Restaurants To Try This Weekend in NYC

Welcome to our column in which we offer recommendations on fall Fridays, with both new restaurants, as well as unsung dishes or drinks from familiar places.

After all the birria pizzas, birria ramen, and birria trucks selling just plain birria tacos, you thought birria was dead? Well, now there’s a dish from Hen House, a restaurant opened by Smorgasburg veteran Antony Nassif. With chicken and lamb shawarma or chicken piri piri, he touches on dishes from around the globe. One item, lamb birria ($25), is a rare commodity in NYC, compared to the omnipresent beef. Hen House transforms lamb birria by putting braised and shredded lamb into markouk — a Lebanese bread that’s big and round like a spare tire. A cup of dipping broth comes alongside, which tastes more like a French consommé than a Mexican one. Tear it apart with your hands, dip, and enjoy! 120 First Avenue, near Seventh Street, East Village

Hen House

If you thought the city’s fundamental BEC (bacon, egg, and cheese) couldn’t get any better, drop by La Cantine. It’s a Bushwick daytime cafe and an evening wine bar. Don’t miss the stewed poblano pepper on a BEC: an utter delight ($13, $10.50 without bacon). Hold it over the plate as you eat, because it’s going to drip plenty. 60 St. Nicholas Avenue, at Willoughby Avenue, Bushwick

Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Melissa McCart/Eater NY

Eric and Bruce Bromberg behind Blue Ribbon restaurants have quietly opened the casual Blue Ribbon Sushi & Sake, run by Tetsu Yagi, featuring la carte and omakase options at reasonable prices for these days. The menu includes a lobster miso soup ($15), sunomono offerings (vinegared things) like kyuri cucumber ($11), appetizers such as toro tartare ($38), seven- to 12-piece nigiri ($36, $52), and hand rolls ($10 to $18). (Omakase is around $145.) The cozy room is terrific; it’s small, by the way, with only has 12 seats at the bar and a handful of booths. Sake by the glass, box, and bottle is available in several variations (junmai, ginjo, daiginjo, genshu, and nigori), with its house Blue Ribbon versions among every category. Open Tuesday through Saturday for dinner. 34 Downing Street, at Bedford Street, Greenwich Village