Welcome to Where to Eat, the restaurant newsletter that will seat you even if your whole party isn’t here yet. Here’s what we’ve got for you today:
THE WHERE TO EAT QUESTIONNAIRE ‘Strangers’ author Belle Burden doesn’t want eggs outside breakfastBelle Burden has understandably grown tired of discussing the dissolution of her marriage, which is at the center of one of this year’s most thoughtful and heart-wrenching books, “Strangers.” (Ms. Burden first wrote about the subject in a widely read Modern Love column in 2023.) Though she happily credits that relationship with expanding her food horizons, she says she was born into a family of “real eaters.” She grew up on the far east side of the Upper East Side and dined at classic restaurants, like the tiki-themed Trader Vic’s at the Plaza Hotel, which Donald Trump closed in 1989, calling it “tacky.” Since 2002, the lawyer-turned-author has lived in TriBeCa, which she still considers one of her favorite neighborhoods for dining out, making the occasional visit to the West Village or Midtown. Read on for why she doesn’t believe eggs should be eaten outside of breakfast hours, how Chinatown figured into her love story and why restaurants that refuse to seat diners without the whole party present seem “ungracious.” Read the interview →
THE BRIEF REVIEW Nin Hao★ | Critic’s Pick How many needs can one restaurant fulfill? At Nin Hao in Prospect Heights, the answer might surprise you. Here, Evan Toretto Li and his business partners have fashioned their cool, capacious dining room into a neighborhood Chinese restaurant with the versatility of a pocket knife. One weekday afternoon, I sat among W.F.H. Brooklynites pecking at their laptops as I enjoyed my bento lunch of Fujianese lychee pork glazed in a sauce that balanced sweet and savory like a world-class acrobat. But Saturdays take on the lively din of a dim sum parlor with mommy-and-me dumpling-making classes led by the chef, Kim Hui Teo. On any given day, someone might be celebrating a birthday at the restaurant, which has group-friendly seating and fun, deftly prepared banquet dishes like whole fried chicken with a coat of peppery General Tso’s sauce, or steamed barramundi atop silken tofu in a well-oiled pool of soy sauce. And I’ve heard the monthly mahjong parties are a blast. The menu is expansive — maybe a little too expansive — spanning so-so Cantonese dumplings and zealously seasoned Sichuan stir-fries. This breadth obscures the fact that Nin Hao’s draw is its unique take on Fujianese dishes, inspired in part by Mr. Li’s childhood in Fuzhou, in Southeastern China. These include beef “ban ban” rice noodles, buoyant and slick with a savory peanut sauce, and the rouyan dumplings made of pork meat wonton wrappers. Then again, maybe the restaurant’s greatest strength is rallying a community around a real vision of Chinese culture in America — not that superficial “Chinamaxxing” stuff — that is celebratory and inclusive, laptops and all. Address: 609 Dean Street (Carlton Avenue); Prospect Heights; 718-399-3232; ninhaonyc.com. Recommended Dishes: Mountain jelly salad; Fujianese spicy rouyan wonton; drunken pork ribs; Thai basil salt & pepper calamari; coco snow crab Laoganma glass noodle; beef ban ban rice noodle; sautéed string beans; Sichuan General Tso whole chicken; Fujianese steamed whole fish fillet; sizzling pan cumin lamb chop; Fujianese lychee pork (lunch and brunch only). Price: Small plates, $8 to $16; shareable main plates, $26 to $45; large format platters, $45 to $55; noodles and vegetables, $13 to $17; lunch bento boxes, from $18; and weekend brunch dim sum, from $6 to $17. Wheelchair Access: The restaurant and its bathrooms are A.D.A. compliant.
FROM OUR CHIEF CRITICS The world class restaurant hidden behind a banchan shopIf the words “tasting menu” strike fear in your heart, or simply make you feel exhausted in advance, Meju will revive you — and remind you of how spellbinding it can be to put your trust in a chef who has a genuine vision. The entrance sets the tone: a bright, trim little banchan shop with a back door that leads to a half-hallway, half-tunnel under a glittering arch, and then the darkly opulent dining room. Yes, there’s a counter wrapped around the open kitchen, that now familiar setup. But here the format feels true, as if you’re watching a chef at work in his home kitchen. There are no modern tricks, no caviar or truffles. The focus here is Korean fermentation and that most elusive of tastes: time. Read the review → THE OTHER SECTIONS Will pilgrimage for pastaHow far would you walk for pasta? Twice a year, locals and visitors to the island of Sardinia walk for 20 miles through the night to the church of San Francesco di Lula. Their reward: water, coffee, a footbath and a bowl of su filindeu, Italy’s rarest pasta. Read the story →
RESTAURANT AT HOME Sofreh’s Adas Polo ba KhormaSometimes you just need a big plate of rice. And Sofreh, a Persian restaurant in Brooklyn and No. 27 on Ligaya’s list of New York’s best restaurants, has the answer. Consider this: a mound of basmati rice studded with green lentils, onions and dates, warmly spiced with cinnamon and turmeric and served with tangy yogurt. Sounds like dinner. See the recipe → Have New York City restaurant questions? Send us a note here. Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
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