For the New York issue of our member newsletter, JBF Notes, we asked past Best Chef award winners from regions around the country to tell us what cuisine in the Big Apple means to them, and, of course, for their must-visit spots when they're in town. We'll be posting their responses throughout the week. Next up: Tim Cushman, winner of the 2012 Best Chef: Northeast award and chef of O Ya in Boston.
What is New York cuisine?
The food in New York is unmatched in diversity and styles, from high-end to those hole-in-the-wall finds. The food scene is always changing and evolving, which is so much fun because as frequently as I travel to New York, there is always a huge list of restaurants, markets, and specialty shops that I want to go to. I always leave New York already planning my next trip in my mind. It truly is a melting pot.
Favorite restaurants?
In addition to the usual suspects, here are six of my favorite fun foods in no particular order. It's what's exciting to me about New York and the variety it has to offer:
Num Pang for Cambodian sandwiches.
Miss Lily's, the Jamaican juice bar with good jerk chicken and raw juices made to order.
Kanoyama for traditional sushi and great variety of fish in an unassuming environment.
Patsy's Pizzeria on the Upper West Side on 74th Street.
Aburiya Kinnosuke for the chicken tsukune (ground chicken, charcoal-roasted on a wooden paddle, dipped in raw egg yolk).
Benoit, an old-school French bistro, for the twice-baked, upside-down Comté cheese soufflé. Almost everyone in there has been French when I've been there.
