort food dish, the apple notes in particular playing an important role. A great example of the precise, thoughtful, and intriguing mixology that Angel’s Share has built its reputation on. 45 Grove Street near Bleecker Street, West Village — Missy Frederick, editorial director, dining
When I was a kid, I ate a lot of leftover rice mixed into cream of mushroom soup. (Call it a mix of being Filipino and also needing to make something easy after school.) I thought about that beloved snack during a recent meal at Smithereens, when my favorite dish was also the most unassuming: a beige bowl of creamy rice ($26). Only after you dig in do you find the tender clams interspersed throughout. The chefs have coaxed out an incredible depth of flavor — the rice is rich with the sweet-but-briney quality that only bivalves can provide. The final bowl is somewhere between clam chowder and seafood risotto, though it also calls to mind the humble comfort of congee. In any case, it feels and tastes luxurious, like the upgrade to my childhood soup that I didn’t realize I needed. 414 East Ninth Street, between First Avenue and Avenue A, East Village — Bettina Makalintal, senior reporter
After two hours navigating IKEA, I was especially thankful that Cafe Kestrel could take us as a 5 p.m. walk-in, with the stipulation that we had to be out by 6 p.m. (an easy yes). With the short dining window, we opted for a few savory snacks and dessert. The standout was the fried halloumi ($15): two golden Lincoln-log batons, vaguely mozzarella stick-like in silhouette and spirit, but otherwise in a world of their own. They arrive lightly fried with a little honey and a lot of espelette, giving the dish the multi-facetedness I adore: salty and sweet; creamy and crunchy. It made complete sense when our server told us diners occasionally order them as dessert. 293 Van Brunt Street, between Pioneer and King, Red Hook — Patty Diez, associate director, brand development
With all the emphasis on fresh imported fish at Greek restaurants around the city, it’s easy to forget that lamb was the signature before they started selling Mediterranean seafood by the pound. This traditional dish ($59) at Nerai is marinated with rosemary and oregano, then grilled over charcoal. Although chops can sometimes be small, the ones here were double-cut. In case that was not enough to eat, the plate also had grape leaves stuffed with braised lamb leg and basmati rice; a creamy, sweet onion soubise; and carrots glazed with lemon and thyme-infused honey. I didn’t have room to finish the whole plate, because I had devoured so many of the crunchy rye husk lavash crackers served with kalamata olives and Greek yogurt. 55 East 54th Street, between Park and Madison avenues, Midtown — Beth Landman, contributor