[Photographs: Max Falkowitz]

Fried sweet plantains are common enough, but at Cevicheria El Rey in Elmhurst they're exceptionally sweet. The portion of maduros is generous for the $3 price tag, and the plantains are sweet to the point of juicy. See those edges? They're almost lacy, with a flavor that borders on caramel.

If this sounds like dessert more than a side dish, it's because you need something sweet to handle the Leche de Pantera ($13), El Rey's signature ceviche of shrimp, crab legs, and octopus in an inky sauce of "extracted seafood juice" jolted with citrus. That inky black "panther's milk" doesn't mess around; maduros soften the blow.

Cevicheria El Rey

85-16 Roosevelt Avenue, New York, NY 11373 (map)
718-606-9077

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

These fried buns at Sunset Park's most notable dim sum parlor walk the line between savory and sweet. The mantou themselves are barely sweet, and their crisp shells and fluffy innards are just the thing to sop up that extra sauce from your steamed rice rolls. But be sure to dip at least one in the accompanying dish of sweetened condensed milk, a kind of junk-food-meets-awesome-brunch combination we'd like to see more often.

Sweet and savory courses don't need to be segregated at dim sum; this is the dish to best take advantage of that principle.

Pacificana

813 55th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11220 (map)
718-871-2880

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Sanur is not a great Malaysian restaurant. But it's an exceptionally cheap one, with a funky basement dining room—see the intricate shadow puppets on the wall and the Madonna sountrack—so at home on Chinatown's Doyers Street that you feel like it's been there forever.

It isn't the first place I'd take someone for a meal in Chinatown, but when I want to catch up with a friend in a quiet, cozy quiet place, Sanur is on my rotation. The order: Singapore rice noodles, Penang-style fried cubes, endless tea refills, and this Crispy Bean Curd ($4.75).

You may recognize the dish as rojak, an Indonesian salad of fried bits like tofu and potato topped with a sweet peanut sauce and sometimes crunchy shrimp chips. The dish is all about the play of sweetness and crunch with a little heat for balance, and for the most part Sanur gets it. The dressing isn't totally loaded with excess sugar, and the tofu retains a delicate crunch beneath it. There's a mild fish funkiness to the dish, a happy savory edge against the sweetness.

Sanur

18 Doyers Street, New York, NY 10013 (map)
212-267-0088

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

I was not expecting Nyonya, a decent if not outstanding Malayasian restaurant we visit now and again, to make one of my favorite plates of chicken wings in New York. But here we are talking about them, and if you're seeking chicken wings beyond the hot sauce and butter treatment, these Nyonya Chicken Wings ($7.95) may become favorites of yours as well.

The wings are fried naked—no batter, no flour dredge—except for a ribbon of pandan tied around each one. When fresh and raw, pandan imparts a bright fragrance somewhere between vanilla and cilantro to everything it touches. When fried, that herbal sweetness becomes more subtle but also more deep, an almost caramelized flavor that perfumes the chicken's crisp skin. (Untie and remove the pandan before eating.)

The caramelized pandan-scented wings are then tossed in a thin glaze, which is only lightly sweet and funky from a glug of fish sauce. It leaves the skin firm and crisp, not soggy, and it doesn't bowl over the chicken meat itself. About that chicken: it's not greasy in the slightest, and if it's not the most tender wing out there, it's all in service of a beautiful crust.

All of this is served with some chili paste on the side, a spicy finish to a chicken dish with surprisingly complex flavors going on. Which, at about a buck a wing, we can all appreciate, buffalo fans or otherwise.

Nyonya

199 Grand Street, New York, NY 10013 (map)
212-334-3669

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

I think we're at a point in New York's chicken wing zeitgeist where can start talking about noodle shop fried chicken as a category unto itself, just like buffalo wings (cf Chuko, Hide-Chan). Expand your thinking to boneless chicken and you get to add Jin's, Tabata's, and plenty more.

So here we are at Hinomaru Ramen in Astoria. Truth be told I haven't had enough of the ramen to comment on it in a meaningful way, but these chicken wings sure have me happy. Nagoya Teba ($6) come six to a plate, fried to a deep crisp and tossed with a slightly sweet glaze. Though the chicken meat is on the mild side, the skin is anything but. It's burnished dark and salted well, and that glaze carries a serious black pepper kick. Nostril-clearing fried fare—this is a good thing.

