The city's pocket parks are great for waterfall peeping, book reading, and now taco eating, with the debut of RoundHouse, a tiny fusion taco kiosk that soft opens inside Hell's Kitchen's Balsley Park today. The cylindrical stand holds court on 9th Avenue and 57th Street, overlooking a small outdoor seating area with space for 30. Now and through the inevitable frosty winds, there'll be takeout and delivery (48th Street to 66th Street, 6th Avenue to the Hudson River) options, too.
Fusion's the theme here, combining a base of Mexican dishes (tacos, burritos) and trend dishes like "bowls" with flavor inspirations from across Southeast Asia and Hawaii. The fusion taco is well-trod territory, and the wheel seems firmly intact here. Fillings like Pork come with kimchi and pineapple salsa in the burritos and Short Rib gets crunchy and creamy with avocado crema, peanuts and cilantro. Naturally, there is also poke.
Balsley Park (866 9th Avenue), (646) 764-5983; roundhousenyc.com. Open 11 a.m. til park closes.
RoundHouse Opening Menu by Nell Casey on Scribd
