Michelin-star Mexican in Brooklyn, and Hot Dogs in New Jersey

Rob's Recs for 02/10/25: Checking in at the only Michelin-star Mexican spot in Brooklyn. Plus, what I order at Rutt's Hut, a trip to a decade-old gem the LES, and a surprising cookie in DC.

New York has only 2 Michelin-starred Mexican spots. Before Corima received a star in December 2024, there was just one: Oxomoco.

It pains me to see Mexican food in NYC continue to go unrecognized and unheralded. Then again, the Michelin guide only grants 1 star to the entire borough of Queens. So maybe we shouldn’t take it so seriously.

Oxomoco capped off a heavy week of eating. But before I get to that, here are my recs for this week:

Wildair - 142 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002

Why I went: Wildair has been a staple of the LES for about a decade now. Its opening aligned with the first time in my life I worked a real job, which was probably one of the first times I ever opened Eater.com. I went and drank a pet-nat, and I didn’t know what that was, and I ate pork milanese. Wildair and their sister restaurant, Contra, became staples of my life from then on.

What to order: One dish that’s been on the menu for years is the potato darphin with uni. It’s still excellent ($43). But I loved the pithivier more. It’s sort of a puff pastry pie, filled with Alpha Tolman cheese with a sauce of egg yolk and kimchi ($18). And to finish, never skip dessert at Wildair. The tart I had with chocolate was super salty in a confusing but enjoyable way. It was a delight, like reading a word you haven’t read in a while.

Potato darphin, pithivier, and chocolate tart