Eating in the City That Never Sleeps

Food writer and TV producer Martha Jeffries shares what’s worth checking out on New York’s food scene

New York is a food lover’s paradise, so it is with much difficulty I attempt to scale down my food recommendations to fit the page.

Every budget can be met, every wild and wonderful whim satiated. From discount doughnuts to 15-course feasts, New York is sure to have exactly what you want, when you want it. Here are a few of this year’s notable trends and stand-out specials.

A recent culinary migration from Manhattan into the surrounding boroughs has seen more and more of the city’s new, star-worthy eateries appearing in Brooklyn. Samantha and Carrie be damned, Brooklyn is now officially where the best eating is at.

With Manhattan rents skyrocketing, Brooklyn has become a place where entrepreneurs can experiment. And, like many of New York’s great artists, musicians, writers and poets, the chefs have moved off the island and over the East River.

Brooklyn is now seen to represent everything locally grown, wholesome, ethical and chic. Restaurants and bars revive the style of Prohibition-era speakeasies, with purposely peeling painted walls, vintage enamel sinks and naked Edison bulbs.

The trend for home-made, hand-crafted, boutique and small-batch “Made-in-Brooklyn” is flying higher than ever. The best place to sample these goods is Smorgusburg, an outdoor food fair on the Williamsburg waterfront every Saturday. There, you can sample small portions of everything, from baby back ribs to fusion tacos to bite-sized cheesecakes.

While you’re in Williamsburg it would be a shame to miss Mast Brothers Chocolate — an open-air factory and store that sells dark, rich delights unlike anything you’ve ever tasted.

The chocolate is hand-crafted from bean to bar. So the story goes, a pair of handsome and hip bearded brothers bring organic cacao beans back from the Caribbean on a threemasted schooner and then craft the sublime bars at their factory in Brooklyn. The effort is reflected in the price, but there are plenty of in-store samples to satisfy.

If you do fork out, the chocolate will be well worth it. Flavours such as fleur de sal, serrano pepper and almond pair perfectly with the single origin beans, and these bars of the moment have pretty packages that make them great gifts.

Craft cocktails dominate the drinks landscape. If you need a bevvy after all this eating, head to absinthe and oyster bar Maison Premiere on Bedford Ave. The

Clockwise from top: Red Rooster for a taste of Scandinavian soul; Maison Premiere for liquors, liqueurs and oysters; Brooklyn, New York’s latest foodie hot spot. Pictures / Babiche Martens, Supplied

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establishment is inspired by Parisian hotel bars of bygone days and has a convivial round bar that allows you to sit and watch your drink being created from a huge selection of small-batch liqueurs and liquors. The results are incredible.

A menu of small plates is offered, but go for the raw bar and order freshly shucked oysters. A menu with more than 30 types of oyster takes some showing around. Luckily, a seafood “sommelier” talks you through the varieties.

On one recent visit, our oyster sommelier mentioned notes of watermelon, salted butter and forest floor. I was sceptical at first but that man knew his shellfish and I was delighted to savour the flavours he had brought to my attention in each silky bite. This is New York at its best. Where else can you find an expert in such a particular area but in a city this size?

A more relaxed atmosphere in which to sample the surging trend for raw bars and New England comfort food is the Lobster Joint, a seafood mainstay in Brooklyn, the Lower East Side and Rockaway Beach. Large wooden tables are communal; food is ordered at the bar. I recommend the classic — a lobster roll stuffed with fresh herb mayonnaise and rich lobster meat, served with the ubiquitous NY sandwich sides, potato chips and a pickle. Cocktails can be ordered in pitchers, a trend that’s increasing around town. I predict these will soon be served on tap, with the inevitable corresponding drop in cost. I like the sound of that!

If meat is your thing, head to Fette Sau for a real taste of Americana. A mouth-wateringly delicious barbecue joint that serves slowcooked pulled pork, Berkshire sausages, Heritage Farm Wagyu cheeks and more. Unlike our version, American barbecue is slow-cooked for 12 hours over fire or coals, giving the meat a distinctively smoky flavour and an unbelievably tender bite.

The sides at this spot are as sublime as the meats. The home-cooked baked beans will redefine your view on the dish and the tangy coleslaw and simple potato rolls perfect the meal.

Wash it all down with a craft beer on tap. Shared wooden tables give the place a beer garden feel, even indoors.

I risk excommunication by true-blue Southern friends but this place is as good (better!) than anything I’ve ever tasted west of the Mississippi, as New York often tends to do local specialities as good as the originators.

Scandinavian food has exploded on to the scene with a variety of establishments all over town. Swedish coffee shops Konditori and Fika (which translates to coffee break) offer fresh coffee and small snacks and celebrate Sweden’s love affair with the strong, dark brew.

Star chef Marcus Samuelson’s Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem fuses elements from his Swedish upbringing with Southern Soul food. Dishes like Helga’s Meatballs and Grandpa’s Gravlax appear alongside Southern favourites like Chicken and Waffles.

If you make it to Harlem, this place is a must, but call ahead — the wait can be long. In addition to the mouthwatering menu, you’ll enjoy live jazz there most days, and Bill Clinton, plus a host of uptown’s glitterati, are devoted regulars.

If you are looking for high-end Scandinavian multi-course feasts go to Luksus or Aska. Both offer degustation menus featuring hand-picked local ingredients with a Swedish flavour. Aska has been awarded a Michelin star.

On the topic of Michelin stars, New Zealand chef Matt Lambert has also been lauded with the Michelin mark of approval with one star awarded to his Nolita restaurant, The Musket Room, coowned with his wife and front of house expert Barbara.

This one is in Manhattan. The smoked scallops with black garlic and sea beans are divine and, depending on how long you’ve been away from home, the pavlova may well be worth the trip down memory lane.

If Michelin stars are beyond your pocket, head to Chinatown for cheap eats like dim sum, bahn mi and bubble tea. Joe’s Shanghai, on Pell St, is a must for superb soupdumplings — shredded pork with rich, hot, duck soup inside the dumpling. Order at least two servings.

But my favourite Chinatown spot is Xian Famous Food. You don’t go there for the service (order at the counter and your number is yelled when ready) but the food is worth sharing a plastic table with strangers.

The small hole-in-the-wall restaurant is a father and son outfit that pumps out fresh, delicious Western-Chinese food such as chewy, firm to the bite, hand-ripped noodles, spicy Cumin Lamb Burgers and a few less familiar dishes such as “spicy tingly lamb face salad”. The food is fresh, unusually good and cheap; $10 buys a feast.

The brand has recently expanded, opening new restaurants all over Manhattan and, most recently, in Queens. Now there is a borough that has exciting food.

With the most ethnically diverse population in the world, Flushing, in Queens, has Egyptian, Tibetan, Thai and Greek food all within walking distance. But don’t get me started on Queens ... That’s a whole other story.

Left, The Musket Room, owned by New Zealand chef Matt Lambert; and, right, a lobster roll from seafood chain the Lobster Joint.

For more tasty NYC eating out ideas see viva.co.nz

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