What's She Eating Now?

... and we're back, with oysters!

2012-01-27T22:21:00.000-05:00

I just did the internet equivalent of dusting off my blog -- deleting all of the comments posted by spam sites looking to boost their SEO rankings. At least I think they're spam as I can't imagine Viagra Online, one of my most prolific commenters, was really that into What's She Eating Now.

In any event, just because I have been gone for a while doesn't mean I haven't been cooking up a storm and eating everything in my path. Here is a quick recipe that is easy and fun to make and an entertaining crowd pleaser that will impress your guests: Oysters Rockafeller. It really does not take as long as then lengthy instructions would imply so give it a try.

Step one: procure oysters
Pick up some oysters at your fish market and an oyster knife if you don't own one. Mid-size oysters that are neither too creamy or briny work well, like a blue point for example. For an amuse one or two per person is a good number, for an app 6 per person. If you are not making the oysters right away refrigerate with a slightly damp paper towel placed loosely over the shells, do not keep in a plastic bag as the oysters need to breathe.

Prepare a sheet pan either using salt to line the whole bottom to hold the oysters in place or you can use tin foil to line the bottom and also to create little foil stands to hold the oysters in place. If you're entertaining go for the salt, it is a great presentation.

Step two: make sauce
Take a stick of unsalted butter out of the fridge for later use and pre heat the oven to 400.

Make some bacon and cook until crispy.

Sautee some breadcrumbs in a little butter (or even a little bacon grease) to toast, this step is not essential but it makes it even better.

Chop parsley, watercress, green onion and garlic-- mixture should be mostly watercress but don't be shy with the other ingredients. Exact proportions don't matter, channel your inner chef and do it by feel and taste. Also, you'll see many variations when you look this recipe up. They are all delicious.

Put this mis-en-place aside and shuck your oysters.

Step three: shuck oysters
First make sure all the oysters are alive. If they are open, tap them lightly. If they close they are good. If not, toss them. The ones firmly shut are also good to go.Wipe with a damp cloth to remove any schmutz.

Use a dish towel to wrap around the open side of the oyster to hold it down firmly against the counter. Jam the oyster knife into the hinge of the oyster and work it in until you can pop it open. Keep the knife in and run along the very top, flat part of the shell to separate the oyster as it is connected at top and bottom. Take care not to tear the oyster itself.

Use the knife to separate on the bottom too and place on the sheet pan to wait to be sauced. Do not lose the oyster juice.

Step four: back to the sauce
Melt a stick of unsalted butter in a saucier like this one. Depending on how many oysters you are doing you can melt the butter while you're shucking. Add the garlic first. When you can smell a nice garlicky butter smell add the rest of the veggies. Cook them down a bit then add chopped crispy bacon. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Sauce the oysters and then sprinkle the toasted breadcrumbs on top. Cook for 10-12 minutes, sauce should be bubbling. Serve, enjoy!

Dream or reality?

2011-06-18T11:22:00.000-04:00

Check out this rendering of me sitting on a tomato surrounded by some of my favorite pasta shapes. I have often had dreams like this but I am dying to meet the artist who knew this and brought my dreams to life. If he is a true genius there is a sausage and cheese filling in that ravioli.

Goldman Shacks

2011-06-14T13:55:00.000-04:00

Want to know if Goldman Sachs employees get special treatment at Shake Shack? Click through to this great piece of investigatory journalism.

Honey, Get Out the Good Chinet, We Have Company

2011-03-08T22:58:00.000-05:00

Some of you have wondered where I have been for the last several months. Some readers emailed asking if I was OK. Others submitted concerns that I may have eaten myself to death. While this would be my preferred way to go, I am alive and well. I was quite busy helping Michael White open Ai Fiori, his newest restaurant in the Setai Fifth Avenue hotel, which kept me from my blogging duties. But before you think I am all schmansy now, I still have not forgotten what "fine dining" means in most of the world, and here in particular in Grand Coulee, Washington.

Lost in Translation, Menu Edition

2010-07-11T21:17:00.000-04:00

Among the many things my sister and I share is an obsession with taking pictures of funny english translations when we travel. One of our favorites, which we took together in Japan, was of a sign pointing to the "bus porking."

Back from her trip to the Middle East, sis has added to the collection and made me proud. Please see below the dessert choices one may have in Syria after downing a delicious Crap Salad. Hot love ice cream anyone?

The Alabama Treat

2010-06-14T11:32:00.005-04:00

When I was in high school I took the bus to school with a group of rowdy guys from my grade until we were old enough to have cars and then we drove together. These guys would tell dirty jokes, listen to hard core rap and often invite themselves over to my house after school to hang out, whether I wanted them there or not. The particularly frustrating part was that sometimes my mom would feed them, insuring they had no need to leave and more reason to come back. It sounds bad but these guys were also hilarious and fun and good guys at heart and I am happy to still call them my friends all these years later.

In particular, I am happy to have remained friends with Ken Hess (pictured above, perhaps you have seen him on Pitmasters or the Food Network's Unwrapped). Ken is a barbecue chef at Big Bob Gibson in Decatur, Alabama, an award-winning fourth-generation barbecue mecca known for their chicken and pork and the secret sauces they make to dress them. Unfortunately I do not find myself in Decatur, well ever, but I get a chance to sample their food at the annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party where this year they had a line that stretched for nearly two city blocks. Dan and I walked along side the queue in disbelief until we reached the Big Bob Gibson tent where we spied Ken up in the rig cutting up pork shoulders with a giant knife, pork flying up in the air and for the most part landing back down on the cutting board.

"Schupak!" Ken exclaimed as he saw me and Dan wiggle through the crowd, "Come on up here." Slipping through the barricade and joining Ken up in the rig was a super thrill for this not easily impressed food enthusiast. Just like on Pitmasters, the rig had a huge rotisserie cooker which Ken and the team used to turn out more than 200 pork shoulders for each day of the event (see Ken's 5am photo above, these babies were going low and slow for the entire night). When he took one off to serve, it practically melted off the bone. He felt his way through the meat to remove large pieces of fat and gristle then using a large knife chopped at it like crazy. Once chopped, he mixed in a little vinegar based finishing sauce, then on it went to its potato roll to be topped with barbecue sauce and nestle next to a small compartment full of cole slaw.

I have heard Ken say he has converted vegetarians with his barbecue and after that sandwich I believe it. The pork was tender and flavorful and chopped to perfection with an out-of-this-world sauce, which you can buy online here. As the famous critic Goldilocks might say, it was juuust right. Indeed the sandwich ignited a uniform reaction: big smiles all around. And the cole slaw was no after thought. The cabbage was crisp and fresh and the dressing made it match well as a side to or a topping on the sandwich.

It is such a great feeling to see a friend doing what he loves, and even better to also be a beneficiary! Thank you, Ken, for a delicious meal and a great experience. Who knows, maybe next time in Decatur.

Super Delicious Ingredient Force

2010-06-07T11:03:00.003-04:00

It is not often I get excited when something new comes from the folks at Taco Bell, but their new Super Delicious Ingredient Force campaign earns my applause. Featuring 10 taste superheroes, Taco Bell's marketing mavens have created Marvel-esque shorts where this flavor force saves people from eating really un-delicious fast food (this is where you use your imagination that the Taco Bell items it brings to the rescue are indeed the antidote). Here is the first in what their site indicates will be a series of episodes. My favorite characters are Fantastic Rice and the protector of value who wears a helmet while riding his Segway. Enjoy!

Label Me Jaded

2010-05-27T12:24:00.002-04:00

Should you judge a book by its cover? Usually, if not often. Particularly when it comes to wine. A wine bottle with a an exceedingly silly label probably indicates something about the juice contained therein. After all, if the marketers are doing their job, a goofy wine label is appealing to a customer who is in search of a goofy wine. I don't know about you, but when selecting bottles I rarely include "goofy" among the characteristics I am looking for. In fact, I tend to like wines whose character and structure are anything but.

The LA Weekly blog recently posted a list of the top ten worst wine labels they have come across of late. Though they only judged the labels, not the corresponding wines, what do you think Plungerhead may taste like? What aromatic notes and flavor profiles does this label evoke? I feel the need to test some of these to see if my theory really holds (stay tuned for that blog post), but if the below image doesn't entice you to click through and see the rest I don't know what would. Don't miss the one for "Pinot Evil."

A Tribute to Our Urban Sanctuary

2010-05-26T14:06:00.002-04:00

Dan and I have been looking for a new apartment which has mired me in nostalgia for our current one. But not so much for what's inside it. It's what is outside that I am really going to miss. For some time Dan and I have lived in a one bedroom which is too small for all his triathlon gear and way too small for my kitchen gear (and wish list kitchen gear), but we have endured the cramped quarters inside for the spacious quarters outside.

Over the years we have collected a group of trees and bushes who of course we named and now feel like part of the family. And in addition to planting flowers each spring, we grow herbs we really enjoy using when we cook. There is just something so satisfying about going outside and cutting some rosemary when you need it.

And of course there is the memory of all the gatherings we have had out there. Our burger showdown, our blind wine tasting, and many many other get togethers with friends and family that centered around what was coming off the grill. Even dinners we have hosted in the winter usually involved me slipping on a coat over my apron to fire up some some steaks or maybe a leg of lamb. Just thinking about losing this space, which is probably my favorite little plot of land in the city, makes me sad. I even proposed to Dan last night that we could stay in our place and when we have a baby we can add a second floor in part of the apartment in order to have a nursery-- 6 1/2 feet of height downstairs for Dan, 2 upstairs for little Dan Malkovich.

Who knows, maybe we'll find a place with some outdoor space and our outside friends can all come with us. But even if we don't, I'll always have the memory of the sounds of happy guests laughing as they eat and drink and enjoy what we have always called our urban sanctuary.

Food Humor Wednesday

2010-05-19T09:31:00.001-04:00

I wanted so much not to laugh at this but couldn't help it. Enjoy!

Romanian Proverbs

2010-05-11T13:47:00.002-04:00

As those who read this blog regularly know, Dan is Romanian. Over the years I have tried to acquaint myself with what this means from a cultural perspective. While I am still working on acquiring a taste for much of the cuisine, I have long been a fan of their sayings. In fact, if a nation could export sayings for profit, Romania would be oil-country rich. My personal favorite adage: "A camel is a horse designed by committee." Perhaps a good one to keep in mind as we work through our health care situation.

And when it comes to food, Romanians have so many proverbs it is a wonder they have not taken to scrawling them on tiny pieces of paper to place inside of cookies. The one which possibly best describes their culinary philosophy is, "the best vegetable is the chicken meat and the best chicken meat is the pork." Another which helps paint a picture of what you might expect to find on a Romanian menu: "We eat everything with four legs that's not a table, and everything with two wings that's not an airplane."

But what is food without wine? This saying couldn't have been put better by Bacchus himself: "Every man is entitled to a glass of wine, after that glass of wine he becomes another man, who is entitled to a glass of wine." Supposedly first stated by a professor to explain the concept of summing an infinite series, I must say I may have gotten better grades in math had my math teachers been Romanian.

Romanians also have some practical advice on drinking such as, "If two people say you're drunk, go to bed." Many other of their sayings reflect their history like, "Better an egg today than a hen tomorrow," and still others betray their openness in calling out the intellectually unfortunate. I personally like, "Don't argue with a fool, he has a rested mind." Many of my conversations with Dan's dad are punctuated by these entertaining Romanian isms but the one he has held back from me for years is perhaps the most universally relevant, "Love is blind, marriage is the cure."

Kitchen Tool Corner: Arachnid Edition

2010-05-03T17:28:00.003-04:00

Last time in Kitchen Tool Corner I featured a very useful, but expensive, kitchen item. Today we are going to the other end of the spectrum with a must-have wallet friendly gadget, a spider. Sometimes referred to as a skimmer, a spider should have a relatively long handle (preferably stay-cool but not required), be stainless steel, and have a head that it makes it easy to retrieve stuff out of a pot and drain quickly. Mine was a $6 or so find in Chinatown but even at a fancy retail store a spider should never run you more than $20.

So what does one use this for? So so so many things. A spider is incredibly handy if you want to safely deep fry anything. Use the basket to lower your object of fryfection into the hot oil and use it again to retrieve it once it is done, no dangerous splashing! A spider is also perfect for blanching. Blanching is a great technique for cooking vegetables to help them maintain their color and consistency or to partially cook them ahead of time. Basically, you lower your veggies into boiling water for a minute or two and then immediately dunk them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Guess how you get your veggies from the boiling water into the shock tank? Bare hands, spoons, and spatulas won't cut it. Spider to the rescue. Another use for a spider is lowering homemade ravioli into boiling water and fishing them out when done. After carefully making a filling, rolling dough, and forming your little dumplings, the last thing you want to do is plunk those suckers into the water and watch them break on contact. Use a spider and your ravioli will be safe... and delicious.

Link of the Day: Opening Wine Sans Corkscrew

2010-04-29T13:06:00.003-04:00

I know its only about 1pm but I am calling it. By beating out Foodiggity's post featuring Seven of the Greatest Food Moments in Muppets History, Ready Made has claimed the Link of the Day prize with its 5 ways to open a wine bottle without a corkscrew tutorial. The link includes five short videos and all are worth a look (if you have to skip one #2 isn't all that exciting but nonetheless merits inclusion). I am now headed out to find the equipment necessary to do #4! What a party trick.

Brewfest 2010

2010-04-28T11:53:00.001-04:00

Twitter, so useful for finding out about cool events around NYC. Courtesy of @SkeeterNYC, mark your calendars for Brewfest June 19th on Governors Island. Admission gets you a 4 ounce glass you can use to sample over 300 types of craft beer made by 100 plus breweries from the US and abroad. Tickets aren't cheap, $55, but the price includes water taxi transport in both directions and assuming the weather cooperates, what a fun way to spend a summer day. "Music lovers" tickets are also available for $25, which includes transportation and gains you access to the live bands and food vendors (list looks promising), but no beer. Perhaps they should have named this one the "your pregnant friends can come too" ticket. The last 3 years reportedly sold out so if this sort of thing is up your alley click through to get tix. You now have 6 weeks to work on your tolerance.

Anti-Schnitzelism

2010-04-23T16:53:00.002-04:00

This just in, the Business Insider's Clusterstock reports that a Citi employee called the cops on the Scnnitzel Truck today. After the truck's proprietor showed his permits, Citi then resorted to claiming the Schnitzel Truck posed a terrorist threat. I suspect whoever is responsible for the company cafeteria's P&L may be behind this but seriously? They are going to bombard the building with thinly pounded meat and potato salad? This certainly one-ups the Anti-Schnitzelism I exposed back in September when Eisenberg's threatened the Schnitzel Truck.

So what is it about the Schnitzel Truck that people find so objectionable? Its German-ish name? Its ability to take lunch orders over the phone and have them waiting for customers when they arrive? The mobile deliciousness of it all? Or maybe, just maybe, Citi is holding a big short position against the schnitzel market.

[April 29 Wall Street Journal post script here. Yes, this made the WSJ.]

[April 30 The Schnitzel Truck returns to its spot in front of Citi. So Tweets the Truck: schnitzeltruck: Vassup to all our schnombies. Today is judgement day on 54th & lex. Come show your support for the humble schnitz truck.. Be there @ 11:30]

Eat for Less with Blackboard Eats

2010-04-22T10:44:00.002-04:00

The value theme continues! I have been a subscriber to Blackboard Eats for some time now but wanted to observe what it was all about before recommending it. After a trial period, I can say this is junk mail worth getting. Blackboard Eats is a service which sends you discount opportunities via email for restaurants in New York or LA (San Francisco coming soon). But the discounts aren't for T.G.I. Friday's or Applebee's as you might expect. They are for legit places you'd probably eat at even sans discount, and the promotions tend to be 30% off your entire check with very limited restrictions (like it has to be used at dinner, for example).

This week, Blackboard Eats is promoting Cabrito on Carmine Street. Cabrito's food is modern, upscale Mexican in a fun, casual setting. And Chef Dave Schuttenberg, formerly of Fatty Crab fame, can cook (I have eaten at both). In January of last year Cabrito earned a very favorable one spot from Frank Bruni, missing an at least two-star review due to some inconsistency in food and service from visit to visit, which Schuttenberg and owner Zak Pelaccio have had ample time to address and hopefully have. You can go find out yourself for 30% off plus a free Margarita, courtesy of Blackboard Eats.

Blackboard Eats has also recently promoted West Village mainstay August, Boqueria Soho, I Sodi, Aquavit, Dinosaur BBQ, Resto, The Highlands.... you get it, a good variety of places in terms of location, tenure, and category of fare that you would actually want to dine at (and there are plenty of Brooklyn joints too!). Oh, did I mention signing up is FREE? I get a totally tolerable amount of email from them and as best as I can detect they have not shared my info with anyone else. And there are no embarrassing coupons to whip out, just a code you share with your server. This one is a no brainer folks, sign-it up!

Spotlight on Value: 2 Italian Reds

2010-04-13T12:28:00.007-04:00

Examining our recycling bin last week, I noticed that Dan and I have been economizing a lot more when it comes to wine. There are just as many bottles, perhaps even more, but the total value of the empty shells that once held wonderfully fermented grape juice is decidedly less. If I were a sociologist perhaps I would hypothesize that given the recession we have been drinking more, which means we in turn have reduced our per bottle spend. But that doesn't mean we have been enjoying any less. Or only drinking wines from Argentina and Chile, though we do enjoy many of those.

In fact, let's take a trip to the Italian aisle. I spy a bargain in this 2008 Sigillus Primus Vigna D'Oro from Apulia (aka Puglia) which is a blend of three grapes: negroamaro, primitivo and anglianico. So what does all this Italian mean? It is a robust red wine from the part of Italy that looks like the heel of a boot. It is medium to full bodied and round but just when you question whether the wine is too smooth, the fruit reveals a little spice. Best with food, we have enjoyed this wine with everything from grilled lamb to shepherd's pie. And at $7 on sale at Astor right now, you really can't go wrong. (For you out-of-towners Astor has a great website and gladly ships.)

