It’s Sunday, 25 October 2026, and everyone’s stress levels are ratcheting up. Maybe it’s the Sunday Scaries. Or maybe you’re worried about the Human versus Robot Wars of the 2030s (we need to recruit the alligators before the bots do!).
Or more realistically, you’re concerned about the midterm elections. My typical move is to turn off cable news and decompress with a few hours of sports (I’m a true intellectual, lol). Alas, watching a football or a World Series game right now means being subjected to cartoonish AI attack ads, fear-mongering ads about “illegals” and gender-reassignment surgeries, Meghan Fox ads for mail-order Cialis, and uncomfortably softcore Sydney Sweeney ads for — I’m actually not sure what those commercials are for!
This is the Stupid Season. So go vote. Or watch a smart documentary like Judd Apatow’s poignant “Norm: The Tale of Norm McDonald.”
I’m too stressed to watch the Elizabeth Holmes doc lol!!!
This is also the season of splurge dining, which is why we’ll talk about the rising cost of sushi, at Joji, Noda, and at the breathtakingly exorbitant Mitani.
Inflation came in hot this month as the Iran conflict continued to sting Americans at the gas pump and elsewhere. And while we’re seeing a little bit of relief at the grocery store — even in the beef aisle — the price of eating out at restaurants continues to go up, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the other week. Full service meals and snacks rose by 3.8 percent over the past year — a touch faster than the pace of overall inflation.
So! Do not expect that beef dinner or sushi meal to go down in price.
More best of lists!!!
Shout out to New York Magazine’s Matthew Schneier for putting out this list of the city’s 43 best restaurants; he makes a compelling case for why Andrew Tarlow’s Borgo belongs at the top (sotto voce: I’ve not been yet, but soon). I’m also happy to see my beloved Thai Diner make the cut.
Let me also give props to the Washington Post’s Elazar Sontag for publishing his inaugural list of the capital’s 40 best restaurants; check out his interview on the Taste Podcast with Matt Rodbard. And go listen to Sontag talk about his best restaurant, the Palestinian Albi.
These lists are always a blast to read and debate, but they also take an absolutely herculean level of work to put together — something my colleague Ligaya Mishan knows well after publishing her guide to New York’s 100 Best Restaurants. And ultimately, these thoughtful lists stand testament to the power of good journalistic practices, good criticism, and pithy writing in an era of so much slop.
More reviews!
Last week, I dropped my critic’s pick NYT review of Socceria, a rollicking Mexican sports bar by the Carnitas Ramirez crew. And if you scroll, down I’ll tell you about a few tasty dishes I didn’t have space for in my writeup!
And just this week, my co-critic Mahira Rivers had some gorgeous writing about the gukbap at Andiamo in Park Slope: “The flavor of the milky bone broth was timid at first, like under-steeped tea. But each subsequent sip revealed the chef Suho Lee’s efforts to extract and emulsify its beefy essence. Soon it was impossible to ignore the lip-sticking gaminess, infusing even the rice submerged at the bottom of the bowl.”
More briefly, Nadia Chaudhury published an Eater NY dining report on Cynthia, Sherry Cardoso’s Brazilian-inflected American tasting menu spot in the West Village. She liked it! Price: Six courses for $165, or seven courses for $200. And Helen Rosner sung the praises of Good Time Country Buffet, the all-you-can-eat fried chicken spot in the East Village, by the team behind Kisa.
Finally: Perhaps you’ve noticed that The James Beard Foundation now has a digital creator award. My old co-worker Frances Dumlao has a thoughtful and level-headed take on this development over at Ravenous!
A few more dishes you should check out (or skip) at Socceria
Plus…
A price hike at the NYT’s “best” restaurant in New York
The newest member of the $700 sushi club!
The early fall 2026 Omakase Index, with price hikes!
Review: The pork and beef dishes you’re sleeping on at Socceria