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An upmarket riff on Danish øllebrød—a commoner’s gruel of beer-soaked rye and milk—Mads Refslund’s stout-spiked bowl is a spoon-licking study in contrasts. A decadent sphere of salted-caramel ice cream soothes the heady, bitter kick of warm, Guinness-softened rye. Spoon an ethereal tuft of white-chocolate foam on top for one swoonworthy mouthful. 9 Great Jones St between Broadway and Lafayette St (212-203-2121, acmenyc.com). $10.—Christina Izzo
Save yourself a trek to Brighton Beach. At this quaint Alphabet City restaurant, chef Maia Acquaviva doles out top-notch Georgian fare, including seven types of khachapuri—yeasty, boat-shaped cheese breads. We’re particularly keen on the egg-adorned adjaruli version. Rip a piece from the hull and swirl it inside the bubbling center to form a gooey dip from the oozing imeruli and sulguni cheeses and still-runny egg. 76 Ave B at 5th St (212-353-3838, odahouse.com). $16.—Patty Lee
This stromboli-calzone hybrid encompasses everything beloved about the Bushwick pizzeria’s superlative pies. The house dough—leopard-spotted with brick-oven blistering—folds over a gooey three-cheese center (house-made mozzarella, Parmesan and Narragansett Creamery ricotta). Sweet tomatoes, peppery sopressata and smoky roasted red peppers peep from behind the charred crease like a burlesque beauty flashing some leg out the curtain before the show starts. 261 Moore St between Bogart and White Sts, Bushwick, Brooklyn (718-417-1118, robertaspizza.com). $16.—Christina Izzo
Not every empanada at Ariel Barbouth’s Vendy Award–winning food truck adheres to tradition (shiitake curry, jambalaya), but this classic rendition is by far the most addictive. Using dough made from King Arthur Sir Galahad flour, Barbouth bakes the palm-sized pies in a convection oven, resulting in a tender, greaseless pocket that envelops juicy Pat LaFrieda ground beef spiced with oregano, red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. For locations, visit twitter.com/NuchasNYC (212-913-9682, nuchas.com). $3.—Patty Lee
The cotton-candy lightness and delicate crust of these rolls—which are proofed three times, brushed with butter and salted—would be enough. But chef Chris Cipollone serves a sextet alongside two cultural-tribute spreads: a briny butter blended with Korean seaweed (a nod to owner Simon Kim’s heritage) and a pork-rich lardo, whipped with rosemary, pepperoncini and black pepper (repping his own Italian background). 430 Hudson St between Leroy and Morton Sts (212-960-3801, pioranyc.com). $6.—Jasmine Moy
Craig Samuel’s South Carolina–meets-Italy mash-up is the ultimate stick-to-your-ribs dish. Seasonal vegetables brighten the glutinous kernels—a Charleston Gold strain revived by heritage producer Anson Mills—while a dusting of aged goat cheese adds a mild tang. For fall, corn is swapped for heirloom tomatoes. 285 Grand Ave at Clifton Pl, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn (718-638-9500, bcrestaurantgroup.com). $12.—Patty Lee
Bread and butter is often a nondescript start to a meal—a gratis placeholder while your dinner is cooking. Not so at this sleek Nolita newcomer, where the house-made bread starts with flour that has been perfumed with apple and hickory wood chips in a stove-top smoker. The moist, smoky loaf comes to your table warm, flanked by a golden spread that puts regular butter to shame: Schmaltz (a.k.a. chicken fat) supercharges freshly churned cow’s-milk butter, and maple syrup adds a hint of sweetness. 220 Bowery between Prince and Spring Sts (212-837-2370, pearlandash.com). $3.—Laren Spirer
What’s better than shopping for meat? Eating meat while you do it. Perched atop the butcher’s counter, the room-temperature wings seduce with bronzed, spice-smacked skin. Dried sage, thyme and oregano nearly char during cooking, adding a burst of earthiness and a raggedy crackle to the intensely chickeny interior. Cayenne and garlic powder linger on the tongue until quenched with an inevitable second helping. 192 Fifth Ave between Sackett and Union Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-398-6666, fleishers.com). $1.50 each.—Daniel S. Meyer
Buffalo wings and blue cheese. French fries and ketchup. Some food marriages are just meant to be. To wit: Harold Dieterle’s surf-and-turf bone marrow. This blissful union of land and sea elevates an already-decadent dish, topping beef bone—split-roasted on a bed of salt—with lobes of briny-sweet Santa Barbara uni and fried potato bits. 99 Bank St between Greenwich and Hudson Sts (212-428-6000, themarrownyc.com). $16.—Patty Lee
Bridging crunch and chew, Peter Endriss’s hearty, speckled loaf is a hearth-fired beaut. A by-product of 24-hour fermentation, upstate flour and wild-levain (a yeast starter) leavening, the crackly crust hides a moist, hole-pocked crumb teeming with nutty earthiness and sourdough tang. Man cannot live by bread alone, but this stellar baton makes a good case for it. 285 Third Ave between Carroll and President Sts, Gowanus, Brooklyn (718-576-3360, runnerandstone.com). $3.50.—Christina Izzo
A stir of Gabriel Kreuther’s gorgeous crock gives off an aroma equal parts bakery and bar: The velvety soupe à la bière is imbued with Keegan Old Capital golden ale—all noble hops and biscuity malt—and sprinkled with a crisp line of crushed, nutmeg-laden pain d’épices (French gingerbread). Beneath a frothy cap of sour-cream foam lurk swatches of hickory-smoked Benton’s ham, celery strips and sweet, lobsterlike rock shrimp. 9 W 53rd St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-333-1220, themodernnyc.com). $16.—Christina Izzo
So serious that it’s served midmeal, chef Daniel Burns’s dense loaf boasts minor sourness and major crust. Sea-salt-flecked butter whipped from Ithaca cow’s milk tastes shockingly of rich, pungent Parmesan (no cheese added) as it melts into the piping-hot, just-sliced bread. 615 Manhattan Ave at Nassau Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-389-6034, luksusnyc.com). Part of $75 tasting menu.—Daniel S. Meyer
Leave it to Hugue Dufour—who, along with wife and partner Sarah Obraitis, infused museum dining with bold artistry—to fold veal brains into a Spanish breakfast frittata. Giving the sunny staple a contemporary-art edge, he punctuates a base of eggs with daily-changing oddball delicacies—house-made blood sausage and duck testicle. Served with a half loaf of toasted French baguette, the cast-iron-skillet–fried round sports a gorgeously charred crust. 22-25 Jackson Ave at 46th Ave, Long Island City, Queens (718-786-1800; magasinwells.com). $13.—Soomin Shon
Forget the regrettably stale hunks at the corner deli—the übermoist cubes from Smorgasburg vendor Jack Sorock ain’t your boring desk-bound breakfast. Oven-roasted kernels boost the corn flavor, while buttermilk and aged Vermont cheddar impart a light tanginess. A blast in the smoker turns the squares toasty and golden brown. Smorgasburg, 90 Kent Ave at North 7th St, Williamsburg, Brooklyn (chedbred.com). Sat 11am–6pm. $3.—Patty Lee
Find cheese-stuffed Georgian bread, beer-spiked soup, Southern-twanged risotto and more of 2013’s best dishes and drinks in NYC.
Loosen that belt strap—there’s plenty more standout eats to be had. To round out our 100 best dishes and drinks of the year, we’ve searched high and low to find an offal-stuffed frittata, beer-swirled porridge and a slew of bakery-fresh breads. Load up on calzones, chicken wings and more of New York’s best dishes of the year.
RECOMMENDED: All 100 best dishes and drinks
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