Food & Wine October 2023

2022 FILLABOA ALBARIÑO ($25) Getting to Spain usually requires a flight, but I was transported there this summer by a glass or two of this citrusy-stony Albariño from Galicia’s Rías Baixas region and some excellent chorizo-spiced mussels from Top Chef alum Sara Hauman’s Portland, Oregon–based Tiny Fish Co. (thetinyfishco.com). 2021 DR. LOOSEN RED SLATE RIESLING TROCKEN ($18) Looking for a crisp fall white that’s also a total steal? This dry German Riesling from one of the Mosel’s most storied producers is so brightly flavorful it’s almost electric, with vibrant citrus and spice notes. It’s a perfect wind-down wine after a long day of whatever it may be that you spend your long days doing. 2021 FRATELLI ALESSANDRIA PRINSIÒT LANGHE NEBBIOLO ($32) This is a “baby Barolo” that really lives…

Maestro De Ceremonias SOME OF THE WARMEST and most emotionally resonant hospitality in the country right now is being shared nightly at the Mexican American cocktail bar Superbueno in New York City. Go when the sun sets over the northeast corner of First Avenue and East 1st Street in Manhattan—it makes the room glow. Order one of the exceptional drinks, like a puckery green-mango martini, and snack on tacos made with heirloom blue corn tortillas and grilled skewers of juicy pork shoulder, pineapple, and charred spring onion. Or go later, when the bar glows deep red. When the energy builds, the bartenders push the pendants so they sway like pendulums over the bar to the rhythms of salsa, reggaeton, and cumbia from all over Mexico, Central America, and South America.…

BIRDIE’S IS THE RESTAURANT that everyone wants in their neighborhood. There’s a long list of reasons why a line wraps down the restaurant’s stretch of East 12th Street in Austin before the doors open at 5 p.m. Many will say they line up for the restaurant’s famed beef tartare served with a dramatic carta di musica, or the wonderfully caper-heavy chicken piccata that appeared on the menu for their Italian pop-up, Aiello’s. Both are prime examples of chef Tracy Malechek-Ezekiel’s deftness with seasonal ingredients and unfussy-but-finessed approach to food. It’s definitely worth braving the line for whatever pasta Tracy decides to showcase on the menu that week, like her crushable, perfectly bouncy gnocchi sardi in a tomato sauce with a shower of pecorino and crunchy breadcrumbs. The same can…

I’VE SPENT THE PAST FEW YEARS on a quest to figure out my ideal post-meal beverage. There are two boxes that it must check: First, the drink needs to be slightly bitter to help with digestion, and second, it should be something you want to linger over, letting the final bits of conversation gently unfurl as condensation forms on the glass. And now that I have crossed the threshold of a certain age, it can’t be caffeinated. (I value sleep!) I rotated through several amari and quickly learned that an after-dinner brandy was not for me. I love the flavor of espresso martinis, but they can be a bit fussy to make, and I have a visceral dislike for clunky martini glasses. The solution? The carajillo, more specifically, the decaf…

THE RESULTS Celery Root Tartare Koloman, New York City For this tartare, chef Markus Glocker salt-bakes whole celery roots and then grinds them up, just as he would beef. They’re dressed with brandy, capers, and a tomato reduction, then covered with a heaping pile of Parmesan. This sweet and tangy orange tartare spreads like butter on the celeriac rice cracker that sits beside it. Venison Tartare Lord’s, New York City 2023 F&W Best New Chef Ed Szymanski (see p. 130) found that venison is exceptional when paired with other woodsy ingredients. Rosemary oil balances out the sweetness, while salsify (oyster plant) adds a delicate, artichoke heart–like flavor. For acid, Szymanski leans on his British roots by throwing in pickled mustard seeds. Tuna Tartare Bar Spero, Washington, D.C. To achieve…

FRIED HEN-OF-THE-WOODS CANLIS, SEATTLE 2023 F&W Best New Chef Aisha Ibrahim (see p. 111) turns mushroom porridge on its head by serving a starchy, koji-packed chestnut porridge with a fried mushroom sidecar coated in her “bulletproof” tempura batter. “It took me and my partner three years to develop,” Ibrahim says. CRISPY MAITAKE PLACE DES FÊTES, BROOKLYN Since black maitake mushrooms contain a lot of water, chef Nico Russell steams them and presses out all the liquid. They’re then dredged in a potato flour mixture, dunked in tempura batter, and fried until golden brown. Each mushroom is served with black garlic fudge made from the reserved liquid. CRISPY CHICKEN OLIVIA, LOS ANGELES The “chicken” in chef Mario Alberto’s dish is actually tender, masa harina–battered oyster mushrooms served with a gochujang…