Kenmare’s Killer Fries
Joey Campanaro isn’t very trendy. He’s a low key, Italian guy who likes to cook things like roast chicken and ricotta cavatelli. But he took New York by storm with a 28-seat eatery named The Little Owl and his gravy meatball sliders. Four years later, it’s just as hard to get a prime-time reservation at this charmed, Greenwich Village spot. Now, you can also try Campanaro’s sliders at Kenmare, his newest, Nolita venture and collaboration with nightlife impresario, Paul Sevigny. But that’s not really what diners are fawning over. Oh no, it’s the cheddar fries. These crazy crispy fries are Campanaro’s riff on cheese & gravy-smothered “disco fries.” (There’s a disco ball in the buzzing lounge downstairs.) Kenmare’s golden-brown fries aren’t doused, but sprinkled with a phenomenal combination of English farmhouse cheddar, green onions, curry, cayenne, and salt. The...
Read MoreFirst Signs of Spring Menus
Technically, it’s spring. Though the weather’s not cooperating, there are signs on menus all over the city. Delicate ceviches, arugula salads, rhubarb desserts, meyer lemon, mandarin, and other species of citrus are cropping up at some of the finest restaurants. Which makes feel a little closer to T-shirt weather, even if it’s just indoors. Rouge Tomate Address: 10 East 60th St, btwn. 5th & Madison Aves. Phone: (646) 237-8977 www.rougetomatenyc.com The thought of “healthy food” makes most people depressed, but you don’t feel that way at Rouge Tomate. Not only is there an in-house nutritionist, but also a chef who trained under Daniel Boulud and Joel Robuchon. That’s a great combination when you’re gearing up for less layers and warmer weather. And the food happens to be delicious. Chef Jeremy Bearman recently introduced a local seafood ceviche with...
Read MoreWeighing In On Eatery Expert
Over the past few years, I’ve become a Dear Abby of the food sorts. It wasn’t something I advertised, but when you write about restaurants, you become an obvious resource for advice for the majority of eaters who can’t afford a personal restaurant concierge. I would get emails from people asking where to their wife for a 30th anniversary or a first date suggestion with a vegetarian or the best Thai restaurant in the city. I couldn’t ignore a fellow foodie’s plea for help. Suddenly, there was new competition. Eatery Expert launched a few weeks ago, offering free restaurant advice as well. Of course, I felt compelled to investigate their “expert” status. There are plenty of great restaurants, but they’re not all great for every occasion. Picking the perfect restaurant involves a number of factors, like cuisine, company,...
Read MoreShandy Cocktail on The Rise
By RG writer -- Caitlin Decker This winter has given rise to a warming trend on the restaurant front. First, it was fish shack and now, cocktail menus are showing signs of spring fever, like the gimlet, negroni, and Bee's Knees. More importantly, we've noticed the sudden revival of the beer-based Shandy Cocktail. Considering the recent popularity of beer halls gardens, it’s no surprise that beer is claiming territory on cocktail menus as well. The Shandy was first created in the UK to drink on hot summer days after football matches. The classic Shandy is a mix of pilsner beer and lemonade or ginger beer. Since then, the Shandy has spread throughout the world and every country has their own version and name for it. It's known as the Panachè in France, the Refàjo in Colombia, the Rock...
Read MoreThe Future of Coffee & Tea
I stopped by the annual Coffee & Tea Festival, expecting to see notables, like Mud, Stumptown, and Gorilla, but no dice. I did find surprisingly good, tea gummy bears and green tea latte dusted almonds made by Tavalon. More importantly, I discovered the future of both tea and coffee brewing is gravity. Credit where credit is due: Teavana was way ahead on this trend. A few years ago, I bought their “Perfect Tea Maker,” which operates under the same principle. Here’s how it goes down: You pour the loose leaves into the top, add hot water, and let it brew for two minutes. When it’s ready, place it on top of any cup and it triggers the liquid to release. Pull it off the cup and it stops pouring. There’s a strainer on the bottom to catch all the...
Read MoreThe Hungry in America & Feed Fundraiser
This Sunday, February 21st, Tom Colicchio & Natalie Portman will co-host a fundraiser for The Hungry In America Project, which documents the immense poverty in our own backyard. Filmmakers, Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, have set out to expose the prevalence of hunger across America. FEED USA joins Vanity Fair to raise funds for The Hungry in America Project, FEED’S first American initiative. The event takes place this Sunday at Colicchio & Sons, located at 85 Tenth Avenue, from 6-9 pm. For tickets or more information, visit FEED...
Read MoreC-CAP's 20th Anniversary Celebration
There are many wonderful causes, but this one is close to my heart. C-CAP awards scholarships to talented, underprivileged students to attend culinary school. On February 24th, C-CAP will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary at Pier 60 in Chelsea. This year’s benefit will honor chef Marcus Samuelsson for his contributions and dedication to C-CAP. Dan Barber, MIchael White, Dominique Ansel, Alfred Portale, and Bill Telepan, along with many other chefs, will be serving up their culinary creations. Tickets are $500, and available on the C-CAP website: www.ccapinc.org. Wednesday, February 24th, 6:30-9:00 PMPier Sixty, Chelsea Piers (11th Ave., at W 19th St.)(212) 974-7111The C-CAP...
Read MoreTasting Talent in The Goodie Bag
You know how when you eat something alone in the kitchen it’s almost like it never happened? (Those calories don’t really count because no one saw you do it.) The only drawback is that no one got to share it with you either. There’s no one sitting across the table to delight in the divinity of dessert, no one to to convince, “You’ve got to try this.” There’s also less fanfare for the chef who made it. You swooned in vein. That’s how I felt about the apple cinnamon muffin I devoured after a four-course meal at Marea. It was a parting gift from the restaurant, baked by the pastry chef, Heather Bertinetti. And it was one of the best muffins I’ve had — wonderfully moist, packed with golden raisins and soft, sweet chunks of apple. Thank god...
