On Dining Out in 2023, Part 1

Where have I been eating this year?

Loving restaurants is a complicated business. I am aware that no matter how hard I try, I may tacitly or explicitly endorse an entity that mistreats staff, doesn’t source ingredients responsibly, or otherwise does some fucked-up shit. We talk a lot in food media about how to avoid doing this, but is it really possible? Yes, talk to staff—but when you’re a food writer, you’re more likely to be perceived as aligned with ownership than with staff. A writer is considered a member of the bourgeoisie, not the proletariat, despite the instability that comes with the territory. It would take time to build up a level of trust that may never emerge, and there are fewer and fewer dedicated writers with a salary who are able to do that kind of work. Every attempt at fixing this wildly imbalanced system is a band-aid. The only way I could ensure I never make a mistake in this regard is to never talk about where I go to eat, and that would be a difficult task.

As a freelancer, I have chosen not to cover restaurants as such anymore, because I cannot make assurances and cannot dedicate the resources to this work, to cover restaurants as responsibly as I’d like to. I prefer, instead, to weave restaurants or chef commentary into bigger trend pieces (see: my piece on pizza in San Juan at Bon Appétit; my piece on mushrooms in Foreign Policy). There are plenty of influencers who are ready to pick up the slack, anyway—to take the free meals.

I am also well aware that I never have an experience at a restaurant that is comparable to a non–food writer, especially in San Juan, where people tend to know me, or anywhere I’ve made a reservation under my own name. The reason I have continued to make reservations under my own name is that I don’t operate under the assumption that I’m a special person, but am I sent free dishes whenever I do so? Yes. 

I wanted this to be an uncomplicated and frivolous list—but it’s not an uncomplicated or frivolous matter. Restaurants, cafés, and bars are so significant in a community (I just wrote about this for Yes!), but they’re also employers (I wrote about hospitality memes as a way of dealing with this tension for the new digital magazine Roadmap). My cosign of a place means something, even if I’ve tried to pretend to myself that this isn’t true, because it would feel arrogant. 

In light of issues with the James Beard Foundation’s handling of accusations souring its chef awards (which, for many folks, had already been soured forever), I’m hyper-conscious of the ways in which all accolades are compromised. You’d probably know this even if I didn’t say it outright: There is no pure objectivity when talking about dining out. 

With that said, I am excited to talk about the places I’ve been eating this year—the places I go back to again and again, for experiences that are consistently fun and delicious, that provide an atmosphere I can’t replicate at home. Dining out is a fact of life, especially as a food writer always seeking inspiration; these are places I like.

As I’ve written before, it’s odd not to have time or interest in every new place in New York City, but it’s also a relief not to put pressure on myself; I try to do one new spot every time, but I’m simply more interested in the ones I know I can walk into… it’s certainly one way I feel my age: I just want to know it’ll be good.

I will revisit, reconsider, and expand this at the end of the year—which will be after travel for my book tour—thus, it’s Part 1.

Puerto Rico

Old San Juan 

Pío Pío
In March, I went to Pío Pío for three Thursdays in a row: My culinary tourism class had our concluding meal there; I went with the documentary team who’d come down to shoot me for a forthcoming film based on Jonathan Kauffman’s great book Hippie Food for a pop-up with chef Gabi Hernandez, a friend of ours; and we took my mom and sister there for my mom’s 60th birthday. These were coursed meals focused on local Puerto Rican ingredients with considered wine pairings.

My husband and I also, though, will pop in there in because we spontaneously want a nice drink and snack. We’ll bug them while they’re closing just to have a chat. We’ll go solely for dessert and a cocktail on a Wednesday because they’re making a tarte tatin with the fruit of a cashew, and I absolutely must eat it while it’s available. Which is all to say, Pío Pío is, in my experience, one of the most fun places where you can eat food that’s gorgeously plated, locally sourced, and deeply thoughtful. (It’s also the only place I will tell people to have a martini in Old San Juan that isn’t my house.) 

Pío Pío

Spiga
Spiga has long been a staple for breakfast and lunch on weekdays, but they’ve upped their game of late: There are wildly good guava buns, a zucchini strata made with their house-made sourdough that I’m obsessed with, and sometimes even pizzas for lunch. It’s a tiny space that has become a favorite of influencers, I’ve noticed, but it still retains its place as a local go-to.

Guava buns at Spiga

El Batey
When people are here on vacation or visiting family from the diaspora, we generally tell them to meet us at El Batey. It is, I always say, my favorite bar on earth—the platonic ideal of a dive bar, but better. I sometimes drink martinis here, but frankly that’s an asshole thing to do, so it’s usually a beer and a shot or a whiskey soda. They stock cans of Santurce Brewery, and I am really enjoying their West Coast IPA lately.

El Vino Crudo
It’s our local (natural) wine bar and bottle shop, and we couldn’t ask for better. They’ve done a big food menu expansion this year and are upping their own ante.

Santurce

Pizzas at Fidela.

Fidela Pizzeria
I wrote about Fidela in my Bon Appétit piece on pizza, but they’ve recently moved out of pickup only. You can and should visit their full-fledged spot, where for now it’s pizzas, beer, and (natural!) wine, but there are soon appetizers to come. It’s a very fun vibe, and I’m so glad to finally eat their pies fresh from the oven.

Vianda
Vianda is our other go-to for special occasion dining, but we’re also known to be like… yes, let’s make a Vianda reservation; we need it, we deserve it. This is vegetable-forward, to use that maligned phrase that frankly I like, and inventive, always satisfying. The cabbage dishes they had been doing while it had a short season, the tomato soup they’re doing, this roll of sweet plantain stuffed with kale and mushrooms over white beans? Sometimes these dishes make me feel like I’m on Punk’d, like chef Francis Guzmán is in my brain.

