New York's burrito wars are over.
"One burrito at Vato is technically enough for one person, but one burrito at Vato is never enough."
Good afternoon everyone. Last night I saw Marty Supreme in Williamsburg. I fell asleep mentally rewinding and replaying the honey scene, and thinking about how many pieces of Marty’s story that beautifully-written flashback unlocked. I woke up listening to Oneohtrix Point Never.
I read more books in the last month than the entire year — I recently finished Perfection by Vincenzo Latronico, Among Friends by Hal Ebbott, and The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers, among others. I also read through my husband’s copy of The Best American Short Stories 2017 when we were at my in-laws last week, which gave me the joy of reading Emma Cline’s “Arcadia” for the first time.
Today’s letter includes: J Lee reviewed Vato, new ownership rumors at a Sag Harbor bar, beehiiv is hiring a social media lead, whiskey’s slow death, and I’d like to know from my sober readers if alcohol-free members clubs are appealing.
The Feed Me Job Board is free to browse and post on. This week, roles include a Brand Marketing Manager at Ghia, a Substack Strategist and Copywriter at an ad agency, and more.
Expense Account is a series on Feed Me by semi-anonymous restaurant critic J Lee. In his last entry, he wrote about Bistrot Ha.
Get in line for New York’s best burrito.
The burrito wars are over. Vato won. The new Park Slope tortilleria from the Corima team is best experienced on a weekday around 11am, the gray area between breakfast and lunch, before the lines get very long. You might get lucky and snag a table. One early afternoon/late morning, everyone was there (two writers for New York Magazine, and a writer for Eater). Vato offers four burritos, all served on their house-made flour tortillas — the good kind that we’ve recently been blessed with in New York City. Fatty, translucent, and just the right amount of indulgent, in my estimation, Vato is making the best tortillas in the entire city. One burrito at Vato is technically enough for one person, but one burrito at Vato is never enough. My friend and I split three: the burnt ends egg and cheese, the verde, and the bean and cheese. Maybe I messed up not ordering the mole, which I heard is maybe the best, but it’s nice to have something to look forward to.
The burnt ends egg and cheese is the breakfast burrito New York has been longing for. It’s rich and the perfect cure for a hangover, or fuel for a long hard day of sending emails. The bean cheese is focused, minimal but not simple — deep and utterly moreish. Fuck a bagel, I could eat this every day. But my favorite is the verde. Juicy braised pork shoulder, in a green sauce that’s deceptively complex. Bright and dynamic and tastes like home. For pastries we had the churro and a cinnamon roll, both delicious, some of my favorites pastries I’ve had in a while. Like everything else at Vato, the pastries walk a fine line; in theory they’d be too decadent, but in practice they’re just right. There is a certain balance to it all, a certain level of perfection, that feels almost Japanese.