Colin Camac (aka @resyguynyc) is officially Blackbird’s “Restaurant Partnerships Lead,” and unofficially is our resident insider’s insider. He is out, on the town seven nights a week, sniffing out the city’s best joints, skateboard in one hand, martini in the other.
October was the beginning of some fun West Coast work travel, taking me to San Francisco and Los Angeles, where I hit a taco spot that had been on my list forever and revisited one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Before the trip, I squeezed in a quick jaunt to New Haven, hitting some of the classic spots before seeing a friend’s concert. But, don’t worry: I still had plenty of time in NYC to try new restaurants and revisit a Michelin-starred tasting menu that is really firing right now.
New York
Wu’s Dynasty
📍 UWS
🍽️ Cantonese
When I heard Derek from Wu’s Wonton King was leaving to open his own spot uptown I was curious if his strong industry support would travel with him. With an awesome group of hospitality friends we had a 10-top and let Derek order for us. The food at his new spot felt slightly more upscale—and the environment matched. Even with a $40/btl corkage fee (instead of the free corkage at the old space), we showed up 10btls deep, ready to have a fun night. The experience could not have been better and the food was exactly what I wanted. We started with smashed cucumbers and the tiny fried fish. The latter are a favorite at the OG and now, at the uptown spot, they come with fries. But the dish of the night might’ve been a large platter of lightly cooked shrimp, surrounding thinly sliced geoduck clam. We also enjoyed fried pork ribs and the always excellent Peking duck. While the uptown experience may be a bit out of the way for many of the industry folks that made Wu’s what it became, I found the elevated experience really makes the trip worth it.
Baekjeong Black
📍 Koreatown
🍽️ Korean BBQ
I had always loved the original location when it burst onto the K-Town scene sometime around 2015 or so. The place seemingly became an industry darling out of nowhere and the upscale BBQ was worth the hype. I even had my last Anthony Bourdain sighting during one of my early visits. Anyways, Baekjeong is finally back in NYC and it seems like they’re going for an even more high-end experience. I went during a soft opening period and, unfortunately, many of the dishes I wanted to try were unavailable that evening. That said, I still had a great experience by going with one of the meat sets. We started with the “platter of nine delicacies” which is a circular plate with 9 little compartments around the edges and small little buckwheat crepes in the middle. It had beef, shrimp, burdock, egg, pear, mushroom with mustard vin, and a tofu sauce, that when combined, create little tasty wraps. It was a really fun dish to eat, probably too much for a party of 2, but still worth trying.
Bar CC
📍 Chelsea
🍽️ Cocktail Bar
When Harrison threw the reservation link for his new spot, Bar CC, onto his insta stories, I quickly snagged an early night res for Marcela and I. Harrison was the longtime drinks man for the much lauded programs at Kent Hospitality (Overstory, SAGA, Crown Shy) so I couldn’t wait to get into Bar CC. The menu has a tightly curated list of small bites including tiny burgers and a really tasty chicken medianoche, as well as cocktails. I started with a “vesper with benefits” that, thanks to the addition of passionberry and apricot, had a unique floral and fruity quality to it. A really impressive cocktail that would be worth going back for. I also tried a stirred Mandarino—a negroni riff with mandarin that was also really tasty and playfully topped with a little mandarin slice.
iara
📍 LES
🍽️ Brazilian
I met Chef Vitor at one of our F&F Pizza Sessions and could not have been more hyped to get to check out iara, his new Brazilian restaurant, during its Blackbird Club Friends & Family preview dinner. The restaurant, itself, will be split between a counter tasting menu and a la carte in the dining room. For the preview we all had the tasting and I could not have been more impressed with a restaurant doing its second ever service. The cocktails were delicious and really well thought out, using many ingredients from the kitchen. Highlights of the dinner for me were the seafood dishes, starting with crispy tapioca, topped with yellowfin tuna, smoked biquinho pepper, and jambu—which has similar mala effects to szechuan peppercorn. I absolutely loved the ceviche madai with burnt plantain and tocupi, which is an earthy acidic broth that comes from the manioc root. My absolute favorite dish, though, may have been the moqueca made from dry aged tilefish in a coconut tacupi broth, served with bowls of rice, seasoned with herbs and a creamy sauce. The whole meal was really fantastic and I can’t wait to return.
Pizza Studio Tamaki
📍 East Village
🍽️ Pizza
A recent mid-afternoon walk through the East Village provided the perfect moment for me to beat the lines and walk right into PST. We started with an order of arancini, two crispy rice balls filled with mozzarella and bolognese, which were very solid. As for the pizza, they are known for what they call a “salt punch,” where they don’t mix much salt into the actual dough but instead spread Okinawan sea salt across the oven floor before putting the pizza in. The result gives a nice salty pop that you first taste on the tip of your tongue which accentuates the flavor of the rest of the pizza. We tried both the Romana (mozz, san marzano, garlic, anchovies and oil) as well as the Bismarck (mozz, mushrooms, sausage and an egg). Both are worth a try and I definitely recommend sneaking in for a weekend lunch.
