“Single Concept” Trends Again with Cookie Dough and Congee

The single concept craze may have given way to the fast-casual fad, but that doesn’t mean it’s fizzled out completely.  Witness a new hyper-focused duo of eateries, whose signature dishes — while less of an obvious choice, certainly, than biscuits, meatballs and mac and cheese — are nevertheless rife for riffing.

The first is DŌ (pronounced dough) in Greenwich Village, which is gleefully thumbing its nose at New York’s E. coli-fearing mom contingent, by serving up unbaked cookie batter in all forms.  Made with pasteurized-egg product and heat-treated flour, their product is rendered harmless, if not exactly healthy — considering menu items run to Nutella-stuffed cookie dough cupcakes, ice cream sanDOwiches, ice cream sundaes, ice cream cones and ice cream pies; each combining cookie dough-studded dairy, encased in various permutations of raw, molded dough.

On the other end of the spectrum, The Good Sort’s showcase creation is actually good for you — that would be Chinese congee — offered in all manner of sweet and savory forms.  Owned by Jeff Lam and Eddy Buckingham (also of Chinese Tuxedo, located in the Chinatown location right next door), the all-day vegan café crowns bowls of warm, sustaining rice porridge with everything from poached pears and buttery crumble, to turmeric and coconut with champagne-poached cranberries, to braised shitakes and jicama with youtiao; a Chinese cruller of sorts.

Fast-casual franchises may boast infinitely more variety, but you’ve got to respect the dogged, one-dish commitment of New York’s single-concept spots.

DŌ
550 La Guardia Pl.
646-892-3600
www.cookiedonyc.com

The Good Sort
5 Doyers St.
646-895-9301
www.thegoodsortnyc.com