DISH OF THE WEEK in New York: Everything Spring Rolls at BKK NEW YORK

The Place: In many ways, BKK Thai feels like a Midtown restaurant, but I found it to be a lot more ambitious than what this neighborhood implies. It’s sleek and narrow with a modern, funky vibe. It very much feels like the after-theater restaurants in and around Hell’s Kitchen. Some of these places have good food to go along with it and others are cheesy and overpriced. Thankfully, BKK New York fits into the former category.

The Menu: Much of the Thai menu here looks traditional, but throughout there are some creative concoctions that play to a specific theme. The chefs take classic New York flavors, ingredients, and put a Thai spin on them. For example, a hot dog here is made with a spicy, herby Northern Thai sausage. There’s also a French dip sandwich but with braised brisket, mayo, and a Thai beef broth for dipping. Even the cocktail menu takes on some NYC themes – one’s even called “One Dollar Slice” with Tequila, Cheese, Tomato, and Basil(!)

The Dish: I wish I could have tried all of these fusion-y dishes, but the one that stood out for me were the Everything Spring Rolls. Despite being just a tad greasy, these cigar shaped rolls were super crunchy with a tender filling of vegetables (carrots, water chestnuts, cabbage) and noodles. I’ve had spring rolls many times before, but I’ve never had them crusted with everything seasoning. The nod to NYC bagels didn’t stop with the garlic, seeds, and salt. The dipping sauce for these was a brilliant Cream Cheese Pineapple sauce made with coconut milk. While this could come across as gimmicky (especially in the Theater District where everybody’s gotta have a gimmick), it really felt thought out and truly incorporated the flavors of both cities – Bangkok and NYC. Price: $14