"Bring the biggest control freak you know to The Dolar Shop in the East Village. At this location of an international chain, every person gets their own mini pot and burner with the broth of their choice. Then, you order plates of veggies, starches, and fancy meats like wagyu and goose intestine for the table, and everyone gets an ice cream cone at the end. While you eat, you can stash your bag and coat in a storage space so they don’t end up smelling like meat. Things can get pricey, though. The broth is basically the cover charge—each person pays $11 for their broth (or two, split down the middle of your pot). Access to the sauce station costs an extra $4 per person, because it also includes a selection of fruit, appetizers, and desserts. After that, every dish you order a la carte is meant to be shared with four to five people—or you can get a platter. photo credit: The Dolar Shop photo credit: The Dolar Shop photo credit: The Dolar Shop You’ll likely end up spending around $50-$70 per person, but high-quality meats like their melt-in-your-mouth wagyu and jumbo scallops, make this place worth it for a celebratory hot pot dinner. And you can save a few bucks by going for a seasonal set menu—or coming in between 9pm-12am for the $46 AYCE deal. Food Rundown Exquisite Silver Soup The Dolar Shop’s signature broth is a creamy mixture of pork and chicken broth, with bits of pork tripe in it. It has a heavy black peppercorn flavor that we love. It’s not super spicy, though, so we like to get the two-broth combination that comes with Silver Soup and Szechuan Hot & Spicy broth. Shrimp Pâté This is another one of their signature dishes, and a must-order. You get one big ball of shrimp, water chestnut, and celery—it has a bouncy, glutinous texture, but there are actually no other ingredients used to glue everything together. We like to take off chunks and form them into mini shrimp balls before sticking them in the broth. Go ahead and get an extra order." - Neha Talreja
