July 14, 2015

Why the Bowl Is the Meal of the Moment

Photo: Bobby Doherty

The macrobiotic bowl of yore has lost its fusty image and morphed into a hot new meal category, satisfying all of today’s culinary requirements: It’s healthful, filling, and infinitely customizable, a blank canvas for inventive chefs and fast-casual chains alike. Ahead, seven great new versions.

*This article appears in the July 13, 2015 issue ofNew YorkMagazine.

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.’s Tokubetsu Rice Bowl With Squid, $15 The fish selection changes, but the squid bowl is the waitress’s favorite (and ours). Grilled calamari nests in rice seasoned with furikake and tamari, and derives extra flavor from wasabi mayo, nori strips, and bonito flakes. Plus egg for richness and vegetables for crunch. 114 Nassau Ave., at Eckford St., Greenpoint; 718-349-0400.

Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.’s Tokubetsu Rice Bowl With Squid, $15 The fish selection changes, but the squid bowl is the waitress’s favorite (and ours). Grilled calamari nests in rice seasoned with furikake and tamari, and derives extra flavor from wasabi mayo, nori strips, and bonito flakes. Plus egg for richness and vegetables for crunch. 114 Nassau Ave., at Eckford St., Greenpoint; 718-349-0400.

LYFE Kitchen’s Quinoa Crunch Bowl With Garlic-Lime Tofu, $11 Edamame hummus delivers a crucial nutty creaminess to a virtuous assemblage of quinoa tabbouleh, arugula, and veggies; chipotle vinaigrette jolts it awake. 248 W. 55th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-265-5933.

LYFE Kitchen’s Quinoa Crunch Bowl With Garlic-Lime Tofu, $11 Edamame hummus delivers a crucial nutty creaminess to a virtuous assemblage of quinoa tabbouleh, arugula, and veggies; chipotle vinaigrette jolts it awake. 248 W. 55th St., nr. Eighth Ave.; 212-265-5933.

Bar Chuko Izakaya’s Cumin Lamb Rice Bowl With Lettuce and Red and White Sauce, $14 A Japanese pub’s homage to the city’s halal carts. Chef Christine Lau marries warm rice, cool iceberg lettuce, crunchy onions, and her interpretations of the iconic condiments. Yakitori-grilled lamb tsukune are infused with Sichuan peppercorns and cumin, and eggplant and ginger are pickled with shiso. 565 Vanderbilt Ave., at Pacific St., Prospect Heights; 347-425-9570.

Bar Chuko Izakaya’s Cumin Lamb Rice Bowl With Lettuce and Red and White Sauce, $14 A Japanese pub’s homage to the city’s halal carts. Chef Christine Lau marries warm rice, cool iceberg lettuce, crunchy onions, and her interpretations of the iconic condiments. Yakitori-grilled lamb tsukune are infused with Sichuan peppercorns and cumin, and eggplant and ginger are pickled with shiso. 565 Vanderbilt Ave., at Pacific St., Prospect Heights; 347-425-9570.

Dimes’s Mango Pitaya Bowl, $10 As far as equatorial superfoods go, açai has nothing on pitaya, also known as dragon fruit. And few RDAs will go unmet by the array of mango, raspberries, bananas, and sunflower and hemp seeds. 49 Canal St., nr. Orchard St.; 212-925-1300.

Dimes’s Mango Pitaya Bowl, $10 As far as equatorial superfoods go, açai has nothing on pitaya, also known as dragon fruit. And few RDAs will go unmet by the array of mango, raspberries, bananas, and sunflower and hemp seeds. 49 Canal St., nr. Orchard St.; 212-925-1300.

El Rey Coffee Bar & Luncheonette’s Grains & Crudité Salad, small for $8 The kale is massaged with almond dressing, the farro is mingled with toasted pecans and watercress, and extra vegetal matter comes both raw (julienned watermelon radish and fennel) and pickled (red onion and cabbage). There’s a beet-pickled soft-cooked egg, too, topped with chimichurri, and a fine dusting of smoked salt, lemon zest, and shaved almonds. 100 Stanton St., nr. Ludlow St.; 212-260-3950.

El Rey Coffee Bar & Luncheonette’s Grains & Crudité Salad, small for $8 The kale is massaged with almond dressing, the farro is mingled with toasted pecans and watercress, and extra vegetal matter comes both raw (julienned watermelon radish and fennel) and pickled (red onion and cabbage). There’s a beet-pickled soft-cooked egg, too, topped with chimichurri, and a fine dusting of smoked salt, lemon zest, and shaved almonds. 100 Stanton St., nr. Ludlow St.; 212-260-3950.

Lumpia Shack’s BBQ Bowl With Rice Noodles and Chicken, $13 Filipino barbecue meets rice bowl at this pop-up Seaport Smorgasburg stand, where banana-ketchup-marinated chicken thighs crown cold noodles and calamansi-dressed greens, garnished with pickled radish, fried garlic, and sweet chile sauce. Add a fried egg for $2. 19 Fulton St., nr. Front St.; daily through October.

Lumpia Shack’s BBQ Bowl With Rice Noodles and Chicken, $13 Filipino barbecue meets rice bowl at this pop-up Seaport Smorgasburg stand, where banana-ketchup-marinated chicken thighs crown cold noodles and calamansi-dressed greens, garnished with pickled radish, fried garlic, and sweet chile sauce. Add a fried egg for $2. 19 Fulton St., nr. Front St.; daily through October.

Egg Shop’s Spandex Bowl, $10 The beauty of the bowl is that you can shove so many more healthy and delicious things into it than you can pile on top of a plate. Take, for instance: avocado, greens, miso quinoa, gluten-free tamari, and a locally sourced poached egg, the way they do at this Lower East Side shrine to all things ovoid and soft-cooked. 151 Elizabeth St., nr. Kenmare St.; 646-666-0810.

Egg Shop’s Spandex Bowl, $10 The beauty of the bowl is that you can shove so many more healthy and delicious things into it than you can pile on top of a plate. Take, for instance: avocado, greens, miso quinoa, gluten-free tamari, and a locally sourced poached egg, the way they do at this Lower East Side shrine to all things ovoid and soft-cooked. 151 Elizabeth St., nr. Kenmare St.; 646-666-0810.

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