The Johnstontron

Revisions to the Johnstontron Top 10

I’m a big fan of lists, so I take the Johnstontron Top 10 very seriously. As I’ve read the food press and blogosphere over the last few months, I’ve started itching to try some restaurants not on the list that I composed at the beginning of the year. And there are some restaurants on my list that I’d be willing to defer to a status less urgent than Top 10. So I’ve decided to make a few adjustments to my list. Because it’s my blog and I can.

Namely, I think I’d like to swap out Motorino for Co. I started thinking about it back in January, when in a one-evening head-to-head smackdown, Blondie and Brownie thought that Motorino bested Co., despite the fact that Co. is the brainchild of Sullivan Street Bakery guy Jim Lahey. Then Mario Batali also said that Motorino was better than Co. So Co., maybe I’ll visit you sometime, but you’re no longer a priority. Sorry.

The other switcharoo is for the designated not-too-expensive spot in my ‘hood. I’m sure that Salumeria Rosi is a particularly lovely place for nibbles and a glass of wine. But friends who have visited Kefi have said that this UWS Greek is tasty and a good deal. I’m sold.

So here’s the revised Johnstontron Top 10, for all of you keeping track (which is probably mostly me):

• Co. (Chelsea): New pizza place from the guy behind Sullivan Street Bakery, which makes some of the city’s most amazing bread. I need to have a pizza destination on the list, you know.
• Char No. 4 (Cobble Hill): the New Yorker reviewer found it so-so, but Platt likes it a lot. All I know is, I like bourbon, and this place has a lot of it.
• Dovetail (Upper West Side): “At long last, refined urban-barnyard cooking comes to the Upper West Side,” says Platt. Maybe I’ll try it with my imaginary expense account. (J-Tron: Been there!)
• Golden Shopping Mall (Flushing): Sietsema has this on his year-end best list (when asked by Eater). Blondie and Brownie’s headline says it all. (Yes, I want dumplings, too.)
• Kefi (Upper West Side): Cheap-ish Greek with serious restaurant cred (it’s owned by Michael Psilakis [Anthos] and Donatella Arpaia [Mia Dona]). Plus, the menu looks awesome.
• Momofuku Ko (East Village): A girl can dream, right?
• Motorino (Williamsburg): Crowned best new pizza in New York by Mario Batali. The man knows what he’s talking about.
• Porchetta (East Village): Platt calls its pork sandwich one of the top foods under $10. Check out Ed Levine’s photo of it here.
• Red Hook Ball Fields (Red Hook): This isn’t on anybody’s list, because it’s soooo 2006. For now, it looks like the vendors will be back later this year, so I can finally check out those goat tacos that everybody raves about.
• Salumeria Rosi (Upper West Side): Made infamous by this kid. Besides that, how could you not want to go to a place that calls itself “a small neighborhood salami shop and restaurant?”
• Shake Shack (Upper West Side): I’ve been to the Madison Park branch, but I haven’t made it to the new one in my neighborhood yet. I love me some Shake Shack burgers. (J-tron: Done and done!)
• Treats Truck (mobile): There is a truck. And it has a bevy of amazing desserts (see). I’m going to find this truck this year. (J-tron: Yup!)