Sohla El-Waylly's Essential NYC Restaurants
A very good guide to the East Village!
Hello!
I hope you have been eating some really delicious things this week. I recently got back from Ojai, the small, charming, affluent hippie enclave about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles. Apparently when I was there it was both an energy vortex and a supermoon, but I did not walk away with any new powers or spiritual healing. I did, however, have one of the best hoagies of my life before I left town (I will reveal it in a future newsletter), and that still feels like a win!
If you missed last week’s issue, A Vegetarian(ish) Guide to LA’s Koreatown, you can read it here.
Just a quick reminder about the format of this newsletter:
Every other week I will drop a personal guide to some place, whether it’s my list of essentials in New Orleans, or Indian restaurants in London, or why you should spend 48 hours eating in St. Louis. These guides might also include recommendations for hotels and things to do, too. These will only be available to paid subscribers.
On the alternating weeks, like this week, I will interview someone with interesting taste and opinions on their guide to either where they live, or some place they are deeply passionate about and have spent a lot of time in. These guides will be available to all subscribers.
Randomly I will also drop a series called Gatekeeping, where I stop gatekeeping a singular restaurant, dish, snack, hotel, CPG product, so on and so forth that I think everyone should know about.
All paid subscribers can email me with suggestions for future guides they would like to see. And if you subscribe to the Inner Circle tier, you can email me once a month for personal recommendations, too.
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And now for today’s guide:
My favorite restaurant in New York City is actually the dining table at Sohla and Ham El-Waylly’s basement apartment in the East Village. They are two of the best cooks I have ever met — and their sense of hospitality is unrivaled. I can always expect several beverage options, including the good, powerful sparkling water (no weak bubbles here!), several dishes whipped up on the fly from the best farmer’s market produce, and many desserts — whether they’ve picked them up from a favorite bakery, made it themselves (Sohla is a cake genius), or it’s a beautiful assortment of Turkish delight shipped to them by Ham’s father.
None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who follows Sohla and has watched her cook on YouTube, or on TV shows, or is a subscriber to her excellent and exciting recipe newsletter HOT DISH. She has such a nuanced and thorough understanding of technique and cooks with the most clever flavor combinations — and is also very good at explaining it all. The rare culinary triple threat. Sohla’s new cookbook, Start Here, which was officially released this week, is proof of that. It is many ways the next Salt Fat Acid Heat: a cookbook that can truly teach you how to cook or level up your skills in the kitchen, no matter how good you think you are. It’s definitely one everyone should own.
This is all to say that Sohla has great taste, and a very discerning palate. She is my favorite homebody, who loves her neighborhood and would prefer to never leave it if possible (especially now that she has a beautiful new baby). So this guide is dedicated to her favorite East Village restaurant recommendations — plus the one restaurant she leaves the neighborhood for the most. (Disclaimer: this interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
TabeTomo
Their speciality is dip ramen and they are right by [Tompkins Square] park. What’s great is that you can always walk in, and they have the cut little sake in cups that I love. The dip ramen is fantastic but I also love everything that they fry — they are very good at frying. We always get the crispy chicken skin and the Japanese fried chicken. All of their small plates are great! They have the best takoyaki in town. Sometimes Ham and I will go in and just get all of the small plates and skip the ramen.
Veselka
They really take care of our dogs here. As soon as we sit down, they bring the dogs water and treats! It’s Vito’s favorite place in the world. There is also really great outdoor seating: it’s almost like you get a private booth and you forget you are on the street. It’s also just very fast and super consistent. In the mornings, I like to get breakfast: scrambled eggs, tomato, challah, side of pork sausage, and we split a waffle. For lunch slash dinner, I like the BLT with chips not fries. They make their chips in house and they are really good. Sometimes we get pierogies for the table, depends on the mood.
Superiority Burger
I think folks need to know is that it’s easier to walk in now — the crazy long waits are gone. Don’t be scared to just show up. They have really good classic cocktails that are super strong. It’s a great place to drink. This is weird, but my favorite thing is their steamed vegetables: it’s always fresh from the market that day, so it is peak produce. It comes with a dip. Get whatever are the specials that day. The special side that is spontaneous that is made with whatever that is just made in the market, and same for whatever is the special dessert. Those I always think are the best.
La Cabra
The canelé is the star here. People really talk about their cardamom buns, but it has the best canelé. You have to go early, because it is getting crazy over there. If it is after 9am don’t go, it becomes all tourists […] and it becomes influencer central. Go there early, get a canelé, don’t take any photos, be respectful, and go home.
From Lucie
I know they are known for their cakes, but I think they have the best chocolate chip cookies. It’s a classic cookie with the crispy edge, but also chewy, and a little gooey. I don’t love modern takes on chocolate chip cookies. But their cakes are great, and my favorite one is the Victoria sponge, but it is the first thing to sell out, so you have to go early. That’s the thing about From Lucie across the board, they use really high quality ingredients across the board. Really good butter. Really good eggs.
Yellow Rose
They can get a bit crazy on weeknights, so we like to go for brunch. Only for brunch they have this plate that is their take on steak and eggs, but it is pork chops and eggs. I normally don’t like pork chops, but I like this one, because it is ranchera style with really great red salsa. Plus, they’re fresh tortillas and beans on the side. We always share it. And you get frozen margarita. They also have three (!) kinds of queso — but their best one is their vegan one. The vegan one doesn’t congeal, and you don’t feel terrible after. You can eat a whole bowl of queso and not poop yourself!
Uluh
It is our favorite Chinese restaurant these days. Very conveniently located around the corner from us, and they have great takeout. Their Cantonese stuff is really good but they have section that is really great New York Chinese. They have the best Kung Pao chicken I’ve ever had. They have also have the best General Tso’s, it is ~peak~ general Tso’s. The coolest thing is that they have a really great tea service. You can’t go wrong with any of their teas, and they have different glassware for each tea. It is great to go in the afternoon to get a little dim sum and tea. The sesame balls are my favorite dim sum: it’s basically fried mochi and filled with red bean paste. They aren’t available for delivery, though. You have to go in to get them.
Bob White
If you want the bone-in fried chicken, you have to pick it up or order in person (you can only get the fried chicken sandwich and chicken tenders for delivery). If. But if you go in, and eat it, it is so much better. It is very quick, the chicken is very well seasoned, and they have really great biscuits. They remind me of the KFC biscuits but with better butter.
The restaurant she cannot wait to get to:
Ayat
We haven’t gone yet, but we can’t wait to go soon, but we have a tiny baby. They are open all day, and they have wood burning oven and a shawarma spit, so you know it is going to be good, I am very excited to try the za’atar manakeesh, I grew up eating a version, but I didn’t know it was [a] Palestinian [dish] until I met Ham.
The one restaurant she will always leave the neighborhood for:
Il Buco Alimentari
They have pizza now, but don’t get it delivered. Made with ancient grains and naturally fermented. It has a lot of flavor. They make their pizzas in the style of a Pizza Hut pizza — has a slightly oily crust. We always get the pepperoni pizzas, and the restaurants is always great with their veggies and sides. Oh, don’t skip the lunch only carbonara, it’s the best carbonara you’ll ever have.
That’s all for this week. Happy eating! And please share this with any pals and loved ones that might find it useful. Hit the subscribe button if you want to see more guides!