Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: August 12

With Eater editors dining out sometimes several times a day, we come across lots of standout dishes, and we don’t want to keep any secrets. Check back weekly for the best things we ate this week.

Lamb balti gosht at Ghandi Cafe

Balti is a style of Indian cooking that probably originated in northwest India and Pakistan, but was adapted for British tastes in Birmingham, Northampton, and other industrial cities, and is now associated with them. Founded by Indian immigrants from the UK in 1999, Ghandi Cafe once specialized in balti cooking. British soccer pennants still line the walls, but lamb balti gosht ($15) is one of the few balti dishes still remaining: big chunks of lamb sizzling in a bowl with green peppers, fresh tomatoes, shards of yellow onion, and herbs like rosemary, braised into a mellow yet lively gravy, with plenty of sauce in the bottom to soak the accompanying rice. 283 Bleecker Street, near Seventh Avenue South, Greenwich Village — Robert Sietsema, senior critic

Emma Orlow/Eater NY

Pandan milkshake at Zinnia’s Dinette

As part of research for our Hudson Valley guide, I stopped by Zinnia’s Dinette — a restaurant that deserves as much love as the restaurants in neighboring towns that get more attention. Styled like a colorful diner with orange swivel stools, Zinnia’s fried fish sandwiches, and other seafood items with creative spins. On their dessert menu, they have several milkshakes: If I see pandan ($8) on the menu I have to order it. And, I’m so glad I did. 1843 NY-23, Craryville, New York — Emma Orlow, reporter

Stephanie Wu/Eater NY

Elote slice at Mama’s Too

As an avid corn lover, I knew I needed to try the elote slice as soon as I saw it on Mama’s Too’s Instagram account. The square slice ($9.50) is loaded with corn kernels and the queso fresco provides a nice tang for balance. Altogether it more than delivered that sweet flavor I associate with late summer. It’s massive (two of us shared it as a snack) and messy; do not attempt to eat this anywhere windy or on the go. But as far as seasonal slices go, this is worth trying — grab it while you can, it’s available at both Mama’s Too locations this month. 325 Bleecker Street, at Christopher Street, West Village — Stephanie Wu, editor-in-chief