Phillip Kirschen-Clark @ Popina
📍 Cobble Hill
🍽️ Brochette
A few Sundays back, my good friend Phillip was popping up in the backyard of Popina with his grilled skewers concept, Brochette.. I ordered the whole menu from Phillip, plus a few items off of the normal Popina menu as well. I particularly liked the garganelli w/ pesto from Popina’s regular menu. It was one of the better pesto dishes I’ve had in a while. Phillip’s skewers were all really fun, as well. The Japanese sweet potato and the whole prawn were both incredible.
Corima
📍 Lower East Side
🍽️ Mexican
I’ve already written at length about my last incredible meal at Corima, but the one thing I hadn’t done in a long time was go for the full tasting menu, which I did last week with a few good friends after the book launch party for Ryan Bartlow’s Essentially Basque at Ernesto’s. I’d tried the tasting menu once before (during my first visit shortly after Corima opened) and the experience has definitely leveled up since the early days. Chef Fidel is putting together incredibly thoughtful food that not only tastes great, but really tells a story. I’m sure much of the menu will have changed - as they do - by the time you’ll go there but some of the highlights, for me, were the insane tuna taco (lightly seared and topped with red xnipec), the fresh sourdough tortilla (one of the best bites in the city), a small bite of a “blood torta” made with headcheese and crema was another great bite, as well as a wonderful langoustine and marigold dish. Overall it was a really delicious meal that I can’t wait to have again. Maybe next time at the chef’s counter.
Dove (London) @ Sailor
📍 Fort Greene
🍽️ Modern British
London restaurant Dove came to Sailor in BK and brought their massively hyped burger with them. Something I learned during the dinner is that the Dove burger was heavily inspired by the Spotted Pig. And, after trying it you can immediately taste the influence, as it drips with gorgonzola and tastes like a blast from burgers past. The meal started with some housemade potato chips with onion dip, topped with red pepper jelly and trout roe. We also had an off menu tuna au poivre topped with mushrooms. A really fun meal overall and a great excuse to check out the new beautiful bar side of Sailor.
New Haven
Louis’ Lunch
📍 New Haven
🍽️ 1-of-1 Burgers
I headed to New Haven with my friends Dan & Devon for Dan’s Deltron concert that night. We decided to get in early and make a full day of it before the show, rolling directly to Louis’ Lunch just after they opened at noon. Louis’ is known as “the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich” serving its first one in 1895. They cook all of their burgers in vertical broilers, and serve the thick, medium rare patties with cheese, onion, & tomato on lightly toasted white bread. It certainly isn’t the best burger I’ve had (although it’s still enjoyable) but it was worth checking for the history alone.
Sally’s Apizza
📍 New Haven
🍽️ Apizza
Sally’s Apizza, opened in 1938, happens to be my favorite of the “big three” New Haven pizza spots.. Even as its becoming a fast growing chain, the original is still full of charm and serving my platonic ideal of New Haven style apizza. We ordered a cheese pie and a white clam. Both were charred to perfection and bursting with flavor. While the clam ate a bit uneven, with some slices popping with brine and others a bit more subdued, the overall pizza was great. Absolutely no notes on the cheese pie.
Modern Apizza
📍 New Haven
🍽️ Apizza
After a quick power nap, we rallied to get to Modern Apizza for dinner. To me, Modern’s style is closer to New York, with a chewier crust and more cheese. We ordered a cheese pizza, a half pepperoni, a tomato pie with half anchovies, as well as a calzone with broccoli. The calzone was a nostalgic call by me (I used to love broccoli bows at the pizzeria I went to as a kid and when I saw broccoli as an option I went for it). While not quite the same it was a good calzone and one of the meal’s better bites. I prefer Sally’s style,but see why people love Modern.
Los Angeles
Sonoratown
📍 Fashion District
🍽️ Mexican
During LA Chef Con, I was within striking distance of Sonoratown, a small Mexican spot specializing in flour tortillas that has been on my list forever. I went for a carne asada caramelo—a flour tortilla with pinto beans, cheese, avocado, salsa and cabbage, folded over like a quesadilla. It was a great bite. I also ordered a cabeza taco (awesome) and an insanely good bean and cheese burrito. I cannot wait to come back and try a few more things.
Bavel
📍 Downtown LA
🍽️ Middle Eastern
I had only been to Bavel once, many years ago and had a very wild night. I was excited to get a crew of friends together and check it out again. I met up with my friend Jeremy (Beethoven Market), Gloria (Square) and Devon (formerly Death & Co.) and we had an awesome meal. We started out with the hummus w/ duck ‘nduja followed by the baba ghanoush, chicken pate, and lastly the malawach. All of which were fantastic and came with their own type of bread. There isn’t another restaurant I know of that makes so many different styles of bread at such a high level. We rounded out the starters with the slow roasted lamb neck shawarma and a whole grilled dorade.
