Le Journal

With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to keep any secrets. Check back for the best things we ate this week. French dip and zucchini fries at Revelie Raoul’s in Soho had an hour wait — which, in my experience, isn’t long for the restaurant — and yet, I wasn’t willing to commit when sibling Revelie had plenty of seating across the street. I love having dinner there since it’s so cozy and has perfect nighttime lighting, even for being a diner. A friend and I grabbed the barstools in the window. It was fun to interact with passersby who’d wave and ask about the restaurant through the glass. We split an excellent French dip ($21) and perfectly thin and crisp zucchini fries ($8, which the restaurant calls haystack zucchini). We went with wine to drink, but I hesitated as the egg creams and milkshakes are great orders, too. 179 Prince Street, between Thompson and Sullivan streets, Soho — Melissa McCart, lead dining editor, Northeast Fried yuba with crab at Bistrot Ha The Ha’s Snack Bar team opened this second new restaurant just around the block, boasting a bigger dining room and, more importantly, a real kitchen, which means a menu with fuller French Vietnamese dishes. Of our dinner, we shared the punchy leeks vinaigrette with Maggi seasoning, topped with marinated mussels — the broth was nice — and the well-dressed salad with crunchy bits. And there were two dishes I was particularly taken with: The fried yuba ($22) stuffed with crab and sweet nuoc mam (the menu notes that every dish has fish sauce, which is a good thing IMO), where the tofu skin adds this nice little springy texture, leading to the soft crab in a lovely spicy-sweet taste. It was all at once refreshing, sweet, acidic, and filling. And then there’s the curried lobster and sweetbreads vol au vent ($65), a dish that’s been served every so often at Ha’s Snack Bar, with lovely chunks of lobster and sweetbreads. 137 Eldridge Street, between Delancy and Broome streets, Lower East Side — Nadia Chaudhury, deputy dining editor, Northeast Bhapa pitha at Smart 3 Cafe Sometimes you’re driving around for an errand, and someone in the car says, “Wait, stop here and let me get us a quick snack!” That’s what happened on a detour in Jamaica, Queens, this weekend. A family friend insisted it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to get a few freshly steamed bhapa pitha ($2 each), my favorite, from Smart 3 Cafe. The Bengali word “pitha” might best be translated as a kind of cake or even a small dumpling. A Bangladeshi winter food traditionally made with the yield of the new rice harvest, bhapa pitha is semispherical, a low mound of ground rice flour stuffed with coconut and date molasses (sometimes brown sugar or jaggery). There was no time to look for parking, so after a couple of turns around the block, my family friend brought the box of pitha car into the car, which was fogged up from the frigid temperatures outside and the sweet steam inside. 168-45 Hillside Avenue, at 169th Street, Jamaica — Nadia Q. Ahmad, senior copy editor Dumplings at Lucky Tiger Fidi got a nightlife boost this spring with the arrival of Lucky Tiger, where tasseled lanterns and Chinese lucky cats oversee a red cocktail bar that resembles a moody retro cocktail bar. My friendly bartender, who I found out is also from D.C., signed off on my pick for steamed shumai ($16) — a five-piece set of ground chicken dumplings presented in a wooden dim sum box alongside soy and chile crisp. The maze of a space continues with slick crimson booths, dramatic murals, animated masks, and illuminated statues of tiny tigers, geishas, and other museum-quality Asian artifacts showcased behind glass. I kept walking to encounter a hidden back bar surrounded by neon-lit slogans and walls wrapped in retro Coca-Cola ads. My minty Improvised Carrot Drink ($19), featuring NYC’s women-owned Doce mezcal, was an ideal nightcap. 66 Peal Street, near Coenties…

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