Viewing NYC Articles Categorized Under Bessies Best

A Vietnamese Pop-up to Follow at Ha's Dac Biet

2020-10-17T16:00:00-04:00

I’m inspired by the upstarts forging ahead in such a trying time. I had the pleasure of dining at Ha’s Dac Biet, still a pop-up, a few weeks back at Dame, which hosts pop-ups in its West Village space on Sundays. I also highly recommend Dame, a seafood delight on its own.

My first mention on Ha’s Dac Biet is that in a city bursting with food, really great Vietnamese cuisine is more difficult to find than NYC, especially those that stray from convention. I spent a month in Vietnam awhile back and found myself craving the layers of aromatic flavors and fresh seafood. Ha’s Dac Biet answered the call with traditional dishes and some with a touch of fusion. Their menu rotates at each pop-up, but these are a good sampling below.

For the starters, I loved the grilled oysters swimming in scallion oil and peanuts. I moved onto the crispy shrimp heads, scrumptious crunch with lime, garlic, and fish sauce. I feel like Cha Gio often treated as almost a throwaway item by some restaurants, definitely not by these folks.

Then I indulged in grilled shrimp covered by what can be described as Vietnamese-style chimichurri. So flavorful and unique. The Cha Gio, or fried spring rolls, easily rivals anything I ate in Vietnam. For the the heavier main, a deconstructed meatball sandwich of sorts, surprised me with the complexity of flavor. The meatballs absorbed the fresh flavors of lemon grass, peppers, and basil nestled in strong tomato broth that went well with a fresh baguette. The herb salad was the showstopper for me, really tasted like Southeast Asia on a plate with peppers, peanuts, tomato, and scooped by prawn chips. The least overtly seafood and heavy item was a surprise favorite.

I finished the meal with Che, a traditional Vietnamese dessert, light and refreshing with pandan and tapioca pudding with fresh fruit. Really ended the meal right.

Follow their instagram to see where they are next.

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Bessie's Best: Southeast Asian Comfort Food in a Pandemic at Wok Wok

2020-08-18T12:00:00-04:00

Bessie’s Best “Pandemic Edition” is here. I had actually left NYC for a bit and came back, just in time for the COVID-19 crisis. The restaurant industry needs love, so I am back at this giving a shout-out to the places I have loved getting delivery from or am now enjoying outdoor meals at.

To start, I want to write a love letter to Wok Wok, which recently opened to outdoor dining in Chinatown. I had wanted to write about Wok Wok way back when, so I have a few pictures from better times. During the shutdown, Wok Wok was one of my go-to delivery spots. Malaysian food holds a special place in my heart, which I’ve written about, because of the incorporation of so many culinary heritages: Malay, Chinese, Indian, British, and more.

To start, I recommend the Cheese Roti as a guilty pleasure, melted cheese in Indian roti served with a flavorful spicy chicken curry dip. I spent some time working in Malaysia and would get this greasy treat on the street. Wok Wok provides the same yum factor in generous American sized portions. For the non-Cheese inclined, the Roti alone is also delicious.

For my favorite mains, the Hainanese Chicken Rice is one of the most authentic I’ve tasted. It’s an acquired taste for some since it is served at room temperature, but that really allows the flavors of poached chicken and the aromatics to shine through. Many restaurants specialize in this dish alone, and Wok Wok’s is just as good as any of the specialists.

For rice dishes, the Malaysian Pork Chop is akin to the sweet and sour pork chop but has more of a Chinese BBQ flavor. The Basil Wok with Eggplant with an egg on top is a good option for vegetarians. The Beef Curry is delicious as well.

You also can’t go wrong with noodles here. The Laksa Spicy Noodle soups are coconut-y classics. The Hokkien Noodles are also Malaysian staple, made with a dark soy sauce with meat and veggies that are different from your standard chow meins. Not Malaysian, but I do love getting the lunch special with Chicken Satay and Pad Kee Mao that holds its weight against Thai restaurants.

Pulut Hinam, a sweet coconut soup with purple rice and pandan, is a great and hard-to-find Southeast Asian dessert to end on.

The family who runs it is also super nice, and I wish Wok Wok and them the best as it weathers the pandemic.