San Francisco
Swan Oyster Depot
📍 Nob Hill
🍽️ Seafood
Swan Oyster Depot is my happy place. It’s my favorite restaurant in SF and probably within my Top 10, regardless of location. The restaurant is as bare bones as you can get: just a cash-only breakfast/lunch time seafood counter that strictly accepts walk-ins. The team takes their time and the seafood is always fantastic. I order some variation of the same thing every time: Oysters or clams on the half shell, then move to octopus salad, heavy with onions and celery. Crab back—a fresh cracked crab shell with all the crab juices from cooking still intact served like a bowl, with a spoon—is another must order. A combination salad—two types of shrimp plus crab, served on shredduce, with louie sauce and crab vinaigrette on the side— really is a perfect dish. You also can’t leave without a small order of the house Sicilian sashimi, a local fish, sliced raw, and topped with olive oil, shallots and capers. It’s just a special and unique experience, and worth a visit anytime you are in town.
La Taqueria
📍 Mission
🍽️ Mexican
La Taqueria is, to my knowledge, the most famous of SF’s taqueria’s/burrito spots.. After this visit, I learned that the real move here is to go with the tacos. The burrito (ordered super) is still very good, but, for me, the tacos stole the show. I ordered a cabeza taco, one with lengua, and a chorizo taco dorado style. The lengua and cabeza were great. I’ve been told by some trusted sources that the sleeper move is to go all tacos plus a veggie, bean, & cheese burrito done dorado style—and that might be my next order. Keep you posted!
RT Bistro
📍 Hayes Valley
🍽️ Bistro
RT Bistro is Chef Evan Rich’s follow up to Rich Table, a classic spot located just next door to their new venture. The menu is fairly similar to Rich Table although a bit more French bistro leaning. We started with some delicious aged beef French onion dumplings. We then ordered sweet potato tempura that was dressed up like the classic Cantonese shrimp and walnut dish. It was kind of a mindfuck but a pretty tasty bite. For large plates we went with their burger (really good) and a one sheet lasagna with honeynut squash, cheddar, and black truffle. All in all, RT Bistro is a is a great compliment to their more famous spot next door.
Angler
📍 Financial District
🍽️ Seafood
When Angler had their location in LA, it was one of my favorite spots in town. The OG location, however, is in SF and, somehow, I hadn’t yet been. Known for sourcing only the best ingredients and cooking most of it over live fire, every Angler protein is best in class—and the prices reflect it. This location now serves the famous uni toast from Saison (which is one of my favorite bites anywhere) and it lives up to the hype. To start, I ordered slivers of geoduck clam swimming in buttermilk dashi with celery and jalapeno. The creamy dashi mixed really well with the briny chew of the clam, making a really refreshing dish. Following that was a scallop, lightly grilled, and served on its shell w/ beurre blanc and a lemon slice. Simplicity at its finest. Their potato—sliced and formed into a half dome bathing in a taleggio sauce—is a must order. I finished with a dry aged black cod with mussels and a seasonally appropriate corn sauce. A week later, I came back with some work friends to split some caviar, served with banana madeleines & banana butter, which is a fun new twist on their classic banana pancake/caviar dish. Also, their spectacularly messy radicchio with allium xo is a classic. And, please, don’t ever skip their desserts!
Four Kings
📍 Chinatown
🍽️ Cantonese
Four Kings was highly recommended by my friend Rob Martinez and I couldn’t wait to check it out. I showed up right when they opened and was able to walk in as a single diner straight away. Four Kings serves Cantonese dai pai dong style comfort food with some Singaporean influence. The mostly small space has pop posters along the walls as well as polaroids of guests lining the wooden bar with stacked Ichiko bottles along the top separating diners from the bustling kitchen. Over two visits I tried a bunch of the menu, starting with some items from the specials board including squab skewers and an order of heart, liver & gizzard served with a lemon wedge and spices on the side. Everything was nicely cooked and a great start to the meal. I also went for a large crispy fried rabbit, topped with fried garlic, chilies and mayo. It was really tasty and a healthy portion. My favorite bite here, though, was the scallop served over vermicelli noodles slathered in garlic butter. It instantly transported me back to eating black pepper crab in Singapore. I also loved the ginger scallion, cold cut chicken, served as a cold roulade, reminiscent of eating Hainanese chicken rice. Corn cheese hot link fried rice was another great dish that came slathered in mayo and topped with cabbage and a little sausage cut like an octopus on top. Single lamb skewers were also great.. So were the desserts. I recommend all of them, but the mango pudding and the shaved ice were probably the two I’d lean towards if I had to pick.
Ernest
📍 Mission District
🍽️ “Global flavors”
After my first meal at Four Kings, I wanted to swing by Ernest for dessert. Ernest is consistently one of my favorite places in the city and never disappoints. The kakigori dessert is incredible there, but, by the time I got in and looked at the menu, my heart was set on something else. Balancing salty and sweet, their caviar prep served with banana bread and whipped butter is one of the best bites around. I went with that, paired it with a martini, and it was a perfect nightcap.
Arsicault
📍 Tenderloin
🍽️ Bakery
The almond croissants at Arsicault are probably my favorite pastries around. I’m not much of a bakery person, but I could eat any of the three versions they have, daily, and live a happy, albeit not very healthy, life.