Not cheap enough? Try this Lilla Moltepulciano from Abruzzi. I recently picked up a bottle for $5 and felt like king of the world but that was a fluke. The 2007 is priced at $5.99 at Astor right now, though, and it is worth all five hundred and ninety-nine of your hard-earned pennies. Everything from the color, to the nose, to the mouthfeel, to the finish-- even the label-- suggests a much more expensive wine. But for the price of a non-fat-double-decker-vanilla-hazlenut-absurd-i-can't-believe-you-drink-that-latte, you can get a remarkably likable wine which pairs well with almost any meat dish and also happens to love cheese, a quality more rare in red wines than you'd think. It is velvety but with just enough tannin and contrast notes to remind you it isn't a ho hum plain jane. Salute!

Kitchen Tool Corner: the Le Creuset Saucier

2010-04-01T14:06:00.000-04:00

As much as I know one can technically do most things in the kitchen with one good knife and one good pot or pan, I am a tool for kitchen gadgets and cookware. Every once in a while, Dan will come home to find me sitting in the dark surfing Williams-Sonoma.com or some other website full of shiny, fancy kitchen toys and he'll look at me hopelessly and say, "Cooking porn again?" Had he only known he could have proposed to me with a KitchenAid Stand Mixer with full attachment suite, he could have saved himself a lot of time and money.

And while Dan may not appreciate it, I am very pleased to introduce you to a recent addition to my cookware collection, the 2.25 Qt Saucier from Le Creuset. My father told me I had to have it. I debated it's merits. I wanted it for sure, who doesn't want new Le Creuset cookware, but I grew concerned that I would catch hell for bringing home yet another pot. "You have to have it," he insisted, hands wildly gesticulating in the air. "I use it for everything. Where is the button? Oh here, add to cart." And with that, a beautiful friendship between lady and pot was formed.

This thing is The. Best. And I have indeed used it for "everything." Just this past week I have used it to make caramel, poach prunes and kumquats, whip up a cream sauce, shore up my gravy, reheat soup.... the list goes on. This is a total kitchen workhorse and my only regret is not owning two of them. Maybe I will also have to get the 3 qt, after all one can fit inside the other for storage right? It cooks great, cleans like a breeze, and is safe for the stove, oven, and fridge. Like most good cookware its a tad heavy and a decent investment at mas o menos $165, but it is useful beyond compare. Do not cheap out and buy the Martha Stewart version or any other version. Buy this pot. There is nothing like real Le Creuset and taken care of properly it will last forever. Like my mother always says, "Why do you keep buying them, one day you'll have all of mine."

Passover in Haiku

2010-03-30T11:00:00.002-04:00

This piece is a guest post I should have uploaded yesterday but I was elbow deep in matzoh balls. I nonetheless hope you enjoy the below handiwork from the wildly popular blogger behind No Happy Medium, who also happens to be my sister. Had she done just one haiku, Dienu.

Tonight my sister will be hosting a seder for the first night of Passover. I love this holiday: You get together with friends and family, retell some of the most important stories in Jewish history, and eat a tableful of food representing elements of those stories. There's also copious wine, and getting to decide who's the simple son. Jessica does a great job each year, but it's a ton of work to get all that food ready, which means she certainly hasn't had time to blog today. She asked me if I'd be up for guest-posting a Passover haiku. Sure thing, Sis. But I'll do you one better. Since you're going to let me stuff my face tonight, and you'll surely provide me with left overs enough for the remainder of the holiday, I'll give you one haiku for each of the 8 days of Passover. There are eight, right?

my sister prepares
for a passover seder
she's a better jew

soon we gather to
commemorate our freedom.
rev'rently we nosh

this food has meaning
even bitter herbs taste good
symbolism rules

read and tell stories
drink wine, eat yourself silly
love this holiday

we're meant to recline
but no one ever does that
respect tradition!

each year we say this:
and next year in israel
but we don't mean it

a week without bread?
you've got to be kidding me
i'm not doing that

ritual eating:
favorite thing about the jews?
yup, that'd be it.

Link of the Day: Padma Makes Out with a Burger

2010-03-25T16:18:00.001-04:00

As tends to happen when its a little gray out, my web surfing to work ratio is pretty high, but all the better to entertain you with. My best find of the day is this post from Eater which features the "Top 10 Most Embarrassing Celebrity Chef Commercials." My favorite is number 3, which I have posted below, with an honorable mention going to number 5. Click through to see the rest.

Learning to Bake

2010-03-19T11:30:00.003-04:00

Growing up my mother never baked sweets. Bread, if I was around to knead it for what seemed liked forever, yes, but sweets no. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining necessarily, only mentioning as a possible explanation of why I have always cooked and seldom baked. (In other words, Mom, no complaints about how I "vilify" you on my blog.) I decided recently, however, that I must learn to do some baking. Nothing touches that inner child in all of us like a visually tantalizing, aroma wafting, luscious dessert and I felt inadequate not knowing how to make one.

My baking endeavors began some time ago when Dan had requested I procure a cake of a tombstone for something work related. When I found out how much that would cost I said to myself, "I have watched hours of Ace of Cakes, I'll be damned if some of that didn't sink in." I marched off to the baking supply store and out this bizarre cake came. Like Duff, I don't choose my clients either. Since then I have been going through more butter, sugar and flour than I ever imagined I would use in a lifetime and have been loving every second of it.

Last night I threw some fruit into the mix and I highly recommend this easy Italian recipe for my kindred budding bakers out there. It doesn't require any unusual ingredients, equipment or technique and it will make your house smell great. (NB, that torte is most certainly not burnt, blame that on my camera and the brownish black baking round.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter softened (note, not melted, just leave it out for a while)
2/3 granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tspn baking powder
1/3 cup milk
1 Tspn grated lemon rind
2 pounds apples (Golden Delicious and Northern Spy recommended)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Butter and flour a 10 inch spring form pan or torte pan (I hope this doesn't qualify as "unusual equipment" for you. If you don't have one they are easy to find, reasonably inexpensive, and you'll use it many times)
Arrange all your ingredients (This is often not a step listed in directions but I find it critical so like to include as a little reminder.)
Peel, core and slice thinly the apples (I squeezed a little lemon over them to add a little flavor and preserve color because even though we are cooking them I dislike looking at brown raw apples)
Using an electric hand mixer take 1/4 cup of the softened butter and 2 Tbspns of the sugar and beat together in a large bowl, you may also use the back of a spoon to help.
Beat in 1 egg at a time
Stir together the flour and baking powder
Alternating some flour mixture and some milk, beat these into the bowl
Stir in the lemon rind
Add the batter to the pan
Arrange the apples around the pan, you may need half pieces to fill in some holes and the center
Sprinkle the remaining sugar on top and dot the entire thing with pieces of the remaining butter
Bake for 50 minutes or until top has lightly browned (my oven is slow, this took a bit longer for me)
Cool before cutting (I re-warmed the pieces for serving slightly in the toaster oven and served with good vanilla ice cream but this is also great at room temperature by itself. I know, I had it for breakfast)

Buon Appetito!
Recipe adapted from an adaptation of Anna Gosetti della Salda's Le Ricette Regionali Italiane for Torta di Mele.

A Lidda Bit Sweet

2010-03-16T15:50:00.001-04:00

Bourbon. Coffee. Caramel. Bacon. Popcorn. What's not to like? This kitchen sink confection by Liddabit Sweets out of my native Brooklyn, New York, is deliciously addictive. I didn't detect any coffee when I tried it, but the popcorn is a wonderful canvas for the love affair between the smoky bourbon and bacon flavors and the seductively sweet caramel. This treat, as well as other sumptuous offerings, are available at the Brooklyn Flea, a handful of local shops and restaurants, and directly from the source through their new online store. These products are handmade and use as many organic and local ingredients as possible, so feel less bad about eating gobs and gobs of candy.

Kumquats Preserved

2010-03-15T13:29:00.000-04:00

I wasn't planning on posting about this but half way through eating the below plate I decided the What's She Eating Now-reading public should know about this little secret. It involves kumquats, a little known member of the citrus family. Allow me to introduce you. Kumquats look like little tiny oranges but sort of oblong and are usually sold in a plastic clam shell similar to a pint of blue berries in the supermarket. You can eat them whole and the taste experience is quite unique: the rind is super sweet and the inside is incredibly sour. After you pucker at the extreme sourness you are tempted to eat just one more because your taste memory is craving that sweetness from the rind again. Pucker. Repeat.

Dan loves kumquats. Personally I have a love hate relationship with them. Love the sweet. Hate the sour. But they are oddly addictive so I keep eating them anyway. But recently a peace maker emerged. A pastry chef friend of mine who taught me a little trick with kumquats that makes them more appealing to the masses and easily incorporated into savory or sweet dishes: preserved kumquats.

Directions:

Take 1 part rice vinegar, 2 parts water, 1 cup sugar, some star anise and cloves and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to ensure the sugar dissolves (the star anise and cloves have a strong flavor so I added them closer to the boiling point)
While you are waiting for your brine mixture to come to a boil, wash and then cut kumquats in half and de-pit
Pour boiled liquid over them in a bowl
Refrigerate overnight

The resulting preserved kumquats are tangy but not overly sour and can be used in savory or sweet dishes. My pastry chef friend used them in a dish that involved an olive oil macaroon with rosemary ice cream. Delicious for sure, but I went for something a little more simple, fennel salad. I sliced the fennel through a mandolin and coated lightly with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some freshly grated Pecorino Romano. Then I cut the preserved kumquats in half again (so in the end they were quartered) and added them. Often one sees fennel salad served with oranges or grapefruit but this is a lovely citrus substitute and an easy dish to make for guests which seems like it was much harder to make than it was. Enjoy!

The Antidote to the Breast Milk Cheese Craze: Non-Breast Milk Cheese

2010-03-10T13:47:00.003-05:00

OK Lori Mason and Daniel Angerer, you have provoked me to break my posting hiatus. For those of you who haven't been following this bizarre gastro news story, Chef Angerer of Klee Brasserie in Chelsea recently blogged about cheese he made from his wife Lori's breast milk (see "Mommy's Milk" post and make sure not to skip the comments section). Why are people so curious and why all the clamor to try it? I can hardly imagine people foaming at the mouth to try any other bodily fluid expelled from a stranger.

Perhaps it is because they do not know where to get good cheese and are flocking to Angerer for what they think may be the lactose Holy Grail. This is probably not the reason, but believing it will help me sleep better at night. So in an effort to help address this apparent crisis, I am sharing a few of my favorite non-breast milk cheeses and some shops where you can find them so you don't feel the need to resort to options from Chelsea's human dairy operation.

Nettle Meadow Kunik This cheese is particularly interesting because it is a mix of goat and cow milk, which gives it a lovely balance between tangy and creamy. Kunik's flavor is mild in intensity but rich in flavor and its grassy notes are complemented by a butter and honey bass line. Kunik makes a wonderful first batter on any cheese plate because it is mild enough to preserve the pallet, but at the same time thought provoking and savor worthy.

Tomme Crayeuse This cheese is among my most cherished, but also unfortunately holds the honor of being among the most expensive (currently $31.99/lb at Murray's). To set expectations, a cheese habit does not come cheap, but it is worth it, especially if you include some Tomme Crayeuse among your regular go-to selections. Tomme Crayeuse (or the 'Tom Cruise" of cheese as the label at Murray's jokes), is a French raw cow's milk cheese whose paste is soft but not gooey and has a hint of mushroom in the flavor. The rind on this cheese is not to be missed. It has a lovely texture and a nutty quality which will make you wonder if the rind or the cheese itself is the main event. The only downside of including this winner on a cheese plate is it may very well upstage all the others around it. When buying Tomme Crayeuse look for a designation that it is from Herve Mons on the description. He is the affineur to reckon with in France and his name is synonymous with quality.

Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise This raw cow's milk cheese is made in Vermont and for those of you more familiar with European cheeses, Tarentaise closely evokes an Apline style. That means it is a hard cheese that has some pliability and is close in texture and color to a Guyere. This cheese is great on its own or on a plate somewhere between the 12 and 6 o'clock positions.

Meadow Creek Grayson This is a washed-rind cow's milk cheese from a family farm in Virginia where they give their Jersey herd the white glove treatment, and it shows in the product. It is pungent and intense, and that is what makes it so delicious. The paste is soft and has a stickiness to it and tastes great on its own or smeared on a piece of bread to help shore up its structural integrity a little. The first time I brought some Grayson into my apartment Dan screamed "What the hell is that? It stinks!" After I convinced him to try it by challenging his masculinity, he couldn't stop eating it. Go get this one now! Grayson is a highly seasonal cheese and after March you may not see it for a while.

Jasper Hill Farm Bayley Hazen Blue If you think you don't like blue cheese I encourage you to try it again. A bad blue can scar anyone, but a truly well crafted one will have you tapping the inside of your elbow for your next hit. The Bayley Hazen Blue hails from Vermont and is made by one of the most reputable cheese making teams in the country. The cheese's ammonia blue veins are a perfect match for the sweet pale yellow cream that surrounds them. I consider this among the "no rind left behind" cheeses as well. If you're still a little scared of the blue stuff try it with a little bit of honey but trust me, before you know it you'll be eating this one straight without cutting it with any other flavors.

If nothing else I hope this post will dissuade you from pursuing breast milk cheese, but I also hope it will encourage you to start spreading your cheese wings a little. Stay tuned for a future post which will include tips on composing a cheese plate, crib notes to understanding American and European cheese classifications, the answer to when you should eat the rind, and guidelines for selecting accompaniments and pairings.

Some quick notes on cheese:

Cheese is a living product. That means it is constantly changing over time, similar to wine. What you try today will taste different tomorrow. Roll with that, it is part of what makes cheese so cool.
Good cheese is an artisanal product. That means there will be differences wheel to wheel.
Cheese is made from animal milk. That means it will taste different seasonally depending on what the animals are eating, and also that it may only be available certain times of the year depending on the animals, how they are raised, when the cheese is made and how long it ages. As you develop favorites learn about their seasonal variations.
When buying cheese I like to think of a serving as about an ounce. As I mentioned, cheese changes over time and usually not for the better so I would err on buying smaller quantities more frequently. Your monger may bristle as you hold your thumb and forefinger up to indicate "a little smaller please," but stand your ground.

Cheese shops I like:
Murray's cheese: Murray's is the standard bearer of cheese in New York City. They have 2 locations for your convenience, one in the west village and one in grand central. In addition to a monstrous selection of cheese, they also boast top notch chacuterie, a bevy of artisanal food products, and a host of non-cheese dairy products. Be prepared for sticker shock, but they only carry the very best. For those not in NYC, they do online/mail order.

Lucy's Whey: Lucy's Whey was born in East Hampton but recently opened an out post in Chelsea Market. Their selection is smaller than Murray's and focuses on American artisanal cheeses but they take the utmost care of their inventory and their cheese is always in excellent shape. The place is small so if possible go on off-hours for best service.

Saxelby Cheesemongers: Anne Saxelby is a Murray's alum who struck out on her own and out of her small stall in the Essex Street Market she sells a very nice selection of American farmstead cheeses.

Formaggio Essex: While Saxelby covers off on American cheese in the Essex Street Market, Formaggio maintains a small selection of European cheeses. They don't have that much so a trip just to go there may be unwarranted, but if you are nearby the staff is super enthusiastic and helpful, the cheese is good, and they have other interesting food finds as well (including some in the form of samples!).

Wholefoods Market, Chelsea. Heresy you say. Up until recently I would have said so too, but lately they have upped their game. They are buying a much better selection of cheeses, taking much better care of them and all of a sudden the cast of mongers can actually answer questions about the cheeses and make worthwhile recommendations. Last I visited you could even get Twig Farm cheese there, a favorite producer of mine that isn't even carried at Murray's. I am keeping my guard up but so far I am liking what they have done with their cheese program.

Food Safety Friday

2010-02-19T14:26:00.000-05:00

So you have had some food in your fridge for a while. Like me you hate to waste anything, but you're not sure if it is safe to eat. What do you do? Some people call their parents. "Mom, I bought fish on Tuesday, didn't cook it, can I make it today?" one might ask, only to hear back, "It is probably not a good idea but while I have you on the phone I have some things I need you to do and by the way, what are you doing with your life?"

Please allow me to spare you from ever having to have this conversation again. I introduce you to StillTasty.com, a website which will answer your food storage and safety questions for almost any item under the sun. Bacon is always a tricky one, its cured but its pork and you may not eat it all the time so it could be around for a while... Hm. Before you spend way too much time touching your bacon to decide whether it is "slimy," my dad's preferred method of determining if it is time to toss it, check out Still Tasty. You'll also learn neat tips such as store your eggs in the main area of your fridge, not the door, they'll last longer. I won't spoil the rest for you. Go check them out for yourself and start wasting less food and money! TGIF.

Bacon Haikus

2010-01-25T08:50:00.001-05:00

In the gastronomic blogosphere there is a lot of blah blah blah. Here is where I ate last night. Here is the recipe for the blueberry crumble I made. Here is what I think of the White House vegetable garden. But every once in a while I stumble across something truly original, and hilarious. I direct you to this site full of haikus about bacon. Below is my hand at a quick one, but I am just a dabbler. Click through to experience a real pro.

Bacon where are you?

When I need you most be here.

Sad, happy, neither.

New Love, Northern Spy Food Co.

2010-01-22T14:26:00.003-05:00

I went on a first date with a restaurant last night. When we were set up I checked the place out online, Northern Spy Food Co: local, sustainable food at reasonable prices. It seemed too good to be true. Either it was going to be packed, or ugly, or have bad food, or my least favorite wart, nasty service. Maybe I am not ready to try new places again I thought.

But I put my coat on and went, and am really glad. I know its early but I may even be in love. I tried not to stare but I couldn't help notice that the place was really cute. Its not all about looks I reminded myself, as my friend Katie arrived. A restaurant has to have more than that to offer.

