Critics’ choice

Best argument for a Belgian revival
Resto
Chef Ryan Skeen remembers a time not long ago when New York was awash in moules frites, when the food of Belgium—not Spain or Japan—seemed poised to become the next hot restaurant trend (it was a blip, we now know). On a sleepy block in the no-man’s-land above Gramercy Park, he’s trying to jump-start a revival. Skeen is the Mario Batali of low-country Europe, a champion of hearty Belgian classics updated for the 21st-century palate (beef-cheek carbonnade, shellfish waterzooi) with a weakness for pork, pork and more pork—see his pig’s-ear salad, deviled egg on pork toast and late-night-menu tête de cochon. Here’s to a second coming of homemade mayo and monk-brewed beer.

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