Hinomaru Ramen

33-18 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria, NY 11105 (map)
718-777-0228
hinomaruramen.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

How do you precede a mighty bowl of comforting chicken and coconut broth at Midtown's Tabata Noodle? These mild nuggets of juicy chicken ($6) with grated radish on top. The thin craggy batter emphasizes nooks and crannies over absolute crispness, but for the price, and the mild sweet onion flavors that accompany the chicken and subtle radish, it's a fine start to the meal. A sprinkling of white pepper only helps.

Tabata Noodle

540 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10018 (map)
212-290-7691
tabatanoodle.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

The Flushing Mall's days are numbered, and the food court shows it. The space, which only dates back to early 2011, has been promised to new development, and vendors are emptying out fast. Xi'an Famous Foods, one of the anchors of the food court, is long gone.

But the doom and gloom and smaller crowds haven't discouraged Diverse Dim Sum from moving into the lower level food court. While we can't recommend everything at this stall (the pork soup dumplings, despite reports I've heard to the contrary, were wan and weak*), I'm all about this Sliced Beef Sandwich Cake ($4). It's neither a sandwich nor a cake, but really a beef- and greens-stuffed roll made with a flaky pancake-like dough.

* Perhaps the crab and pork fare better. Any reports from those who've tried them recently?

That's some surprisingly tender beef inside, meaty and rich beyond the soy sauce it's cooked with, and the greens retain some crunch to go along with their spicy kick. The pancake is a little greasier than you may like, but plenty flaky, and as with much other dim sum, a little oil on the fingers can do the body good.

Diverse Dim Sum

In the Flushing Mall Food Court (basement level)
13333 39th Avenue, Flushing NY 11354 (b/n Lawrence Avenue and Prince Street; map)
718-395-8188

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Considering how dressed up fried chicken can be these days in New York, it's nice to have a place that sticks to the basics, does them well, and keeps things at a reasonable cost. Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter, a dimly lit nook of a restaurant in Alphabet City, is just such a place.

For $11.50 you get three pieces of chicken (about 3/4 of a half bird, or 3/8 of a bird, which just sounds awkward), a rich fluffy biscuit, and a bit of cabbage salad in a mild creamy dressing. A sweet and salty brine penetrates deep into the meat, keeping it plenty juicy but still, above all, chicken-y. A bite won't release a flood of juice, but there's enough to make you smile mid-chew and realize that this is a chicken to savor.

Containing it all is a burnished, crumbly crust that holds where it needs to and gives when it has to. I've had fried chicken crusts in this city that are half as good for twice the money. Not only is Bobwhite's chicken solid for its price—it's just plain solid, well browned and tasting of caramel and chicken, not salt and fryer oil.

That said, ask for dark meat. Those three pieces of chicken you get aren't always consistent, and unlucky diners may be trapped with a wing and two hunks of breast. The wing is great stuff, and the breast isn't bad, but the real pleasure is in the dark meat. Speak up or forever hold your peace.

Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter

94 Avenue C, New York NY, 10009 (map)
212-228-2972
bobwhitecounter.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

The chickpea flour batter that surrounds a pakora is more dense and crisp than your average vegetable fritter, but it's still all about giving love to the simple vegetable filling within. You get two types in the Mix Pakora ($8) at Benares: crisp-chewy lotus root and little nuggets of cabbage, spinach, and onion. The crust is dark and crisp, substantial but not weighty. Within, the fillings are slightly sweet and light on the spice, which makes them pretty receptive to the house sauces brought to your table. The green mint is brighter and spicier than the Indian restaurant standard, and the sticky tamarind has a burnt caramel sweetness that's refreshingly intense.

Benares

Multiple locations in Midtown and Tribeca
benaresnyc.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Rhong-Tiam's roti and noodles are the main draw to this Gramercy Thai favorite, but if you're looking for a way to bulk up your order, yuca fries ($7 for a quart-sized container) are a worthy addition. Their dense, starchy flesh turns custard-soft in the fryer, and the edges take on crispiness in layers. Dunk generously into the accompanying chili mayo: these fried tubers have a wonderful, unique texture, but a subtle flavor.

Rhong-Tiam Express

31 East 21st Street, New York NY 10010 (map)
212-420-7500
rhong-tiam.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

We're on the hunt for the best Turkish food in New York (any tips, send them our way), and while Ali Baba's pide, one of the restaurant's specialties, were more heavy than tasty, these Sigara Boregi ($6.50) hit the spot.

Sigara boregi are tubes of flaky pastry filled with things like potato or cheese. The glorious funk of Ali Baba's feta filling is tempered just enough by the addition of some parsley, and the thin filo wrapper turns crisp and extra-flaky from a slow pan-fry. I usually bake my sigara boregi, but after trying these, that may have to change.

