Favorite Dishes #26: Trestle on Tenth’s ‘Crispy’ Duck Necks

In the heart of that increasingly trendy stripe the High Line carves through Chelsea, Trestle on Tenth (242 Tenth Avenue; 212-645-5659) is a decade-old neighborhood stalwart and dining destination rolled into one. In cold weather, the intimately proportioned digs and Ralf Kuettel’s Swiss-inspired fare will warm your proverbial cockles. With the arrival of summer, the back doors open to a perfect patio oasis that mutes the traffic of Tenth Avenue to a relative murmur. That’ll warm you, and you might even find actual cockles on the menu, tossed with asparagus and basil and served over pasta.

No matter the season, we’ll always have the duck necks. An appetizer like no other, “Crispy Duck Necks With Rosemary and Garlic Aioli” might best be described as a gourmand’s chicken wing: Cleft into three-inch lengths, the necks are marinated, then dredged in a rosemary breading and crisped till all trace of fat is rendered away and the meat veritably sublimates off the bone. Not rich enough for your demanding palate? They’re served with a garlicky aioli whose tang cuts through the unctuousness even as its substance multiplies it.

Ask your server to help you choose a glass (or, better yet, a bottle) from Trestle’s iconoclastic, Eurocentric wine list — and make sure your napkin is close at hand.

The Village Voice is counting down to our Best of New York City issue in October. We’re combing the city every day, one dish at a time, to guide you to the most delicious food in NYC. These are our 100 Favorite Dishes for 2015, in no particular order, save for the top 10. To read about previous dishes, browse our 100 Favorite Dishes page.

Here’s our countdown up to now:
#100: Laminated Blueberry Brioche at Dominique Ansel Kitchen
#99: Egg Shop’s Golden Bucket Fried Chicken
#98: Ramen Lab’s Torigara Shoyu
#97: Cannoli at Ferdinando’s
#96: Breakfast Sandwich at Dimes
#95: Banana Royal at Eddie’s Sweet Shop
#94: Fletcher’s Burnt Ends
#93: Almayass’s Mante
#92: Empellon Taqueria’s Fish Taco
#91: El Rey’s Sardine Tostada
#90: General Tso’s Pig’s Head at the Cannibal
#89: The Vegetarian at Meat Hook Sandwich Shop
#88: The 21 Club’s Creamy Chicken Hash
#87: Deep-Fried Olives at Via Carota
#86: Pougi at Loi Estiatorio
#85: Shelsky’s Hot Pastrami Sandwich
#85: Pearl & Ash’s Smoked Bread with Chicken Butter
#84: Gluten-Free Pizza at Rossopomodoro
#83: Perry St’s Chocolate Pudding With Candied Violets
#82: Whit’s End’s ‘Fuckin’ Bluefish Dip’
#81: Morgenstern’s Salt and Pepper Pine Nut Ice Cream
#80: Levain Bakery’s Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
#79: Delmar Pizzeria’s Pizza
#78: Cafe Cluny’s Avocado Toast
#77: Brooklyn Star’s Cinnamon Bun
#76: Pork Belly Cotton Candy at Carnem
#75: Ippudo’s Pork Buns
#74: Mission Chinese Food’s Oil-Cured Anchovies
#73: Johnnycakes at LoLo’s Seafood Shack
#72: The Starving Artists Steak at Belle Reve
#71: The Spotted Pig’s Gnudi
#70: Xi’an Famous Foods’ Tiger Vegetable Salad
#69: Crème Brûlée Truffle at Kee’s Chocolates
#68: Pok Pok’s Muu Paa Kham Wong
#67: Cacio e Pepe at Upland
#66: Pulpo at Toro
#65: Junior’s Something Different
#64: Duck Carnitas at Cosme
#63: Banana Miso Ice Cream Sandwich at Neta
#62: Breads Bakery’s Chocolate Babka
#61: Braised Lamb Neck at the Gorbals
#60: Dough’s Passionfruit Doughnut
#59: Uncle Jesse Bao at Baohaus
#58: Patatas Bravas at El Colmado
#57: Lupulo’s Razor Clams
#56: Bar Masa’s Spicy Dancing Shrimp
#55: Underwest Donuts’ Halva
#54: The Virgola Platter at Virgola
#53: Noreetuh’s Monkfish Liver Torchon
#52: Amarena Cherry Merveilleux
#51: Roasted Mushrooms at Bara
#50: Fonda’s Oaxacan Black Mole Enchiladas
#49: Flinders Lane’s Lamb Rump
#48: Blue Ribbon Sushi’s Temaki Honnin
#47: Dirty French’s Chicken and Crepes
#46: The Vegetarian Combination at Zoma
#45: Merguez Sausage Flatbread at Irvington
#44: Le Grand Aioli at Marlow & Sons
#43: Shelsky’s Hot Pastrami Sandwich
#42: Hippie Banjo at Pies ‘n’ Thighs
#41: Malted Milkshake from Dizzy’s Diner
#40: Graffiti’s Graffiti Burger
#39: Beef Rolls at Kottu House
#38: Cafe Katja’s Wiener Schnitzel
#37: Norma’s Potato Pancakes
#36: Goat Milk Soft Serve at Victory Garden
#35: Okonomi’s Onsen Egg
#34: ‘Njuja Pizza at Obicà
#33: Paulaner Sausage Sampler
#32: Triple Chocolate Chunk Cookies at The Whitney
#31: Momofuku Ssäm Bar’s Dry Aged Rib Eye
#30: Bar Boulud’s Escargots Persillade
#29: Marta’s Roman-Style Pizza
#28: Untitled’s Roasted and Fried Chicken Salad
#27: Sweet Corn Goat Cheese Tamal at Confessional