Shmoné

At this Israeli place on 8th Street, the ever-changing menu is typed out daily in Comic Sans font, with dish names like “370 Pea & their pea shoots (don’t try to count them)” or “Veal cheek that reminds me that I am a genius.” There's also an all-absinthe cocktail menu (don’t worry, they have a full bar too), and on our first visit, our server pulled up a seat at our table to take our order. In other words, this place marches to its own drum. It’s from the same owner of the party restaurant HaSalon in Midtown, but with a more toned-down approach and less (actually, zero) dancing on tables. Breads and vegetables are a good place to start, but we like the bigger protein dishes best, especially the roasted lamb neck with herbs that reminds us of a Thai larb and the whole mackerel served with a big chunk of challah to dip into the sauce. Just know that portions aren’t huge, and prices run high, with many dishes in the $40-$50 range. If you can, sit at the bar overlooking the open kitchen.