michelle picker cooks

I’m back in New York with the luxury of time – time to try some more wonderful food! Here are just a few of the stand-out establishments:

Balaboosta (a Yiddish term that means the perfect housewife and mother) is a modern Israeli restaurant by chef/owner Eidnat Admony. On the menu are Mediterranean dishes packed full of flavour.There’s a cookbook too! After a Pilpel cocktail (made with jalapeño infused tequila, poblano, orange zest and lime) we decided to share some smaller dishes and one main – the day’s special of red rice and lentils with spiced labne; hummus basar served with beef, pine nuts and pita; roasted sunchokes (Jerusalem artichokes) with za’atar aioli; and lamb neck with dates, preserved lemon, freekeh and chestnuts;

Peter Luger Steakhouse is an oldie but a goodie – it’s been around since 1887. Dry-aged steak, fabulous steak sauce and amazingly crisp onion rings;

Guantanamera is a Cuban restaurant with amazing live music every night and excellent food. We ordered tostones rellenos (stuffed green plantains with shrimp); a mixed seafood ceviche served with plaintain crisps; picadillo (minced beef with olives, raisins and peppers) topped with an egg; flan (a classic caramel custard); and tres leches cake (sponge cake soaked in a combination of three milks);

Kopitam is a cheap and cheerful place serving Nonya Malaysian food with a cool rotating sign projected onto the footpath (sidewalk). We had pork deep-fried in a thin tofu skin, minced chicken in banana leaves and pan mee, Hakka-style hand-torn flat flour noodles in a soup with fried ikan bilis (anchovies), pork mince, mushrooms and greens. They serve Malaysian breakfast dishes too.