The 100 best dishes and drinks in NYC 2015

It’s two iconic New York desserts in one: The soft, spongy iced shortbread known as the black-and-white cookie and the Bowery pushcart-born ice cream sandwich. But it’s also the meeting of two beloved local sweet purveyors, small-batch creamery Ample Hills and oversize-cookie maker Baked. A puck of vanilla malted ice cream is fitted Chipwich-style between two thick, fondant-frosted black-and-white cookies with malted fudge and then rolled in malted-chocolate Rice Krispies. Showing off New York pride never tasted so sweet. $7

Frozen-sweet whiz kids Kendrick Lo and Paul Kim are known for their off-the-wall ice cream flavors (bacon, egg and cheese sundae; Vietnamese coffee with doughnut truffles), but this more subtle tea-based concoction will stay with you long after the last lick. A rich cream base is infused for 24 hours with Nilgiri tea leaves, a fragrant black variety native to southern India, and then swirled with an otherworldly salted butter caramel given a citrusy kick from finely ground, oven-charred lemon zest. $4.75

Don’t want to curb your ice-cream consumption even into the cold-weather months? The ever-inventive Sam Mason has you covered. The scoops wizard introduced this panini-warmed sweet at this fall’s sandwich-shop reboot of OddFellows’ East Village location. Like a dessert-world Hot Pocket, a brioche bun is pressed around a core of the parlor’s rich ice cream in flavors that include corn bread with cornflake crunch and blueberry compote, brown-butter sage with spicy almond and honey, and an unabashedly crowd-pleasing bacon variety with candied pecans and spiced maple syrup. It’s the indulgent intersection of savory and sweet, toasted and melty. $8

Move aside, Cold Stone. The a la minute ice cream of the year was the Thai-style i tim pad roll-ups at this Chinatown parlor. Liquid crème anglaise is poured onto a thermoelectric cold plate and scraped into finger-sized rolls as it congeals in real time, resulting in a light, airy consistency that has kept sweet-toothed lines forming around the block. To change up the flavor, mix-ins like banana, Nutella and graham crackers can be smashed and folded directly into the base as it hardens, ensuring those enhancers are evenly distributed, while the rolled shape allows each cup to be piled high with sugary accoutrements. $7

Summer endures at this High Line Hotel courtyard eatery, taking cues from the Italian Riviera’s aperitif tradition. Joe Campanale’s complementary cocktail program follows suit, zeroing in on bitters and vermouths for quaffs like this exceedingly likeable frozen Negroni. Soliciting help from Brooklyn slushy master Kelvin Slush, Campanale churns Kelvin’s citrus slush with Greenhook gin, sharp Campari, red vermouth and freshly squeezed orange juice in a Taylor slush maker without any additional ice for a creamy, not icy, consistency. When sipping this under paper lanterns, shady trees and string lights in the alfresco patio, you’ll feel like you’re in southern Italy, not south Chelsea. $15

You’re able to pick your poison (jalapeño tequila, rum or gin) when you order Jim Kearns’s adventurously boozy riff on Brooklyn’s Cel-Ray soda, which goes far beyond the usual lime, mint and cuke usually schlepped along in drinks starring the pop. That choice spirit gets shaken with a base of bitter gentian Suze and splashes of delicately sweet celery juice, grassy rhum agricole and cane syrup, with Kearns smartly bringing out the vegetable’s flavor with a celery-powdered rim and a stalk garnish. $12

The namesake coupe at barman Nico de Soto’s studio-size watering hole won’t leave your eyes burning but it will leave your lips tingling. Bitter Aperol and Norway’s herbaceous aquavit are fortified with splashes of beet juice, orange-citric acid and Thai coconut syrup to smooth out the vegetal profiles with some neutralizing sweetness. Two perfume squirts of the house Mace tincture rounds things out with a nutmeglike spiced thrum. $13

Innovations don’t end at the kitchen line at Danny Bowien’s hyper-modern Chinese banquet hall. At the downstairs bar, Sam Anderson stirs weird but worthy cocktails like this tom kha gai–inspired slurry, cheekily served in a Chinese soup bowl. The lightly creamy gin-based sip upholds those Thai flavors, redolent with coconut milk, zesty ginger and makrut lime, and finished with sesame oil and two crinkled, fried chilis on top. $13

Originally brewed in collaboration with Park Slope beer bar Mission Dolores this spring, the hops-forward pale ale will make a grand return this fall due to popular demand. And it’s not hard to see why boozers are clamoring for the limited-supply release: The cloudy, orange-tinted sud balances traces of tropical fruits (papaya, mango) with a backbone of slightly nutty, pervasively bready malt. 12oz draft $5, pint $6

At this East Side sibling of the blog-heralded Montreal-meets-Manhattan bagelry, head baker Dianna Daoheung turns out the same hand-rolled, honey-boiled rounds that garnered praise at the Soho flagship. Exclusive to this location, however, are newfangled sandwiches including this creamy schmear of salmon salad—lush with red peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers in a garlic-lemon aioli—set against the crispness of pickled fennel and peppery arugula. Now that’s what we call a breakfast sandwich. $11

