Cutlets Are the 2017 Dish of the Year (original) (raw)

Almost every country has its cutlet. Call it a schnitzel, Milanese, tonkatsu, or chicken-fried steak—a cutlet by any other name would smell as tasty. And no wonder: Who doesn’t love a crispy, crunchy, fried piece of tenderized meat? But these days they’re turning up at restaurants outside of the checkered-tablecloth Italian joint or the dusty, old German spot. Chefs across the country are taking the classic preparations and amping them up. You still eat them with the same enthusiasm as when you devoured chicken tenders as a kid; there’s just a lot more going on.

As we traveled America searching for the Best New Restaurants of 2017, various spins on the cutlet accounted for some of the best dishes we tried all year. Mean Sandwich in Seattle—which made our Top 50 list—has a chicken-cutlet sandwich with Buffalo mayo and pickled-pepper relish. D.C.’s Bindaas uses ground lamb. And Riel in Houston has a killer tonkatsu.

But it's the Fish Milanese at New York‘s new all-day Mexican café, Atla that we really can't get out of our heads. The fresh fillet of sole, coated in buttermilk and panko and lightly fried, is the platonic ideal of a cutlet. Never greasy, never soggy; just crunchy, flavorful, and perfectly cut with the acid of a cucumber-lime ceviche.

They’re easy, they're elevated, and they’re everywhere. That's what makes the simple yet oh-so-delicious cutlet our 2017 Dish of the Year.

Get the recipe:

Fish Milanese with Cucumber Ceviche

In case you still need convincing: