Q & A with Skal’s Chef Ben Spiegel
On the surface, five-month-old Skal might just seem like yet another New Nordic restaurant in NYC. And yes, it’s named after a Northern drinking toast, the owner is from Iceland, and there’s a decided Scandinavian slant to former Noma apprentice, Ben Spiegel’s menu. But the young, Toronto-born chef insists that more than anything, this sunny neighborhood spot (improbably situated in Chinatown, skirting the border of the Lower East Side), simply embodies a fresh approach towards eating and dining out in general.
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Lunar New Year Long Life Noodles
We never really need an excuse to eat noodles, because, well, they’re just delicious. But did you know that during the Chinese New Year they’re particularly lucky as well? Long noodles represent a long life, so do yourself a favor and make a batch of our delicious Pasta Stir-Fry this holiday, flavored with Rice Wine and Hoisin, studded with tender Pork, and finished with leafy greens like Chinese Broccoli or Bok Choy (which also portend a long life for parents, and symbolize health and wealth!)
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Q & A with the Food Network’s Anne Burrell
Anne Burrell’s first television gig may have been to roll out pasta for Mario Batali on Iron Chef America, but it quickly became evident that she was a Food Network star in her own right. With her spiky blond hair, spunky skirts, irrepressible energy and can-do attitude, she’s since proven herself as a charming, fun-loving host of cooking shows like Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and firm but compassionate mentor in competitions like Worst Cooks in America and Chef Wanted.
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Q & A with Kingside’s Marc Murphy
While much of the country knows Marc Murphy as a judge, on the popular Food Network show, Chopped, New Yorkers are lucky enough to know him through his restaurants. There’s the elegant and ambitious Landmarc, a contemporary bistro boasting two sprawling locations in both Tribeca and the Time Warner Center. There’s the infinitely more casual Ditch Plains, a slew of beachy seafood shacks (Murphy is an avid surfer). And now, there’s the recently opened Kingside in Midtown’s Viceroy Hotel, a snazzy, 104-seat brasserie featuring…
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Q & A with Joe & Misses Doe’s Joe Dobias
While there’s something innately comforting about the well established or tried-and-true, lets face it, everyone is always looking for the next big thing. That’s what makes the two-month-old Joe & Misses Doe so uniquely appealing… while it’s been assembled entirely from scratch (including the name and menu), it’s also wholly familiar, a 2.0 version of the popular five-year-old restaurant, JoeDoe.
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Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Peppermint Cream
As soon as Thanksgiving is over, we seem to automatically turn our attention away from fall flavors like pumpkin and apples in favor of Christmassy ingredients, such as gingerbread and peppermint. And we can’t think of a better sweet to kick off the holiday season with than these aromatic, slightly spicy Whoopie Pies; pillowy gingerbread cookies cradling a cloud of luscious peppermint cream!
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Festive “Feast of the Seven Fishes” Stew
Looking forward to making a Feast of Seven Fishes spread at home this year, but not quite as excited about the prospect of making seven actual dishes? Well, this delectable stew is a one pot wonder. Just add as many fish as you wish to a fragrant stock of wine, saffron, fennel and orange peel, and you’ll be able to spend a lot more time “waiting” for the birth of baby Jesus with friends and family, instead of hunched over a hot stove!
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Q & A with Khe-Yo’s Soulayphet Schwader
Southeast Asian food couldn’t be more popular in New York right now, from Kin Shop, Pig and Khao and Fatty ‘Cue in Manhattan, to Talde, Pok Pok Ny and Nightingale 9 in Brooklyn. But as familiar as we’ve become with spicy Thai Curries or Vietnamese Bun, you’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant entirely focused on the cuisine of Laos. That’s where Soulayphet Schwader comes in. The AZT, BLT Steak and Umi Nom alum has just opened Khe-Yo, the city’s first fully Laotian restaurant, with the help of Iron Chef Marc Forgione, his longtime friend and collaborator.
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Q & A with Contra’s Jeremiah Stone and Fabian Von Hauske
If you ask chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian Von Hauske to describe the concept for Contra, their new, tasting-menu only restaurant, they’ll insist that its clean and spare, like their Lower East Side space, with food that’s serious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. “We’re just trying to stay focused, showcase great products, and avoid doing things that represent who other people are as cooks…
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Caramel Apple Donuts
We’re not going to lie. Making donuts from scratch (especially donuts as fabulous as these) takes a decent amount of effort. But we promise that it’s so entirely worth it! Especially since a batch of our decadent, salted caramel-filled sweets will last you for all eight days of Hanukkah… although if you have a sweet tooth as powerful as ours, you might just find yourself doubling up on the recipe.