Dispatched from a walk-up sausage bar connected to legendary uptown wurst maker Schaller & Weber, this monster brat doubles down on bacon and cheese; the stuff is folded into the meat itself, and then topped with even more gooey American and crisp curls of smoked swine on a sliced Balthazar bun. But that’s not all. The hearty link is further festooned with snappy pickles, diced onion and tomato, and a slather of Thousand Island–esque Stube sauce. Your cardiologist definitely won’t be pleased with you, but your taste buds sure will. $10

There are plenty of 1970s throwbacks at play at Joe Carroll’s reimagined McCarren Hotel fern bar (faux Tiffany lamps, cloying Grasshopper cocktails), but our favorite is chef Kevin Chojnowski’s gentle tweaking of the dated Crab Louie. Born on the West Coast around the turn of the 20th century, the salad tosses king crabmeat with sweet gem lettuce and heirloom cherry tomatoes. Chojnowski wisely bucks tradition by swapping out mayo for a buttermilk-poppyseed dressing and an asparagus vinaigrette infused with Thai chilis and minced shallots. Crab Louie enters the 21st century. $16

Opened in 2012, the two-star Michelin mainstay has seen a chef come and go from the hallowed halls of its tasting-menu kitchen, but current toque Ronny Emborg has breathed new life into the arduous 18 courses this year. One of the most memorable employs fine Elysian Fields lamb saddles aged for three weeks, allowing their umami flavor to fully develop. Those tender cuts are then swaddled in white bread smeared with leek ash and chicken mousseline, and cooked in their own fat before hitting the plate with a smoky burnt-onion jus and a finishing coat of more rendered fat. Saddle up is right. $235 as part of tasting menu

“One paratha taco equals two regular tacos,” declares the menu on the wall at the Lower East Side brick-and-mortar venue of the Smorgasburg staple. And it’s right: Buttery, flaky paratha bread, a gastronomic import from the Indian trading port of Goa, packs twice as much as its Latin cousin. Chef-owner Duvaldi Marneweck folds the flatbread around spectacularly tender Colorado lamb shoulder—slow-roasted for five hours in a from-scratch recado rojo (red achiote paste made from annatto seeds)—with zesty salsa-fied eggplant and a cooling Greek tsatsiki. Postmidnight lines curl around the door regularly and it’s not hard to see why: This meaty roll-up soaks up way more booze than your average-Joe taco. $8.27

Set a knife in the vicinity of chef Paras Shah’s handsomely lacquered lamb for two and it practically wilts in its presence. The meat—darkly caramelized and lustily fatty—sighs off the bone, falling to the plate to join a hash of farro and roasted vegetables, plump wedges of fig and crispy cubes of smoked lamb belly. $34

Thirty-four years after earning rave reviews as executive chef of Vienna ’79, chef Thomas Ferlesch reprises that restaurant’s schnitzel recipe, but subbing in thick slices of marbleized Sterling Silver pork loin for the customary veal. Slapped with flour, egg, heavy cream and fine, house-ground panko crumbs, the pounded cutlet is sautéed in clarified butter until the heat causes air bubbles to rise beneath the golden breading, creating delectably crusty, wavelike ridges for a squeeze of lemon juice to cling to. $16

Humble cabbage slaw isn’t what you’d usually find on a three-figure fine-dining menu, but it’s proof of chef Bryce Shuman’s ingenuity—and playfulness—that he turns the picnic staple into a sleek plate worthy of a Michelin-starred dining room. The vibrant medley of vegetables includes parsnips, carrots, kohlrabi and broccoli stems, brined in their juices, julienned into neat batons and dressed with a tangy honey-mustard vinaigrette and chive tips, and mimics the pickled bite found in classic slaw. $195 as part of tasting menu

Locavore got an Italian accent with Mark Barak’s breezy new Flatiron cucina. The ethos is promoted in the restaurant’s robust vegetable-focused antipasti, whose standout is chef Simone Bonnelli’s whole braised artichoke. Peel off a buttery, lemon-spritzed leaf and drag it through a painterly scrape of smooth, subtle mint aioli hit with the salty shrapnel of dried-anchovy powder. $14

New York already knew that Chris Jaeckle had a way with pasta (before opening the modern Venetian dining room, he ran the Michelin-starred kitchen at Ai Fiori). But in last January’s chill, he proved his noodle prowess extended beyond fettuccine and fusilli with the introduction of his hybrid ramen. Offered now during lunch service at the downstairs bar, the seductive bowl tangles al dente house-made noodles around oozing egg in a creamy Parmesan-dashi broth enlivened with feisty splotches of Calabrian chili oil. $14

Purists, be warned: The singular pho offered at this humble Bushwick charmer is, gasp, meatless. Instead, the lucid broth is simmered with mushrooms, star anise, charred shallots and ginger for three hours, and assembled with unorthodox fixings like shiitake, bok choy and fresh not dried noodles. Beef is an optional topping—namely brisket smoked over mesquite and applewood—but the gracious lightness of the bowl ensures you can down the entire beautiful thing without enduring the dreaded meat sweats. $8, with brisket $12

