Ramps are All The Rage
Start your engines, ladies and gentleman, as ramp season has officially begun! Obtained only through foraging, the young wild leek (adored for their seductive perfume and flavor) are the prize of any chefs produce section, so take advantage of these seasonal menu additions while you still can!
And just why is the ramp so sacred? For starters, this delicious cousin of the onion only springs up from the soil a few weeks a year, and they’re nearly impossible to find. (There’s even a black market for ramps in Quebec. Yes, really!) Thankfully, New York hot spots like The Eddy, Sessanta and Huertas (to name just a few!) are serving up inspired dishes blessed by this ramps right now…
Huertas
The traditional Spanish dish Rotos (potato strands topped with a fried egg) has gotten a real spring makeover at the hot Basque spot, Huertas; the crunchy spuds colored green with a wash of ramp salsa, and the delicate poached yolk ringed by a circlet of smoky, charred ramps.
Read MoreThe Eddy
Not only is their sister spot, The Wallflower, offering a ramp-tastic brunch dish (a foie gras schmeared bagel, crowned with pickled wild onions), but The Eddy has made ramps a key focus of their menu as well, with Icelandic Cod and sautéed ramp leaves, Ramp Pesto topped with french radishes, and even a Pickled Ramp Gibson, crafted with gin and pickled ramps.
Read MoreSessanta
Toothsome cones of Calamari have taken a trip through the farmers market at John McDonald’s Sessanta, propped atop snappy snow peas, bloomed white buds of flowering spring onion, assertive green garlic, and — talk about an allium triple play — ramps; dappled with sweet, dark droplets of 15-year-old balsamic.
Read MoreCafé Altro Paradiso
Not that anyone needed extra reason to visit Café Altro Paradiso, the new, Italian-leaning effort from the Estela crew, but the promise of Ramp Spaghetti is especially appealing; a spiral of al dente noodles slicked with garlic, chili flakes, and a fine dice of the vibrantly green wild onion.
Read MoreVic’s
Together with lemon, rosemary and molten globes of stracchino cheese, grilled ramps form a sprightly, savory topping for chef Hillary Sterling’s crispy Farinata — earthy, Ligurian-style chickpea flour pancakes– at this newish, NoHo neighborhood favorite.
Read MoreBabbo
Mario Batali must have gotten his hands on an extra large shipment of ramps, offering them atop fresh chili-strewn Pizzas at Otto, and incorporating them into the menu at his flagship Babbo as well; tossed with tender Bucatini pasta along with nutty breadcrumbs and pecorino.
Read MorePok Pok Ny
If you need something cooling to accompany Pok Pok’s infamous fish sauce-shellacked Chicken Wings, look no further than Andy Ricker’s hyper-seasonal special of Fiddlehead Ferns and Ramps, simply stir fried in a sweet and sticky oyster sauce.
Read MoreFrench Louie
At Brooklyn’s stylish French Canadian brasserie, French Louie, Ramp and Raclette Bread Pudding makes the ultimate side dish for a Grilled Rabbit entrée, augmented with nettle puree and ramps.
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