Where to Eat in October: Masalawala & Sons, Lord’s, Urban Hawker, and More

Just when you think it’s not possible for restaurateur Roni Mazumdar and chef Chintan Pandya to up the ante, they always manage to — and that is very much the case here with their latest restaurant endeavor, Masalawala & Sons. Picking up from where the first (now-closed) Masalawala left off, they’ve built a space that tells the deeply personal story of Mazumdar’s father, Satyen, through the flavors and dishes that have shaped his life. The dishes you’ll find here aren’t anything like what they served at Masalawala 1.0, and most are hard to find in any restaurant, until now, like a decadent roasted bone marrow dish topped with shaved eggs; braised fish roe; and flavorful head-on prawns cooked and served inside a young coconut. Better yet, they’re going to open for lunch soon, too.

Urban Hawker is the food hall New York deserves. Featuring a total of 17 distinguished stalls— the majority of whom are from Singapore and were handpicked by Singapore’s consummate culinary ambassador K.F. Seetoh — this is the kind of venue you can visit (and revisit) again and again because there’s always something new to discover, including dishes you’d be hard pressed to find in New York before now. None of the vendors here holds back on the dishes they serve, making this about as close as you can get to being in Singapore. Highlights include Hainanese Western fare from Smokin’ Joe (try the curry rice); the ramly burger from Ashes Burnnit; white bee hoon from White Restaurant; and last but not least, chili crab from Wok & Staple by Dragon Phoenix — from the man who invented the dish.

Walk-ins only.  

A little over a year after their runaway hit Dame opened, restaurateurs Patricia Howard and chef Ed Szymanski are back at it again. With their sophomore effort, Lord’s, they’re focusing more on meat (but will still have some vegetarian and pescatarian options, too) and they’re also taking advantage of the additional space their new restaurant affords. Look out for oysters Kilpatrick, Welsh rarebit, and clams steamed in cider with black pudding.

Txikito is back after a more than two-year absence, and we couldn’t be happier. The groundbreaking Basque cuisine specialist from chefs Alex Raij and Eder Montero isn’t content to just do what they’ve done before; instead, they’re committed to continue blazing a trail for Spanish cuisine in New York. There are gildas (of course) and the much-loved whole fish, but also a carpaccio of thinly sliced king oyster mushrooms and olive-oil poached cod with poblano-padrón pil pil.

Gone are the days of waiting months for a chance to try Eric Huang’s fiery chile fried chicken. Pecking House finally has a brick-and-mortar location, not far from Barclays Center, where the lines move quickly and you can also order chicken sandwiches, oyster mushroom po’boys, a sloppy po (made with mapo tofu), and a salted egg-yolk fried chicken, too.

Walk-ins only. 

If Nico Bouter’s cooking at & Sons Ham Bar is any indication, you can rest assured that the food at Kingfisher, the next-door sequel from sommelier André Hueston Mack, will be just as exceptional. At Kingfisher, Bouter puts his former Flora Bar experience to good use (in other words, do order extensively from the raw bar) with an extensive menu of seafood-centric preparations.

Former Fish Cheeks chef Ohm Suansilphong, together with his wife and restaurant partner, Kiki Supap, has struck out on his own with Kru, and you’ll find the same vibrant cooking he brought to Fish Cheeks here, with a focus on royal Thai cuisine and the North central region of Sukhothai. Don’t sleep on the kaeng pa curry with beef tongue, or the lon relish, featuring kalamata olives, coconut cream, and tamarind.

Since 1936, Monkey Bar has been a New York institution, playing host to everyone from Frank Sinatra to Isadora Duncan, and now, after a two-year closure, it’s back in all its glory. Settle into one of its classic red booths and sip on a martini (of which there are nine to choose from), and dig into the extravagant menu of prime steaks, handmade pastas, and chilled seafood.

You likely haven’t had Korean American food quite like this before. At C as in Charlie, Salisbury steak is served on top of Gruyère grits with a galbi jus; baby back ribs are glazed in harissa and gochujang; and sweet tea is complimentary. Everything on the menu here combines Korean and Southern culinary traditions in fun, creative ways. It’s a reflection of its partners’ (chef Eric J. Choi, David J. Yun, and Steve J. Choi) shared experience of growing up in Atlanta as Korean Americans.

Pro tip: If you come with a party of three or more, you can essentially order the entire menu. And do note that dessert — a fun play on a New York bagel — is a non-negotiable.

Eisenberg’s, the much-loved Flatiron sandwich shop is no more, but in its place now is S&P, a very faithful tribute to it and the sandwich shop that came before Eisenberg’s (and for which it is named). Eric Finklestein and Matt Ross, who are also behind Brooklyn’s Court Street Grocers and the HiHi Room, are now running the shop. Do yourself a favor and grab a seat at the counter and get yourself a tuna melt on rye.

Walk-ins only. 

It’s only natural to approach restaurants that boast contemporary pan-Asian menus with a bit of apprehension — will the flavors sing true, or will they get muddled in the process? However, the menu put forth by chef-partner Akmal Anuar and chef de cuisine Mark Yu at 53 hits every mark perfectly — especially when it comes to dishes from Anuar’s hometown of Singapore, like duck pie tee and cereal shrimp. Better yet? It also doesn’t hurt that the subterranean dining room and the ground-floor lounge are both stunning.