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When ready to eat, they're not much to look at. Tasty, true, but I might not have noted or appreciated all the many ingredients of these soft Yunnan-style cold rice noodles — particularly a straw-colored thatch of shaved ginger — if I hadn't seen them (second photo) before mixing the noodles myself. Compare the presentation of la pi at Xing Shun Da.
The Rice Noodle
190 Bleecker St. (Sixth Ave.-Macdougal St.), Manhattan
646-649-3906
www.Facebook.com/TheRiceNoodle
"Hoy es día de consomé": Sunday is the only day to order this long-cooked combo of consomé de chivo and, in tacos, barbacoa de chivo. Both feature goat meat — good, if a little gamey, on my visit. The restaurant surely hearkens to the schedule of the stately Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, across the avenue, and so should you: Once services let out, it's probably wise to claim a table as soon as possible.
Mexico en la Piel
5906 Fifth Ave. (59th-60th Sts.), Sunset Park, Brooklyn
718-765-0001
www.Facebook.com/MexicoEnLaPiel5th
(This venue is closed.) Share a little garlic with your nearest and dearest: Grandma pie with fresh mozzarella. Garlic-free appetizer: stuffed shells.
H/T Brooklyn Based and @garsleat
Sebastiano's
257 Columbia St. (Carroll-President Sts.), Columbia Street Waterfront District, Brooklyn
718-875-1936
www.Facebook.com/SebastianosBrooklyn
The two forks that originally impaled my duck-fat fries reflected a reasonable assumption by the counterwoman and offered a prudent serving suggestion to me. At a communal table, I did offer to share with my immediate neighbor, who switched her mobile phone to camera mode when I sat down, but she wanted only a photo. Ultimately the fries — topped with duck confit, duck demi-glace, and fried shallots ($13) — were both my lunch and a head start on dinner.
Duck Season
917-565-7183
www.Facebook.com/DuckSeasonNYC
Various pop-up locations
From the sidewalk the seating area seems tiny. It's within enticing range of the cookers at this Nepali "kitchen home" but also exposes staff and patrons to periodic sub-Himalayan gusts from the front door. Descend to the foot of the narrow stairway, however, and you'll discover a not-quite-banquet-sized dining room and a momo-making station, too. Best bite: bhuttun, made, I believe, from goat. See also the version of this offal-laden dish as prepared at nearby Hamro Bhim's.
Nepali Bhanchha Ghar
74-06 37th Rd. (74th-75th Sts.), Jackson Heights, Queens
929-522-0625
www.Facebook.com/Nepali-Bhansa-Gar-1679469442331104
(This venue is closed.) Snowcapped in confectioner's sugar like their counterparts at Cafe Du Monde, Booqoo's beignets are rounder and more regular in appearance but just as hot and fresh from the fryer. Recommended pairing: a side of caramel sauce flavored with chicory coffee.
Cafe Booqoo
478 Smith St. (at 9th St.), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
718-858-2358
www.CafeBooqoo.com
Closed Monday
Logjam in brown and green: beef with chive, one dish from a dozen or so at a recent Taiwanese lunch. Also shown: egg with dried radish; three-cup chicken.
Happy Stony Noodle
83-47 Dongan Ave. (Broadway-Poyer St.), Elmhurst, Queens
718-335-0500
www.Facebook.com/pages/Happy-Stony-Noodle/1619422978340125
Taiwanese-American brunch: sunnyside-up eggs (decorating lu rou fan, minced pork belly over rice) and a hash brown (with tofu mayo, fried basil, and five spice).
Win Son
159 Graham Ave. (at Montrose Ave.), Williamsburg, Brooklyn
347-457-6010
www.WinSonBrooklyn.com
Thank you!