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Q & A with Pok Pok Ny’s Andy Ricker
New York is having a love affair with Asian cooking, and Andy Ricker’s three terrific Thai eateries are among the most respected restaurants of all. There’s the flagship Pok Pok Ny in Brooklyn, modeled after his original outpost in Portland. There’s the recently opened Whiskey Soda Lounge just next door, which showcases delicious drinking food alongside cocktails made with Ricker’s own Som Drinking Vinegars. And there’s Pok Pok Phat Thai on the Lower East Side (formerly Pok Pok Wing), which focuses on highly authentic renditions of the popular, but too often bastardized dish.
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Sweet Potato Tater Tots with Cranberry Applesauce
Creating dishes for Thanksgivikkuh is kind of like an edible puzzle… how do you truly marry the flavors of each holiday (Hanukkah and Thanksgiving) and still end up with something that you’d actually want to eat? Well, we think these appealingly orange Tater Tots really fit the bill. They make for an ultimate appetizer or side dish for Thanksgivikkuh, yes, but honestly, we can imagine enjoying these crispy little nuggets year-round!
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Powered-Up Goji Berry Bars
Why spend upwards of $2.50 a pop on preservative-laden, store-bought power bars? Made with nutrient-rich almonds and apricots, heart-healthy oats and chewy goji berries (a proven “super food”), our homemade energy bars will get you through a marathon, a work-out session, or your regular midday slump!
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Q & A with Piora’s Chris Cipollone & Simon Kim
Have you noticed how fashionable Israeli food has become in the last few years? Einat Admony has a whole lot to do with that. The forward-thinking chef first launched her popular falafel spot, Taim, in the West Village, over seven years ago. (There are now two Taim outposts and a mobile Taim truck.) That was just the beginning for this talented chef.
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Cider-Brined Pork Roast with Sauteed Apples
We love drinking cider in the fall, but it doesn’t mean that’s the only way to enjoy it. The intensely fruity beverage is also ideal for cooking with, whether added to doughnut or muffin batter, used as a syrup for pancakes or a glaze for butternut squash, or even as a marinade and braising liquid for ham, lamb, chicken, beef or succulent roasted pork!
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Q & A with Toro’s Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette
Have you noticed how fashionable Israeli food has become in the last few years? Einat Admony has a whole lot to do with that. The forward-thinking chef first launched her popular falafel spot, Taim, in the West Village, over seven years ago. (There are now two Taim outposts and a mobile Taim truck.) That was just the beginning for this talented chef.
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“Maple’s” Mark Cocktail
Sugar is a standard ingredient in cocktails. But now that it’s fall, why not swap out the white stuff for the more nuanced sweetness of maple syrup? It lends body, aroma, and an appealing amber color to almost any drink, along with autumnal flavors like caramel, wood smoke and spice. We’ve highlighted those delightful qualities even further in this indulgent cocktail recipe, with a dash of Vermont Maple Liquor (ask your local store to get it in stock), a hint of nutty Frangelico, and a healthy pour of toasty Maker’s Mark!
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Florentine Grape Focaccia
If you’re fortunate enough to have found a cluster or two of brilliantly purple Concord grapes at the local greenmarket, congratulations! Take a cue from the Italians and celebrate with the Florentine specialty known as Shiacciata all’uva, or Grape Focaccia. Made exclusively during harvest season, the not-too-sweet dough serves as the perfect showcase for glorious, juicy, fresh off the vine Concord grapes!
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Q & A with Charlie Bird’s Chef Ryan Hardy
Have you noticed how fashionable Israeli food has become in the last few years? Einat Admony has a whole lot to do with that. The forward-thinking chef first launched her popular falafel spot, Taim, in the West Village, over seven years ago. (There are now two Taim outposts and a mobile Taim truck.) That was just the beginning for this talented chef.
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Q & A with Balaboosta and Bar Bolonat’s Einat Admony
Have you noticed how fashionable Israeli food has become in the last few years? Einat Admony has a whole lot to do with that. The forward-thinking chef first launched her popular falafel spot, Taim, in the West Village, over seven years ago. (There are now two Taim outposts and a mobile Taim truck.) That was just the beginning for this talented chef.
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