Amadai (Japanese tilefish) is a luxury in Kyoto that often gets pickled and grilled. But Otto Phan deep-fries it, scales and all, basically turning the fish into cracklings, which he crowns with caviar and horseradish before placing it directly into your hand. It feels dangerously fragile, but it hits your tongue with the force of … Read more
Think you’ve seen everything under the fried chicken sun? Darnell Reed begs to differ, lightly coating his fried chicken in a proprietary mix of Creole seasonings, Crystal hot sauce, and lots of melted butter. He calls it “gospel bird,” and it’s a firecracker of smoky, peppery flavor. We’re only too happy to spread the good … Read more
Lula’s brunch is the great equalizer, an approachable menu that can sustain both food obsessives and those who couldn’t care less what they eat after a night of drinking. The burly burrito from chef Jason Hammel (pictured) is the pinnacle of the form: Just avocado, cheese, eggs, vegetables, and potatoes, assembled with care, in ideal … Read more
Sometimes the best decision is to sit back and let the ingredients do the work, as has been done to exceptional effect at this three-year-old Spanish-style seafood spot. Case in point: the boquerónes. It’s a simple plate of white anchovies, swimming in a lake of peppery Spanish olive oil and dressed lightly with fennel, piquillo … Read more
This decadent centerpiece consists of a sea of fusilli guarded by three juicy cacciatore sausages, four immense soppressata meatballs, a fall-off-the-bone tomato-braised pork shank, and a helluva lot of oregano. It’s a protein-and-carb orgy. If you plan on ordering it, bring reinforcements.
Eddie Lee made a bold decision to try and one-up the legendary chicken lollipops at Albany Park’s Great Sea Restaurant. Be glad he did: This is twice-fried poultry that bests its predecessor, with exceptionally crispy skin glossed in a zingy sauce that makes the meat glisten like amber. Each order comes with a paper boat … Read more
PST’s best dishes create harmonies not just between ingredients but — in true California tradition — between cultures. Prime example: A swipe of creamy hummus with hot-from-the-hearth pitas may place this dish in the Middle East, but then the kitchen adds crisp-tender nuggets of octopus, a paprika vinaigrette, and a flurry of basil, and suddenly … Read more
In their restaurant’s nascent days, co-owners Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark planned to make an array of Asian-inspired breads. Instead, they made just this one, and it’s never left the menu. The dense little pincushion of a loaf is an homage to a loaded baked potato: It’s made with bits of potato, flecked with bacon … Read more
Tteokbokki, a snack of chewy fried cylindrical rice cakes in spicy sauce, is the dish that moved chef-owner Jennifer Kim to explore the unlikely bridge between Korean and Italian cuisines. Instead of stir-frying hers, she sears the cakes in a cast-iron pan to give them more texture and replaces the typical gochujang-based sauce with a … Read more
Is it sacrilege to go to a pizzeria specifically for a salad? Perhaps, though it’s a sin easily forgiven at this diminutive joint. The key to the minor masterwork is the texture: a happy cacophony of crunch, from thin tendrils of Brussels sprouts to bits of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, the whole tossed in an … Read more