We shared the kale salad to start. Frilly chopped pieces of delicate yet flavorful kale piled fluffully with cubes of cooked squash, clothbound cheddar, and almond pieces. It was slightly heavy on the almonds but the elements combined liked they were meant to be together and the textures yielded some fun chewing which unlocked gradually changing taste experiences with each bite. You make a good first impression Northern Spy Food Co.

Next, Katie had the squid and mussels entree and I had a special of pork meatballs in red sauce. I reached across the table and tried Katie's food. The squid and mussels were light but the navy beans in the dish gave it a little heft and the subtle breadcrumbs lent it a hint of decadence. And the meatballs? A nice balance on the sweet to spicy and dense to squishy scales with a lovely porky flavor. The red sauce, as it should, tasted like tomato and had a good acid level. Often tomato sauce can be like an assault rifle on my esophagus but this was just right. Could you be for real Northern Spy Co?

We skipped dessert to spend a little time browsing the shop of artisanal food products in the back. Brooklyn Brine pickles. Anarchy-in-a-Jar jams. Mother-in-law's Kimchi. Consider Bardwell Cheese. And then there is the sin section, a bevy of little homemade confections by the register. I was wooed by the beer pretzel caramel and the chocolate covered graham cracker. How you sweet talk me Northern Spy Food Co.

So where is the catch? Is it the service? Not at all. It was homey and genuine and sweet. Was it the price? Not that either. $33 each for the above plus two house-made seltzers, two drinks (one wine and one beer from a good selection of local craft offerings), and a 20+% tip. The little treats we got on the way out were $1 a piece. I'll keep my guard up because this is a tough town, but I can't wait to go out with you again, Northern Spy Food Co.

Northern Spy Food Co.

511 East 12th Street, between A&B
(212) 228-5100
Open 11am – 11pm (’til Midnight Friday and Saturday)

Brunch Sat & Sun 11am – 4pm

Sit down or take away. Menu.

Dine for Haiti

You need to eat. But you also want to help Haiti. So check out these participating restaurants at Dine Out 4 Haiti and do both!

5 Second Rule Cheat Sheet

2010-01-22T12:33:00.001-05:00

From this San Francisco food blog, I present a cheat sheet to help you with a more intricate application of the 5 second rule. If only I were a puma.

Sustainable Farming Starts with You

2010-01-21T12:28:00.000-05:00

An issue that has become very important to me of late is sustainable farming. And I don't mean sustainable farming in the buzz word, bumper sticker, causnik, I'm for puppies sort of way. I mean that in actual practice, we need to transform the food ecosystem through the choices we make when it comes to food. Sustainable farming is a trendy issue these days but one thing many lose sight of is that sustainable farming is not the responsibility of farmers alone. Consumers are an integral part of the food business, in fact its reason for existing, and it is our responsibility to demand food that has been responsibly produced and sourced, and support the producers that meet these demands. We should know where the food we eat comes from and roughly speaking, we should know how it is produced. And we should know, in the case of livestock, if it was raised in the most humane and natural manner possible. You wouldn't drink a cocktail that was made with a bottle that only said "alcohol" in block letters on the label. So too shouldn't you eat something that just says "food" on it, and if you don't know where it comes from, that it is edible is really all you know about it.

But, how you ask, in a free market economy, did we get to a place where people actually prefer to buy industrially farmed produce that is laden with chemicals and devoid of taste? When consumers have choice, why do they buy chickens that have been raised exclusively indoors with no room to even turn around? It is a complicated issue for sure, made more complicated by farm subsidies and other government programs, but at the consumer end of the supply chain, a lot of it boils down to a fundamental information asymmetry-- one of those little wrenches they taught you in Econ 101 could disrupt a market's ability to function efficiently. Other than superficial appearance, the only thing consumers really see when they shop for fruit, vegetables or meat at the average grocery store is price. They don't see the impact on our soil and water supplies from farming the way big agriculture farms. They don't see pictures on meat packages of animals raised in barns packed practically wall to wall. Leading with price, and obscuring a lot of other facts, farming industrialists have radically changed our agricultural landscape and in turn, the food that makes it to our tables.

I could go on and on about how sustainable farming is better for the earth, better for you, better for animals, and better in terms of taste. Just ask if you're curious. But my point is that it is not in the interest of the big food companies to tell you about where the food they sell comes from. So start finding out on your own and make educated choices. You, the consumer, are the tail that can wag this dog and help reverse a tragic trend in American agriculture and food. Sure, these choices may be more expensive, but how do you really feel about eating a $2 chicken anyway? My suggestion is to choose the good stuff, maybe just a little less of it.

To help you on your way to learning more, here are two short videos. Neither was chosen for shock value so don't fear any preachy animal abuse snuff like content. Just some good information. The first video is As We Sow, a short sobering documentary about farming in Iowa. The second is a look into animal farming at Stone Barns, a working farm and agricultural center just north of New York City. Take note of the difference between the pigs in both videos, which ones do you want to eat?

As We Sow

Raising Animals Green: The Stone Barns Way

News Bite of the Day

2010-01-13T16:49:00.004-05:00

"Pants Bomber Causes Grief for Chefs Who Smuggle Salumi into America"

--The Wall Street Journal, January 13, 2009

The Japanese Make the Best Coffee, Who Knew?

2010-01-13T10:31:00.000-05:00

San Francisco Treats

2010-01-08T15:30:00.003-05:00

Like most stubborn life-long New Yorkers, I am reluctant to concede there is better anything anywhere else, especially when it comes to food. Certainly regional dishes are best where they originated, partly because of the execution and partly because of the authentic trappings, but there is not much you can't find a great version of in New York. Barbecue, check. Fried chicken, check. New England-style lobster rolls, in spades. And I have never failed to emphasize the superiority of New York's culinary landscape to Dan on our many trips to San Francisco, as we suffered through mediocre meals at restaurants we went to on recommendation. But this time was different.

Dan and I go to San Francisco fairly often because his family and many of his friends aren't fortunate enough to call New York home. On each of these trips, I have labored to find good food, only to head back to New York with no strong memories, positive anyway, of anything I have seen or eaten. But even this New York food snob has to give it up to San Francisco for some finds from our most recent trip.

Fisherman's Wharf. A fresh crab sandwich for breakfast. What a way to start the day. Dan and I walked through all the stalls and chose the vendor with the tastiest looking crab on the best bread and also tried the crab cocktail. Since it has never been frozen or transported cross-country, the taste is rich and clean, and although we have similar items in New York, nothing here is quite the same. Dungeness crab is indigenous to the west coast and you can't get it much fresher than at Pier 39. And if you go at 9am like we did, there are no tourists to contend with. Bonus.

Neighborhood Sushi. Another nice thing about San Francisco is the neighborhood sushi place is probably pretty good. Unfortunately for my wallet, I rarely eat sushi in New York if its not in a top place that has the good stuff such as Ushi Wakamaru or Sushi Yasuda. But in San Francisco, your average sushi place will include premium selections such as kampachi, kinmedai, shima aji, and fish specials from Japan, and is a much better bet than any run of the mill corner sushi joint in New York. A couple I can recommend purely based on the fish are Sanraku and Sushi Groove (yes, somehow places with names like Sushi Groove, which I would avoid here like a new soul food restaurant being opened by Lidia Bastianich, can be total delights there). If you've been to Sebo let me know how it is, its on my list.

La Boulange Bakery. Its a chain, but a good one. For brunch or lunch this is a solid choice for good eggs and sandwiches served in a quaint environment that feels a lot more homespun than someplace with 11 units. I particularly like the open face tuna melt with cheddar.

Ferry Building. What fun. Every Tuesday and Saturday there is a green market around three sides of the building and as far as produce goes, advantage San Francisco. The fruits and vegetables have such vibrant colors and scents and there are things you can't buy from local farmers here such as amazingly sweet and juicy citrus. The other neat thing about this green market is there are many stalls also serving up prepared foods. The smells were overwhelming and we wanted to try everything but settled on a bier sausage from Aidell's to tide us over until lunch. Simply amazing. The sausage stood on its own, no condiments necessary. (They carry Aidell's packaged product in Food Emporium in New York City). After walking the entire market we went inside to amble along the gallery of specialty food shops and eateries. Again, most of the shops also serve food made to order and it all smelled and looked fantastic. But we refrained for we had a mission in mind and it was...

Hog Island Oyster Company. We shared 24 assorted west coast oysters and their version of steamers. The oysters were all wonderfully flavorful and so different than oysters on the east coast. Our favorite, which we noted was a little tart upfront and sweet on the finish, was Hog Island's own oysters (you can find these in a handful of NY restaurants but I imagine they lose a little of their mojo in transit). A couple of glasses of champagne, oysters, and a nice view of the Bay Bridge was a lovely way to cap off the afternoon.

The next day we were in the mood for a little dim sum but didn't want to have the head-on-a-swivel-looking-for-good-stuff Chinatown experience. We headed to Yank Sing. Solid, clean tasting dim sum in a very civilized setting. Any easy parking too!

If your travels bring you the south bay, I really like the Los Gatos Gourmet in Los Gatos. Great sandwiches and a small but quality selection of cheeses and chacuterie. Manresa, also in Los Gatos, is on my list to try for dinner on a future trip.

It took a while but now that I have seen that the lights aren't totally broken in the San Francisco culinary tunnel, I look forward to going back and exploring more!

Rest in Pez

2010-01-06T11:36:00.002-05:00

He passed in December but I only learned of it this morning. Curtis Allina, the man who brought us the Pez dispenser, died last month at age 87. Since its introduction in 1955, the Pez dispenser has been an important contributor to chronicling our pop culture by rendering some of our most beloved characters in plastic, candy containing form. Mickey Mouse, Yoda, Bugs Bunny, Wonder Woman, and even three different portrayals of Elvis Presley have all been commemorated in a dispenser. There is something very innocent and fun about Pez and I will always remember the dispensers, as well as the fruity candy bricks they serve up, fondly. Thank you, Mr. Allina, for bringing so many smiles to so many faces.

Quotation of the Day

2010-01-05T11:13:00.002-05:00

From a friend's G-chat status:

"[P.] feels weird every time he orders a 'large black ethiopian' at his local coffee shop."

Stay tuned for posts this week on San Francisco dining gems and a showdown between locavore big wigs Alice Waters and Dan Barber.

Best Sleeper Restaurant in NYC

2009-12-22T14:05:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I have been surprised in a good way by an off-the-grid restaurant. Even great neighborhood spots usually have hype about what great neighborhood spots they are. Especially in the internet age, if a place is good, news travels fast and becomes common knowledge.

Why is it then, that no one knows about Seasonal? Did you know they earned a Michelin star this year? Have you heard of chefs Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder? Did you know they have solid food that won't break the bank? I sure didn't, until last night.

I have been meaning to go since it opened about a year ago, but 58th between 6th and 7th avenues is a strange no man's land laden with scaffolding that I never seem to find myself in. But alas, good things come to those who wait, apparently whether its due to laziness or not. Seasonal presents a modern take on traditional Austrian cuisine and does so with fresh tasting ingredients and impressive flavor combinations. Texture is also strong suit of the kitchen.

The first starter we tried was a Ziegenkase (Goat Cheese, Pumpkin Seed, Beets,Shallot, Elderflower, $12). This dish was alright. Although beautifully plated, the ratio of goat cheese to the other delicious ingredients was too much. This was the only plate we didn't lick clean. The next starter, Porchiertes Ei (Soft Poached Egg, Lobster, Maitake, Porcini, $15), was outstanding. The egg mixed with the broth it was sitting in was perplexingly both rich and light, and created a natural urge to mix in the lobster and top it off with a perfectly cooked crispy mushroom, which gave this wonderfully complete bite a needed contrasting texture. This dish was worthy of bread sopping towards the end.

We then had the Kalbsbries (veal sweetbread with celery and brussel sprouts, $15). The batter was a little reminiscent of the colonel's secret spice recipe, but there is a reason why people have tried to hijack it over the years. It has a good pepperiness without overpowering the supple sweetbreads and the crust does not crack or separate. The pieces of sweetbread were delicous on their own and even better when mixed with the other elements on the plate including brussel sprout leaves and a mysterious creamy something smeared on the plate with some tiny mushrooms. If you haven't caught on yet, chefs Ban and Frauneder know their way around fungus.

The Schweinebauch, or pork belly ($14) was good, but not as good as some of the other dishes. The pork itself was pretty fatty, even for belly, and the consistency reflected that. The scallion based relish it came with was a lovely burst of acid and fresh onion flavor which helped cut through the pork, but I have had better pork belly elsewhere. We ended our tour through the starters on an up note with the Kartofeelsuppe (Potato Soup, Speck, Taleggio, Dill, $13). The bowl is brought to the table with a solid tubular airy cheese element and some other flourishes sitting in the bottom, and the potato soup is poured on top tableside. It is hearty yet refined and the flavor is rich with potato, not just starch, and also with cheese, which is present in the soup up to but not crossing the point that it would make it heavy. The small bits of speck are a nice surprise when you find them.

We sampled the duck ($29) and the spatzle ($23) from the entree menu. The duck appeared to be prepared sous-vide and both large pieces were perfectly pink, tender and flavorful throughout. The accompanying puree was a little sweet for my taste but had a nice distinct carrot flavor and the black trumpets filled a great supporting role on the plate, if a touch too salty. The spatzle is something else. Everyone has had spatzle, but not everyone has had spatzle like this. Rather than a side dish of dumplings possibly lightly sauteed to create a little crisp, chefs Ban and Frauneder are bold enough to make an entree out of this Austrian staple. The dumplings themselves were cooked to the ideal density where they had a little give but weren't chewey and finely diced zucchini hid amongst them and the generous splash of wild mushrooms. The unifying force in the dish is the buttery cheesey sauce that has a subtle funk, just the right hint to give it punch. You can, of course, get a side of just the plain spaezle ($7), but the entree is one of the best vegetarian mains I can recall having in some time. The restaurant is proud of their desserts, but in my opinion selections from the cheese menu are a better end to this meal.

My only strong knock on Seasonal (aside from the name not working as well in English as in German) is that the decor does not match the menu well. Perhaps the intent was to have equal parts restaurant and weinbar, but Seasonal is clearly all about the food. Although its false sleekness takes away from the atmosphere somewhat, the professional yet friendly service and music, including the likes of The Shins and Postal Service played at moderate volume, help compensate. But why Seasonal is the Sleeper of the Year to me is the chefs' focus on showcasing ingredients in their best light and in harmonious balance between light and heavy, thick and thin, rich and refreshing. Its worth the shuffle past the tourists outside of Jeckyl and Hyde to experience this midtown marvel.

Guten Appetit!

Seasonal
132 West 58th Street (Between 6th and 7th Avenues)
Phone: 212 957 5550
Monday - Saturday: Lunch 12pm-3pm, Dinner 5pm-11pm
Sunday: Dinner 5pm-10pm

Quotation of the Day

2009-12-16T10:54:00.002-05:00

Sent in by a reader, I liked this passage from Haruki Murakami's Kafka on The Shore:

Eel is quite a treat. There's something different about it, compared to other food. Certain foods can take the place of others, but as far as I know, nothing can take the place of eel.

Italian Wine: The Grape Unknown

2009-12-14T10:58:00.002-05:00

Guest post by friend of the blog and walking wine encyclopedia, Keith Levenberg. This piece is the third in a series of introductions to different wine regions. You can find his knowledge dropping on Germany here and France here.

The most important thing I learned about Italian wine was probably the first thing I ever read about it, in one of those wine-for-dummies kind of books. This book showed a map with all the winegrowing regions of the world shaded in red, which barely amounted to a few freckles on the map even in places synonymous with wine like France. But the whole boot of Italy was red from top to bottom. The text proceeded to note that most wine-producing countries, including France, had a few dozen major grape varieties; in Italy, there are hundreds.

The second most important thing I learned about Italian wine was at a bar in Asti, one of the most inexplicably dreary and depressing towns I’ve ever encountered in a wine region. (The weekly market in the town square of Beaune is a gastronome’s paradise; the weekly market in the town square of Asti featured t-shirts and socks.) Stuck there alone with nothing to do in the twilight zone between lunch and dinner, I sat down at an outdoor table and ordered a glass of Roero Arneis, a refreshing picnic-style white. Before serving the glass, which cost the equivalent of maybe three dollars, the waiter delivered a plate of prosciutto, sausage slices, and cheese, which he proceeded to replenish for as long as I sat there. Even with a cheap glass of arneis in the afternoon, it was simply incomprehensible that I should be drinking wine and have nothing to eat.

The third most important thing I learned about Italian wine was from the chapter titled “Bella Figura—The Italian Love of the Beautiful Gesture” in Matt Kramer’s book about the wines of the boot. Bella figura is the term that describes all those subtle ways Italians show a little style and panache. Kramer writes about how some winemakers will use a fancy label or a heavy bottle to project their bella figura; others will make a bella figura out of their slick modern winemaking (or, contrariwise, out of their intransigent refusal to engage in any slick modern winemaking). The whole idea of the bella figura sounds like another one of those romantic myths hack writers have concocted to make Italy seem so nauseatingly idyllic... and sometimes the idyllic Italy of myth is exactly the image the bella figura is designed to project, like those cheap Chiantis in straw bottles, or the pastoral imagery on a label like Monsanto’s.

Those three things—the head-spinning diversity, the obligatory marriage with food at the table, and the various quirks and flourishes in service of style—tell a big part of the story about Italian wine today. Let’s take a little tour.

The first stop is usually Tuscany or Piedmont, the regions that feature Italy’s most recognizable names (Chianti Classico and the three B’s—Brunello, Barolo, and Barbaresco). But I’m going to take a detour, because while Barolo and Barbaresco account for many of Italy’s greatest wines, they require bottle age; any Barolo worth drinking tastes like sandpaper until it’s at least fifteen years old. Instead, look north to Gattinara or the Valtellina. The reds there are made from the same grape as Barolo and Barbaresco and are often wrongly assumed to be inferior just because they’re cheaper. But Gattinara was once regarded just as highly, and should be again. The best examples—i.e., Antoniolo’s Osso San Grato and Travaglini’s Riserva—have a suppleness to their texture even when young that Barolos need many years to acquire, and feature the typical flavors of nebbiolo cast in an intense minerality vividly evocative of the volcanic mountain soil in which they’re grown. The Travaglini bottle makes for a striking bella figura, too.

