Best of the rest

PROTEIN!

Cassoulet at La Sirene
Chef Didier Pawlicki’s notorious pride is most visible during the ceremonious portioning of his pristine cassoulet. It’s worth the pomp: Plump white beans provide an unctuous pedestal for fennel-rich pork sausage, savory duck confit and slab bacon, all topped with a crunchy bread-crumb crust.
558½ Broome St between Sixth Ave and Varick St (212-925-3061). $28.75.

Crossabaw pork pâté at Momofuku Ssäm Bar
Crossabaw pigs—a prized hybrid breed—are what give this pâté its rich flavor. Pistachios add texture and complement the swine’s inherent nuttiness, while ramp marmalade cuts through the fat and adds a garlicky bite.
207 Second Ave at 13th St (212-254-3500). $14.

Duck at Savoy
Pennsylvania duck is a fitting canvas for chef Peter Hoffman’s Greenmarket sensibility. The baked fowl—bright pink flesh in a slightly crunchy salted skin—is paired each season with a harvest-appropriate condiment. Right now it’s tart quince compote with oatmeal risotto and cinnamon oil.
70 Prince St at Crosby St (212-219-8570). $29.

Elysian Farms lamb with feta puree, Thai basil and watermelon at Momofuku Ko
You’ll have to sit through the city’s most extravagant lunch to get your hands on David Chang’s delicious, Greek-inflected, tender lamb entrée.
163 First Ave between 10th and 11th Sts (momofuku.com). Served as part of a $160 prix fixe.

Goat at Cabrito
Marinated in sour orange and garlic, the succulent slow-roasted goat arrives on a banana-leaf platter with tequila-juiced salsa borracha, diced onion, cilantro and warm flour tortillas. Wash it down with Negra Modelo from the bottle for the full roadhouse-cantina effect.
50 Carmine St between Bedford and Bleecker Sts (212-929-5050). $24.

Mahogany stew at Fatima
At no-frills Guinean restaurant Fatima, peanut butter’s the base of a soul-satisfying, goat-rich mahogany stew, presented with a fluffy Mount Everest of rice and lip-scorching peppers.
789 Franklin Ave between Lincoln and St. Johns Pls, Crown Heights, Brooklyn (718-221-8679). $7. ¢

Pickle pork soup at Hing Won
At Chinese mess hall Hing Won, the grand Mandarin Soup No. 11 does alchemical wonders with three humble ingredients: pig, pickles and pasta. Chewy pork and tart pickle shards swim in a scorching, murky broth chockablock with superwavy noodles. 48 W 48th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-719-1451). $6.50. ¢

Wagyu shabu-shabu at Matsugen
Matsugen’s entrée may be the most extravagant do-it-yourself dish in New York. For $132, you get a glistening platter of top-of-the-line Wagyu from Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture—the finest raw beef money can buy, and so richly marbled with fat it needs just a few seconds in the bubbling broth to cook. Now if only we could find an employed banker willing to spring for the bill.
241 Church St at Leonard St (212-925-0202). $132.

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