Read MoreDirty Little Secrets – The Critics' Kryptonite
Most food writers (myself included) would like you to think we only eat fancy, fresh food. That we only eat food prepared by great chefs or from the best street carts. We don’t. We binge after “review” dinners. We sneak into the kitchen late at night and dip into a carton of ice cream, a bag of tortilla chips, and order pizza at two in the morning. I have a torrid relationship with Ben & Jerry and that crack they call “chocolate chip cookie dough.” But peanut butter is my kryptonite. I discovered it late in life and I’ve been making up for lost time since. I’ve eaten an entire jar in the course of 24 hours. Do you know how many calories there are in a jar of peanut butter? An ungodly amount. And I’m not alone in...
Read MoreGive A Cookbook That Gives Back
The holidays are all about giving. That means wracking your brain for what to give who. Some people want the latest gadgets, others jewelry, and some an espresso machine or gizmo’s for the kitchen. How about giving a gift that gives back? I love that idea, especially when it comes to giving to people who are suffering this holiday season. Every aspiring chef or aspiring Martha adores getting cookbooks. Park Avenue Potluck Celebrations is two gifts in one. Give the cookbook — filled with some really simple and delicious recipes from New York “savviest hostesses” — and you’re also giving care to sick patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC.) There’s recipes for everyone, from beginners to expert chefs, and they’re all inspired, like a Texas watermelon margarita, fried green apples, or egg nog. Every time you buy...
Read MoreBoston Sucks At Locanda Verde
Well, this made our week. Andrew Carmellini and Locanda Verde are apparently hard-core Yankees fans. If you’re a Boston fan/loser, you might want to dine elsewhere this weekend. There are lots of loyal Yankees fans who will gladly take that reservation off your hands… Address: 377 Greenwich St.Phone:...
Read MoreDay One – 5:31 p.m.
Not most the productive day. I’m not pointing any fingers, but I really miss my coffee. I do have to admit that I loved my pineapple, apple, & mint juice. My only regret is how fast I drank it. I keep eyeing tomorrow’s juice and having to close the refrigerator door. Pacing is an issue with juices. You take a few big sips and it’s gone. Dinner’s going to be a tough one. I’m impulse juicing, so I still have to face a restaurant, a menu, cocktails, and look the other way. I will be bringing my hyper-healthy dinner to the restaurant in my bag. No, I don’t care if that’s tacky. I can’t bear to watch others eat and not participate. Even if my dinner is fennel salad and dill...
Read MoreDay One – 2:27 PM
Note to self: Next time, clean out your fridge before you do a cleanse. And the counters. I almost ate a stray M & M. I had it in my hand and then reality set in. Don’t even look inside your fridge. Mustard and onions are started to seem appetizing on their own. And definitely don’t have rice krispy treats sitting around. And let me pose this question: Is life without coffee really a life at...
Read MoreRestaurant Girl – On A Cleanse
I used to roll my eyes when I heard the word “cleanse.” Cleanse, what for? Why deprive yourself of steak, lamb chops, seafood, salty, crunchy french fries, dark chocolate, and a good cocktail. To be honest, I’ve always been a little jealous of people’s willpower to resist restaurants, solid foods, coffee, and wine. I surrender at the sight of a menu or glittery stemware or even a warm bread basket. You’d think by now I’d have some self-control or even some cynicism about the glories of food. Nope. I still get just as excited about pizza, peanut butter, caramel apples, and ice cream as I did when I was little. Only these days, I get really excited about a great cassoulet or uni sushi or homemade soba crowned with pork belly or Grand Marnier souffle. But I ate one...
Read MoreTater Tots on the Rise
It’s too soon to declare tater tots a trend, but we’ve noticed them surfacing on menus all over town. It makes sense with all the fried chicken, biscuits, and bacon. Maybe some chefs were getting bored of french fries, or they wandered through the freezer aisle and got inspired to reinvent this frozen finger food. Tater tots are really just bite-sized hash browns, or as the Australians say, “potato pom-poms.” We found some creative, low and highbrow spins on this comfort food classic, like pork belly studded tots at Dylan Prime or jalapeno-bacon at Heartland Brewery, or a classic tot at Crif Dogs. Crif Dogs 113 St. Marks Place 212-614-2728 Crif Dogs’ annex — the not-so-secret PDT [Please Don’t Tell] cocktail lounge — hogs most of the attention for their cocktails and deep-fried dogs. But the tater tots...
Read MoreExclusive Look — Inside The Breslin
As you can see, The Breslin isn’t quite ready to open its doors. But it’s getting there and it’s going to be a looker. The restaurant, named for the Breslin hotel that once inhabited the space, is one of fall’s most anticipated openings. This is a dramatic transformation for both the space and for the neighborhood, which used to be a ghost town and night. Pedicabs and taxis are already lining up outside the Ace hotel, which is fast becoming a hipster destination. The layout includes a restaurant with its own bar, hotel bar, and lounge. The Ace lobby looks and feels like a large living room, furnished with book shelves, desk lamps, a wall-sized American flag, and a sea of red velvet couches. The Breslin is partners Ken Friedman and chef April Bloomfield’s biggest undertaking yet. The team...
Read Moreil buco's Ricotta Fritters
By Executive Chef Ignacio Mattos(Serves 6-8) Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 ½ tbsp. sugar 10 oz. sheep’s milk ricotta 2/3 cup flour 3 tbsp. baking powder 3 tbsp. Vin Santo Zest of one Lemon Peanut or canola oil, for frying Procedures: 1) Combine all ingredients and let rest in refrigerator.2) