The festival of bites

Click on the menorah candle that looks the most delicious to you.

Yoyos
(Caracas Arepa Bar, 91 E 7th St between First Ave and Ave A; 212-228-5062; $4.75) Anyone who’s ever eaten pie for breakfast will appreciate yoyos—a dessert disguised as an appetizer at this Venezuelan arepa spot. Fruity plantains and salty paisa cheese are bound together with plantain flour, fried in hot oil and served three to a basket, with a side of syrupy sugarcane juice.

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Latkes
(Park Avenue Autumn, 100 E 63rd St between Park and Lexington Aves; 212-644-1900; $12) For those whose latke memories involve splattering oil and an apron-clad bubbe, this sleek stack of crisp, finely shredded potato fritters will seem almost unfamiliar. The neat tower, served as a side, is presented with mini glass jars brimming with cool labna in place of sour cream, and tart, rosemary-laced applesauce.

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Schnitzel
(Schnitzi, 1299 Coney Island Ave between Aves I and J, Midwood, Brooklyn; 718-338-4015; $9) Nestled amid the kebab shops that populate this stretch of cabbie country is this kosher schnitzel house. Golden-fried chicken cutlets are lavished with homemade sauces, such as garlic mayo, piled high with spicy Israeli pickles and tucked into crusty baguettes. Pair them with Schnitzi’s own crunchy potato chips.

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Artichokes
(Gusto, 60 Greenwich Ave at Perry St; 212-924-8000; $12) No one can deny the importance of carciofi alla giudea, the Roman Jews’ fried artichokes, in the classic Italian kitchen. At Gusto, carefully trimmed young artichokes are first slowly cooked in olive oil until tender, then drained and cooled before being flash-fried, instantly crisping the delicate outer leaves as they spread open into golden florets.

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Whole flounder
(Soto, 357 Sixth Ave between Washington Pl and W 4th St; 212-414-3088; $20) At Soto, deep-fried seafood gets the same reverential treatment as its raw counterpart. Sushi master Sotohiro Kosugi leaves the hot stuff to his wife, who transforms a whole fried fish—karei kara age, a moist, luscious flounder under a light golden crust—from an Asian restaurant cliché into edible sculpture.

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Doughnuts
(Spitzer’s Corner, 101 Rivington St at Ludlow St; 212-228-0027; $6) The doughnut holes at Spitzer’s Corner give new meaning to the phrase brown-bagging it. The yeasty nuggets arrive at the table piping hot in an old-school lunch bag—open it up and experience a rush of fragrant steam coming off the cinnamon-sugar–coated beauties. The folks at the bar recommend pairing them with a pint of Young’s Double Chocolate stout ($6).

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Casadielles
(El Quinto Pino, 401 W 24th St at Ninth Ave; 212-206-6900; $5) Though you won’t find them listed on the blackboard menu, insiders know to request this tapas bar’s most addictive dessert (and our favorite of their many excellent fried foods). The walnut-and-honey-filled turnovers, typical of Spain’s Asturias region, are like a cross between baklava and a fried ravioli, and come dusted with confectioner’s sugar.

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Squash tempura
(Back Forty, 190 Ave B between 11th and 12th Sts; 212-388-1990; $6) Quarter-inch–thick rings of local delicata squash, known for its sweetness and tender texture, are the foundation of this exceptional tempura. Chef de cuisine Shanna Pacifico adds seltzer to her batter to make the caramelized crust extra bubbly. Dip the hot treat into the smoked-paprika aioli, served on the side in a tiny squeeze bottle.

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Photographs: Shani Bar-on, Beth Levendis, Deniz Ozuygur