Luke Fortney

Brooklyn

Writer at Freelance

raised on the dollar taco, ruined by the dollar slice food writer etc.

Articles

Taco Bell’s Crunchwrap Supreme, an Unlikely Muse for Chefs, Turns 20

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Luke Fortney

In 2020, Fernando Strohmeyer was scrolling through Reddit in the back of Aunt Ginny’s, a dive bar in Ridgewood, Queens, when a video of someone making a homemade Crunchwrap Supreme caught his eye. It didn’t matter that he had never tasted the Taco Bell original. Recipes for the fast-food staple have spread online like open-source code. Soon, he was making one, too.
I Scream, You Scream. They Don’t Scream for Ice Cream.

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Anna Kodé |Luke Fortney

The Museum of Ice Cream is a sugarcoated daydream — or nightmare, depending on your tastes. The location in SoHo opened in 2019, spawning out of a temporary pop-up three years earlier that reportedly had a 200,000-person wait-list. It’s less of a museum than it is a made-for-Instagram selfie emporium. You won’t find much on display to spark any philosophical thoughts — what is there to say about the ephemeral nature of ice cream, or how about its role as a symbol of pure hedonism?
How a Chain Influences New York’s Hottest Restaurants

2 months ago | grubstreet.com | Luke Fortney

Everyone loves the chain — including the chefs who pull all kinds of high-low inspiration for their own restaurants. French dips, extra-cold martinis and artichoke dip are just a few of the ideas that Hillstone has perfected. French dips, extra-cold martinis and artichoke dip are just a few of the ideas that Hillstone has perfected. French dips, extra-cold martinis and artichoke dip are just a few of the ideas that Hillstone has perfected.
Is Simon Kim Building America's Next Dining Empire?

2 months ago | vinepair.com | Luke Fortney

When Simon Kim meets me at Coqodaq, his Korean fried chicken restaurant in Manhattan, he’s dressed for business and ready to let loose. He tucks into a curved banquette toward the back of the dining room and waves down a server. “Can we get three juice shots with vitamins and ginger?” he says, before turning my way with a conspiratorial grin. “Let’s chug these.”Kim, 43, is a fine-dining maverick.
Pop Stars

2 months ago | ediblebrooklyn.com | Luke Fortney

Kenneth Eweka Jr. woke up on June 6, he had only been asleep for four hours. The night before, he was scanning driver’s licenses until 6am at the Pencil Factory, the bar where he worked as a bouncer. After his shift, he went home to nap before heading right back to work—this time with a cooler full of steaks. He seasoned them with suya, a peanut-based spice blend, and seared them over an electric grill until he sold out.
Birria-Landia Opening at Flushing’s Tangram Mall

Mar 18, 2025 | grubstreet.com | Luke Fortney

For the first time, there will be Birria-Landia burritos. Earlier this month, José Moreno was in Flushing when he tasted a Sichuan peppercorn for the first time. He was hovering over a bowl of fish soup, when one crunched between his teeth. He reached for some water. There wasn’t any. He started to pant. The numbing spread. What saved him was a familiar taste: hibiscus tea. “If you add ice to this, it’s like agua de jamaica,” he says.
Could This Be the End of the Party in Dimes Square?

Mar 14, 2025 | nytimes.com | Luke Fortney

On Wednesday, the New YorkCity Council convened to vote on matters of critical importance: organic waste collection, blockchain technology, the upcoming mayoral race and 18 red bistro chairs that dot the corner of Canal and Ludlow Streets. Like hundreds of restaurateurs across the city, Jon Neidich, an owner of Le Dive, applied for a permit last year for sidewalk seating outside of his buzzy wine bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
During Ramadan, the Yemeni Coffee Shop Is Jumping

Mar 10, 2025 | nytimes.com | Luke Fortney

On a recent Saturday night, diners in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, took their rightful places at the natural wine bars, pizza shops and taquerias across the neighborhood. Good luck finding a seat at the Yemeni coffee chain. Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffeehouse with 26 locations in nine states, was standing room only just after 8 p.m. College students crowded around kettles of spiced coffee to study for exams and occasionally flirt.
Europe's Most Famous Restaurant Turns to Coffee Roasting

Mar 6, 2025 | nytimes.com | Luke Fortney

Welcome to the T List, a newsletter from the editors of T Magazine. Each week, we share things we're eating, wearing, listening to or coveting now. Sign up here to find us in your inbox every Wednesday, along with monthly travel and beauty guides and the latest stories from our print issues.And you can always reach us at [email protected]. Image In 2017, Carolyne Lane was working as a barista in Bielefeld, Germany, when she saw a YouTube video of René Redzepi talking about coffee.
Chefs Across NYC Tone Down the Spice on Their Menus

Mar 4, 2025 | grubstreet.com | Luke Fortney

Why are so many chefs de-spicing their menus? When the chef Chintan Pandya and his partners decided to name their restaurant group Unapologetic Foods, they made it clear that they wouldn’t water down their vision for Indian cooking in New York. In 2022, when the group opened Rowdy Rooster, specializing in fried-chicken sandwiches marinated in Kashmiri chiles, Pandya found himself in an unexpected position: wondering whether he would have to apologize for the food.