With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to keep any secrets. Check back for the best things we ate this week.
Despite the fact that we need not another reason to flock to one of the most consistently hyped spots in this city, I’m about to give you one. And it’s called the lo bak go latke special at Golden Diner—four piping hot shredded potato and turnip cakes stippled with white pepper. Alongside, draped over smoked black vinegar crema comes pineapple mostarda and tiny popping pearls of trout roe. This dish is the convergence of flavors from at least two different cultures facilitated by the creativity of GD’s kitchen team. It tasted like pan-fried varenyky, sweet and sour shrimp, crab rangoon, and then of course, all the ingredients it actually includes which is to say, it’s over the top good. And I overheard it’ll likely only be around for another week. 123 Madison Street, Two Bridges — Nat Belkov, design director
Last week I went to Rolo’s for the first time, and I admit I was skeptical walking in. I sometimes feel an allergy to hype, especially when it’s one of those places that insists they’re a neighborhood spot but is booked out for weeks, and especially when I have to take four trains to get there. But damn if I didn’t find myself impressed. What sealed it was a dish of golden beets in orange vinaigrette, sprinkled with crumbles of aged gouda. It felt rich and refreshing at once, like someone took the flavor principles behind a good borscht—earthy, tangy, fatty with sour cream — and completely rearranged them. It made the four trains worth it. 835 Onderdonk Avenue, at Cornelia Street, Ridgewood — Jaya Saxena, correspondent
On my way out of the city, I made a pit stop at Roberta’s slice shop in Penn Station (which also has a full-service restaurant upstairs). I’ve long been a Bee Sting devotee, but decided to also try the Fire and Ice this time, which is inspired by an appetizer I loved at their sister restaurant, Foul Witch. Don’t be deceived by how simple it looks in the case — once it’s been reheated in the oven, the ’nduja-topped slice gets covered in stracciatella, olive oil, and fresh basil. The result is as the name suggests, spicy sausage and cooling cheese, above a hot, crispy slice — and one I’ll be ordering regularly from now on. One Pennsylvania Plaza (33rd street between 7th and 8th avenues), Midtown — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief
I finally made it to Coqodaq in Flatiron and ordered the original bucket list, the $42 per person option with chicken banchan, and signature sauces. I had avoided going early to skip the crowds — and while it’s as crowded as ever, service was great and the dinner is unequivocally a value. Of course, we got the fancy caviar-topped nuggets and the fries and mac and cheese a la carte. Even with add-ons and a bottle of bubbles, it was less than the price of dining out for three at similar places in the genre. 12 E. 22nd Street, at Broadway, Flatiron — Melissa McCart, lead editor, Eater Northeast
Last week I got to stop by Caracas Bakery in Miami, which the New York Times coined one of the nation’s best bakeries of the moment, where I ordered a cachito, a savory pastry stuffed with ham and cheese. Later that week, I had my second cachito of the month, at Lulla’s Bakery, a Venezuelan spot that opened in East Williamsburg. Highly recommend it, if you’re like me and much prefer a pastry case stuffed with savory items. Unlike a lot of new bakeries, the dining room (around the corner from the team’s first spot Casa Ora) has lots of seating, and it’s primed for work meetings. 169 Graham Avenue, at Meserole Street, East Williamsburg — Emma Orlow, editor, Northeast
2025-02-03T16:36:12Z