New York’s standard for vegetarian victuals shot through the roof this year, thanks in part to this tiny, wood-bedecked jewel from the prolific Ravi DeRossi, a practicing vegan. From the restaurant’s open kitchen, chef Andrew D’Ambrosi composes a potato cannelloni that’s every bite as satisfying as it’s beautiful: Mandolin-sliced spuds are fried and cigar rolled with pine-nut ricotta. Atop a pool of arugula pesto, the flaky tube is accessorized with savory slips of merguez-spiced eggplant, shatteringly crisp potato chips and sweet aji dulce peppers for some lively piquancy. $17

It was, graciously, inevitable: Matt and Emily Hyland’s Clinton Hill pizzeria is not only home of the best new pies in New York but also one of the city’s best burgers, a seven-ounce dry-aged beaut hooded with melted Grafton Village white cheddar, a tangle of sautéed onions, peppy cornichons and the house’s EMMY sauce (a garlic-butter gochujang mayonnaise) on a Tom Cat Bakery pretzel bun. All those flavors end up on this off-menu hybrid round, topped with crumbles of fontina and Debragga beef, whole cornichons and a bull’s-eye swirl of EMMY sauce. And boy, does it hit that target straight on. $26

It’s Beirut by way of Bleecker Street at owner Ziyad Hermez’s permanent flagship. (Prior to opening this year, he slung the titular Lebanese flatbreads at a Nolita pop-up and a seasonal Smorgasburg booth.) Though the shop’s standard manousheh is a touch doughier, the bread is completely flattened for this “Lebanese pizza” to ensure a crispy crust, blanketed generously with a mince of grass-fed beef, tomatoes and onions. Pro tip: Finish the pie off with a spritz of lemon and a hefty pollination of addictive Aleppo pepper. $5

Giulio Adriani may have shuttered his Bowery-set fried-pizza outlet Forcella last fall, but the East Village wasn’t without those frizzled montanara rounds for long. Through a hidden door inside Espoleta, the Spanish tapas bar that took over the former pizzeria space, you’ll find the 24-seat za speakeasy and its flash-fried crust. The puffed-up, pillowy round is crowned with the requisite toppings—bright tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella—and finished in a 1,000-degree wood-burning oven. $16

Although Gonzalo Bava and Rocío Raña focus their wood-fitted charmer on the fare of their native Uruguay, their standout empanada is the humita corn variety, popular in neighboring Argentina. Shaped like an Asian dumpling with hand-crimped edges, the frizzled pockets snug a piping-hot filling of sweet corn kernels and pimento peppers bathed in a smooth béchamel-like sauce. A spear of olives puncture each turnover, while a side of vinaigrette-dressed salad tempers the richness. Two for $8

See you later, acai. Pitaya has been a staple in the tropical Far East for centuries but finally gets its New York showcase in a frozen breakfast bowl at the Cali-cool cafe. The bright magenta fruit is blended with banana and creamy coconut milk to yield a thick, milkshake-like consistency. That frothy product is then spooned into a bowl and bedecked with sliced bananas, raspberry and a superfood-heavy load of hemp, buckwheat and bee pollen. That’s a good-for-you breakfast we can get behind. $10

This isn’t the deep-fried, puffed-up pork skin you know and love. Instead, chef Gerardo Gonzalez models his snacky bites after the curbside chicharrones de harina he grew up eating in California. Cashew crema with nutritional yeast takes on the role of queso fresco; mint and jicama add an herbaceous tinge; and a pickled-pineapple salsa hits with a zesty sweetness. But most important is the satisfying crackle from those frizzled rinds, which perform a spot-on impression of their porcine peers. $11

Empellón empire builder Alex Stupak shuttered his three-year-old modern Mexican dining room for a little spring-cleaning in April. That spruce-up took the form of an exquisite 18-course tasting menu, padded with ambitious plates like this South of the Border rewrite of soul-food chicken and waffles. The tender silver-dollar waffles are potent with corn as the flour is replaced with masa in the batter. The toasty sweetness stands up to a rich schmear of chicken-liver butter, a dusting of cured-grated chicken liver and ribbons of smoked maple syrup. $165 as part of a tasting menu

Jonathan Wu’s steamed egg custard chilaquiles is equal parts Sichuan breakfast dish and Mexican hangover cure. The chef’s yolky childhood favorite is rehashed here with infusions of smoked chicken stock and white soy sauce, while the thrumming pork sauce hits the pan with pureed fava beans and a scrum of red bird chilis and ghost peppers. Dip into the velvety layers not with fried tortilla but crunchy house yucca chips. $15

Harold Moore resurrects the decadent deviled eggs from his Commerce days at this American brasserie inside the Empire Hotel. Like at that now-shuttered West Village restaurant, the egg-white halves are piped with a yolk filling shot with Dijon mustard, shallots and chives, and some briny pickle juice. But the icing on the proverbial cake is bacon: A spoonful of bacon fat and crumbles of the stuff crown the superrich two-biters. $9