Vianda

Galería
This is a new bar on Calle Cerra with a food menu that is very vegetarian (the only burger is a housemade lentil burger), with oysters, and a cocktail menu that’s inventive without being showy. I really enjoyed the Filiberto, which is one of these new-fangled martini variations—but good. (Their menu isn’t online and apparently I deleted my screenshot; I’ve failed everyone here, though mainly myself.)

La Santurcina
The beeteroni!!! Pepperoni made of beets. That’s all I have to say about it—it’s one of my favorite things to eat. If you can get in—there are no reservations, packed to the gills every night—go. My suggestion is visit the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo next door in the late afternoon on a Saturday, then get in line at 4:50 p.m. for an early dinner.

Miramar

Leña Eh
From the folks in my culinary tourism class to my own family to everyone I tell to go here—no one is disappointed. They’re cooking over fire, including a fantastic eggplant, and the guineo en escabeche is perfect. It’s a food truck experience par excellence, in the Miramar Food Truck Park.

Aguadilla

Mister Harry’s
The pumpkin steak! This is such a cool little spot in a nondescript strip mall, serving Thai food with local flair. Not to be missed when you’re in the west.

The pumpkin steak at Mister Harry’s!

Beer Box
I cannot drink a lot of beer without getting full, but I really love beer a lot (what a curse…), and Box Lab makes my favorite beers anywhere (I try not to use the word “favorite” because who cares—I’m using it here because it’s simply, unavoidably true). This is the spot in Aguadilla to drink their stuff, including varieties you can’t find elsewhere, plus there is bar food.

Rincón

Rincón Beer Company
More excellent local beer, extremely good and vegetarian-friendly bar food, and a location on the plaza that makes for excellent people-watching.

Gylro
The cocktails they do here are excellent and include a lot of local ingredients. We had a cosmo made with ketembilla juice, which is a local berry with a cranberry vibe. The food is also extremely vegetarian friendly and good.

New York

Manhattan

Hav & Mar
I loved getting to check out Hav & Mar, where chef Fariya Abdul is doing excellent work. The open, huge kitchen is really fun to get to see, and though seafood-focused, there are great options for the veg-oriented. Brussels sprouts with ají dulce, yucca and sweet potato fries, breads made with teff, a shiro hummus—really good stuff.

Hav & Mar, lightly blurry because of a good time

Il Buco Alimentari
A funny thing about my relationship with my husband is that he freaking loves Italian food—lives and dies for a good pizza, a lovely pasta. I love Italian food, too, but because I grew up on Long Island, it’s so native to my existence that I barely think about it. (Meanwhile, what I go ga-ga for is some arroz con gandules and yuca en escabeche, thus we’re a balanced pairing considering we move between New York and San Juan.) Anyway, for the perfect experience, Il Buco Alimentari—it’s a staple for a reason, and the bread program is wildly good. The crispy artichokes!

Freemans
This has become our go-to spot when we stay in the city, and it’s always been a bar I just love: great for an afternoon martini and fries, for meeting up with friends, for a nosh before a late dinner reservation. Their mocktails are really, really excellent, which isn’t something I thought I’d ever say.

Long Island

Drinks and my feet at Southdown

Southdown Coffee
Good coffee in Patchogue! You don’t even know how thrilling this moment was for me, seeing that Southdown had opened in my hometown, and this is also why I can’t take for granted that not everyone, everywhere has access to things that are considered boring in Brooklyn. It took a very long time and a local chain’s arrival for anyone to make a good espresso in Patchogue, and I will not take such a thing for granted. Oh, great vegan pastries, too, plus they carry Love Grace, which makes the ginger bomb juice that features oil of oregano, which I’ve been obsessed with for more than a decade.

Catch Oyster Bar
Nothing more to say—this is where I go in Patchogue. You wanna find me in Patchogue being drunk and silly and stuffing myself? Go here.

Philadelphia

Pietramala
I think I will write more extensively on going to Pietramala, because what I saw here was an ambition of a caliber I’ve never seen in a vegan restaurant, and it deserves a real moment of consideration. I’d also like to eat there again, as most places on this list are spots I’ve been to before and keep returning to. Once I also get to fully experience the new Superiority Burger (I did see the space in January!), I will consider what I am perhaps seeing as the NEW WAVE of veg dining. 

This Friday’s From the Kitchen dispatch for paid subscribers will be the June edition of the podcast, featuring an interview with Rick Easton and Melissa McCart about their book Bread & How to Eat It. Taking into consideration some feedback I’ve gotten, this will be audio plus a short essay and cookbook review. I have a lot to say about bread! And Easton and McCart have really clarified a lot of it for me that I’m excited to share. It goes out Monday for everyone.

Published
As noted above, a piece for the new site Roadmap, about hospitality memes.

I also wrote about the timely reissue of Lukas Volger’s Veggie Burgers Every Which Way for FoodPrint.

My jewelry collaboration with By Ren—featuring pearl cocktail picks for martinis, Gibsons, or whatever you like—is live through the end of 2023.

Reading
I need to read something fun, which is something I keep saying and not doing.

Cooking
The new weekly staple in the house is one giant oven-pressed eggplant parm sandwich on ciabatta. We’ve done it with marinara and mozzarella, as well as pesto and ricotta. I made a TikTok about how I construct it. Follow me over there if you use the app! I have a book to sell!