NYT: 50 restaurants in America we’re most excited about right now - Semma and Little Mad are two of them
Semma
South Indian cooking has probably never had a more capable champion in New York than the chef Vijay Kumar. He makes the most of the region’s deep, lavish flavors, particularly those from his home state, Tamil Nadu. The chutneys are intense and vibrant. The sauces are richly layered and sumptuous with coconut milk. And the vegetable cooking is so focused and fresh-tasting it seems completely modern, even though Mr. Kumar hews closely to long-established traditions. Some of his recipes are rarely seen this far from home, like the stir-fried snails he learned to cook on his family’s rice paddies. But even more widely known dishes like dosas are done with a care that can make you think you’re tasting them for the first time. PETE WELLS
Little Mad
“Tasting menu” and “fun” don’t exactly go hand-in-hand, but at Little Mad, Sol Han’s Korean American restaurant, there’s no shortage of delight. Take the fried buhsut, deep-fried maitake mushrooms served with sour cream and onion dip and presented inside a halved onion, papery skin and all. Or the mad toast, which despite its amalgam of fine-dining buzzwords — truffle, caviar, Wagyu — sits perfectly at the crossroads of style and substance. And the prime galbi served “ssam party”-style may be one of New York City’s best new steak offerings. And that the whole thing comes out to $100 before tax and tip, well, that’s just magical. NIKITA RICHARDSON
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