Why wait when you can dupe?
The other day I was dining with a friend at Little Pepper in College Point, Queens, when I couldn’t shake the feeling we were being watched. (We were.) Across the restaurant, an older gentleman seated alone was studying our table. It turns out, he wasn’t looking for recommendations and didn’t care in the slightest about our platter of cold noodles, which I wrote about last fall. He thought I was Ben Affleck. Whoa, thanks! There’s no shame in being a dupe, not at Little Pepper or anywhere else. In a city like ours, overrun with famished crowds, many of them excellent planners, our first choice for dinner rarely pans out. So, this week, I’m bringing back duping, an idea started by my editor Nikita, who went searching for stand-ins for Carbone, the Polo Bar and other searing hot restaurants. Like the Rimowa look alike I bought on Amazon last year, these dupes are more accessible. And you can arrive on their doorstep tomorrow, if you like.
How to dupe Peter LugerAt the risk of provoking half of the city, I have always sided with Pete Wells when it comes to Peter Luger Steak House. Even before he published his zero star review in 2019, I had my doubts about its irregularly cooked lunch burgers and wilted Caesar salads, not to mention the prices. I respect the history, but there’s no defending that creamed spinach. All the better to find a place like the 16-year-old Amber Steak House, a short cab ride away in Greenpoint. I knew I was in the right place on a recent night when our meal started with a platter of tomatoes and raw onion, a Peter Luger staple. Only, unlike at Luger, the tomatoes were properly salted in a pool of green oil. The hits continued with a dynamite order of mac and cheese (baked but not bread crumbed) and a porterhouse steak sputtering in tallow that threatened to overflow from its plate. The cheesecake isn’t much better than the one at Luger. Better to head across the street to Moe’s Doughs, a one-to-one dupe for Peter Pan Donuts run by a former employee. The bakery stays open until 8 p.m. daily, and the blueberry fritter is a winner. 119 Nassau Avenue (Eckford Street), Greenpoint
How to dupe Long Island BarAfter a crushing defeat in Brooklyn Heights last summer, my soccer team and I were in need of some morale-restoring red meat and nothing but a burger would do. Many of us headed for the back of the line at the Long Island Bar in Cobble Hill, never to be seen again. I walked across the street to Henry Public, squishing into one of its pew-like booths without a wait. It’s a shame more people don’t talk about Henry Public, open since 2009. The kitchen turns out a proper burger — sorry, “hamburger sandwich” — cooked to a blush pink in the middle. And the fries are exactly the color you want them. Never mind that the room is lit like a moody pub, even on the brightest summer days, or that you’re dining under the watchful eye of Michael Diemert, a state assembly candidate photographed when he ran for office in the middle of the last century. I like the bygone touches. When was the last time you saw smoked almonds on a menu, or heard a gargantuan turkey leg sandwich — part Thanksgiving, part sloppy joe — plop on the counter with a thud? For full effect, finish with some Wilkinsons: a fried, sugar-dusted cousin of the beignet served with a side of magma hot caramel. 329 Henry Street (Pacific Street), Cobble Hill
How to dupe White BearI’m a fan of the No. 6 chile oil wontons at White Bear, like anyone else, and I appreciate this vestige of pre-gentrification Flushing, before all of the chains arrived. Still, I’ve wondered more than once if it’s that drizzle of chile oil I love so much, rather than the dumplings, which taste to me like ground pork and not much else. On a tip from my friend Julian Mu, I made my way to Handmade Dumpling in Flushing, just north of downtown. White Bear is bare-bones — that’s part of the charm. But this spot is like walking into a restaurant kitchen during the crush of the dinner rush. Near the fridge, by the window and right next to the front door, quick-moving women fold dumpling wrappers around huge portions of lamb, corn, dill and sour cabbage. Will they hold? Yes, they will. The boiled pork dumplings are as good as they come with that emerald-colored filling you love to see (evidence of fresh chives) and enough fatty juice inside to qualify them as honorary xiao long bao. All dumplings are sold 15 to an order — except the pork ones, which come one extra — and the most convenient place to eat them is the newspaper stand at the end of the block. But who cares when they cost a dollar a piece? 35-46 Union Street (Northern Boulevard), Flushing Read past editions of the newsletter here. If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here. Have New York City restaurant questions? Send us a note here. Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
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