Welcome to Where to Eat, the restaurant newsletter that wants a margarita on the rocks with salt on the rim. Here’s what we’ve got for you today:
ACCIDENTAL EXPERT Rachel Dratch knows where to find the good margs
When I recently interviewed Rachel Dratch at Studio 54, the home of the Broadway revival of “The Rocky Horror Show,” I was somewhat surprised to learn that she’s more reserved in person than some of the characters she has played on television. And then we started talking about margaritas. Specifically, going out for margaritas. “That’s my favorite thing to do,” she told me, excitedly. I asked where she liked to go and she didn’t hesitate for a second; this is a woman who knows the margs she likes. That said, it’s not really about the margs — “hard laughs with friends are good medicine,” as her friend and former “S.N.L.” co-star Amy Poehler wrote to me in an email about Dratch. They’re just a bonus. Below, Rachel Dratch shares her favorite spots.
THE BRIEF REVIEW Border Town★ | Critic’s Pick
The Greenpoint brunch crew shows up in full force at Border Town on Saturday. Folks come decked out in runner’s tights, base layers, pink AirPod Maxes and rolled-up yoga mats. But some patrons were queuing up for a more limited accessory: lithe burritos wrapped in foil, lanky chutes of refried beans swaddled like chic newborns. Northern Mexican flour tortillas are having a moment in Brooklyn; three spots dedicated to the floppy, bouncy specialty have opened within the last year. Each one offers Norteño-style burritos, as slender as stickball bats and filled with rich guisados. What sets apart Border Town, by Jorge Aguilar, the chef, and Amanda Rosa and Benjamin Turley, is that it’s the only one to also shine a spotlight on tacos. It’s also the only full-service member of the bunch, a place where bartenders shake inky carajillos, creamy espresso cocktails topped with coconut whipped cream. Irish coffee wishes it were this good. Let’s talk about the tortillas. If Los Burritos Juárez in Fort Greene makes them as splotchy and puffy as fresh naan, Border Town’s product comes out thin and diaphanous — the taco equivalent of wonton wrappers. They smell of fresh wheat and let the beefy punch of chile con carne come through with better clarity than corn. But gentle cooking on the flattop can translate to doughy tacos that turn soggy fast, so eat quickly. Naked tortillas, served with salsa verde-stewed pork ribs, better showcase the bread’s fleeting textures. Or drop by on weekends for stellar griddled burritos; the faintly sweet dough flakes and stretches like pain au chocolat, spilling out scalding frijoles onto your Lululemon tank. Address: 189 Nassau Avenue (Humboldt Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn; no phone; bordertown.co Recommended Dishes: Guacamole with lime oil, breakfast tacos (chile con carne, egg and chorizo), bean and cheese breakfast burritos, griddled chorizo tacos, pork ribs in salsa verde Price: $5 to $8 for tacos; $15 to $16 for breakfast burritos. Larger plates at dinner run $17 (for guacamole) to $30 (pork ribs with refried beans and rice) Wheelchair Access: The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, with the door at ground level and one A.D.A. compliant restroom.
FROM OUR CHIEF CRITICS Komal is one of Los Angeles’s best Mexican restaurants
Where do I take friends who come to visit me in Los Angeles, including the most intimidatingly good cooks in my family (hi, aunties!)? The answer is easy: Komal. This little counter inside the bustling Mercado La Paloma is one of my favorite places for antojitos. The chef Fátima Júarez is an artist, and masa is her medium — she grinds heirloom corn from Mexico to make rainbow-colored tortillas for tacos and quesadillas, and even the simplest dishes made with them can be extraordinary, elegant and expressive, composed with an eye for the natural beauty of ingredients, flavors pulsing with confidence and clarity. Read the review →
RESTAURANT AT HOME Pizzeria Uno’s deep dish pizzaTrue pizza believers may dismiss deep dish as little more than cheese and tomato sauce soup in an edible bowl. But what if the Chicago staple is simply the most unbridled pizza of all? Last year, Eric Kim adapted this five-star recipe from the pizza historian Peter Regas who in turn adapted it from a recipe from Pizzeria Uno in Chicago that dates back to the 1940s. See the recipe → Need to know where to eat across the United States? Check out our guides to Atlanta, Austin Boston, Chicago, D.C., Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., San Francisco and Seattle. Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
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