Favorite Dishes #73: Johnnycakes at LoLo’s Seafood Shack

LoLo’s Seafood Shack (303 West 116th Street; 646-649-3356) is an island oasis in the middle of Harlem, a full tropical embrace of the Caribbean with a splash of Cape Cod. The eatery itself evokes island vibes, its blue and orange walls lined with vivid artwork that makes you wish you were sipping rum in Jamaica.

The menu certainly mirrors that Caribbean way of life as well. Here, the johnnycake — a cornmeal fritter — makes a delectable debut, slathered in honey butter and infused with thyme and scallions. Carried throughout are sugary notes from the honey butter and piquant overtures from the herbs and green onions.

You could get one of the bakes — we recommend the avocado bake — but the sweetened, savory fritters really do stand alone. LoLo’s also has a profusion of chutneys, salsas, and, if you ask nicely, extra honey butter, which all mate well with the johnnycakes.

Fork in the Road 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.

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