JEK
Senior Insider
Courtesy of Grey
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/dining/reviews/ ten-of-the-best-inexpensive-re staurants-o...
Here are 10 of the best restaurants of the year from $25 and Under and the Dining Briefs:
Diner’s Journal: Readers’ Best Meals of 2011 (December 27, 2011)
BEST PIZZA This slice joint elevates its craft with no tricks, just good technique and good ingredients. 33 Havemeyer Street (North Seventh Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 599-2210. OLIVER STRAND
THELEWALA Indian street food at its brightest and freshest is prepared into the wee hours. 112 Macdougal Street (West Third Street), Greenwich Village; (212) 614-9100. OLIVER STRAND
JOHN BROWN SMOKEHOUSE There’s so much flavor and tenderness to the pork, the lamb sausage and the incomparable burnt ends, that a dry brisket and a chewy pit beef don’t spoil the fun at this tiny, affable place. 25-08 37th Avenue (Crescent Avenue), Long Island City, Queens; (718) 361-0085. BETSY ANDREWS
UNCLE ZHOU House-made wheat noodles from Henan, breadbasket of central China, are the foundation of many delicious meals here. 83-29 Broadway (Dongan Avenue), Elmhurst, Queens; (718) 393-0888. DAVE COOK
AGUA FRESCA A snug refuge from a raucous stretch of East Harlem adapts its Mexican menu with flavors from elsewhere in Latin America. 207 East 117th Street, East Harlem; (212) 996-2500. DAVE COOK
NEEROB Mustard oil hums like low-wattage horseradish through Bangladeshi cuisine, especially in the exceptional mashed dishes called bhartas. The menu changes daily. 2109 Starling Avenue (Olmstead Avenue), Parkchester, Bronx; (718) 904-7061. DAVE COOK
ZABB ELEE The menu reflects the food of the Isan region in Thailand’s northeast. Many Isan dishes have percolated into other New York menus, but rarely with such freshness and complexity of flavor. 75 Second Avenue (East Fifth Street), East Village; (212) 505-9533 DAVE COOK
COCORON In New York, soba doesn’t have the street cred of ramen, its flashier cousin. This humble 14-seat restaurant has tried to change that. There is nothing delicate or contemplative about Cocoron’s rich and lusty broths: this is soba as soul food, what a salaryman would eat standing up, slurping, in 15 minutes flat. 61 Delancey Street (Allen Street), Lower East Side; (212) 925-5220. LIGAYA MISHAN
DO OR DINE The Facebook page of this skull-and-bones-bedecked restaurant lists 36 types of cuisine on offer, including Brazilian, German, Hawaiian and hot dogs. What is actually served is American eclectic, and it is surprisingly good. The mood is whimsical rather than ironic, thanks to the charm of the young owners. 1108 Bedford Avenue (Quincy Street), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; (718) 684-2290. LIGAYA MISHAN
BIEN CUIT The name of this bakery is French for “well done.” The baker, Zachary Golper, delivers on the promise with a baguette that’s crisp, but with a crumb that’s still chewy. Pastries are ethereal. Croissants shatter, as croissants should, showering the plate with sizable shards to be eaten with the last of your coffee. 120 Smith Street (Pacific Street), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 852-0200. JANE BLACK
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/28/dining/reviews/ ten-of-the-best-inexpensive-re staurants-o...
Here are 10 of the best restaurants of the year from $25 and Under and the Dining Briefs:
Diner’s Journal: Readers’ Best Meals of 2011 (December 27, 2011)
BEST PIZZA This slice joint elevates its craft with no tricks, just good technique and good ingredients. 33 Havemeyer Street (North Seventh Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn; (718) 599-2210. OLIVER STRAND
THELEWALA Indian street food at its brightest and freshest is prepared into the wee hours. 112 Macdougal Street (West Third Street), Greenwich Village; (212) 614-9100. OLIVER STRAND
JOHN BROWN SMOKEHOUSE There’s so much flavor and tenderness to the pork, the lamb sausage and the incomparable burnt ends, that a dry brisket and a chewy pit beef don’t spoil the fun at this tiny, affable place. 25-08 37th Avenue (Crescent Avenue), Long Island City, Queens; (718) 361-0085. BETSY ANDREWS
UNCLE ZHOU House-made wheat noodles from Henan, breadbasket of central China, are the foundation of many delicious meals here. 83-29 Broadway (Dongan Avenue), Elmhurst, Queens; (718) 393-0888. DAVE COOK
AGUA FRESCA A snug refuge from a raucous stretch of East Harlem adapts its Mexican menu with flavors from elsewhere in Latin America. 207 East 117th Street, East Harlem; (212) 996-2500. DAVE COOK
NEEROB Mustard oil hums like low-wattage horseradish through Bangladeshi cuisine, especially in the exceptional mashed dishes called bhartas. The menu changes daily. 2109 Starling Avenue (Olmstead Avenue), Parkchester, Bronx; (718) 904-7061. DAVE COOK
ZABB ELEE The menu reflects the food of the Isan region in Thailand’s northeast. Many Isan dishes have percolated into other New York menus, but rarely with such freshness and complexity of flavor. 75 Second Avenue (East Fifth Street), East Village; (212) 505-9533 DAVE COOK
COCORON In New York, soba doesn’t have the street cred of ramen, its flashier cousin. This humble 14-seat restaurant has tried to change that. There is nothing delicate or contemplative about Cocoron’s rich and lusty broths: this is soba as soul food, what a salaryman would eat standing up, slurping, in 15 minutes flat. 61 Delancey Street (Allen Street), Lower East Side; (212) 925-5220. LIGAYA MISHAN
DO OR DINE The Facebook page of this skull-and-bones-bedecked restaurant lists 36 types of cuisine on offer, including Brazilian, German, Hawaiian and hot dogs. What is actually served is American eclectic, and it is surprisingly good. The mood is whimsical rather than ironic, thanks to the charm of the young owners. 1108 Bedford Avenue (Quincy Street), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; (718) 684-2290. LIGAYA MISHAN
BIEN CUIT The name of this bakery is French for “well done.” The baker, Zachary Golper, delivers on the promise with a baguette that’s crisp, but with a crumb that’s still chewy. Pastries are ethereal. Croissants shatter, as croissants should, showering the plate with sizable shards to be eaten with the last of your coffee. 120 Smith Street (Pacific Street), Boerum Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 852-0200. JANE BLACK