Pro-tip: Mix and match the offerings. I’m normally hesitant of restaurants that have too much of a menu of everything, but Wok Wok is a veritable diner menu of Malaysian and Thai dishes. This is not one of those restaurants where you have to stick to one lane.

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[REPOST] Bessie's Best: Delicious Italian Small Plates and Cocktails at Da Claudio Ristorante in Financial District

2019-09-03T12:00:00-04:00

One cuisine I don't eat very often is Italian. Even though there's so much of it in New York City, it's something I've never really gotten into. Da Claudio is the restaurant that has made me quite curious about the culinary genre, so I recently set out to explore their offerings.

Da Claudio boasts "a locally sourced seasonal Italian menu and friendly modern aesthetic to one of the oldest streets in New York" according to its website. I think it excels at this and more.

First off, the gnocchi and the charred octopus are my favorites. After trying the gnocchi for the first time during a dinner with friends, I actually went back alone to have it again after work the week after. The portion is generous and punctuated by the flavors of speck, eggplant, asiago, and parmesan cheese. The charred octopus, which is an appetizer that could easily be mistaken for a main, is tender and flavored with fresh herbs and sauces.

The cheese plate is solid, but what shines here are the prepared dishes. Other standouts include bucatini arrabbiata, squid ink linguine (with a quite a helping of head-on prawns), and lasagna.

Also great at Da Claudio are the cocktails, which are creatively executed. The Negroni Da Claudio is a perfect marriage of gin, Italian vermouth, and campari with an aged blood orange as a garnish. They also do a seasonal specials using what would be savory ingredients in food, such as peppercorns, to bring out sweet flavors in the drink mix.

It's hard to find a place like this that hits every note: a hip, elegant, and modern atmosphere with high quality food at a fair price. While a plate of gnocchi will set you back $18 — not cheap — there are easily dozens of other places in the City that charge more for something easily not as good and nowhere as welcoming.

This is an excellent place to go if you have visitors in town who want to visit the World Trade Center area and Wall Street, and you want to take them somewhere away from the normal tourist drag. Da Claudio is a lot less stuffy and pretentious than a lot of similar restaurants, and the crowd is a consistent mix of local professionals and families.

Because the restaurant is so airy, it doesn't get too loud. I appreciate that the restaurant clearly has taken the effort to focus on details, everything from the creativity in the food to the pop art hanging on the walls, to the friendly owner making rounds to check in on diners.

Pro-tip: Weekday nights are a great time to go when it's not too busy. The happy hour offers a list of Italian wines and drinks. Also included is a delectable plate of apertivos, appetizers, that provide a generous sampling of their bread, meat, and cheeses.

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Bessie's Best: Enjoy Hip Caribbean Spreads at Glady’s in Crown Heights, Brooklyn

2018-02-20T10:30:00-05:00

Glady’s, a Caribbean joint in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, screams cool when you walk in. It’s definitely a place to be, trendy but with tradition. There’s a date night feel with an interior that’s been designed with a lot of thought. It feels as if you’re in some fashionable Caribbean dinner, but still get to enjoy delicately prepared comfort food.

First off, the drinks reach that near-impossible goldilocks level of not too sweet and fruity, but just right. I like the Canchanhara Rum Punch, which tastes like a sophisticated version of what you would make for a summer party. The Dark and Slushie is a great take on the Dark and Stormy.

For the heavier mains, the Curry Goat, the classic Jamaican dish with origins from India, is exceptional here. The meat is tender and delicious, with a flavor profile that is not gamey as might be expected if you haven’t had goat. Worth trying and enjoying.

Additionally, the Jerk Chicken is some of the best I’ve ever had, with evenly distributed flavors through every bite, which is something I’ve personally found rare when I order Jerk Chicken at many other places. There are a variety of other jerk items on the menu, such as pork, seitan, and lobster, but I haven’t been able to not order the Jerk Chicken every time I’ve gone.

The last meat-heavy main I like is the Oxtail. Once considered a throwaway meat, oxtail has become hipster trendy but has long been a staple of Jamaican cooking, as well as in other cultures around the region. I’ve been sad to see it fall off many menus because it’s gotten too expensive for many mom and pop restaurants, but I’m glad to eat it prepared here with style. The meat is fall-of-the-bone tender and every piece melts in your mouth like it was braised with love.

