I’m counting down the 10 best dishes I tasted in 2024…
As I put together my list of the ten best dishes I tried in NYC, I realized just why I love this city. I didn’t purposely curated this list to be diverse in terms of neighborhood, cuisine, or price point. It just ended up that way.
New York is such a melting pot that it just comes naturally that the best food would be from everywhere: casual bakeries, high end hot spots, immigrant owned seafood markets, and include everything from an Asian vegetable to Caribbean stewed meat to a slice of pizza to every part of the pig you can imagine in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan (apologies to the Bronx and Staten Island – maybe next year).
Here now are my Top Ten Dishes of the Year:
NUMBER 5: NUMBING CELTUCE SALAD at WENWEN
Celtuce is not a vegetable we encounter terribly often in this country, but that is our loss. It’s entered my culinary world a few times since, but the best experience I’ve had with it has to be at Wenwen, a laid-back popular Taiwanese restaurant that I had been eager to try in Greenpoint.
At Wenwen, the stem-like Chinese vegetable, is served as a refreshing crunchy salad, enhanced with a dressing of red vinegar, numbing Szechuan peppers, sesame seeds, and lots of garlic. It’s wonderfully balanced and is not over the top with the heat, but gives just a light numbing sensation that is tamed by a hit of sweetness. It was so delicious. And how many people in this country can say they had celtuce for dinner?Price: $13
| WENWEN |
| 1025 Manhattan Avenue (between Green and Freeman Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn (646) 901-5644 |
| wenwenbrooklyn.com |
NUMBER 4: FIRE & ICE SLICE at R SLICE PIZZA
My first impression was that this slice from Roberta’s slice joint was a total disaster. And I mean that literally. As soon as I tried to bring it to my mouth, the toppings slid off like an oily water slide. Despite the mess, the flavors are all here.
The heat comes quick from the spicy ‘ndjua but is quickly tamed by the housemade creamy, rich burrata-like cheese and rounded out with well-dispersed basil leaves. There is an icy cool to this pizza topping. The dough, as well, is magnificent with a crusty chew and pockets of char along the undercarriage. If it had all stayed together, this would be a perfect slice, but it still is the best pizza I tried all year. Price: $6
| R SLICE PIZZA |
| 257 Moore Street (between Bogart and White Streets), Bushwick, Brooklyn |
| 108 West 33rd Street (between Seventh and Eighth Avenue), Midtown West |
| Instagram: @rslicepizza |
NUMBER 3: BRAISED OXTAILS at TATIANA BY KWAME ONWUACHI
I’m just a year off from all the other food critics in the city who have hailed Tatiana as one of the best restaurants in the entire city. That was 2023 – in 2024, they are still a very tough reservation to get. And after being lucky enough to dine here on a special date night, I can understand why.
Nearly impossible to choose a favorite dish from Chef Kwame Onwauchi’s menu, it ultimately came down to the Caribbean-influenced braised oxtails.
The dark, sticky tails were floating in an incredible reduction that had layer upon layer of sweet, spicy, aromatic flavors. Each morsel of meat surrendered immediately on each poke of the fork. The fat was perfectly rendered and it was impossible to not devour each delicious bite. Price: $56
| TATIANA BY KWAME ONWUACHI |
| 10 Lincoln Center (at Broadway and West 65th Street), Inside David Geffen Hall Lincoln Center (212) 875-5222 |
| tatiananyc.com |
NUMBER 3: EGG SALAD at THEA
I am not usually a fan of egg salad so the fact that this re-interpretation of the American lunch staple is number 2 on my list, is huge!
Thea is a hot new bakery and sibling to the hot new restaurant Theodora (still on my list) so it was no surprise when I discovered a huge line to order. The creamy egg salad topped sweet and peppery caramelized onions that were hefty and filling. Those were also mixed with a surprising spicy honey habanero vinaigrette. Along with the expected mayonnaise, the chopped hard-boiled eggs were drizzled with potent balsamic vinegar and fresh dill which provided a light complexity.
It truly was the best egg salad sandwich I’ve ever tried, which is not something I was on the hunt for. Price: $11
| THEA |
| 17 Greene Avenue (between South Oxford Street and Cumberland Street), Fort Greene, Brooklyn (212) 875-5222 |
| theabakerynyc.com |
NUMBER 1: LYSÉE at LYSÉE
I have been mourning the closure of my absolute favorite food business in New York City: Chikalicious. The Japanese dessert bar (whose praises I have sang endless times on this blog) closed this past summer because chef Chika) was retiring.
The only spot that has come close to taking its place in my heart is the Korean-inspired dessert bar Lysée. While the full experience didn’t hit home the way every visit to Chikalicious did, I can’t help but dream about the absolutely amazing inventive namesake cake.
What looks like a stark mosaic reminded me of a set of tiles with a rotating light – almost like that old kids’ game Simon. The “light” is actually a pad of gold leaf jelly that added a decadent touch to the luxurious cake. Inside, the layers consisted of a toasted brown rice mousse (the right type of earthy), sweet caramel, crunchy pecan sablé, with added bits of praline throughout for extra texture. It was just spectacular – soft, crunchy, sweet, slightly savory. It was all the most perfect things in the world wrapped up into one beautiful composition. A true work of art. Price: $17
| LYSÉE |
| 44 East 21st Street (between Broadway and Park Avenue), Flatiron District |
| lyseenyc.com |
