Profile

Chef-partner Adam Woodfield calls Betel a “modern Southeast Asian kitchen” inspired by the hawker stalls in Thailand — the namesake dish is a betel leaf topped with a roasted eggplant and shallot relish that’s mixed with chicken and lime leaf, lemongrass, mint, and coriander (the leaf is meant to be rolled and eaten). Woodfield and his partners are hoping to break the curse of New York City Thai spots — aside from certain places in Queens, says Woodfield, “I think you can just get the same thing everywhere and no one’s really trying to branch out.” — Daniel Maurer