From there, one can go west to the Valle d’Aosta, where producers like Grosjean make beautifully elegant reds from obscure grapes like fumin and familiar ones like pinot noir, or east to Alto Adige and Trentino. Alto Adige might be guilty of a mortal sin in unleashing Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio on the world, but the region and bordering Trentino also produce two of Italy’s most distinctive reds in lagrein and teroldego. The most serious examples have an intensity of fruit that’s almost overwhelming and capable of K.O.’ing many New World heavyweights, but the fruit is augmented by equally intense tarry and smoky flavors that feel so literal it is almost impossible to believe they came from grapes. Try Foradori’s Granato and Abbazia di Novacella’s Lagrein Riserva Praepositus the next time you’re feasting on a brontosaurus.

Other brontosaurus-worthy reds are grown down south in the volcanic mountain soils of Basilicata and Campania, where aglianico makes the kind of wine you could imagine the Marlboro Man drinking. But my favorite wines from that zone are probably the falanghina and piedirosso from La Sibilla, the former a white that tastes like vinified oyster shells and the latter one of my desert-island reds. The flavor is usually so intensely gamey it tastes positively succulent, and its ungrafted vines give it a seamless, graceful mouthfeel that most wines at ten times the price could never even hope to achieve.

Returning to the north and continuing east brings us to Friuli and Brda, which actually straddles the border with Slovenia. If quirky winemaking practices can be made into a bella figura, this might be Ground Zero. Here, you will find producers like Gravner and Radikon, who make “orange” wines—whites fermented on their skins (which, for mysterious reasons, happen to be the perfect wines to drink with sea urchin). Instead of aging his wines in steel vats or oak barrels, Gravner uses open-topped amphorae buried to their necks in the ground. Just as quirky but perhaps more charming is the sparkling wine from Movia that requires you to disgorge it yourself (see below video).

But maybe it’s in Sicily where the guru of oddball winemaking resides. Here is how the J. Peterman-esque retailer Garagiste describes one of Frank Cornelissen’s bottlings: “What started as the fluid from a refermenting compost heap has turned into Frank’s most famous and widely consumed ‘wine,’ the Contadino. A mix of every indigenous old-vine grape he has (red and white), the original Contadino 1 was never intended to be consumed, sampled by journalists by accident as the run-off from his plastic tank of cuttings, branches, soil, leaves and grapes that had fallen off the vine. The tank was supposed to be used for compost, but a group of writers mistakenly opened the spigot on the bottom of the tank and poured the cloudy liquid into stems. This was the ‘ah ha’ moment for Cornelissen—the juice from his compost heap was unlike anything any of them had ever tasted—it was revolutionary in its relation to wine and the rest is history. Fast forward a number of years and the original compost heap formula has been modified but only in terms of cleanliness – the original concept is the same: grapes, twigs, leaves, pieces of bark and volcanic earth all co-mingling in an incredible cauldron of orange/pink liquid that teems with tobacco, cumin, cinnamon, citrus peel and tangerine.”

I think I’ll have to take his word on that one. But if any of the above wines seem confounding and strange, they are practically mainstream compared to some of the eclectica on offer at Santa Monica’s Wine Expo, where maestro Roberto Rogness likes to point out he carries several thousand wines, and only one merlot.

Keith Levenberg blogs about wine and food whenever the mood strikes at http://pickyeaters.blogspot.com/.

Stocking Stuffing

2009-12-09T10:29:00.005-05:00

What to get the kitchen geek who has every gadget and unusual condiment under the sun? Always a tough question this time of year. A subscription to What's She Eating Now? is a real bargain at the price of $0, but if you're feeling a little more flush and want to give something in addition, here are three stocking stuffers that may make your food lover forget all about that amazing Wusthof knife someone showed you up with last year. Damn you singing bass.

Cookeys: For the person who truly has everything food, except perhaps cute covers for their keys, this gift is thoughtful and inexpensive. Milk sold separately.

Foodie Fight: Is your sweetie a competitive gourmand? Then perhaps this food trivia board game will fit the bill. Endorsed by Jacques Pepin, Mario Batali and Lidia Bastianich, this game is sure to provide some spirited fun and perhaps provoke a little food trash talking. "Your answer is really sous vide? Remind me to never let you near my immersion circulator."

Salt & Pepper 'Bots: Watch the video. These little guys practically sell themselves. A perfect gift for the couple who likes to sit on opposite ends of a really long dining table.

Happy Shopping!

Persimmon Bread

2009-12-07T13:55:00.002-05:00

Dan's mom had been calling every day. "Did you get the package I sent?" But in Romanian. Finally it arrived. A rather large box. As Dan carried it into the apartment, I prayed it was not more sweaters for him with sleeves that are way too short. Somehow my power of positive attraction worked. It was instead a box full of persimmons, which had made their way from a tree in her backyard to us via the slowest shipping option available from the US Postal Service. They needed to be eaten fast.

So fast that I neglected to take photos of this unusual parcel. I did not pass Go, did not collect $200, and went straight for this recipe from David Lebovitz, which had been adapted from James Beard's Beard on Bread, which I then adapted some more (see below). I made alterations less because I doubt David Lebovitz's kitchen prowess, and more because my pantry supply required some substitutions, which I think actually turned out well.

But before we get down to cooking, I think its worth describing what a persimmon is. A persimmon is a fall/winter fruit that primarily grows in two varieties: the Hachiya and the Fuyu. The Hachiya are heart shaped and can only be eaten when they are very ripe and almost squishy. They Fuyu look like a tomato but orange, and with a density closer to a barely ripe nectarine. When ripe one can eat them like an apple, but expect a taste closer to papaya. It is a very complex fruit. Now that we have met the star of this dish, let's bake!

Persimmon Bread, via James Beard via David Lebovitz

Makes two 9-inch loaves

Ingredients (my notes in italics):

3½ cups sifted flour
1½ teaspoons salt (I would measure on the generous side here)
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (My nutmeg didn't have the smell I was hoping for so used half nutmeg and half all spice and measured generously)
2 to 2½ cups sugar (I ran out of sugar, gasp!, so used just under 2 cups of white and just under a half cup of brown, maybe 2 1/4 cups total. More sugar makes for greater moisture in addition to more sweetness)
1 cup melted unsalted butter and cooled to room temperature (nothing says holidays like two sticks of butter!)
4 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2/3 cup Cognac, bourbon or whiskey (I used the remainer of a bottle of Maker's Mark and topped up with a random bottle of Crown Royal I found stashed away. Should I be concerned that Dan is stashing away whino-sized bottles of Canadian whiskey?)
2 cups persimmon puree (Lebovitz recommends the Hachiya variety, I used Fuyu. The flavor is slightly less sweet which is why I used a heavy hand with the sugar and they are also smaller so you'll need many more of them to make 2 cups of purree. If you use Hachiya, they must be very ripe as this type is not edible otherwise. I peeled the Fuyus with a peeler, cut off the tops, quartered, cut out any core-like bits, and pureed with a hand blender)
2 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped (I used walnuts which I broke into bits, did not toast)
2 cups raisins, or diced dried fruits (such as apricots, cranberries, or dates) (I used apricots which I cut into small pieces)

Directions:

Butter 2 loaf pans. Line the bottoms with a piece of parchment paper or dust with flour and tap out any excess.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift the first 5 dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. (I don't own a sifter so just mixed them together and tapped the bowl a bit)

Make a well in the center then stir in the butter, eggs, liquor, persimmon puree then the nuts and raisins. (My well was sort of pitiful, I don't think this bit is critical though as long as you stir thoroughly)
Bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Storage: Will keep for about a week, if well-wrapped, at room temperature. The Persimmon Breads take well to being frozen, too.

Food Humor Wednesday Chef Ramsay Style

2009-12-02T10:06:00.007-05:00

When I was a kid, I went through a phase where the magazines Cracked, Mad, and the now defunct National Lampoon appealed to me. Truth be told, much of the humor may have been over my head at 11, but I got the lowest common denominator jokes and liked the cartoons and as for my mother, she was just glad I was reading something. These magazines, in due course, got replaced with the Seventeens of the world and ultimately got permanently swapped for the pages of Food & Wine and Saveur. But alas, with this stroke of genius on Cracked's website, my childhood and grown-up worlds collide. Check out the main graphics here but its worth a click through to read the rest. Funny stuff.

Gordon Ramsay's proprietary Kitchen Nightmares formula revealed here:

And how does he come up with the episodes for Hell's Kitchen?

This stuff is right up there with the Little Gordon Ramsay bits. My two favorites below. Enjoy!

Understanding French Wine

2009-11-30T15:02:00.004-05:00

Enjoy this guest post by friend of the site, Keith Levenberg. If Keith had a superhero mobile it would be a flying wine fridge which would help him race to the rescue of people about to drink bad wine. Here is what he has to say about France.

Most overviews of French wine break it down by region or grape variety—not a bad place to start, but a little like trying to understand Western classical music by studying the difference between a violin and a viola. Or like the way Casey Stengel explained baseball to the 1962 Mets: “Them are the bases.” The way I see it, understanding the wines of France isn’t really about grasping the difference between Bordeaux and Burgundy. It has more to do with a handful of more abstract concepts.

Terroir. — There isn’t a close translation for the word terroir in any other language, because the concept is distinctively French. Taken literally, terroir refers to the influence of site—the soil, the climate, the light, and all of the other factors that make wine from one patch of land taste different from the wine from another patch, even if they are right next to each other. But I think the true essence of the concept is in those definitions that are less technical. The film Mondovino has a scene in which wine importer Neal Rosenthal drives director Jonathan Nossiter through the Brooklyn neighborhood where he grew up. Pointing to the city streets teeming with Hassidim—imagery that could be from any time, but could never be from any place except Brooklyn—Rosenthal remarks, “This is terroir.”

Regardless whether you favor the technical definition or a more spiritual one, some working understanding of the concept is essential to understanding French wine, because it’s how the French themselves understand it. Terroir has been the animating philosophy of French vignerons at least as far back as the Middle Ages. The GrapeRadio podcast records a lecture by Burgundy critic Allen Meadows offering one intriguing theory why (from 08:30):

If you were a Burgundian one thousand years ago, what might you have been like? You would have been, for one thing, exceptionally attentive to your surroundings: the changes of the seasons, birds, animals. . . . And there was another aspect. You were probably, if you were growing wine, at least any significant quantity of wine, a monk. And that is important from a couple of different perspectives. One is that you didn’t have to make a living; in other words, you could shoot for the very highest quality, and you could also pay very close attention to the nuances between wine coming from this vineyard versus wine coming from that vineyard. Why is that important, why is that interesting? The reason is that, being a monk, you would have viewed those differences as a message from God.

And viewing those differences as something holy, the monks aimed to preserve them. To this day, the maps of Burgundy resemble mosaics of the hundreds of sites the monks discovered, and the labels tell you the place, but not the grape. The same holds true through most of France. You don’t drink merlot, you drink Pomerol. You don’t drink syrah, you drink Hermitage. The idea is that the grape variety is supposed to be merely incidental to the expression of the site.

Classification. — Once the French discovered their terroirs, the next thing they became obsessed with was the rather less spiritual pursuit of classifying them. Most famously, in 1855 the Emperor Napoleon III demanded a ranking of the best wines of Bordeaux, resulting in a classification in which the best wines of the Médoc peninsula (plus nearby Haut-Brion, Bordeaux’s most esteemed wine at that time) were ranked in five tiers. Most of those “Grand Cru Classé” chateaux still boast it on their labels. In Burgundy, the vineyards were classified in a slightly less hierarchical scale ranging from Grand Cru vineyards at the top to Premier Cru vineyards just below and then to village- or regional-level wines. Grand Cru sites are also designated in Alsace and Champagne. (Interestingly, it’s generally the small Champagne growers, not the bling-bling brands like Dom Pérignon, whose wines come from Grand Cru land and indicate as much on the label.)

These classifications are still a big deal and there is an enormous official bureaucracy charged with overseeing them, as if the French government doesn’t have more important things to worry about. But the thing is, most of the classifications, even the 154-year-old one in Bordeaux, remain a fairly reliable guide to potential quality. The term Grand Cru isn’t just marketing puffery; usually, it really means something. Even so, there is a special joy of discovery in finding the exceptions to the rule, like in this YouTube documentary of a blind tasting in which a group of experienced tasters ranked a lowly unclassified $20 Bordeaux ahead of all of the first growths costing upwards of a thousand dollars a bottle. Of course, sometimes there is a catch....

Spoofulation. — Sometimes it’s the diamonds in the rough that upset the expectations associated with terroir and classification. But sometimes it’s the cubic zirconium. And the wine that awes the senses on first impression is revealed to be a fraud, doctored in the winery to make an impact but ultimately offering none of the satisfaction of the real thing. Those are the wines of spoofulation. Typical techniques include letting the grapes hang on the vine to the point of shriveling (so the resulting juice tastes thick and jammy), using reverse osmosis or a spinning cone to remove the inevitable excess alcohol or to concentrate even further by removing water, and relying on new, toasty barrels to add a sweet mocha flavor—a non-sequitur of a taste that can always be counted on to create the illusion of complexity. The essences of spoofulation are artifice and exaggeration. The difference between real wine and spoofy wine is precisely analogous to the difference between Audrey Hepburn and Pamela Anderson, or between Let it Be...Naked and the original version Phil Spector abused with his “Wall of Sound” production. Spicy tuna rolls are spoof sushi. Barry Bonds is a spoof hitter. Star Wars Episodes 1, 2, and 3 and the so-called “Special Editions” are spoof movies.

Spoofulation has spread like a cancer through some of France’s most famous regions. Over the last decade in Bordeaux, classically made wines have become the exception to the rule—and like a junkie who keeps needing more and more to satisfy his fix, wines that once were only subtly manipulated are now cartoonishly so. But there are reassuring signs that the pendulum is beginning to swing in the other direction. The excommunication of Robert Parker from Burgundy and the emergence of Meadows as the most influential critical authority on the region has resulted in a virtual renaissance of classic, old-school winemaking there. Specialty importers like Rosenthal, Louis/Dressner, and Jenny & François continue to expand their portfolios of natural wines from places spoofulation never touched, like the Loire Valley and the Jura. You can visit shops like Chambers Street Wines (the wine equivalent of the record store in High Fidelity), tell them you’ve had it with spoofy wines, and with a wink and a nod they will show you the real France.

Keith Levenberg blogs about wine and food whenever the mood strikes at http://pickyeaters.blogspot.com.

Thanksgiving Post Script

2009-11-30T10:55:00.001-05:00

It seems "As American as apple pie" is a bit of a misnomer, at least on Thanksgiving. Check out this neat graphic courtesy of The New York Times that shows by state what everyone ate on Turkey Day, or apparently in the Northeast, Not-Turkey Day.

Learning German Wine

2009-11-23T11:18:00.004-05:00

A guest post by friend of the site and wine buff, Keith Levenberg. This piece is the first in a series of introductions to wines from different regions. Keith's post on French wines will appear next Monday.

You have to feel a little bit sorry for the Germans. Elsewhere they can make oceans of boring wines that sell themselves with a simple word like “Chardonnay” or “Chablis” on the label, while German producers need to convince customers to wrap their heads around a name like “Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Riesling Spätlese.”

But German rieslings were once some of the most sought-after wines in the world. (Note the wine list at the right from a Boston restaurant dated 1851, where several Germans sell for the same two dollars as “Chateau Lafitte,” whose 2008 vintage runs over $500 on pre-arrival.) A pair of world wars against their main export market rather softened demand, and today even the best German wines sell in the $20-$40 range. What makes them so great is their ability simultaneously to appeal to the visceral craving for something just-plain delicious, while still having a serious side that inspires contemplation. Plenty of wines do one or the other; not many pull off both.

As a result, one gets the sense that German wine drinkers seem to be having a lot more fun than everyone else. Here is the Wine Spectator’s tasting note, in the usual tiresome format, on a white Burgundy from the esteemed Domaine Ramonet: “A supple white, exuding spice notes of cinnamon, clove and vanilla, with grapefruit and peach flavors. Good acidity keeps this bright and focused. Drink now through 2015.” And here is how German-wine importer Terry Theise describes his 2008 Muller-Catoir Haardter Herzog Rieslaner Spätlese: “This variety, when it’s good, brings you to the last frontier of language. Martin mentions eucalyptus, and there are aspects of grain, lemon-balm, orchid and talc—or none of these, or all of them and many more besides. . . . The complexity I’m sure is illegal. Tantric, esoteric, endless finish. Look, I can try to explain the way great Rieslaner seems to seize you, the way it clearly blasts you with more intricacy than your palate—your poor palate—can withstand, the insane stiletto precision, the way it swaggers like some alpha Riesling that will boss your palate around while simultaneously conveying it to an indescribable bliss. . . .” Which wine would you rather drink? Which one of those guys would you rather drink with?

So, get to know Germany. (Theise's beautifully written catalogs are a great place to start.) The labels needn’t be daunting. They cram in a lot of data—but that means all the information you need is right there on the label. In my example up top, “Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube” tells you the wine comes from the Kupfergrube vineyard in the village of Schlossböckelheim, and “Spätlese” is one of several prädikats that indicate how ripe the grapes were harvested, which is important mainly because it’s a good proxy for how dense and sweet the wine is.