To take full advantage of these savory pastries, order some creamy, tangy lebne ($6.50) on the side. It's dairy on dairy separated by a thin layer of fried dough, a fine way to start any meal.

Ali Baba Turkish Cuisine

212 East 34th Street, New York NY 10016 (map)
212-683-9206
alibabaturkishcuisine.com‎

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Robyn Lee]

It's an American-Chinese rite of passage. You just haven't experienced American cuisine in its fullness until you've had deep fried shrimp with mayo-based walnut sauce. And if you're going to have it anywhere, you might as well have it at Amazing 66, where the large shrimp are crisp and sweet, their crust is firm and lacking in grease, and the sauce is sweet and nutty, but not overkill. The dish earns its "salad" name through an ample helping of broccoli along with sliced cherry tomato and melon—curious additions to the plate, but surprisingly not unwelcome.

The price of the dish, a whopping $19.95, may make you balk, but consider this: if you're going to indulge in a classic, don't you want it done right? Don't you want properly fried shrimp in a flawless battered crust, with only a judicious amount of mayo and properly toasted nuts? You do, and that's why you'll order this dish, if only once.

Amazing 66

66 Mott Street, New York, NY 10013 (map)
212-334-0099

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

There are many loud and bold reasons to visit Legend, the Sichuan restaurant in Chelsea we've come to love. Mapo tofu is quite good here; the tears in eyes, in their own way, are even better. With all the well-executed fiery, tangy, and meaty dishes on the menu, it might take you a couple of visits to notice the demure Sweet Potato Cakes ($3.21 for two). Consider them for your next trip, and if you haven't made it to Legend yet, take this as warning and order them right away.

Think of them as delicately fried mochi, coated in sesame seeds and stuffed with a sweet potato filling that's custard-soft with a bit of chew. The jolt of warm sweet potato flavor is enough to shock you out of the ma la monotony that can sometimes accompany even great Sichuan meals, and the textural contrast of piping hot crust and chewy filling is among the best of the city's dim sum offerings.

Note: you won't find this dish on the online menu, but we've confirmed that it's still available.

Legend Bar & Restaurant

88 7th Avenue, New York NY 10011 (map)
212-929-1778
legendbarrestaurant.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Last year, The Queens Kickshaw was host to Woks and Lox a Jewish and Asian Christmas celebration cooked by none other than our own Chichi Wang. What does Jewish-Asian fusion cooking look like? Think pierogi wontons, matzo-crusted tofu, and Sichuan peppercorn latkes. Though Woks and Lox is over for now, these Cabbage Croquettes ($12) look like they're keeping the flame of Jewish-Asian fusion cooking alive, with an egg roll-like filling fried in a crust that tastes more like bubbie's kitchen than General Tso.

The pliant, delicate crust of these croquettes has a toasted buckwheat kind of flavor going on, with nutty cheese on top adds extra toastiness and crispiness. It's especially complementary to the buttery braised cabbage inside, which tastes just enough like egg roll filling to make you smile—without killing you with grease or MSG. Sweet roasted tomatoes and chunky cilantro pepper sauce move the three football-shaped croquettes in a decidedly spicy direction, a fresh heat reminiscent of harissa or s'chug. Chinese, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern/North African-esque all at once. Welcome to Astoria: this is how we do.

The Queens Kickshaw

40-17 Broadway, Astoria, NY 11103 (map)
718-777-0913
thequeenskickshaw.com

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.

[Photograph: Max Falkowitz]

Sometimes the act of frying something completely transforms it into something new. That's the case with the Catfish Salad ($11.95) at Chao Thai, where the fried catfish is barely recognizable as such, and where it's really a garnish on a salad rather than a dish on its own.

The salad is Chao Thai's green papaya, sweetened by peanut and tomato but mostly, pleasantly, tart and fiery. The catfish comes in the form of porous but greaseless protein nuggets that soak up the lime juice dressing and add crunch to the crisp green papaya. Don't think fried fish chunks; think ground fish magically made totally crisp from crust to center. It's mild fish turned into bread crumbs, but meatier and more fitting on the fishy-sour salad.

I'll admit—this is kind of weird stuff, and the idea of crunchy protein nuggets on your salad isn't everyone's idea of a good time. But if pork floss gets you going, or if you're just looking for a lighter spin on fried pork rinds, give this dish a try. And hey, it's salad, so it can't be that bad for you, right?

Chao Thai

85-03 Whitney Ave, Queens NY 11373 (map)
718-424-4999

About the author: Max Falkowitz is the editor of Serious Eats: New York. You can follow him on Twitter at @maxfalkowitz.