Reflecting the influence of Chinese cooking in region, the Guyanese Chow Mein appears to be a variation of Hakka Chow Mein, but with local ingredients and has a much sweeter flavor profile than other Chow Meins that brings out the fresh produce taste of the veggies rather than just a meat sauce taste.

For sides, get the bok choy and plantains. The boy choy has a heavier soy sauce component and is a bit more crispy than you’d get at a Chinese restaurant and balances out the heavier dishes. Of course, you can’t go wrong with the plantains here that have that butteriness and caramelized sweet without feeling too greasy and guilty.

To top it off, once you get your bill, you’re treated to a complimentary dairy-free Coconut Ice Cream that’s worth going for alone.

Pro-tip: Come right when they open to get seated right away. Even on a Sunday evening, you’re in for a wait at this popular restaurant. Plates are perfect for sharing.

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Bessie's Best: Taiwanese American Fusion with Heart and Soul at Win Son

2017-10-31T11:30:00-04:00

Taiwanese American Fusion with Heart and Soul at Win Son

There aren’t many places where I immediately go back to in a few days, but Win Son in East Williamsburg is one of such places. Win Son styles itself as a “Taiwanese-American eatery” combining a nostalgia for a bygone Taiwan with a post-hipster Brooklyn cool. Win Son won’t win any points for authenticity purists looking for a photographic versions of traditional Taiwanese dishes, but it more than hits a homerun for utilizing Taiwanese flavors, techniques, and ingredients, such as the use of aromatics and fresh flavors rather than heavy sauces, to remix traditional dishes not necessarily for appealing to the American hipster palate, but instead creates a more expansive Taiwanese one and adds to that cooking tradition.

For example, zhangjianmien, a noodle dish whose moniker actually can refer to a myriad of versions of noodles with a meat topping, uses lamb instead of the Taiwanese version that uses pork with a similar seasoning as a meat sauce over noodles. The bold flavor of the lamb here over thick al dente noodles ends up tasting richer than its traditional self. Amazing.

Another must order is the, Egg Beef Roll, which is a different take on the traditional beef roll, here with egg, lime, premium five-spice beef, and a sweeter soy sauce in a roti-like bread. This is the best re-imagining of a traditional dish here.

Veggie lovers don’t need to fear. The stir fried pea shoots are a classic, except Win Son also adds a crunchy topping of toasted shallots. It does the same with the marinated cucumbers, normally a more salad-like cold veggie dish. Both of these complement the more heavy and hearty dishes served here.

One more item to give a shout out to is the guohua salad, a salad made with tofu, shrimp, mango, and raisins. Usually found in night markets, versions of this exist in other parts of Asia as well, such as rojak in Singapore. Soft, flavorful, and refreshing.

For dessert, get the fried mantou, a deep fried bun with a nice toasted brown outside with soft white dough with ice cream covered in condensed milk. It’s what a little kid would want for dessert but for grown-ups.

I love how Win Son has serious touches of love for its Taiwanese heritage but is self-consciously not trying to be kitsch, trapped by notions of outdated notions of authenticity, or be another generic hipster fusion joint. Win Son is a proud son that stands on his own.

Pro-tip: Happy Hour is a steal here. Help yourself to three dollar cans of Taiwan Beer, a local brew that tastes different than other light Asian beers because of the ponlai rice used in the brewing process.

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Devour These Awesome Hipster Pies at Four and Twenty Blackbirds

2017-09-01T13:00:00-04:00

Four & Twenty Blackbirds is a pie joint in Gowanus, Brooklyn, that specializes in non-traditional pies. I don’t have much a sweet tooth, but I’ve eaten a dangerous amount of pie here in the last few months. There’s a sophistication, subtly, and freshness here to what could easily be another hipster joint just refashioning something traditional as hip.

For example, the** Matcha Custard Pie** has all the green tea flavor of your typical green tea ice cream and cake desserts combined with the sublime of pie custard. The Coffee Custard Pie does the same slam dunk. The pie hits just the right notes in bringing out the full-bodied flavor of just brewed coffee but doesn’t taste like just a variation of coffee cake.

My favorite is Hojicha Custard pie. Hojicha is a green tea that’s been dark roasted, giving it a toasted rice taste. The pie retains that charcoal quality - taking a normal custard pie to another level. It’s something I’ve legitimately not had anywhere else. This is the one I keep going back for.

