"A trio of Momofuku alums started Nudibranch as a pop-up in spring 2021, and it eventually evolved into this restaurant in the East Village. With dishes influenced by South America, Mexico, and a whole host of Asian countries, we initially worried the menu might feel unfocused. We couldn’t have been more wrong. For $85, you choose one course from each of three sections on the menu, and you’ll see frog legs fried in a ginger/lemongrass batter and a mushroom and egg yolk dish we’re still thinking about. The kitchen is certainly throwing things at the wall to see what sticks, and pretty much everything is sticking." - carina finn koeppicus, kenny yang, neha talreja, bryan kim