Snacks in all forms
A multitude of new places, my favourite spots to take visitors, and a curly snack that leaves you wanting more.
This week’s hits:
PWKA (Place Worth Knowing About): Sunn’s, Elbow Bread, Bar Oliver (I couldn’t choose)
Ask Club Raisin: Places to go with friends visiting from out of town
Surprise: My favorite snack right now
PWKA: Sunn’s, Elbow Bread, Bar Oliver
I couldn’t decide what to write about this week, so instead, I’m doing a little bit on a few new places that I’ve tried and enjoyed recently—a snack plate of recommendations, if you will.
They all happen to be within walking distance of each other, should you want to make a day out of them (which is precisely what I did).
Sunn’s
Recommend for: a date night that feels different or a fun dinner with a friend
A very popular pandemic pop-up that now has its own permanent home, Sunn’s is a tiny, Korean wine-bar-slash-restaurant that punches significantly above its square-footage. The chef has worked at places like Eleven Madison Park, Blue Hill, and Estela, but the food here feels uniquely personal and, most of all, fun. You should absolutely get the banchan that they’re known for (my favorite was the mushooms) and the spicy tuna mayak kimbap, which comes with a delightful crunch in the form of Rice Krispies.
Elbow Bread
Recommend for: breakfast, a snack, any occasion that benefits from carbohydrates
In the midst of a bakery boom in this city, the recently opened Elbow Bread stands out. Its a Jewish American bakery from an extremely talented trio of Zoë Kanan and the Court Street Grocers/S&P team Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross, and each bite here feels both traditional and new at the same time. There’s challah, bialys, and knishes—I’ve yet to work my way through all of it but my absolute favorite so far was the vanilla challah honey bun, which was stretchy, soft, sweet and buttery with the perfect amount of crispiness.
Bar Oliver
Recommend for: a sunlit aperitivo
Bar Oliver is a Spanish-ish bar that recently opened in a stretch of Chinatown that I often find myself in in the late afternoon, having moseyed around the nearby galleries and tiny shops and wondering what to do next. So I’m personally thrilled about its addition to the area, as the cafe and wine bar, with its large windows and soft red booths, makes for a perfect sunlit late-afternoon aperitivo. I particulary enjoyed their pineau spritz and plate of olives at my last visit to their window seat.
Ask Club Raisin: Places to take visitors
I love when friends visit and I love taking them to the places I love. Here are just a few:
Estela: a soft-lit, small-ish, New American restaurant that feels inherently New York and has a menu that I simply will never get bored of.
Banzarbar: a tiny speakeasy hidden above Freeman’s where the drinks will take you on a journey.
Win Son Bakery: a well-known establishment for a reason—the mochi donuts and scallion BEC are worth a trip to New York alone.
Surprise: A playful snack
At a friend’s place recently, a bowl of what appeared to be curly string cheese was placed in front of me. I took a piece, peeled it satisfyingly in half and popped it into my mouth. Armenian string cheese, I learned, is a salty cheese laced with nigella seeds that is braided into curls and particularly popular in Georgia and Armenia. It is both more-ish and delightful to look at, and I’ve been stringing pieces off as a mid-afternoon snacks for months. If that sounds interesting to you, you can find it in most grocery stores, usually by the mozzarella.