Kabinetts are picked early, yielding a lean fruit profile with racy acidity and a light touch of sweetness. Spätlese indicates a later harvest, producing a richer and usually sweeter wine that should still retain a lot of the energy of a kabinett. Auslese wines are harvested later still, and range from spätlese lookalikes to borderline dessert wines. Those locked into hierarchical habits of thought tend to assume auslese is always better than spätlese and spätlese is always better than kabinett, but tasting multiple prädikats from the same site and producer can prove that bigger isn’t always better. Leaving the grapes to hang longer on the vine adds depth and richness, but that sometimes comes at the expense of the acidity and fresh fruit that keep the earlier-harvested renditions vibrant and nimble. The prädikats may also be modified by the terms trocken, halbtrocken, or feinherb. Trocken means the wine tastes bone-dry; feinherb or halbtrocken half-dry. Somewhat confusing matters is that many trockens are now instead called Großes Gewächs, meaning “great growth” and reserved for dry wines from the best vineyard sites. The confusing part is that none actually say Großes Gewächs on the label; the indication it’s a “GG” is a little wingding of a grape-bunch buried like the Masonic symbols in a dollar bill.

Both the sweeter styles and drier styles have their place. A little sweetness helps restrain the heat in a spicy dish, which is why the conventional wisdom has riesling as the natural companion to Thai or Chinese food. I’ve found that somewhat misguided, though, since the grape’s high acidity can exacerbate the very sting the sugar was intended to moderate. It’s also silly to consign these wines to such niches, since they perfectly complement all sorts of meals that don’t constitutionally demand a sweet wine—a basic roast chicken, for example. Trockens and GGs are nearly as flexible but shouldn’t be opened whenever searing acidity is going to be a problem.

That searing acidity has made Großes Gewächs a pretty hip genre, since they’re the polar opposite of the fat, soupy wines that win mainstream acclaim these days. Going into a store like Crush (always on the cutting edge of wine trends) and striking up a chat about their GG selection will get their attention as quickly as if you’d played the Wayne's World "May I help you?" riff in the guitar shop.

Keith Levenberg blogs about wine and food whenever the mood strikes at http://pickyeaters.blogspot.com.

Boss of the Year

2009-11-21T11:40:00.005-05:00

Courtesy of WaiterRant via Gawker, take a gander at the below email from Meatpacking restaurant owner Vadim Ponorovsky of Paradou to his staff. This makes working for Ebenezer Scrooge look like a cake walk. In fact, it makes my former boss almost look not so bad. I said, "almost" folks, let's not get crazy here.

I make it a practice every night to say out loud three things I am thankful for that day and find it helps maintain a positive outlook. I recommend this exercise to anyone and if you need a kick start, you can use, "Thank you sweet Jesus that I don't work for Vadim Ponorovsky," as your first one. Unless you do, in which case you may just be SOL.

To All,
Please read this email carefully. This is the last time we will be discussing this.
This weekend, saturday and sunday we had 451 customers. Guess how many emails we collected? 60? 80? 40? No. None of those. We, or more acurately you, collected 2 emails. Thats less than half of one percent. 2 fucking emails.
WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU ASSHOLES?!?!?! How many times do we have to tell you how important it is that you collect emails. Everytime we have a slow night and you make no money and you sit there bitching about how you make no money, remember its because youre fucking lazy motherfuckers. YOU SHOULD ALL BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ALL OF YOU, INCLUDING THE HOSTS!!!!
Let me guess, youre probably sitting there saying "Vadim is such a fucking asshole. How dare he speak to me like this. I dont need this." Youre right, you dont, so why dont you get the fuck out. Any and all of you.
Youre probably sitting there saying "How dare he speak to me like this. How dare he not have respect for me". Youre right there also. I have absolutely no respect for any of you. Why? Because every fucking day, all of you continue to show that you have absolutely no respect for me or Alex. So if you dont respect us enough to do the little that we ask you to do, then GET THE FUCK OUT YOU FUCKING LAZY DISRESPECTFUL ASSHOLES!!!!!
Effective immediately, any server or host who fails to collect at least 20 emails per week, will be fined $100. Anyone failing to collect at least 20 emails for two weeks in a month will be fired immediately. No matter what. No matter who you are.
You dont want to do your job, you dont want to do what we ask, you dont belong at Paradou. Go find another place to work.
How dare you disrespect Alex and me this way. How dare you completely ignore what we ask of you time after time after time.
I am sick of all this shit, you bunch of fucking children. This is what I have to deal with at 6AM?!?!? I wouldnt tolerate this from my 13 year old, and Im sure as shit not going to tolerate it from any of you assholes.
You give no respect, you get 10 times back.

This site is nothing if not fair and balanced so if you want to read Ponorovsky's retorts you can click here and here.

Strange Pairing Friday

2009-11-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

Anyone else find something strange about this?

Hitler, or Just Ronald McDonald?

2009-11-19T17:01:00.004-05:00

Apparently the theme of the week is fast food. According to Slashfood, a group called Corporate Accountability International (CAI) is waging war on Ronald McDonald and seeking to push him into 'retirement.' It seems that CAI is convinced that Mr. McDonald is a Trojan horse, a smiling clown who loves children on the outside, on the inside, a nefarious trickster hell bent on making youngsters the world over fat. If he gives them Diabetes, all the better.

Now this puts me in the uncomfortable position of having to defend one of my least favorite things, a clown. Let's put aside Ronald's role in helping sick kids, promoting child literacy, and sponsoring play spaces, the fact of the matter is the clown doesn't make anyone eat anything. CAI has put up a Where's Ronald page on its site to collect sitings of Ronald McDonald to prove the contrary. But the mere presence of a live Ronald McDonald at an event or in a McDonald's location does not betray a plot to plump up anybody. I think CAI would be hard pressed to find a video of Ronald McDonald lingering near the slide saying, "Pst... hey kid, I'll make you a balloon animal if you get your mom to buy you a happy meal and you eat the whole thing."

Surely CAI would claim that is because the clown's tactics are more subtle, more sly. But this all misses the point. The point is Ronald McDonald does not control what anyone's kids eat. Parents do, or at least should. I will not grandstand and say that because they now offer apple slices as a Happy Meal component that McDonald's is healthy. It's not. But that is why parents should keep their kids from eating it or at least restrict it to a once in a while indulgence.

This whole silly episode actually reminds of one of my favorite Chris Rock routines. I will replace Rock's chosen word with "parents" for illustrative purposes:

"You know the worst thing about [parents]? [Parents] always want credit for some shit they supposed to do. A [parent] will brag about some shit a normal man just does. A [parent] will say some shit like, 'I take care of my kids.' You're supposed to, you dumb motherfucker! What kind of ignorant shit is that? 'I ain't never been to jail!' What do you want, a cookie?! You're not supposed to go to jail, you low-expectation-having motherfucker!"

Parents, like the man said, you're supposed to take care of your kids. That includes watching out for what they eat, keeping an eye on their fitness and being in charge of their general well being. And you shouldn't expect a cookie, from McDonaldland or elsewhere, for doing so-- even if you have to contend with a whiny child who for some reason is inspired in his choice of dining fare by Ronald McDonald. And CAI, don't assume all parents are too dumb to realize McDonald's isn't a healthy habitual meal choice. The parents, who hopefully are also adults, should be calling the shots here. There are plenty of requests-- even begging, crying, screaming requests-- parents deny kids all the time for their own good. That third Big Mac of the week should be no different.

Fast Food Made Easy

2009-11-17T16:39:00.000-05:00

Are you an engineering type craving fast food but having trouble deciding where to go? Have you ever said something like this to yourself: "I am hungry, on the east coast, have more than $3, and am high as a kite, where should I go? Damn, if only I had made a handy decision tree before I got f*&ked up." Well, fret no more my slide-rule toting friends. Eating the Road has compiled this flow chart to help you navigate even the most challenging of fast food dilemmas. Stay tuned for a graphic which determines if you will need a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, tropical disease specialist or priest after ingesting.

TGIF Humor

2009-11-13T10:28:00.000-05:00

This photo was sent in courtesy of a reader.

Suggested caption: Spanish calling card, or sea urchin lovers chat line? Awesome. Keep 'em coming. Who knows, your camera phone photography might just make you famous. Well, at least famous, if briefly, to a bunch of giant food nerds. TGIF!

My New Favorite Soy Superhero

2009-11-11T11:39:00.003-05:00

I can't get this catchy jingle out of my head but at least I know what I may make Dan be next Halloween.

Also loving how it protects the identity of these shrimp tempura eaters. Enjoy this must watch video!

How Well Does Saveur Know You, Part Deux

2009-11-02T15:41:00.004-05:00

Saveur is at it again. Have you been wondering what kind of oenophile you are? It is unlikely this quiz will help, but who doesn't like a quick online study break? I admittedly began to worry when Q1 omitted "Wine Shop" as an option for where one buys most of his wine, but in the name of procrastination, I soldiered on, as should you.

(Note: I did not select "B. Auction" as the answer to this question, this screen shot tells tales)

While I think Saveur's questions were more answerable than last time around, they yielded more far-fetched results, at least for me, "The Explorer."

You consider wine a living thing, and speak reverently about it "soul." I have been known to comment on a wine's "personality," but wines that call for reverential musings about their souls? To the extent such things exist, they are probably out of my price range.

You once took a break from college to work the Oregon pinot noir harvest. No, but in retrospect that would have been a better way to fulfill a science requirement than, "Do Animals Think?", a class, as I remember it, largely devoted to how lobsters feel about current events.

Three years ago you trekked across Ethiopia in search of the new African wine frontier. Um, really? I would like to meet the person who read this aspect of his Explorer profile and said to himself, "Oh my gosh, how did they know?"

U.S. Customs started a file on you after you were caught smuggling rare vines from Navarra home in your suitcase. This is perhaps the most off-base. I would never get caught.

So take the quiz and come back and let us know in the comments how well Saveur knows you this time. Don't worry, given the subject matter I think the probability is low that you will discover the embarrassing fact that 17% of you loves Rachael Ray.

Halloween's Best Costumes

2009-11-01T12:33:00.001-05:00

Dan and I thought we had good costumes being General Tso and The Most Interesting Man in the World but Times food writer Amanda Hesser's kids blew us away. Check them out here.

5 "Candies" I Hope You Don't Get in Your Treat Basket

2009-10-30T13:17:00.006-04:00

Halloween is upon us and while many adults get excited about going out and seeing the costumes (which as we grow older inevitably get less clever and more slutty), I still get excited about the candy. Every opportunity to collect little sugary treats widens my eyes and I hope hard as I peer into the bowl that it contains bite size Snickers. And if not that, then at least mini Kit-Kats. Those are my two favorite Halloween confections. I hope just as hard not to get some of the infamous duds. You know, those candies that you were as excited to get as a child as a urine sample. So I hope by laying them out here it will put a Halloween hex out there and keep them out of your Trick or Treat future.

I think it goes without saying that we all hope to not get someone's leftover bachelorette party candy. This is a family website so I'll spare the details of the various edible anatomical rings, necklaces and suckers that usually go hand in hand with finding the man of your dreams. But I will provide you a photo and brief description of the other top 5 offenders so you can easily recognize them as rogue "candy" if you see them and demand a suitable replacement treat.

#1) Dad's Root Beer Barrels. Whoever thought to call this candy, or even flavored like root beer, is one twisted son of a bitch. This sucking candy will not only leave your tongue black, it will also turn it numb to the point that you cannot taste the much more delicious candy you have worked hard to collect. If you catch this fish, throw it back.

#2) Circus Peanuts. When I ask people what scares them most, the most popular response is "clowns." You know who eats circus peanuts? Clowns. You want to go to sleep with a demented remix of the Ringling Brothers theme in your head? Then eat these. Otherwise skip these freakish little things.

#3) The Candy Hamburger. This is just gross for fairly obvious reasons. What about a candy roast pork bun? Or a candy beef empanada? Not appealing to you? Let's leave the meat to the savory folks and everything will be OK.

#4) Juicyfruit Gum. While in the same kingdom, gum does not even share the same phylum with candy. This is not an acceptable Halloween treat. If you're going to ruin your dental work at least do it on something you can swallow and won't get stuck to a pair of shoes, or the wig from your Rapunzel costume.

#5) Raisins or an Apple. Truth be told when I was little I didn't mind the raisins that much, though I was completely misguided and should have. I was, however, always sensible enough to know that a mealy red delicious apple was not adequate compensation for climbing a flight of brownstone steps in roller skates and looking completely adorable. Thinking back on it, it is possible the Garden of Eden story is actually the first known Halloween parable, and look what a mess eating that apple got us into.

Happy Halloween, readers. I bid you good candy, a whole reusable green shopping bag full!

Airport Dining Worth Flying For

2009-10-29T13:09:00.021-04:00

A guest post by friend of the blog, Eddie Jacobs. Without further ado...

I'd like to thank the humble editor for giving me a tiny bit of real estate on this blog. I am someone who travels for pleasure quite frequently and when I travel I like to eat. I choose destinations for a variety of reasons but none more important than exotic (or not exotic) foods and dining experiences. I have fond memories from great trips with friends and for one reason or another they all seem to take place at a table or in some way in front of a meal. Butter Chicken in Delhi after 24 hours of travel, tasty street noodles in Bangkok after a tuk-tuk ride gone wrong, a Melon's burger on just about any trip back home, and so on. That said, I find it almost frustrating how difficult it is to get a decent meal while in transit.

Why is it that TCBY, a failure in nearly every strip mall, has had a rebirth in airports nationwide? Sbarro and Chili's rake in the bucks. And perhaps the most egregious airport dining option, Famiglia Pizzeria at Newark Airport, pounds that cash register as it besmirches the good image of New York pizza for all. While airport dining is a challenge, and one that seldom comes cheap ($4 for bottled Dasani water, really?), I am submitting this brief list of restaurants and airport dishes that are hidden gems in a sea of overpriced disappointing options. If I can sway just one person in the right direction I will feel this effort was well worth it.

But first, a disclaimer or two. With the exception of #5 on the list, all are in frequently traveled US domestic airports. Also, I ignore all educated tips that advise travelers to refrain from greasy foods or alcohol. This, of course, is a meal recommendation, not lifestyle advice. Here we go:

#5) Bangkok Airways Finger Sandwiches, Bangkok Airways Lounge,

Thailand

Prior to being diagnosed with Celiac's disease I could eat a sandwich or two. Come to think of eat, it may have been the 12 finger sandwich lunch that ultimately caused my gluten allergy. Regardless, they were very tasty. Here's the skinny: with the purchase of ANY ticket on Bangkok air you are granted entrance to the first-class lounge where unlimited gratis finger sandwiches (cucumber with cheese as well as a smoked salmon sandwich) can be enjoyed and washed down with orange (Tang-ish) drink and popcorn.

#4) Figs, Laguardia Airport, American Airlines Terminal

Todd English=failure in Manhattan. Todd English=Magic at Laguardia. Perhaps it's the lack of decent options at Laguardia (a Wendy's that has a 40 minute wait, always) but "Olivia's Chicken Salad," grilled chicken over mesclun greens followed by white bean soup, was a heck of a pre-flight meal. Not an awful place to watch sports, either, should you find yourself in need of a place to post-up for pre-flight viewing.

#3) Legal Seafoods, Logan Airport, Boston

Say what you want about Legal's, it's pretty decent for airport food. The lobster salad is fresh, the bloody marys are damn good and the clam chowder is dependable. A rare concession from a New Yorker, but something good has come out of Boston.

#2) Phillips Seafood, Charlotte Airport, Concourse C/Islip Airport, Long Island

Two airport seafood restaurants in a row? Has he lost it? Phillips makes a whale of a crab cake (no whale), and the crab chowder is really solid too.

#1) Paschal's Restaurant, Hartsfield Airport, Atlanta

Paschal's is an oasis amongst the crowded halls of AirTran's terminal in Atlanta. Blackeyed peas, yams, cornbread, collards, fried and baked chicken, sweet tea, and the best peach cobbler I've ever had. Great service. This was an easy choice. It seems like every flight goes through Atlanta and the food options are limited. Paschal's is the way to go.

Eddie Jacobs is a native New Yorker and a fan of cuisines from around the world, so long as they don't contain toxic glutens.

Hay Day

2009-10-28T11:22:00.002-04:00

This may be lost on you city kids, but courtesy of Planet Oddity here are some fun things you can do with a lot of free time and some hay (that's the dry baled stuff livestock eat). Click through to see them all. Come back to comment and let us know which is your favorite!

It's Only a Matter of Time Before The 31 Scoop Cone

2009-10-23T12:24:00.001-04:00

Last week I celebrated the marketing genius of Diet Coke executives who came up with the 11:01 meal to help sell more of their chemical laden soft drinks. Thinking they could not possibly be outdone in inane innovation, the folks at Baskin-Robbins have put them to shame: an ice cream cone that has two cavities so you don't have to make that difficult decision between soft serve and hard ice cream.

The press release clearly describes the Double Header as meant to house a duo of soft and hard ice cream but I think these marketers are selling this product short. What about two different soft flavors? Or two different hard flavors? Or one ice cream and one meatball? Maybe those marketing blitzes are still to come in a carefully plotted roll-out.

Certainly times are tough and selling more is harder than ever, but this Siamese cone contraption is not only silly, it's unappetizing. Perhaps they have chosen rainbow sherbert and vanilla soft serve in the beauty shot for the color contrast, but who wants to wash down their refreshing sherbert with a creamy soft serve or their creamy soft serve with a tart sherbert? And what right-minded individual would go back and forth between these juxtaposed flavors?

Basin-Robbins marketing team, I know you mean well, but if I see a turkey-flavored ice cream in honor of Thanksgiving next month I'm taking the gloves off, especially if it's featured in a double cone with gravy soft serve.

One to Watch... And Follow

2009-10-21T11:44:00.005-04:00

Those of you who read this blog with any regularity can surely detect my reluctant embrace of the Internet. I am a bit of a Luddite, and while over time I have accepted that the Internet is here to stay, and even gets its own proper noun, I have been slow to join many online phenomena.

