At the NYC Grub Crawl We Went Big With Tacos, Dim Sum, Fried Chicken, and More
Here at Bon Appétit when we throw a party, we go big. One of our favorite events is the Grub Crawl, a food and beverage-fueled tour of the country's best culinary cities. We've rolled deep in places like San Francisco, Nashville, LA—and of course, our hometown: New York City. This year we had so many awesome restaurants to check out that we split the day into two parts: an afternoon crawl through Brooklyn's Clinton Hill neighborhood, and a nighttime crawl through Chinatown in Manhattan. Stay tuned for information on future crawls (you never know when we'll show up in your city!) and click through to see why there ain't no party like a BA party.
Alex Lau1/20We kicked things off at Habana Outpost, a Clinton Hill institution with a killer outdoor seating area and some of the best elote you'll ever try. Also on the menu: chips and guac, enormous Cuban sandwiches, and human-powered blended smoothies (there were bikes!).
Alex Lau2/20First up: The Finch. At this truly beautiful restaurant with a refined menu to match, we snacked on miniature egg salad toasts, one-bite kale salads on a homemade wonton cracker with ricotta cheese, and these bad boys—lemon saffron arancini with asparagus and a healthy dose of Parm.
Alex Lau3/20At No. 7, we were treated to fried chicken and maple cream soda that had guests raving ("Way better than the canned stuff.") We also swooned over broccoli tacos. The shredded veggies are stuffed in a chewy flour tortilla and a crunchy, fried corn tortilla for maximum textural awesomeness. "I was inspired by Taco Bell," admitted chef Tyler Kord, although guests all agreed his version was in a whole different league.
Alex Lau4/20We could have spent all day at Sisters, a repurposed hardware store with soaring ceilings and skylights. The (beautifully shucked) oysters ran out about five seconds after we arrived, but we weren't about to go hungry: The kitchen also served up fried artichoke hearts with a lemony aioli and a daiquiri called the Pink Orpheus (part of their "Summer Drinks with Feelings" series). We had lots of good feelings about it.
Alex Lau5/20We walked from restaurant to restaurant, working up an appetite between each spot. Which is good, because if we sat down, we probably would have needed naps.
Alex Lau6/20There's not a gas oven to be found at Speedy Romeo, one of Brooklyn's best pizza joints. They do all of their cooking with a grill and a (royally hot) wood-fired oven.
Alex Lau7/20The St. Louie pizza at Speedy Romeo is the stuff of legends: Italian sausage, pepperoni, pickled chiles, and Provel cheese.
Alex Lau8/20BA's own Dan Aldworth, Julia Hawkins, Pamela Drucker Mann, and Eric Johnson. Looking good, guys!
Alex Lau9/20One word (okay, one hashtag): #BAGrubCrawl.
Alex Lau10/20Round two kicked off at Tijuana Picnic with some "Mi Casa Margaritas." At Tijuana Picnic's casa, the margs are made with mezcal, blanco tequila, lime, agave, and a smoked salt rim.
Alex Lau11/20Charred corn, radish, damn fine guacamole, and chips: The perfect bite.
Alex Lau12/20Onto Dimes! There, we embraced our inner meat lovers and veggie-heads with pulled pork sandwiches, chilled scallops with lychee, and red cabbage and basil pestos on crunchy cucumbers.
Alex Lau13/20Losing steam? Not even close.
Alex Lau14/20Also at Dimes: Wheatgrass margaritas with a crispy beet garnish. You heard us right: Wheatgrass margaritas. We're figuring we broke even on those.
Alex Lau15/20The crew at Genuine Superette pulled out all the stops: Cocktails made with vegetable and fruit juices, these ahi tuna tacos, burgers, ice cream sandwiches, and—gasp—sweet potato and regular fries. Just put a fork in us.
Alex Lau16/20But wait! There's more! At Birds & Bubbles, we were treated to family-style seating and live acoustic music from The National Reserve.
Alex Lau17/20We paired sparkling white wine and rosé with fried chicken, this crunchy slaw, and chef Sarah Simmons' mother's classic Vidalia onion soufflé.
Alex Lau18/20At this point, lesser diners would have called it quits. Not this crew! We marched on to Nom Wah Tea Parlor for a dim sum nightcap.
Alex Lau19/20Wait, wha…how'd that get here? Looks like BA editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport has made it to the big time: He's on Nom Wah's hall of fame. Well done, Rapo. Well done.
Alex Lau20/20This is where we leave you: Nom Wah's Chinese greens with oyster sauce, spring rolls, scallion pancake, and dumplings. Okay, at that point, we officially called for mercy. But hey: Give us a week or so, and we'll be ready for the next Grub Crawl. You in?
