Cherry on Top Pop-up Pops Off
Baba Yaga and Strega Nonna come together to make toast
Cherry on Top (379 Sudyam St) opened in 2021. I’ve been obsessed with it ever since reading this Eater article about its creator, Cerise Zelenetz, who shifted over to the bar business after a career in designing logos and menus; but somehow, I never got around to making the trek. However, once I saw that they were holding a Baba Yaga / Strega Nonna-themed dinner pop-up, I figured it was time to brave the cold, take the 2/3 to the L (horrific transfer, by the way), and see whether this place was as delightful as I had imagined it to be all this time.
My first impression of Cherry on Top was that it was just an absolutely darling space for an event. (It’s such a perfect venue that they were actually holding two events on the same night — my friend and I left with free skincare goop of some sort, courtesy of a Bumble event we didn’t mean to attend.) The dining room is intimate, with little circular tables that make you feel Parisian and a uniform red light that feels less R-rated and more fantastical, somehow. They also have an outdoor roof deck area upstairs, which is probably great in the summer, but I decided to stay downstairs instead, obviously. Warm, boisterous, cozy.
But let’s talk food. Actually, let’s specifically talk winter Panzanella, because the guest chefs, Rachel Broder and Mia Glickman, made a knockout version of this dish. Chicories formed a veggie base, which was then mixed with chunks of toasted bread and bacon attributed to “Uncle Eugene.” The mix was then doused in a citrus dressing of some sort, and in a cool touch, they grated some cured egg yolk on top as a garnish. It was my favorite type of salad, in that technically it was a bunch of chopped-up stuff mixed together, but it certainly would not make it onto anyone’s restrictive diet. The bread got all soggy and tangy, and I got very happy.
We just decided to order everything on the menu because we were starving and it was bar food. The Baba Yaga toast came with some really high-qual, fresh goat feta on top — so creamy it didn’t even feel like a feta experience. As an Italian apologist, I preferred the Nonna Betta toast, a simple sourdough slice with tomato sauce and some grated parm. The savory pop tart, cutely folded into some puff pastry, was filled with leeks and graciously adorned with two thin slices of cheddar. There was some sweet, sticky drizzle on top of the pop tart that threatened its savory rep.
The potato rosti made a nice contrast with the rest of the dishes — another toast topped with potatoes, smoked trout, and diced pickles, it was covered in garlic chili oil with some genuine heat to it. (The smoked trout was also Uncle Eugene’s recipe. I really want to meet Uncle Eugene.)
Once we were done with all our toasts (basically the whole menu was toasts), we got on to dessert. Syrniki are traditionally compared to pancakes, but these small Russian cakes seemed more like patty-sized cheesecakes to me. They were served warm, with a crispy shell and a dollop of sour cream on top. The sour cherry flavor from the preserves cut through the sweetness of the cakes, and I could have eaten four but I just had one because I was playing nice and sharing.
We left joyful and drunk. What can I say? Clever event, great menu, cute bar — I love it when I’m right about things, and I was definitely right about Cherry on Top.
Read more musings at Do Not Disturb, Hannah is Eating, or subscribe to get the newsletter delivered to your inbox here.
