Notable Tastes of 2008: Part 1 – New York
January 2nd, 2009
last exit, New York, 2008
New York, NY – With the end of 2008, many are funneling their nostalgia into an annual roundup and since I’m feeling a little nostalgic myself I’ve made a list of notable tastes of 2008. The first is tastes of New York in the first half of 2008, and tomorrow I’ll followup with the second half of the year in Southeast Asia. This isn’t a list of the best new dishes or the best new restaurants, in fact everything on my list has been around for at least a few years, but each stuck out in my mind as something worth going back to in 2008. So, without any ranking, which would be utterly arbitrary, here it is:
Sushi Yasuda – There are many prettier, more modern and more creative Japanese restaurants in the city, but this old school temple devoted to the art of sushi remains on top. Requesting an omakase reservation in front of Yasuda san is a must for witnessing the master himself dance with the fish. His movements are gently efficient, without a hint of strain or excess. When after deftly, magically working the bar, he softly sets a piece of meltingly fatty otoro in front of you, with a squeeze of lemon juice a sprinkling of flaked salt, he repeats “simple is best,” which indeed it is. This stuff doesn’t need soy sauce or anything else for that matter. It’s the apotheosis of fresh fish. I’ve heard from some that he is able to figure out, by sizing up stature and pace of eating, how much it will take to bring a person to the perfect state of fullness, but when I went there for Valentine’s Day he smashed us over the head with over 80 pieces of sushi and that was only after we begged off. I’ve never been so full in my life. We ended up passing out in our hotel room directly after. But I’m still in love.
Tacos Matamoros – There are some who say that you can’t find good Mexican food in New York. Now I grew up in Western Massachusetts, no bastion to Mexican, Tex-Mex, Cal-Mex or any of the like, but I will say that the food at Tacos Matamoros begs the question of why you would ever spend more than $10 on a meal. The al pastor tacos are divine, a double stack of corn tortillas overflowing with flavorful pork and the most perfect balance of onions and cilantro, heightened only by a squeeze of lime. Now there’s nothing wrong with the restaurant itself, but it’s well worth getting takeout to bring across the street to the aptly named Sunset Park. Stuff yourself with messy, juicy tacos, wash them down with a horchata, and take in the sunset, amongst picnicking Mexican families and youths kicking around soccer balls, with one of the best views of the city’s skyline.
Franny’s – My favorite neighborhood restaurant in all of New York is, thankfully, in my own neighborhood, Park Slope, Brooklyn. I’ve only advocated three restaurants to my mentor, an Upper West Sider with a razor-sharp palate, and I dragged her all the way to Brooklyn for this one. Thank god she loved it. Their pizzas, with a chewy, scorched crust and pristine ingredients, put many established New York pizzerias to shame, their small, seasonal appetizers are deceptively simple and outrageously delicious, and their pastas, rotated back into the menu only after everything else had been perfected several years past the restaurant’s opening, are perfectly cooked and richly unctuous. The creamy rigatoncini with pork sausage was not only one of the best pastas I’ve had all year, it’s one of the best pastas I’ve ever had.
Momofuku Ssam Bar – Before saying anything further about my favorite restaurant in New York, I suppose I should disclose that one of the managers is someone quite close to my heart, but Ssam Bar has already been showered with a dizzying number of accolades, mine being the least significant. Most recently, the flagship restaurant of the burgeoning Momofuku empire was awarded three stars by Frank Bruni the New York Times, a real feat for casual dining. Though Dave Chang and his merry band are known for their unabashed enthusiasm for all things pork – the famous pork belly buns, the bo ssam, the country hams, etc – I particularly love the raw bar. Both the oysters with kimchi consommé and the cured hamachi with edamame and horseradish never cease to delight. However, my favorite was a raw scallop thinly sliced with a lemon pureé, pickled cherries and julieened seaweed. I had the dish when I brought my mother, who’s never been enamored with this particular bivalve, there for the first time. Of course, the dish was outstanding, but watching my mother’s eyes pop in revelation and pure joy was enough to remind any New York food cynic of how lucky one is to live in our fair city.
Pegu Club – While fancy new cocktail bars with hidden doors and obtuse entry procedures are opening up each year, the Pegu Club, home to the brilliant and exacting Audrey Saunders, remains the gold standard for the city’s new wave of serious cocktail bars. Made by highly skilled, historically minded bartenders after months of experimenting with the best ingredients, the cocktails here are a virtual bargain at $12-16. The Whiskey Smash (first conceived by Dale Degroff, I believe), surprisingly light and refreshing, opened my eyes to brown spirits. And I would dare anyone who says they don’t like gin to say it again after they’ve tried the Gin Gin Mule, a sprightly mix of Tanqueray gin, lime juice, mint, simple syrup and homemade ginger beer garnished with crystallized ginger. Of course, many like the classic Manhattan, which is served to stay cold half in a glass and half in a carafe over ice, and the Earl Grey MarTeani, which uses gin infused with earl grey tea from specialty tea importer In Pursuit of Tea. Still the drink I keep going back to, even when it’s off the seasonal menu, is the Intro to Aperol, a mix of Aperol (a bitter Italian aperitif similar to Campari), lemon juice, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, garnished with a flamed orange peel. It’s fruity, slightly bitter and dangerously delicious.
Sushi Yasuda
204 East 43rd Street (nr 3rd Avenue)
New York, NY
212.972.1001
Tacos Matamoros
4508 Fifth Avenue (at 45th Street)
Brooklyn, NY
718.871.7627
Franny’s
295 Flatbush Avenue (nr Park Place)
Brooklyn, NY
212.230.0221
Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Avenue (at 13th Street)
New York, NY
212.254.3400
Pegu Club
77 West Houston Street, 2nd Floor (near West Broadway)
New York, NY
212.473.7348
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