My most recent arm-twisted membership: Twitter (you can follow me @whatssheeating, btw). I signed up groaning audibly and assuming my association would be fruitless and permanently brand me as someone who spends her Saturday nights wearing chain mail and playing D&D. But I have been pleasantly surprised on many counts. Twitter has been great, among other things, to bring awesome food articles to my attention, alert me to must-attend events, and "meet" really interesting people. One of the most interesting people I have "met" on Twitter is Liza de Guia, the self-professed food addict and video storyteller also known as @SkeeterNYC. Liza and I are not friends in real life, though I confess I sometimes wonder what that would be like (Liza, I swear I'm normal and there is nothing of human origin in my freezer). Other than exchanging some tweets, however, I know very little about her, except that she makes really good short films about food.

Her most recent one is a seven minute video about SCRATCHbread and its founder Matthew Tilden. Tilden is a baker without a bakery. He works during the night in a closed pizzeria where he molds dough by hand and moves his floury creations around an ominous brick oven with a long wooden spatula. His story is an interesting one so I won't ruin it for you, watch the video. I also really enjoyed her piece about a Long Island oyster farmer and another about a guy who farms one lone acre all by himself.

So my point is two fold. One is that Liza's videos are really neat and worth checking out. The second is that Twitter is the new cool. There is no better way to be "in the scene" in whatever it is you are interested in than to get in the Twitterverse mix. Forget that you are called a "follower" for reading others' tweets; both its culty and lemming-like implications are misplaced. And forget that the verb "to tweet" when used for anything other than referring to bird-to-bird communication is painful to say, you'll get over it. Just get an ID, join the fray, and see how much you learn. And while you're at it, follow me. I don't make awesome videos, but I'll make sure you don't miss any.

How Well Does Saveur Know You?

2009-10-15T17:56:00.005-04:00

I just took this quiz on Saveur's site and it came back that my "foodie profile" is:

Classic & Comforting You learned to cook alongside your grandma, and still think her teachings are gospel. You believe the correct answer to the question of olive oil or butter is both. You're happiest around a chattering table, doling out heaping plates to crowds of friends. You just had your tattered, original copy of Joy of Cooking rebound. You're certain there's nothing that melted cheese can't make better.

I cringe at the term "foodie" and have been hard at work coming up with a workable replacement, but set that aside for the moment and let's see how good Saveur's gastronomic crystal ball is.

1) I learned to cook alongside my grandma. Not exactly true but I do make brisket every Passover like she did and when my older brother joins I make "Andrew potatoes," which are little red potatoes that I don't know if he loves or not, but he once told my grandmother he did so she named them after him.

2) Olive oil AND butter: Not true literally, but true conceptually. I don't believe in skimping on ingredients if it's going to have a negative impact on taste. Gluten free, fat free, taste free, happy free... not in my kitchen.

3)You're happiest around a chattering table, doling out heaping plates to crowds of friends. Absolutely true.

4) You just had your tattered, original copy of Joy of Cooking rebound. Truth be told I am not a power cookbook user but I do own a copy of Joy and sometimes take it out when I can't remember how to do something embarrassingly simple and dare not admit it to another living soul, or even the little green men who make the Internet work.

5) You're certain there's nothing that melted cheese can't make better. Melted cheese is a decent picker-upper but it's a gateway drug. You want real therapy? Want to go places cheese can't take you? Hit the sushi bar and hit it hard. Somehow even when my worries are financial, sushi gives me a mellow high all the lactose laden delicacies in the world can't.

Now your turn. Take the quiz and see what it says about you. Then let us know in the comments how close it came to describing your inner eateur (no? as I said, still working).

Top Five Movie Food Scenes

2009-10-13T10:42:00.013-04:00

A reader named Allen recently posted a request for a list of the top movies about food. The Hungry Mouse beat me to it with a pretty exhaustive top 50 list, though I note the site's teetotalling omission of both Bottle Shock and Sideways, as well as its protest of people as an acceptable pastry filling with its exclusion of Sweeney Todd. And while I do love movies about food, some of the best gastronomic lines or scenes are actually contained in flicks about entirely different subjects and should not go unrecognized. Here are some of my favorites snippets from films not on Hungry Mouse's list, add yours to the comments section!

1) Its so hard to choose a favorite among the various food-related scenes in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The scene where Brad tells Arnold he can talk to Dennis Taylor to see if he can get him a job at All American Burger since 'everything went downhill at Bronco Burger ever since they started with the chicken mcnuggets'? How about when Stacy meets Ron Johnson, Audio Consultant, when she waits on him at Perry's? Or better yet, what about the one where Spicoli orders pizza to Mr. Hand's classroom? All good choices, but its hard for a scene from this movie to emerge as a favorite on any list when it doesn't involve Mike Damone. Take note of rule #4 in his 5 point plan:

2) An obvious choice but no food movie quote list would be complete with out this line from Silence of the Lambs:

3) Who could forget Ally Sheedy's mayo, Pixy Stix, and Cap'n Crunch sandwich from the lunch scene in The Breakfast Club?

4) This scene from Heat is not about food but does take place at a restaurant and has the historical significance of being the only scene Al Pacino and Robert De Niro had done together up to this point. Perhaps they should have left the collaboration at this one great scene instead of embarking on box office smellsation Righteous Kill with 50 Cent last year.

5)And perhaps my favorite food scene from a movie not actually about food? The prison scene from Goodfellas:

Cheesemaking 101

2009-10-12T11:12:00.006-04:00

You can do it with your significant other. You can do it with friends. You can even do it by yourself. I am speaking of the racy activity of making cheese at home. Whipping up some tasty mozzarella is easier than you think, and fun! You can either start with cheese curd if you can get it or really make it from scratch by beginning with with milk and making the curd yourself. All you'll need to do this is some citric acid, rennet and salt which you can either buy separately or in one of these very handy cheese making kits available online or in stores such as Murray's Cheese. You can string it out and make a night of it or whiz through the process in 30 minutes, it's up to you!

Here are some basic directions and a link to great pictures of the whole process which also has a more detailed how-to if you need it:

Put 1 gallon of milk on a pot on the stove (raw, un-homogenized cow's milk is best)
Dilute 1 1/2 tsp of citric acid in water then add to the milk, slowly heat to 88-90 degrees
Once heated to 88-90 degrees, remove from burner, add 1/4 tab (or 1/4 tsp) of rennet diluted in 1/4 cup of water to the pot and stir in, cover and leave for about 5 minutes (check the curd, it should have the consistency of thick custard when ready for the next step)
Using a long knife cut the curd into 1 inch squares
Put pot back on the heat until it reaches 105 degrees, stirring slowly. Once at 105 take it off again
Stir 2-5 minutes off the heat
Using a slatted spoon begin removing spoonfuls of curd into a colander (this will separate the whey from the curd).
The easiest thing to do here is, eek, actually use the microwave. Drain off the whey and put the curd in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 1 minute on high. Again, drain off the curd and heat this time for 30 seconds.
Knead the curd with your hands until it starts to become one smooth mass. The curd should be as hot as possible that you can still touch (if not, zap it again, just remember to drain any excess whey off and then knead again)
Now you're ready for the stretching! Like you are letting out a hose make a long flattish piece and keep letting more out until its all very stretchy. Feel free to add some salt at this point.
When you're ready to make a ball, form a C with one hand and with the other, push the mozzarella up through the C (think of a long water balloon and to make a short round one you squeeze it up though your hand)
Eat right away or store in a salty solution. Enjoy!

Eating the Distance Part II

2009-10-08T09:51:00.004-04:00

If you missed Part I about this competitive eating juggernaut, do not fear, you can scroll down to see the post with the intro segment or just watch this one, there is helpful information in this clip to bring you up to speed. Brad Sciullo, I am simultaneously amazed and grossed out by you, but I really can't wait to see you eat that shark. Enjoy!

Diet Coke Scrapes Barrel for New Sales, and Apprently Marketing Executives

2009-10-06T15:24:00.011-04:00

In an effort to boost sales in this down economy the marketing masterminds at Diet Coke have created a whole new day part: the mid morning meal. I couldn't find the ad with a live link but I am just dying to to see what recipes they recommend for an 11:01 Diet Coke pairing. In the absence of being able to impart just how to make the most of your pre-lunch hour lunch hour, I will instead provide some commentary from No Happy Medium on what I am sure will be a dining trend to sweep the nation. Without further ado...

Grab a Straw (courtesy of No Happy Medium)
I’m a bit confused about this Diet Coke internet banner ad. Can we discus briefly? As far as I can tell it’s suggesting that:

a. You should eat some meal at 11:01. I have to assume that’s AM.

b. That meal should be smart and fresh, like a salad.

c. To accompany your post-breakfast, pre-noon salad you should down a Diet Coke.

I get the feeling that some time in the future people are going to look back at this the way we look back at Coke ads from the days when Coke actually contained coke.

A Night at Aldea

2009-10-03T19:57:00.033-04:00

New York is a busy place. In all the hustle and bustle of seemingly 27 hour days it’s easy to lose sight of things. Easy to let personal chores go unattended, easy to let personal relationships go un-nurtured. Every once in a while after Dan and I have been through a period where it seems like we have been all go-go-go, we pause and realize that while we have been around each other a lot, we are behind on our quality time so we plan a night to go on a date. After nearly five years this may sound silly, but I value these timeouts where we pick a special place, make a reservation, and look forward to a night where we stop to enjoy some good food and time together as we let New York just keep whizzing by us.

This past week we had a wonderful such date at Aldea. From the initial interaction with the reservationist all the way through the hostess bidding us good night, the experience was truly a pleasure. The restaurant is an oddly narrow space but the way it is laid out the tables seem almost private once you’re seated. Feng shui elements such as tree branches in the wall recesses provide a calmness and the music, set at an ideal volume and including the likes of the Ramones and the Clash, let you know right away the place is not stuffy.

Aldea is perfect for an intimate dinner, but once you see the menu you will wish you had ten friends with you so you could get one of everything. After much evaluation and debate, Dan and I started with 3 items off the “small bites” section of the menu and one appetizer. The little neck clams were small tastes of the ocean on the half shell. The briny-ness was not to Dan’s liking but as I enjoyed them I could hear waves crashing and seagulls flying overhead and I pictured for a moment that we were at this spectacularly beautiful beach we once visited in Portugal, coincidentally the ancestral country of Aldea’s chef, George Mendes. The manipulation was minimal but the flavor very distinct, a feat in my book.

Next was the Knollcrest Farm Egg which is essentially a very sophisticated scramble with bacalao, black olives and potato served in the egg’s shell with a small wooden spoon. It's a good collection of tastes and deceptively hearty for such a dainty presentation. I’ll come back to the last small bite and for the moment skip to the appetizer which was a baby cuttlefish with caramelized lychee, mentaiko (a type of fish roe) and squid ink. Sounds fussy but actually quite simple. The overall flavors of the dish were a little subtle but the caramelized lychees were beguiling. I expected overly sweet and goopy but the taste was the best essence of lychee and the texture was almost pillowy.

The piece de resistance of the starters was the Sea Urchin Toast. I have seen critic Gael Green bristle at the $9 price tag for this “small bite” but it didn’t phase me. Uni is simply expensive and not only is it a decent portion as far as uni goes, but it is an innovative creation that includes cauliflower cream, sea lettuce, and lime according to the menu, but it really seems like there is more to it than that. In a perfect world uni would be cheap and I would be 5’ 11’’, but given that’s not the case, I think the price is fair and the dish one of the most wonderful things I have ever eaten. I even (half) joked with Dan that depending on the dessert options I may order another to finish the meal.

Second Course

I always manage expectations when it comes to entrees. They seldom are as good as the appetizers and they often make me wonder why restaurants don’t serve dinner backwards. Aldea, however, bucked this trend. I had the sea-salted Chatham cod with market cranberry and fava beans and a lemon-basil mussel broth. The fish was cooked perfectly and was plated with colors and shapes and lines that made it beautiful and interesting without overdoing it. The beans were almost like a side of stew with mussels and was so good I didn’t even bother to try and figure out how they made it, I just enjoyed it.

Dan had the lamb. There are few things I enjoy more than uni but I must say I liked the lamb even more. The loin cut of meat had a just-so hint of gaminess and everything on the plate was deliberate and necessary. Small flecks of goat cheese, a half a fig, some root vegetables. It was complex in its preparation but somehow simple in that it all made so much sense. Its appearance, smell, and taste are all still with me.

Along with our meal we had some really nice wines. When presented with the list upon being seated, we were delighted to see a bevy of good options by the glass priced very attractively and a nice selection of bottles that were equally approachable. We started with two glasses of white (a Verdejo and a Viognier, $10 each) and then shared a 2006 Porca de Murça ($36) which was lovely and did the challenging job of pairing well with the fish and the lamb. The mark-up is in there for sure but I nonetheless applaud the artfully compiled wine list that has many gently priced good quality selections, ensuring that every diner, no matter their budget, can find something perfect to accompany their meal.

And Then Dessert

Dan usually starts losing his attention span after the entrées but I told him before we left the house that we would be ordering dessert and he was not to ask for the check as he usually does the moment he finishes his entrée. After the delight he experienced at Aldea, he may forever change his ways. The Chevre Cheese Parfait with poached plums, nectarines, and honey ice

cream was exceptional. The parfait had the appearance of a marshmallow turned on its side and tasted wonderful on its own, but even better when combined with all the carefully thought out elements on the plate. It was an original dessert in every aspect from ingredients to textures to visual appeal but sticking to the basics, it was just really good.

In addition to the meal I enjoyed watching Chef George Mendes and his team working in their open kitchen. When I say open kitchen I don’t just mean there is a counter over which you can see into the kitchen, I mean the kitchen is set up almost like a performance space. You’re meant to watch. And like the food and the dining room and everything else about Aldea, the movements about the kitchen are clever and purposeful but with a wonderful air of calm. And how much, you are wondering, does this transportation to a place and time where worry and disappointing food does not exist? Our experience tallied about $90 per person with tip. Aspirational, yet attainable and a good value for such an outstanding show.

Aldea is a great restaurant for many reasons. The food is nothing short of remarkable, but more than that the experience is savor worthy. To me it’s a comfortable version of fine dining where you can enjoy real culinary delights but in a relaxed setting where you don’t feel self-conscious about sitting up straight and being on your best behavior. And what may just make a regular out of me is that Aldea is special, but not the kind of special that one waits for an anniversary or a promotion to visit. It’s the kind of special you go to when you need a break from tough, indifferent New York. When just what you need is some welcoming hospitality, superb plates and a check that lets you also give your nerves the night off.

Aldea
31 West 17th Street
212- 675-7223
Lunch: Mon - Fri (11:30am - 2:00pm)
Dinner: Mon - Thu (5:30pm - 11:00pm) Fri & Sat (5:30pm - 12:00am)

The Brad Sciullo Story

2009-10-02T13:56:00.006-04:00

I am a big fan of The Colbert Report, but missed this one. Thanks to Eat Me Daily for bringing it to my attention, I just enjoyed 5 minutes of hilarity about this competitive eating titan. Enjoy!

Drinking Blind

2009-09-30T17:19:00.023-04:00

When I was a kid, my friend Carrie and I made an after school game out of blind taste tests. We would take turns tying a cloth napkin around the other’s head and serving up spoonfuls of randomly selected items from her fridge for the blind-folded girl to guess. She had home court advantage in that it was her fridge and she knew its contents better than I did, but I was amazingly good at it. In fact, out of all our many bouts I recall missing only one turn: mango chutney.

Fast forward years later, I wondered if this skill I had as a pre-teen would translate to a more grown-up game of blind wine tasting. Would my tongue that helped me prevail through the soy, teriyaki, Worcestershire challenge also be able to help me tell the difference between a Barolo and a Brunello, or Syrahs from California and France? I was eager to find out.

Dan and I sent an announcement that we would be hosting a blind wine tasting at our place and dared those sporty enough to attend. Ten tasters in all, we embarked on a journey through three whites and seven reds. Everyone brought a bottle and sent ahead details which included producer, varietal, vintage, price, and a story about when this particular wine got them in the most trouble. Much to the chagrin of my wine fanatic friend in attendance, we rolled beginner style, with cue sheets informing everyone what we would be tasting. The bottles, however, would be covered, leaving each participant to match the numbered wines to the list.

A couple of ringers did well but most of us were pretty lousy and the more wine we had the worse we got. This trend can perhaps best be illustrated by Dan’s tasting notes which I found on the ground the next day as I was cleaning up. He claims to have gotten all three whites correct. Then came the reds. After guessing the Chateau Canon 1985 Saint-Emilion incorrectly he scribbles “what happened?” in the margin. Then in his notes below the space for final answers he describes bottle number 8 as “a little spicy, big, definitely the Barolo.” He then marks his actual answer with a big “X” and next to it bemoans, “fucking Italians!” Mine was less entertaining, and had a bounty of question marks.

In the end I guess I learned that I peaked at condiments. But I’ll keep giving it a go because unlike most things in life, blind wine tasting is still a lot of fun even if you’re really bad at it.

What we poured:

-Grosset 2005 Watervale Riesling ($25)
-Andeluna 2006 Chardonnay (~$15)
-Domaine de Triennes 2007 Viognier ($15.99)
-Fayolle 1985 Hermitage "Les Dionnieres" (Syrah) ($45)
-Chateau Canon 1985 St.-Emilion (Merlot Blend) ($45)
-Robert Lindquist 2007 Qupe (Syrah) ($22)
-Neiano 2003 Barolo ($30)
-Tenuta Friggiali 1993 Brunello di Montalcino ($60 at time of gift receipt in 2001, not that I checked)
-Louis Cheze 2007 Ro-Ree (Syrah) ($32)

Le Post du Fooding

2009-09-26T13:47:00.011-04:00

The place: PS 1 Contemporary Art Center. The
Event: Le Fooding, a collision of American and French chefs serving up tastes of their handiwork to benefit Action Against Hunger. Theme of the night: long ass lines, and lots of 'em.

The event concept is a good one. Local chefs face off against their French counterparts at a fun, casual event in a cool venue for a worthy cause. The execution, however, could use some work. The first line of the night was the one to get in and stretched halfway around the block. This just served to warm you up for the queues inside. The lines for some stations spiraled around in curlicues upon curlicues making a fun game out of hunting for the very end. Everyone was having a good time though, which would have made it bearable if only the food was a little more remarkable.