For those looking for more comfort food, the Salted Honey is the answer and is popular enough to be sold out a lot of the time. For those who like it sweet, this one is for you. It was a bit rich for my taste, but definitely is something for the dessert lovers and worth a try.

Lastly for the more traditional, the Apple Pie here is baked with double crust, an extra treat to complement perfectly cooked apples. Unlike a lot of apple pies that can feel like you’re eating a apple shreds bathed in high fructose corn syrup, you can still taste the fundamentals of the apples - crisp with a natural sweetness.

I have to give a shout-out that the yummy crusts, crumbly and complex, rather than a sugary afterthought like at a lot of places.

This place feels like a neighborhood shop where you can sit alone with a book or catch-up with a group of friends, but the pies stand out enough to make it into a destination to bring out-of-town visitors.

Pro-tip: Other Half Brewery, a great craft beer maker, is just down the street. Pig Beach, an outdoor barbecue and drinks joint, is a short walk away, another good place to round out a nice afternoon in Gowanus.

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Bessie's Best: Delicious Uzbek and Uygur Halal in Brighton Beach

2017-07-13T11:30:00-04:00

The city of Kashgar is an oasis on the old Silk Road, sitting on the Western edge of present-day China, a porous cultural landscape where European, Middle Eastern, and Chinese cultures have interacted over the ages. The meeting of those cultures and their cuisines carry on in Cafe Kashkar, serving Uyghur and Uzbek food out of a small spot in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. Out of anywhere I have gone to eat in New York City, this place really boasted combinations and tastes I did not know existed.

Start with Samsa Parmuda, a bread roll with lamb and onions. The stuffing flavors taste like what would be in a Chinese bun but the bread consistency tastes like it could be European or Middle Eastern, has a slight pretzel bread quality to it. The dish is served with a light tomato dill sauce, an almost light gazpacho-like borst that tastes decidedly Russian to dip the bread in. Amazing. Also get the Manty - lamb and onion dumpling that could taste like Chinese cooking, but served with a sour cream and with dill on top. Of course, get skewers, because how could you not at a place like this.

For a main course and classic Uyghur dish, get the Bosu Lang Man, fried noodles with egg, bell peppers, tomato and lamb. The noodles retain flavor of cumin and of the thick doughy hand pulled Chinese noodles you would find in Northern China, but it is also garnished with parsley and other vegetables that you would not typically find in Chinese noodles. Influences ranging from Russian, Turkish, Chinese, and likely beyond all find their way in this dish.

For a refreshing item to go with all the lamb heavy dishes, the Lang Foo uses mung bean jelly, soft side dish that takes on the flavors of whatever it is mixed in, the vodka of cold dish starches, if you will. The jelly is often also used in Chinese and Korean dishes, but instead of with garlic, sesame seeds, cilantro or kimchi, it is instead dressed with pickled peppers, egg, dill, parsley, and tomato. The Lang Foo is the most remarkable use I have seen of this sometimes forgettable item. To drink, get the Compote, a fruit juice made with boiled fruits. Not too sweet, worth getting the pitcher. Kind of like a fruit punch but without the artificial ingredient grossness and guilt.

Pro-tips: Stay chill, this is a small restaurant with mostly local customers. Most of the staff and its clientele are mostly Russian speaking, be patient, you are a guest. The food is awesome, so be respectful and take the time for a slow and delicious meal. On a warmer day, the Brighton Beach boardwalk is less than a five minute walk away. The neighborhood is also very Russian and Central Asian in flavor, worth walking around in and steeping yourself in the culture a bit.

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Bessie's Best: Yemen Café Serving Up Lamb Bliss and Hospitality in Cobble Hill

2017-06-07T11:30:00-04:00

30 years and running, Yemen Café epitomizes the kind of neighborhood restaurant worth going out of your way for, the kind that is unfortunately disappearing all over New York City. The Cobble Hill Location on Atlantic (they have another location in Bay Ridge) is one of the few Middle Eastern eateries that still exist in the neighborhood that once a much more immigrant and Arabic. The restaurant is now sandwiched with a few other remaining businesses between a Barney’s and an Urban Outfitters. The food and vibe speak to its longevity and continued popularity.

