A Casa Fox

Empanada maestra Melissa Fox and her brother Matthew channel their mother’s Nicaraguan home cooking at this inviting LES eatery. The signature turnovers and other prepared foods can be preordered for pickup (don’t miss the savory chorizo-and-Manchego version), but an open kitchen and rustic fireplace should convince you to stay and sample the other dishes on the menu. Crispy fried plantains are fashioned into edible baskets to cradle black beans and queso blanco, while costillas de cerdo—marinated, slow-cooked pork ribs—are packed with rich flavor and slide off the bone. Caveat emptor: Some of the bocaditos (small bites) are frustratingly tiny.