kickassNYC

Jewish-Chinese food that brings “greenmarket sensibility” to “modern and inventive Chinese food.” Features delights such as “Katz’s pastrami egg roll,” “Pac Man dumplings,” and “Yuzu Wasabi Shrimp.”

A secretive Prohibition style bar with a hidden room. Cocktails out of teacups and all.

Modern Mexican cuisine created by Chef Julian Medina based on the flavors of his childhood in Mexico City. Known for their mezcal margaritas and mezcalitas, as well as their grasshopper and corn-mold (huitlacoche) tacos.

A Korean and Chinese fusion restaurant that features Opera Nights every Monday, where opera singers stop by with sheet music to sing arias, accompanied by a pianist.

A unique and delicious fusion of Russian, Uzbek, and Korean cuisine that reflects a turbulent history of ethnic Koreans being forcibly relocated during the Stalin era.

With locations in Philadelphia, Nolita, and Chinatown, the original Nom Wah (Chinatown) is New York’s oldest dim sum parlor, with the vintage decor to match. Besides its delicious food, it is known for being located within the “Bloody Angle” — a place where the streets are bent at nearly a 90 degree angle, and the site of much violence during the Tong gang wars. In the early 1900s, there were so many shootings and hatchet murders that the streets were literally stained red with blood. In recent years it has been a filming site for the movies “Premium Rush” and “Spider Man 2”.

The “most romantic restaurant” in NYC that consists of the carriage house and accompanying barn that used to belong to Aaron Burr. If this name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he had a famous duel with Alexander Hamilton (of ten dollar bill and musical fame) where he, well, killed him. The duel pretty much ruined him and he lost most of his New York property, including this building. It contains a tunnel that is said to have been used as part of the Underground Railroad, but nobody knows who built it or why it was originally built. At one point it was also used as a house “of ill repute.” As an added bonus, it is said to be haunted, one of the ghosts being Aaron Burr himself.

A Japanese speakeasy hidden inside Village Yokocho, an Izakaya in the East Village. Finely crafted drinks from ingenious Japanese mixologists, and a menu that changes every week. Interesting  painting of a small boy dressed as a devil inside, as well.

Dine in the dark and enjoy every small subtlety of flavor at a unique, typically randomly-selected venue. All servers are blind. Next location TBD.

Somewhat hidden behind a rather unimpressive doorway, this place has top tier Filipino food.  This is neither a fancy or assuming place, but what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in food.