Napa cabbage and beef short rib soybean stew at Koryo Kalbi Korean BBQ
At Koryo Kalbi Korean BBQ, they know a thing or two about excellent kalbi (beef short rib), the Korean barbecue icon from which they take their name. Once you’ve tried it marinated and grilled, try it in a hot pot (look for #15, ugeoji kalbitang): it’s tender and flavorful in a bowl full of hearty, peasant-y goodness, with Napa cabbage and a preserved soybean broth, like a deeper, heartier, earthier, sweeter miso.
Topinambour soup at Bullion
Michelin-star chef Bruno Davaillon does wonders with the subtle root vegetable, sunchoke, which he turns into a sable-colored velvet they pour tableside. He accents it harmoniously with delicate sunchoke croutons, bits of roasted sunchoke, and a spoonful of truffle-butter to spread on brioche toast—a tiny, decadent mouthful to bring all the subtlety into focus. Brilliant.
Crab and leek chao at Mot Hai Ba
In Peja Krstic’s beautiful brunch dish, part of this year’s new brunch menu at the his tiny, intimate modern Vietnamese restaurant, rice porridge turns elegant, with tender morsels of blue crab, gorgeous fish sauce caramel, coriander oil, fried shallots, the aromatics of kaffir lime leaf and ginger, and leeks braised in butter till they’re impossibly soft and sweet. I have an incredible soft spot in my heart for the chao, a cousin to congee. It’s a bowl-full of elevated comfort.
Duck and taro root hot pot at Kirin Court
One of my favorite dishes at Kirin Court is roast duck and taro root, one of their beautifully executed clay pot selections that come sizzling to the table, wafting tantalizing aromas when the wait staff dramatically lifts the lid. Tucked into its cauldron, the taro is soft, the duck strong and rich, the duo mesmerizing in a sauce of ginger and coconut milk with leeks and straw mushrooms. It’s the most soulful rendition of taro I’ve ever eaten. (These words, cribbed from my review earlier this year, are as true now as ever.)
Soup dumplings at Fortune House
With the natural sweetness of pork and the subtle flavor of crab, the soup dumplings at Fortune House are the best I’ve found in the city. The broth inside is buttery, liquid velvet. Saucers of chile paste and vinegar with strands of fresh ginger stand ready for dipping. For a perfect winter weekend morning, I would accompany these with steaming bowls of house-made soymilk in which to dunk a Chinese cruller, porous and rough as a loofah and chewy.
