The Best Dishes Eater NY Editors Ate This Week

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 weekly for the best things we ate this week.

Chickpea sponge dhokla at Passerine

This humble vegetarian cake made of chickpea flour has a texture something like cornbread, and is a staple of Gujarat in far western India, not far from Mumbai. At Passerine, a new upscale Indian restaurant a stone’s throw from Gramercy Tavern, chef Chetan Shetty, who is from Pune and has cooked in New Delhi, Washington, DC, and Chicago, plays with Indian flavors to make showy dishes, often enhancing humble recipes with luxury ingredients and thoughtful presentations. These bite-size dhokla ($10 per pair), part of his lounge menu, are squiggled with a pumpkin masala and decorated with pomegranate seeds for little tart bursts of flavor. 36 East 20th Street, near Park Avenue South, Union Square — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Nat Belkov

Chicken liver mousse at Agi’s Counter

Domed high onto a thick slab of griddled potato Pullman like a towering scoop of gelato that somehow fits into what seems like the tiniest cup or cone, the sultry-smooth texture of this mousse ($13) could not have been more spot on. Amplified by what I imagine was a healthy pour of Ruby Port, a good dose of cracked black pepper, and tons of flaky sea salt, the crispy fried sage and juicy halved grapes were quite literally the cherry on top of this dish. When I took my seat at the counter, it was crisp and fall-like outside, rendering perhaps Brooklyn’s coziest little dining room even cozier. If it ever rains again in this city of ours, or—dare I even mention it—snows later this winter, this is where you’ll find me. 818 Franklin Avenue, near Eastern Parkway, Crown Heights — Nat Belkov, design director

Annie Harrigan

Roman pistachio maritozzi at Il Buco Alimentari

If you’re anything like me and gravitate towards sweet breakfast items over savory ones, you should run, not walk, to Il Buco Alimentari for their new breakfast offerings. The iconic NoHo restaurant, known for its salume and breads, is now churning out some of the most decadent breakfast pastries I’ve ever had. While the seasonal pumpkin olive oil cake and their sugar-coated bombolone are both worth a try, their roman pistachio maritozzi is an absolute showstopper. Italian brioche is filled to the brim with sweet ricotta mousse and topped with crumbled pistachios for a rich, creamy, and crunchy combo bound to impress pastry-lovers everywhere. 53 Great Jones St, New York – Annie Harrigan, editorial coordinator

Golden Haytime bars at Acru

The entire tasting menu at Acru is full of hits, including the scalloped potato bite and the damper bread, but my favorite dish was the Golden Haytime bars, presented as part of the trio of desserts. It’s a classic Australian sweet treat — Golden Gaytime bars — reimagined with bruleed pretzel and hay-infused ice cream. At under $95, the tasting menu is a great deal, though the worthy add-ons (cheese course, cocktails) easily tip it into the three-figure mark. Go while you can still get a reservation, or walk in for an a la carte menu at the bar. 79 MacDougal Street between Bleecker and West Houston, Greenwich Village —Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief