"The sauerkraut pierogis came, with a little puddle of fried onions, a dense reduction, in their midst, and a paper cup of sour cream. Eyza, a connoisseur of pierogis, was impressed." --James Traub Read more.
James Traub writes, "Frank’s serves serious food in a self-consciously non-serious setting, which is to say that is very Lower East Side." Take note: "Frank seems to have a gift for ravioli." Read more.
James Traub's favorite are the pork buns. The pork is braised for four to five hours, in star anise and cinnamon. It sits in bao, a Chinese bread, with apricot chutney in the middle. Read more.
Get the shrimp taco, says James Traub: "The delicate mixture of spices, and of hot and sweet, and of creamy and crunchy, leaves your palate feeling like it’s had a perfumed bath." Read more.
"The sequence of flavors is thus: crunchy bread, liquefied fat, crackling fat, pork. There’s no question that the best part is the thick, crispy slab of belly." --James Traub Read more.
Community contributor James Traub's favorite arepa is "the musical-sounding La de Pernil — roasted pork shoulder with tomato and mango sauce." Read more.
According to community contributor James Traub, "Pretty much everything is fantastic, both in the sense of wonderful and of pressing against the borders of conventional reality." Read more.
Community contributor James Traub thinks "Ballaro, where the brick walls are lined with bottles of wine and olive oil and cans of tomato sauce, is [a happy place.]" Read more.
Community contributor James Traub likes the mozzarella burrata with roasted tomatoes – "a beautiful soft mess served with thick slabs of grilled bread, ideal for sopping up." Read more.
Community contributor James Traub likes the buttermilk flap jacks with a spring compote of mixed berries: "The flap jacks were crisp on the edges and pillowy—not doughy—at the center. In short, perf." Read more.
According to community contributor James Traub, "The basil-and-gelato re-imagination of the capresecould serve as Giano’s signature dish." Read more.
Community contributor James Traub opines that "the kitchen’s masterpiece is without doubt the skirt steak, a narrow strip of meat so long that it arrives doubled over on your plate." Read more.
Community contributor James Traub writes, "The garden is enormous — a 3,000-square-foot space where a gas station once stood... The East Village is not a serene place; but B Bar is." Read more.
Specializing in small-plate seafood offerings, community contributor James Traub says Jack's has "the most refined cuisine in the East Village." Try the roasted oysters with chorizo. Read more.