Our first stop, the cheese station. The brie, Liverot and Emmental all left me dismayed. A first for me, I didn't finish a single piece of the slightly dry and rubbery samples. We then joined the back of the first line we could identify. When we got close enough, we could see that it was Wylie Dufresne's station. Expectations were high. Once at the front Wylie informed us we would be eating grilled chicken necks with a yuzu marmalade. The marmalade was beguiling and quite lovely, if only it had been paired with something else. The chicken necks were hard to eat, particularly in the low lit courtyard, and the experience of maneuvering around the vertebrae was not a pleasant one. A lot of work for very little meat that wasn't that good.

Starting to lose hope in Le Fooding, the next dish, Brooklyn chef Sean Rembold's Fried Corn and Scallop Butter, provided salvation. This dish was truly divine. Corn dipped in a deep fryer and served with a rich butter based sauce that had small pieces of scallop and was flavored with shallots, chives, paprika and peppers. The fresh corn and the decadent sauce were a well devised match and the hint of mint from the garnish added a little je ne sais quoi to this outer borough creation. After seeing Chef Rembold at work, Diner went straight to the top of my list of places to try.

Next we queued up for Paris chef William Ledeuik's marinaded grilled pork rib. The teriyaki pineapple sauce tasted fairly pedestrian but the rib itself was cooked to perfection, if only there was more than the one tiny little rib after the seemingly never-ending wait for it. Then we went from the far courtyard area to the near one, where the installation that undulated about the space could be seen more clearly in the brighter lighting. It was an interesting series of tents that were copper colored on the inside, fur covered on the outside. Sounds blah, photographs not so great but a real feast for the eyes in person.

While we waited for Christophe Pele's barbecued sirloin, we sent two scouts from our party to retrieve some soup from a oddly un-patronized station to hold us over on our slow march to the food. The steak was my second favorite dish of the night but again, very small considering the journey to the table. Last from the savory category was David Chang's Bo Saam. By the time we got to it some of the accouterments had run out so I am not sure what the full dish was meant to taste like but the pork was delicious and the slightly spicy sauce was exactly what the pork needed.

Then the biggest bottleneck of the night, dessert. Brooklyn's The Greene was there serving up ice cream cones, or rather one woman from The Greene was individually scooping and making cones for each diner at the event while a male coworker simply watched. This was by far the longest wait of the evening, reminiscent of manufacturing before the invention of the assembly line. We tried both flavors, the vanilla bourbon and the hazelnut gianduja. The former tasted good but was not very creamy and in fact a little icy. The hazelnut, on the other hand, was smooth and a perfect richness with small pieces of hazelnut providing just the right amount of crunch throughout.

All of the people working the event wore shirts with "I Hate Le Fooding" printed on the front, which made me wonder on the way out if I too hated Le Fooding. While the lines were certainly formidable, and some of the food only decent, I think I would more appropriately wear a shirt that reads "I liked Le Fooding, but I am really glad I wore flats."

My Unexpected Top Chef Heartthrob

2009-09-24T14:29:00.027-04:00

During the first few episodes of Top Chef Season 6 I developed a crush on the two brothers, Michael and Bryan. Like West Coast and East Coast rap, they have differences, but also strong similarities. Their food looked equally enticing so to choose who would be my lone Top Chef heartthrob I needed more information.

Almost as if reading my mind, Bravo TV posted a feature this week entitled, “Date a Top Chef!” in which each cheftestant answers personal questions to help fans determine if they are “really compatible with these culinary cuties.” The responses to these queries left me searching for new knees for my bees. Bryan, who I no longer have a crush on, shared that his catchphrase is, “Nuh uh, Fuck, I know. I won't do it again. (insert name) NOW!” Apparently Voltaggio the Elder did not go to the Joey Lawrence school of catch phrases. Bryan, they’re supposed to be short, punchy and memorable. Like Kevin’s, except I don’t believe that he actually coined “Six of one, half dozen of another.”

Ash’s and Laurine’s are a little more original. Let’s start with Ash, who apparently is known to say “I’m a culinary gangster.” Don't let the bowtie or the gayness fool you, one of the knives in his knife bag is a shank. And Laurine, whose listed nicknames include both “sunshine” and “bitch on wheels,” likes to punctuate sentences with: "stupid f---ing bitches who shouldn't have jobs." I am intrigued by Laurine’s multiple personalities and Tourret's like tagline but I’d never get past a first date with her. I guess she and I will just have to agree to disagree that onion tarts and sardines are great ideas for a “romantic night out.”

Speaking of “romantic nights out,” brother Michael thinks the best romantic night out is “Trader Joe's pizza dough and toppings. Make a pizza together at home.” Let’s put aside that his most romantic night out is actually a night in, for someone who spends much of his airtime on throw-away references to his Michelin star, I must say I would be pretty disappointed with store bought pizza dough and some chopped up veggies.

So who’s left for me to Top Chef pine for? The Jersey-bred Italian Scallion Mike Isabella? “This is Why I'm Hot” by Mims is on his playlist. Why? “Because I'm hot.” Obviously. Jen is notably missing from Date A Top Chef! but in her bio she shares that her "favorite simple summer recipe" is “Compressed Watermelon, Chesapeake Bay Jumbo Lump Crab, Fennel Pollen and Wild Boar Prosciutto Chips.” I know, in the summer when I want to keep it light and simple I always debate between a tomato salad and compressing something, making a crab cake and figuring out how to also incorporate fennel pollen and wild boar prosciutto chips. Jen is too high maintenance for me.

Eli is in the remaining 10 but his 'slight lactose intolerance' would be incompatible with my fondness for cheese and ice cream. And Robin has immunity this week, so I’ll leave her be to deconstruct one of my favorite soups into a convoluted mess. So who does that leave? Is there no Top Chef match made in heaven for me? Au contraire, making my heart pound and my mouth water, Ashley had me at, “Foie gras torchon, scallops, and a bone-in ribeye for two, with an outstanding bottle of red wine.” Ashley, you can be my Top Chef anytime.

Best from the Twitter Feed

2009-09-24T08:47:00.004-04:00

Stay tuned for a new post later today... in the meantime enjoy these tweets from @seriouseats and @food52. The only way these two could have gone better together is if the second mentioned (human) liver with fava beans and a nice chianti!

The Food Truck Dilemma

2009-09-22T13:19:00.012-04:00

I was very excited to find out on Twitter that the Schnitzel & Things truck would be setting up shop for lunch in Flatiron today, so I grabbed a friend and went to check it out. In addition to the food, which was good and reasonably priced, we got an eye-ful of an altercation between the truck proprietor and some tough guys from Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop. The Eisenberg guys were arguing that the truck was stealing business from their store while the Schnitzel truck, parked there for one day only, countered that he had a right to be there and that they weren't catering to the same crowd anyway. Then said crowd got into the mix a bit as well.

I am somewhat torn on this one. I think the explosion of food trucks throughout the city is great. It provides a cost effective way for food entrepreneurs to hang their own shingle and introduces New Yorkers to new dining options. That said, I am concerned about the effect this trend could possibly have on long established businesses like Eisenberg's, which has been in its spot since 1929. I am also deeply troubled by the fighting, and in some cases violence, that has occurred between the new trucks and incumbent street cart vendors who feel like their long held turf has been encroached upon.

The capitalist in me thinks it just comes down to competition and being a neighborhood institution doesn't insulate you from the free market's formidable forces. Let the people vote with their wallets on that one. The more compassionate side of me knows these Halal vendors and mom and pop's have been around for ages and have mouths to feed too. So what to do? Normally a proponent of limited government interference, I am going to break out of my mold and say Mayor Mike, you need to get involved. You can't issue all these truck permits to generate revenue for the city and then just turn them loose in the wild with no rules. This hurts both the trucks and the businesses they locate next to, all of whom are city tax payers. So make some order out of this urban food jungle. We all have to eat, but unlike in the bush it need not be kill or be killed.

Best from the Twitter Feed

2009-09-18T15:05:00.005-04:00

Top 5 Things You Should Be a Food Snob About

2009-09-17T10:05:00.016-04:00

I like to think I am very open-minded when it comes to food. I do enjoy fine dining for sure, but some of the best things I have ever eaten include street food items that probably should have given me trichinosis. I revel in discovering great cheap eats and awesome dives. I also love finding delicious treats that hail from half way around the world whose name I need to repeat multiple times to get the pronunciation right, only I am sure to still get it wrong. And perhaps the best evidence of how unpretentious I am about food, I have an unabashed adoration of fish sticks.

All that said, there are some things I am not only a food snob about, but will go as far as to say you should be too.

The absolute number one food offender in my book is the spicy tuna roll. Sushi is served raw my friends. This is so you can taste the delicate flavor of the fish unadorned by things as overpowering, inappropriate and uncouth as mayonnaise with attitude. Would you put ketchup on top of caviar? Furthermore, because this sauce is so intense, sushi chefs tend to use the worst left-over tendon-ridden odds and ends to make these rolls because it really doesn’t matter. You could mash up bits of sewer rat underneath that muck and not be able to tell the difference. The pain on the face of one of my favorite sushi chefs whenever he has to make one of those monstrosities is more heart tugging than a Save the Children commercial. While I don’t patronize his restaurant often, I applaud Sasabune’s Chef Takahashi for posting a sign on the wall that reads “No Spicy Tuna.”

Next on my hit list is over cooked meat. An animal died so you could eat that, the least you can do in his honor is allow your food to retain some flavor so that he can look down at you from upstairs and think “Wow, look how delicious I am.” Overcooked meat, whatever its origin, all tastes the same. I defy you to tell the difference between well done beef, duck, lamb, prairie dog or whack-a-mole. If you simply do not enjoy a properly prepared medium rare piece of meat, please slide your plate over and order the vegetarian special.

Bad pizza. It never fails to surprise me but there are people out there who eat this stuff, plastic-y layers of cheese on top of third tier store brand tomato sauce and all. I admit in some parts of the country people may not have many options but in New York City, the thin crust pizza capital of America, there is no excuse. Let’s remember, pizza is not health food. It’s loaded with high fat cheese and customarily served on top of white flour based dough. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat it, but that when you do you should love it. It should be amazing and comforting and never leave you with that “Wow, I really didn’t need to eat that” feeling. It should be worth every last calorie. Some people say “sex is like pizza, even when it’s bad it’s good.” I disagree, on both counts.

Subway sandwiches. No self-respecting New Yorker should ever eat one of these. Ever. The New York deli sandwich is as old as that joke about a priest and a rabbi in a row boat. Put a different way, a New Yorker eating a Subway sandwich is like an Italian grabbing lunch at the Olive Garden. (Don’t get me started on chain restaurants!) I don’t care what the commercials say or the wonders Subway has done for Jared’s social calendar, the ingredients don’t taste fresh and no one there will take enough pride in his craft to deliver you a sandwich worth eating. One should buy lumber by the foot-long, not lunch.

Ketchup on hotdogs. This mockery is simply un-American. Interestingly, ketchup on hotdogs is a hotly debated topic on the Internet; there are even books on the subject. But to me there is nothing to argue about. You’re either with us, or you put ketchup on hotdogs. There is even a Facebook group called Ketchup on Hotdogs with 19 nihilist fans flaunting their support for what is tantamount to food anarchy. For the greater public good, I hope the powers that be are keeping a watchful eye on these condiment extremists.

So there’s my Top 5. I am sure I have stirred the proverbial pot a bit so agree or disagree, let everyone hear it in the comments section. Just don’t do it while snacking on a slice of individually wrapped bright orange American Cheese.

I'm Gonna Let You Finish...

2009-09-16T11:24:00.010-04:00

A screenshot from my gmail account. See funny subject line from the Astor Center (FYI for non-New Yorkers, the Vendy Awards are the much anticipated Oscars of the NY street vendor world). And yes, that is the awesome ninja theme background.

Two More Chances for Crabs

2009-09-15T09:40:00.007-04:00

After weeks and weeks of trying, some friends and I recently snagged a reservation for Back Forty's popular crab boil. Experiencing overwhelming success last year, Back Forty brought back this fun summer feature in which every Tuesday they throw out the regular menu and instead serve up Maryland crabs by the bucket with sides of corn and potatoes. This isn't an event for food sissies. You sit at communal tables, sharing sides with your neighbors, and servers come by not once but thrice with delicious crabs they plunk down on the newspaper covered tables.

At the start of the meal the friendly folks at Back Forty will give you a tutorial on how to eat the crabs with your hands and will provide you a mallet in case you need a little extra help getting to that succulent crab meat. Then it starts getting messy. The crabs are coated in seasoning, which makes them delicious, but also a little sloppy, so wear something you don't care about and roll up your sleeves.

Here's the skinny on how you too can get crabs. For two more Tuesday nights Back Forty will be running its crab boil (9/22, 9/29). Go to their website the previous Wednesday (9/16, 9/23), fill out the reservation request form to submit at 10am, pray that everyone else has already gotten crabs. Then anxiously wait to hear back from Back Forty. Flexibility in your dining time will help. Also, its a great group activity but may not make for a perfect first date so get a handful of your favorite food compatriots together for best results. Good luck and have fun!

Back Forty
190 Avenue B
(212) 388-1990
Crab Boil Price: $40 +tax&tip!

Best of Yesterday's Twitter Feed

2009-09-15T09:23:00.007-04:00

#1. Apparently Bruni is off the wagon....
...Stay tuned for his next book: Being Round.

#2. Trying to find a lite Midtown lunch option?

That should boost your afternoon productivity.

The Hudson Valley Wine Experience

2009-09-14T13:57:00.016-04:00

As someone who has spent a lot of time in the Hudson Valley during the last three decades, I take pride, rationally or not, in delicacies that come from that region: foie gras, local produce, black angus beef, duck, cheese and… wine? Well yes, the Hudson Valley does boast many, many wineries. The question is, is any of it good? Dan and I sampled a handful of Hudson Valley wines in the past and weren’t that wowed but we thought maybe it was what we tried. So this past weekend, to give the Hudson Valley its fair shake at winning over our inner Bacchus, we headed out to the Hudson Valley Wine and Food Fest in Rhinebeck, NY.

The festival was a little light on the food aspect, but there were booths of wineries lined up as far as the eye could see pouring their entire line-ups. We picked up our tasting glasses, mustered some optimism and went forth, intent on finding some winners. The first wine we tried, a cabernet franc, immediately brought to mind that scene in Sideways where Paul Giamatti’s character Miles declares, “Well, I've come to never expect greatness from a cab franc, and this one's no exception,” as he unceremoniously dumps the remainder of his pour into the spit bucket. Dan and I laughed as we did the same and reassured each other that this was just the first stop.

Many tastes of liquid more closely evoking hints of battery acid and metal than berries and earth later, we paused to wonder what was going on. Was there just no good wine in the Hudson Valley? A little known fact, the Hudson Valley is actually the oldest wine region in the country, boasting the nation’s first winery established in 1839 (Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY). But oldest doesn’t mean the best weather and conditions in which to grow grapes unfortunately. A lot of precipitation plus short, hot humid summers and frigidly cold winters makes for a very challenging environment to produce blue ribbon winners. And many wineries in attendance actually hailed from the Finger Lakes region, northwest of the Hudson Valley, where the climate is not only unpleasant for wine growers, but just for people in general much of the year.

So is wine from upstate New York hopeless? The answer is not entirely. New York State producers tend to turn out a lot of sweet style wines, which in general I don’t particularly care for, especially when they are poorly structured and encased behind a gimmicky label. But, it also means they make a lot of dessert wines and ice wines. This got my attention.

Despite its marketing literature informing us that its Solar Flare is “Liquid Sunshine in a bottle!”, we particularly liked this dessert wine from Eagle Crest Vineyards in Hemlock Lake, New York. It had a wonderful nose of honey and apricots and the texture was clean and crisp, not at all syrupy. And at $11, we were very happy with this purchase. We also came home with an ice wine from Johnson Estate Winery and a late harvest wine from Hunt Country Vineyards. We'll admit to adding some Mead to our loot as well. Mead is a sweet wine using honey instead of grapes as its base and the raisin-clove variety we picked up from Long Island Meadery isn’t for the sophisticated wine snob. But when you taste it, it feels like the holidays. Its festive clove notes just encompass all things December. We bought two bottles to keep in the back of the fridge and I look forward to breaking them out when its time for menorahs and Christmas trees.

After what seemed like a hunt for a unicorn, we also found some whites we liked alright and some reds we really enjoyed (listed below). And as usual, we came home with some mystery bottles we couldn’t quite remember why we bought. I always love opening those because like magic, the sense memory comes back to when we first tasted them and they either conjure a wonderful experience or something very funny that happened while we tried it to prompt the purchase. One such bottle we managed to actually label this time. Scrawled with “conversation piece” on the paper bag it was wrapped in, Dan reminded me he bought this one because the face I made when I tried it was so priceless that he wants to have a bunch of guests try it simultaneously and take a photo. "Wouldn't that be a conversation piece," he exclaimed. Stay tuned for that post!

Some reds we liked:

Brotherhood 2006 Pinot Noir
Whitecliff Vineyard 2008 Merlot
Swedish Hill 2007 Cabernet Franc
Johnson Estate 2006 Chancellor

When in Doubt, Bet It All on Noodles

2009-09-11T18:46:00.004-04:00

From my friend Karen Chen's Facebook page: "Sign in the Bellagio casino - in case you could not decide whether to eat or gamble!" Or maybe this is just my fantasy casino where instead of playing to win money you play for food. If that dream ever came true it would be do not pass go, straight to the High Stakes Uni Room for me!

Waste Not Want Not, Especially When Pork's Involved

2009-09-10T09:28:00.020-04:00

I don't use the word "hate" often, but one thing I do hate is wasting food. Nothing makes me more dismayed than cleaning out my fridge and having to throw out things I couldn't find a use for before the end of their shelf life, or worse, things I simply forgot about in a drawer or in the back of the fridge. Knowing the guilt and anger I feel when this happens, I am pretty vigilant about trying to use everything and have become a bit of a kitchen MacGyver when need be, throwing seemingly incongruous ingredients together to save the day, or dinner as it were.