The meal starts with fresh baked pita bread (huge difference from anything store brought), salad, a soup, usually with a lamb base, on the house. The salad has almost a salsa-like condiment that gives a little heat to the fresh veggies that complement the heartier entries.

The banner item seems to be the Lamb Haneeth, a traditional Yemeni dish, served with rice and veggies. The lamb falls off the bone and emanates with the flavor of being pressured cooked in spices. Hands down one of my favorite lamb dishes in the City and definition of a complete and satisfying meal. The Yemeni-style shakshuka is also yummy, which I’d characterize more as scrambled eggs with spice and veggie notes rather than the more tomato-sauce heavy versions from other parts of the region.

Another popular item is the Saltah, considered Yemen’s national dish, a root veggie soup with fenugeek, an herb found in many curries, that comes with your choice of Lamb Haneeth or Massloug Lamb, which I find as slightly more tender. The Fahsah is an amped up variation of the Saltah, loaded with shredded lamb. Soak it all up with the pita bread. Both the Saltah and Fahsah come in clay bowls piping hot and bubbling. Really hearty and awesome for a cooler day.

End the meal with Fattah, a shredded bread topped with honey, ghee, black seed, and a yogurt-y cream. It feels like I’m eating an extremely generous bread pudding, but not overpoweringly sweet, that is meant to be shared. Essential.

Apart from the awesome food, the other great part of this place are the people. The younger generation in the family seems to have taken up the mantle of keeping this place going. They love to explain everything in a warm way and seem to be very familiar with the neighborhood regulars.

Pro-tip: Damascus Bakery, a Syrian bakery across the street, is a great place to get more dessert and also prepared foods such as hummus and salads to take home if you’re fixing for more food from the region after a big meal at Yemen Café.

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Bessie's Best of The Village Voice Choice Eats 2017

2017-05-23T10:30:00-04:00

Last Friday, food lovers from the five boroughs and gathered at on the Village Voice's 10th Annual Choice Eats Festival, featuring over 50 of the Voice's reviewed restaurants. People got on line at the venue on a sweltering spring day long before doors opened.

Of course, I want to tell you about Bessie’s Best of Village Voice’s Choice Eats.

The overall winner of the night for me was from Obica, featuring Burrata with truffle and basil. The Burrata was so good the truffle and fresh basil almost didn't even feel needed. The tiramisu also knocked me out. Sensational, just creamy and sweet enough.

Ofrenda surprised me the most. The barbacoa had an umani flavor that I haven’t tasted outside the the southwest, complemented by great salsa and fresh radish. I have high standards for Mexican food, and Ofrenda completely blew me away.

The best heat came from Cafe Rue Dix, which served Fataya, Senegalese-style empanada, deep fried with a fresh hot pepper sauce. Most hot sauces I encounter tend to be made of a dried chili, but these were fresh peppers that burned but still had that freshly chopped taste. Even though my mouth was on fire, I wanted more.

As a lover of chicken and rice dishes, Awadh’s Chicken Biryani tasted of a milieu of spices and finely chopped herbs, you could see the craft and care in how the ingredients were spread out in the dish. Best rice dish I had from this festival.

Honorable Mentions

Horchata really did justice to Mexican street corn, the most fresh-tasting corn with the right about of cheese and flavoring, is worth visiting alone for.

The Harlem Shake added to the great ways to eat fried chicken with hot honey and jalapeño in a slider.

Fletcher's Brooklyn BBQ accomplished the rare feat of the right amount of smoke flavor and vinegar, though the ribs didn't even need the sauce and tasted like something from south of Virginia.

Nom Wah Nolita’s jellyfish salad tastes has the flavor of its dim sum roots with peanut, dried fish and jellyfish over watercress, an inventive flavor that doesn't feel like a cheap derivative or the gimmicky type of fusion.

Mooncake Food's spicy flame torched grilled lemongrass shrimp noodle salad had a great homecooked touch. I appreciate they did not skimp on the spicy level or the fish sauce flavor.

Kailash Parbat came strong with a Crispy Corn Basket and Three Cheese Pav Baji Fondue, seemingly paying homage to Indian street food dishes with a flurry of Americana thrown in for good measure.

Soho Tiffin Junction’s inventive Chicken Tikka Burger had the most tasty chicken, although light on the actual Tikka flavor, it made for a unique slider experience on a sweet Hawaiian-bun type bread.

