3 Crown, Prospect Heights Spots Named Michelin's Best Cheap Eats

BROOKLYN, NY — The same reviewers that dole out the highly-coveted Michelin stars have given two new Crown Heights restaurants the distinction as one of the best spots for cheap eats in New York City.

Burmese spot Rangoon and Mexican favorite Chavela's are among 30 newcomers to the Bib Gourmand awards, or those where Michelin inspectors can order a full meal for under $40. The New York additions include the Big Apple and Westchester.

In all, 131 dining options made the 2021 list, the first Michelin has released since before the coronavirus crisis.

The 2021 selection also includes Olmsted in Prospect Heights, which was added to the guide for the first time last year.

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The renowned anonymous inspectors will release their more well-known starred selections on Thursday.

Here's a look at what the inspectors had to say about the Prospect and Crown Heights winners:

Rangoon

There’s a saying that good things come in small packages. That is certainly true for this heartfelt Burmese jewel—its stark-white interior no bigger than a train car. The menu, too, is limited to a handful of vibrant salads, soothing noodles, and curries that reflect the country’s cross-cultural cooking influenced by neighbors like China, Thailand and India.

However, unlike its neighbors, creations like tea leaf salad with fried beans or lemongrass fish noodle soup with garlic oil showcase a subtler approach to spice and flavor that's as comforting as a gentle summer breeze. If there is such a thing as a perfect starter, it must be the onion fritters served with tamarind-garlic dip. They are onion rings perfected and are as pretty as they are delicious.

Chavela's

Ordering guacamole may be a reflex for many, but at Chavela’s, what lands on the table is far from the norm. Mexico City native, Chef Arturo Leonar, is the brains behind this exceptional riff, which mixes smoked trout, pico de gallo, and morita chile salsa to thrilling effect. His creativity even extends to other dishes, like taquitos de cangrego with sweet crabmeat and spicy salsa verde, as well as handmade quesadillas stuffed with huitlacoche. Traditionalists may rest easy, as the subtly sweet mole coating the chicken and enchiladas alike is bound to delight.

Featuring a wrought-iron entrance door, the décor here is an absolute riot of color thanks to vibrant Mexican tiles surrounding the bar and artistic touches like that wall of ceramic butterflies.

Olmsted

Olmsted hasn’t lost any of its luster, with Brooklynites continuing to pack its ever-hip and happening space. Reservations are a challenge, but those lucky enough to nab a seat are treated to Chef Greg Baxtrom’s concise and thoughtfully conceived menu of starters and entrées.
Forget farm to table; this kitchen is backyard to table thanks to a blooming and expanded vegetable and herb garden. Creativity is abundant, as seen in snap pea sushi, which subs out rice for raw peas; and lobster thermidor with meaty crackers alongside a frothy lobster-Gruyère dip. While the carte changes often, a few constants remain, like the Thai green papaya salad tweaked with shaved asparagus, or a carrot crêpe draped over clams and plated on an orange dish—natch.

Check out the full list here.