The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week, October 2022

The amount of excellent food available in New York City is dizzying — even during a pandemic — yet mediocre meals somehow keep worming their way into our lives. With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we do come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to keep any secrets. Check back weekly for the best things we ate this week — so you can, too.

October 6

Luke Fortney/Eater NY

Chicken Biryani at Indian King Biryani House

We’re back in office, sort of, meaning my search for lunch under $10 rages on. The Financial District, an uninspiring food neighborhood on its face, is chock-full of food carts in this category, including Sam’s Falafel, where $9 gets you a falafel platter with lots of sides, and the excellent Banh Mi Cart, serving $8 sandwiches on Hanover Square. Best among them must be Indian King Biryani House, a cart whose line speaks for itself. Nine dollars gets you a takeout tray with tender chicken, rice tasting of saffron, a side salad shoved into one corner, and lots of sauce (be sure to get all three). The samosas to the right ($6) probably weren’t necessary, and technically nudged me over $10, but at a dollar apiece they were too hard to pass on. Welcome, back to my desk. Southeast corner of Broadway and Liberty Street, Financial District — Luke Fortney, reporter

Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Cheeseburger at S&P

The new owners at S&P (the former Eisenberg’s) have certainly done their research. They have resurrected a type of New York City restaurant that originated in the early 19th century and became predominant a century ago — the lunch counter. These original fast-food spots served up sandwiches, soups, and other modest fare along a counter with no-nonsense stools, guaranteeing quick turnover. One retrograde treat that S&P gets right is the cheeseburger. Theirs is a thin seared patty with American cheese, raw onions, pickle chips, and mustard instead of mayo or ketchup (or some sort of disgusting “special sauce”). This historic condiment keeps the burger on the savory side and adds a welcome tart note that doesn’t upstage the beefiness. The balance of elements is perfect, and this cheeseburger ($8) is the best I’ve tasted this year. Wash it down with a chocolate egg cream. 175 Fifth Avenue, between 22nd and 23rd streets, Flatiron District — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Nat Belkov/Eater NY

Taqueria Ramirez’s frijoles charros at Tørst

It rained Sunday when Taqueria Ramírez popped up at Tørst. In fact, it rained all weekend, which made this already delicious frijoles charros ($12) even more soul-nourishing. Seeking refuge from the elements, I huddled over a blue corn gordita stuffed with pork skin and queso cremoso, along with this piping hot bowl of stewy beans, chorizo, bacon and tomato, topped with cilantro and a couple shards of crunchy chicharron. How, with standard galley kitchen equipment, they imbued the guajillo chile-fortified chicken broth with the smokey savor of a raging campfire, I do not know. With a few pop-ups under their belts now, the Ramírez team is showing us just how agile and creative they are in the kitchen, which is a surprise to no one. Keep ’em coming! 615 Manhattan Avenue, near Nassau Avenue, Greenpoint — Nat Belkov, design director

Ryan Sutton/Eater NY

Foie gras terrine at Corner Bar

I was relieved when a court delayed New York’s misguided foie gras ban last month. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take a nice plate of sauteed ramps any day of the week over fatty liver, which isn’t something I eat more than once or twice a year. But I still get excited when a couple of chefs can find a way to make this rich, old-school delicious taste light and new. Enter Ignacio Mattos and Vincent D’Ambrosio of Corner Bar. The kitchen layers the $32 liver in between strips of jiggly pig head. If this were a sandwich, the pig’s head would be the meat, and the impossibly airy foie, the mayo. A spoonful of Sauternes jelly sits on the side, as does a quenelle of nectarine puree, to counteract all the carnivorous opulence with some necessary plant-based perfume. I can’t wait to try it again — in maybe six months or so. 60 Canal Street, at Allen Street, Lower East Side — Ryan Sutton, chief critic

Melissa McCart/Eater NY

Cheese Souffle at Koloman

I’m smitten with savory and sweet breaths and delighted that they’re making a comeback. I love this one from the newly opened Koloman in Nomad, an elegant, arts-and-crafts about-face from the dark-and-clubby Breslin. Layered with aged cheddar and Pleasant Ridge Reserve, served with a side of mushroom jam, this souffle ($26) is lovely to share as one of a collection of dishes or as a main with a salad compose: market greens, radishes, and a citrus dressing ($17). 16 W. 29th Street, near Sixth Avenue, Nomad — Melissa McCart, interim editor