Feature

Latkes

Of course, you can find them at Zabar's and the 2nd Avenue Deli. But miraculous-tasting versions of Hanukkah's traditional potato pancakes appear all over town. Atkins devotees, avert your eyes.

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By Rebecca Marx

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1. Sarge's Deli

A latke-lover's Xanadu. Dense, huge, cut with bits of carrot and onion, and fried in enough oil to last eight days, they're less potato pancake than gastronomic landmass. Three make a very substantial meal.
548 Third Avenue, near 36th Street
212-679-0442; $2.50 each.

2. Essex

Topped with sautéed apples and a honey-cream sauce and served with spinach-shiitake-black-bean hash, they're the latkes your bubbe never made.
120 Essex Street
212-533-9616; $8 for two.

3. Christina's Polish Restaurant

Peppery, crisp, and quite ungreasy. Served with applesauce or sour cream, they're worth the trip to Greenpoint.
853 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn
718-383-4382; $4.50 for three.

4. Yonah Schimmel's Knishes

Turns out they make more than knishes. Although the latkes are a bit tough and more than a bit microwaved, it's hard to beat hot fried food eaten straight from a brown paper bag.
137 East Houston Street
212-477-2858; $1.50 each.

5. B&H Dairy

Perfectly crisp on the edges, thick and soft at the center, these things are the size of 45s. Best eaten on an empty stomach, with total disregard for one's health.
127 Second Avenue
212-505-8065; $4.25 for three.