It takes a lot for me to write about two dishes from the same restaurant two weeks in a row. It hasn’t happened since 2022 when I gushed over Gage & Tollner. And now Tatiana absolutely deserves at least two of their dishes being highlighted on these pages. In truth, I could probably keep going for the next three weeks until I’ve named (and praised) all the dishes I tried at this fantastic Lincoln Center restaurant.
But I have to give an official mention to a mind-blowing take on Chinese soup dumplings with a West African twist.
I’ve been eating as many soup dumplings in New York as possible, but nothing could prepare me for these three monster potstickers.
The fried dumpling skins swelled with a mixture of not pork and leeks, but rather crab, sea bass, and egusi stew. Egusi is a bright red Nigerian stew flavored with a complex combination of melon seeds, vegetables, meat, and spices. It’s bold, spicy, and smoky.
It’s this kind of playful interpretation of traditional dishes and a melding of cuisines that makes Tatiana one of the most exciting restaurants I’ve been to in years. And while I’m tempted to keep writing about the crispy okra, honeynut squash piri piri salad, and the incredible mezcal cocktail, next week I’m going to give a different restaurant some love. Price: $23
| TATIANA BY KWAME ONWUACHI |
| 10 Lincoln Center (at Broadway and West 65th Street), Inside David Geffen Hall Lincoln Center (212) 875-5222 |
| tatiananyc.com |
