Little Pine opened on Division Road earlier this spring.
Illustration: Naomi Otsu
Welcome to Grub Road’s rundown of restaurant suggestions that goals to reply the endlessly recurring query: The place ought to we go? These are the spots that our meals staff thinks everybody ought to go to for any cause (a brand new chef, the arrival of an thrilling dish, or perhaps there’s a gap that’s flown too far below the radar). This month: a must-order salad in Chinatown, some scene-y new Greek, and a welcome substitute for these nights whenever you simply wish to rejoice at a steakhouse however crave one thing a bit extra fascinating.
Cafe Bar J.F. (Williamsburg)
The wedge of an area that final housed the Peruvian-focused Llama Inn is now this extra broadly South American spot from the identical staff. On a latest evening, the setting solar streamed in by the oversize home windows and the workers fortunately answered questions in regards to the every day specials, the wine listing, and a menu divided into “snacks & starters,” “barely bigger,” “principales,” and “sides” sections. Celery salad is crisp and refreshing and given some heft with Chinese language pine nuts. Arroz meloso — like a Spanish risotto — is equally good as is the tonka-bean-flecked cream that sits atop Cafe Bar J.F.’s tres leches cake. — Shay Cohen
Selene (Soho)
Once you don’t wish to go to midtown for big-box Greek, and also you don’t wish to dodge the Dimes Sq. hangers on at Kiki’s, Selene is a pleasant, still-somewhat-secret different, hiding on the second flooring of the Modernhaus resort. The beachy area is excellent for summer time, and the classics — horitaki salad that doesn’t skimp on the feta, bright-orange ktipiti with oil-slicked pita — are effectively tuned whereas grilled seafood together with purple snapper or lobster carry the slightest trace of char. One of the best shock of all stands out as the bread, a beneficiant basket of flour-dusted horiatiko psomi that jogged my memory of the Greektown eating places I went to whereas rising up in Chicago, which is served, unusually nowadays, on the home. — Zach Schiffman
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Kidilum (Flatiron)
India’s many regional cuisines are too usually lumped below one generic heading — “Indian” — which even nonetheless largely conjures “butter hen” to many individuals. However the previous few years have seen an explosion in wonderful region-specific eating places. Kidilum, which opened a number of months in the past within the former Bouley at Residence area, dives into the coastal delicacies of Kerala, on the southwestern coast, often known as the “spice backyard” of India. Kidilum means one thing alongside the traces of “past superior” in Malayalam, a neighborhood language, and “past” is an effective approximation for the vibe inside. The Bouleyan neutrals have been changed by fiery reds, oranges, and leafy greens — scorching lights, big fronds, and gold accents. As you’d count on, chef Vinu Raveendran’s cooking emphasizes seafood and tropical accents; I liked big prawns roasted below a thick masala of turmeric and tomato in banana leaves and a complete crab turned sweetly nutty in a dark-roasted coconut nandu curry. Ask for a tour of the spice room downstairs, with vials of barks, berries, herbs, and peppercorns. When you’re fortunate, you’ll be despatched house with a squeeze bottle of selfmade scorching sauce and slightly jar of lemon pickle. — Matthew Schneier
Oriana (Nolita)
It’s midtown on Mott Road: The lengthy, wood-clad, auburn-leather–adorned bifurcated area feels unusually massive and opulent for a downtown restaurant, but it surely’s a becoming showcase for chef Andy Quinn’s formidable, wood-fired cooking. Settle in among the many curious regulars from the group’s first restaurant, the Noortwyck, and loosen up. The meals is extra artistic than something that’s bought at even probably the most nouveau “steakhouse,” however the transfer is to deal with this restaurant the identical method: a possibility for event eating. Begin with stuffed morels over creamy grits or a skinny sheet of bluefin tuna draped over rhubarb and anchovy. Transfer onto the large stuff: pork chops, hen, thick slices of hanger steak, or complete turbot for simply shy of $200 in the event you’re feeling spendy. And, simply as you may at a steakhouse, you may get a chive-topped twice-baked potato on the aspect; this one is completed on the grill and served over a sauce slicked with smoked bone marrow. — Alan Sytsma
Little Pine (Chinatown)
Flushing’s Fu Run was my first introduction to Dongbei delicacies in addition to my favourite restaurant for a few years — till it closed in 2020. As of this spring, Little Pine has stepped in to fill the void on the Decrease East Aspect with Northeastern-style braised pork bones and Mongolian cumin lamb. On a heat, steamy day, it was good to start out with some (complimentary) cucumber-infused water and a few chilly dishes. Rainbow glass-noodle salad begins with chewy, pappardelle-wide noodles and salty shredded pork surrounded by a hoop of shredded greens and tofu pores and skin tossed in a darkish sesame dressing that stands as much as all of it. Tiger salad resembles little greater than a bowl of peanut-topped cilantro leaves and scallions and is a must-order dish, coated with one other completely calibrated dressing and packing incognito warmth from shredded inexperienced pepper. I stored returning for a chunk between grilled lamb skewers and crisp-battered slivers of sweet-and-sour pork with a vinegar-heavy glaze that made my eyes water. — Tammie Teclemariam
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