The Festival Roll served by Peppa’s Jerk Chicken provided the best side, chewy with volume, texture, and a soft sweetness to accompany the main.

Long-time Brooklyn Restaurant Yemen Cafe’s braised Lamb Haneez and Basmati rice along with Fattah, a Yemini bread-pudding-like dessert always make for a great meal. This Brooklyn restaurant has been going strong for 30-years, and their food makes it obvious why.

Ilili Box’s Chicken and Lamb & Beef Shawarma never disappoints.

Little Neck’s Sardine toast brought a nice nautical flair, the restaurant came with the most New England and salt-of-the earth quality but also reflected its hipster Brooklyn roots.

Lolo’s Seafood Shack crafted a yummy poke-like salmon salad with citrus dressing.

Desserts
Loi Estiatorio’s Karydopita, a Greek dessert made of Walnut Sponge Cake seeped in bath of honey and spices had an old world quality to it, like a flavor that was likely much more common in a different time and place in New York City.

My old favorite Underwest Donuts came strong with their signature cake donut flavors, the Halva and the Maple Waffle. They have been expanding their presence in NYC, definitely worth trying.

The Gander, one of my favorite fancy places, served the The Peachy Keen, a vanilla financier with basil creme, spiced peach compote, and a ginger chip.

The Odd Fellow's Saffron Ice Cream with Apricot and Pistachio is a revelation. I could taste every ingredient without one overwhelming the other and not too sweet.

Whimsy and Spice baked the best dessert. After a whirlwind trip around complex flavors, the chocolate cake with just the right amount of moist made my evening. There’s something to be said about taking a simple and common dish and elevating it to a higher level, and that’s what they did. So good.

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Bessie's Best: Japanese Tea-Room Elegance at Hi-Collar in the East Village

2017-04-27T10:30:00-04:00

The East Village has no shortage of Japanese eateries, but Hi-Collar stands out in its elegance and its particular genre of Japanese culture. Hi-Collar is a kissaten, a café serving fancy coffee, tea, sandwiches, rice sets, pastas, and desserts. At night, it transforms into a high-end whiskey and sake bar. Hi-Collar only seats a dozen people, small, much like the kissatens in Japan it models itself after. It manages to not feel cramped because of some smart mirror placements and fine furnishings. Instead, it feels exclusive.

Hi-Collar’s tagline "flirting with the west" speaks to kissatens as one of Japan’s versions of when cuisines get totally localized by other cultures. Other examples would be Hong Kong’s tea restaurants or Irani cafés in India. In this case, kissatens take elements of Western foods and made them entirely their own.

The main hook here is the many varieties of Japanese-style brewed coffee. You pick your bean with your choice of aeropress, drip, or siphon for hot coffee. While most people come here to geek out on the coffee, the matcha au lait I ordered is the only thing that has ever come to close what I’ve had in Japan, superb and presented beautifully.

In terms of food, a huge draw is the omurice, a simply fluffy egg over rice dish that they do very well and is a kissaten staple. Also popular are the sweet dishes,thick fluffy pancakes and the coffee zenzai with ice cream, red bean, and coffee jellies are favorites. I love the katsu sandwich, a deep fried pork cutlet with soft white bread. They only make a limited number of these per day. The other is the mentai cream pasta with roe, mushrooms, and nori that is al dente and creamy in a way that is distinct from Italian and American varieties.

Lastly, one more thing you’ll notice is the delicate beauty of everything even though it remains understated and not stuffy. The dishes and silverware are sophisticated and unique, even the presentation of the bill comes on a beautiful tray with antique miniatures of cute brass animals. The woman behind the bar said they hand-picked them from a second hand store.

You shouldn't get take-out here, even though the food is great, but given it’s quite pricey—that cup of matcha I mentioned above will run you about $7 dollars and the pasta $12—the point of going to Hi-Collar is to take in the entire atmosphere. You’re getting the full experience of a culture beyond the usual sushi and sake places. A good comparison is how you can find decent burgers all over the world, but it’s really hard to get good BBQ north of Virginia.

Pro-tip: Go here when it first opens or close to before they turn over to become a bar, the place tends to get packed with tourists during the day. It’s also next door to another favorite, Curry-Ya.

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