This past weekend my dad roasted an entire pig. I was very excited about the marquis dish of his annual Labor Day barbecue, but was concerned there may be a lot of waste. I can't stand throwing out vegetables. Wasting animal protein simply drives me mad. I was, however, pleased to see that almost the entire pig was eaten, except the legs, which most of the guests found a little too anatomical to be appetizing. Knowing my love for all things pig, and my simultaneous hate of all things waste, my dad offered them to me to "do something with." Alternatively, the legs would become a treat for my family's obese dog, Harley, who certainly did not need the fat-lined limbs.

With a pasta sauce in mind I took the legs, wondering if I would get squeamish when it came to breaking them down to remove the meat. After a day of the legs posing for me (hooves-and-all) each time I opened the fridge, I took them out and started to cut them up, my distaste for waste rising above my aversion to preparing things that so closely resemble what they really are. Always my worst kitchen critic, I actually think the sauce, which I served over fresh pappardelle, came out great. So thanks, Dad, for the legs. And sorry, Harley, for usurping your snack. As much as I work to prevent it, I am sure you will be the recipient in the not-too-distant future of something delicious that managed to hide behind a six pack.

Recipes and directions:
Starter: Fennel Salad with Grapefruit

Slice fennel thin on a mandolin
Toss by hand with a little high quality olive oil, salt, and pepper (careful with the salt as you will also add cheese)
Use the large hole side of a grater to add some pecorino romano
Remove skin of a red grapefruit with a knife, cut into horizontal slices then divide those slices in fourths, add to salad

Main: Pappardelle with Pork (Ragu-like) Sauce

Separately put up water to boil for the pasta
In the pan you will make the sauce in sauté garlic
Add onions, sauté until onions start to turn translucent
Add chopped up carrots and celery
Add cut up tomatoes, add salt and pepper to the mixture and stir
Add fresh rosemary (pluck off the leaves and chop finely, I used rosemary from my garden which makes me super happy, reserve some for adding more later)
Keep stirring and let the tomatoes break down a bit, if it looks like you need a more sauce like consistency add some canned crushed tomatoes
Season pork with salt and pepper then add (my pork was already cooked, if your pork isn't cooked you'll need to braise it, here is a link that explains how to do that in the context of making a sauce with it)
Add the rest of the rosemary and some fennel (I had fennel greens since I served fennel as a starter, you don't need much and it helps tie the flavors from the two courses together but is not essential)
Cover and cook for a while, stirring occasionally
For the pasta, I used fresh pasta so it cooks very fast. A little vegetable oil in the water will help keep it from sticking to itself, as will stirring occasionally. When it starts to expand a lot its nearing done so test a piece, my pappardelle cooked in about 6 minutes
Add shaved pecorino romano at the table. The pecorino will also help tie together the first and second courses
We accompanied the meal with a 2007 Domaine de la Mordorée Tavel rosé, delicious!

Buon Appetito!

Soup's On: Ciorbă de Perisoare

2009-09-08T09:12:00.016-04:00

I recently returned from a trip to Romania, a country whose culinary tradition can perhaps best be described as an Eastern European fusion of sorts. Heavily influenced by neighbors and historical conquerors, one can detect distinct hints of the former Yugoslavia, Hungary, Russia, Austria, Greece and Turkey in the food. And one thing I particularly enjoy about Romanian cuisine is its emphasis on soups, my favorite being a meatball soup called ciorbă de perisoare (pronounced chore-ba de perry-shwar-eh).

Romanians separate soups into two main categories: supă and ciorbă, the latter referring to recipes that have a distinct sour flavor to them, a taste they acquired along the way from Russia. Craving such a soup when I returned to New York, Dan and I reached out to his mom for her version of ciorbă de perisoare. After receiving her recipe—in Romanian—Dan and I embarked on the linguistic and culinary challenge of trying to replicate it. As it turns out, the hardest part was the translation!

Dan’s mom doesn’t use a proper recipe to make her soup, she pretty much has a list of ingredients that she then combines by feel, so that is what we did too:

Cut up carrots, celery and peppers for use in the soup and set aside
Dice two onions. Take the pot you are going to use for the soup, heat a small amount of vegetable oil and sautée the onions until they just begin to turn translucent (you can also reserve some for use in the meatballs if you’d like)
Add as much water as you want to make soup, throw in the vegetables and turn to high heat. Also at this point add vegetable bullion, curly parsley and some sprigs of fresh oregano. Cover and bring to a boil.

While our pot was turning water and vegetables into soup, we made the perisoare, or meatballs, Turkey’s contribution to the dish:

Beat 2 eggs
Wet a piece of bread and then wring out the water
Combine eggs and bread with ground turkey, uncooked white rice, some finely chopped parsley and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper
Mix ingredients together manually, then with slightly damp hands make all the meatballs in one batch but then re-form them as you drop them in the pot (they tend to flatten out when they sit). The raw meatballs should be about the size of ping pong balls, they’ll expand as they cook.
Once your soup is at a vigorous boil lower the meatballs in one by one, reduce the heat slightly and cover for around 25 minutes.

Traditionally, once the meatballs are done, one would add either borş (fermented wheat bran) or sauerkraut juice to create the desired sourness but I find lemon juice is a good substitute. After stirring lemon juice into the pot, the soup should taste decidedly sour; if not add some more. The tang complements the meatballs nicely and makes the dish oddly addictive.

Now you’re ready to eat! Perisoare should be garnished with fresh parsley and served at the table with some sour cream and a slightly hot green pepper. Difficult to find Romanian sauvignon blanc pairing optional. Pofta Buna!

Ingredient List:

Soup:

Onions
Carrots (I used both regular orange carrots as well as red carrots which added a little more earth to the flavor. You can also use celery or parsley root if you can find it)
Celery (in addition to the stalks I recommend using the leaves, which people often discard, in the soup for flavor)
Peppers (I used red, orange and yellow. Consider color, however. If you use red peppers your soup will come out reddish, if that matters to you)
Fresh Oregano
Fresh curly Parsley
Vegetable bullion
Lemons

Note: The traditional recipe calls for Loveage which is very hard to find in the

. Celery leaves and lemon together get close to approximating the flavor.

Meatballs (makes approximately 2 dozen):

Eggs, 2
Bread, 1 slice
White Rice, ~25 ounces
Parsely, finely diced (Dill can also be used in addition)
Onions, finely diced (optional)
Ground Turkey, 1 pound (I prefer turkey for perisoare as its leanness prevents the soup from getting greasy but it is more common to find it with pork, as the Romanian saying goes: Cea mai buna leguma e carnea de pui si cea mai buna carne de pui e carnea de porc or, the best vegetable is the chicken meat and the best chicken meat is the pork)
Salt and pepper

Garnish and accompaniments:

Fresh curly parsley
Sour cream
Hot green peppers (cut up into pieces)

Nothin' Wrong With a Little Somethin' on the Side

2009-09-03T16:59:00.009-04:00

I have received some questions about what I served besides burgers the night the Pat La Frieda brisket blend stole my heart. (See Sept 2nd post.) Here it is barbecue fans!

Starters and Sides:

Crudite platter with vegetable dip
Apartment-made guacamole with blue corn chips
Pigs in snuggies (see, their arms are free to pick up the phone or the remote with ease!)
Grilled corn salad with heirloom tomatoes, avocado and applewood smoked bacon
Watermelon salad with feta

Intermezzo:

Two varieties of venison sausage, as a palate cleanser, obviously.

Notes from the Chef:
First, this is too much food to serve before a burger tasting, especially at 6 ounces per burger on potato rolls. Second, I feel compelled to share a previsouly closely guarded party secret. My pigs in snuggies are a snack I put out at pretty much every barbecue I host and they're always a big hit. The secret is all you have to do is buy cocktail franks and Pillsbury crescent rolls for the dough and bake, serve with grainy dijon mustard. Its that easy.

Next, the corn salad. Take the above ingredients, add chopped fresh cilantro, a little lime, pepper and salt. Be careful with the salt as the bacon will have some saltiness to it already but probably not enough. Sometimes I use a tiny bit of high quality peppery olive oil. I don't usually use avocado in this dish but did this time. I like the flavor it adds but it definitely takes away from the presentation as the avocado can coat the other elements and mute the sharpness of their colors.

On the watermelon salad. This is actually a go to dish of mine for dinner parties. Usually I serve it in a martini glass with some crumbled feta, high quality peppery olive oil, pepper and depending on the saltiness of the feta some rock salt or salt flakes. This didn't translate as well to a large format presentation. One issue was that I couldn't get the feta crumbles, only a regular block of feta, so it was a little too creamy. This mostly effected the presentation but it didn't make it look as refreshing and enticing. I like using the watermelon itself as a bowl but next time may do it for just the cut up watermelon or fruit salad.

So that's the inside scoop. Off to the Back Forty Crab Boil now, stay tuned for notes and pics!

A (Burger) Affair to Remember

2009-09-02T10:59:00.017-04:00

New Yorkers have always been prone to crazes when it comes to food. Their whimsicality and the speed with which they move from one in-vogue thing to the next has only been amplified by the one-two punch of food-blog proliferation and Twitter. "Discoveries" no longer need to be made (they're brought to your desktop), and feedback on where to get the best version of the item du jour is alarmingly fast, saving the food masses all the time associated with trial and error.

One day everyone is eating ramen. After starting with the top shops courtesy of others' online recommendations, that box is checked and its time for the next big rage, banh mi. And of late, New Yorkers have embarked on a leap from a recent burger obsession to love affair with pizza. But I am not quite ready to jump on the Big Apple's new bandwagon this time. Our summer has been criminally short this year and to me trading barbecues for the warm glow of brick ovens only hastens our tumble into fall. So I fought the power the only way I knew how; I said, "In your face Duane Reade and your premature Halloween candy display. It's still summer and we're going to have a showdown. A burger showdown."

The Burger Dating Game
The burger battle to win the hearts (and stomachs) of 12 diners took place last night at my place with three contestants: a Pat La Frieda short rib blend, a Pat La Frieda brisket blend, and what one diner dubbed "the magic blend" from a Hudson Valley butcher. All were well received but the competition really came down to the two La Frieda contenders. To be fair, the Hudson Valley burgers came last, which after a lot of other food was a tough slot to bat from to say nothing of the number of beers the grill master had by that point, compromising said individual's ability to discern a perfect medium rare. So perhaps not a fair fight, but such is life.

After the initial round of tasting the sides developed: those in favor of the short rib standing firm against those who preferred the brisket. The brisket fans argued for their burgers'
buttery flavor and consistently decadent bites. The short rib fans countered that their burgers may not have been as rich throughout, but were peppered with flavor bursts that made them more intriguing. A collective hmmm. Plates shifted around. More bites were taken.

Even with identical seasoning, the burgers were much more different than any of us had anticipated but at the same time difficult to choose between. I imagine it's like determining which of your kids is more successful, the Nobel laureate or the Olympic champion. They were that good, and that dissimilar. So which one triumphed? The answer is, it depends. Upon biting into the brisket, eyes momentarily closed. Exclamations of "Oh my god" followed. The best way I can think to describe it is that the brisket burger makes you feel like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. All of a sudden worthy of expensive clothes and jewelry. Seduced in a very unexpected way. Wanting more. Wanting it all to yourself. The short rib was another experience all together. It's like being a fairly straight arrow who is having a fling with a hard-living, motorcycle-riding, pierced, tattooed adventure seeker. It's a thrill. You know it will end but you'll lap up every ounce of excitement it brings you while it lasts.

In my sprier days perhaps the short rib may have been my choice. The short rib is fun. Impetuous. Spunky. Sassy. All the things you want to evoke when you're young. All the things you want to be with. But now I am in a different phase of my life and a fleeting kick is not what I am after. It's not enough. I want something more meaningful. More grand. I want the fairytale. I want the brisket.

Spotted in Midtown

2009-08-31T10:30:00.005-04:00

Sex, Drugs and Sausage Rolls indeed. I personally checked one of these boxes this weekend, I'll let you guess which one.

This photo has been altered to protect the awesome.

Reviewlette - Double Crown

2009-08-27T20:24:00.014-04:00

The Monday Room-- a literally hidden gem located behind the hostess stand of Public-- has been a go to of mine for exceptional quality and value since it opened in 2006. Put simply, it made me heart Chef Brad Farmerie's flair for texture and clever flavor combinations. And when I learned of his newest outpost, Double Crown, I was excited to try it.

I let some time pass so that I could visit the restaurant at its steady state. I wanted to see Double Crown at its best. To be fair, this assessment is based on only one visit but I feel that the things I found fault with would likely be consistent issues and the things I enjoyed were not flukes.

The four of us started by sharing three items off the snack menu and one from the starters. The duck steam bun was mostly bun. We estimated that if we had taken all of the duck from the four buns it may have produced an appropriate amount for one. We also tried the spicy pork stuffed lychees. The table was split on these. While one diner loved it I found the textures completely incongruous. The pint of prawns was an odd presentation that looked sort of neat but I don't really enjoy fishing around to retrieve my food. Served literally in a pint glass with shredded lettuce on the bottom to keep all the food within reach, the vessel contained tail-on shrimp with a somewhat slimy coating. This dish would have been utterly unimpressive if it weren't for the fried heads it was served with. These were very good; a perfect crunchiness that yielded a small flavor explosion upon biting. The last appetizer was in my opinion the best thing we had all night: a crispy quail, which was exactly what it sounds like and was simple and well composed. On the whole, the dipping sauces served with some of these starters were at times extraneous and inconsistent with the East Asia and India-influenced cuisine. I hate to say it but the accompaniment to the shrimp was reminiscent of ketchup mixed with mayo.

On to the mains. Two of us had the snapper. The fish was a wonderfully fresh filet and the other elements on the plate were nice flavor complements-- a flat shrimp dumpling and some bok choy-- but the broth the entree was sitting in was overly salty, jarring even, and the plating was such that it made it difficult to create bites with all of the elements. The protein in the twice cooked chicken was well prepared but again, the broth did this dish in. Then a first, I met a braised pork belly I regretted trying. It just wasn't a good flavor experience and the red lentil puree it was sitting on was, in my opinion, inedible. The entrees to me exposed a fundamental misapplication of eastern ingredients and confirmed the lack of command over this genre I suspected during the first course.

Luckily we ended on a sweet note. We shared a chocolate mousseline which was delectable. The dish had some complexity to it but the taste was straightforward and silky and somehow managed to be both airy and rich.

The dining room is beautiful yet comfortable. The cocktails are inventive without being silly. The service is attentive without being intrusive. And I like that the restaurant's menu is an homage to the flavor influences of a the British Empire, a neat historical reference that gives the restaurant's concept depth. But the food was a bit of a let down. I'll go back for drinks and try a few more of the starters in hopes that some will be of the same caliber as the crispy quail. I may also try Madam Geneva, the cocktail lounge adjacent to the restaurant given Farmerie's success with a similar idea in the Monday Room. I simply have too much faith in Farmerie to write this place off, just yet.

Double Crown
316 Bowery at Bleeker
212-254-0350

Fun Fact Wednesday

2009-08-26T12:40:00.009-04:00

Reading Irena Chalmers' book, Food Jobs, I came across this statistic: "Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza each day, or about 350 slices per second." For you city folk, just one acre is nearly as big as an American football field.

So what's your share? On a per person basis it is more meaningful to measure based on weight, rather than acres or even square feet. Starting with Chalmers follow-on claim that the average American eats 46 slices of pizza per year (which does roughly tie to the above stats), and with the average pie tipping the scales at three pounds for eight slices, that means on average Americans eat over 17 pounds of pizza annually. With the average American adult weighing around 177 pounds, this does not mean we are all made up of approximately 10% pizza, but sometimes I wonder.

OK HP12C, you can go back in the drawer now.

Phoning It In, Fried Chicken Style

2009-08-25T10:12:00.005-04:00

So I have been dying to write a post about this place. Even before the new product introduction, when BBQ Chicken was just a storefront that sold the unlikely pairing of two things, fried chicken and bubble tea. But my sister, of the hilarious and socially astute blog No Happy Medium, beat me to it. I couldn't put it better myself so today I am going to phone it in fried chicken style and reprint her piece here. Oh, and as long as it doesn't cut into your readership of this site, you should go check out No Happy Medium, its awesome. Here is a taste, enjoy!

My Kind of Mixed Media (Courtesy of No Happy Medium, August 21st, 2009)
It’s happened to each of us at some point. You’re walking down the street, soda in one hand, cup of fried chicken in the other, and you realize you lack the dexterity to pop the next piece of poultry in your mouth, and the straw is too thin for hoovering even the sveltest morsel. (You tried.) Fret no more, friends, BBQ Chicken hits St. Marks with an elegant one-cup solution.

Behold. The combo cup-o-soda-cup-o-chicken. The perfect snack for:

* The Blackberry-toting mover/shaker
* The I-carry-my-own-shopping-bag conservationist
* The one-handed

A startling example of how Korean ingenuity is pushing the limits of fast food technology, this two-timing vessel has a lower chamber for your cola and a recessed lid that serves as a convenient receptacle for breaded – and unnaturally cubic – chicken nuggets.

As brilliant as the concept is the marketing approach. A straightforward product shot, which says, “This needs no explanation.” One has to wonder how many 2 girls 1 cup jokes were made in the copywriting process.

A Little TGIF Humor... Eat On!

2009-08-21T08:35:00.006-04:00

I was shopping at the Union Square Green Market for some ricotta to use in an hors d'œuvre I was making. Truth be told the one I selected did not have the flavor and texture profile I was searching for but who could resist this label? We were a little unclear if the sheep was milking itself into the bucket or merely carrying it but it provided for some very good cocktail conversation. TGIF.
I will be on the road through Monday night, please check back Tuesday for new posts!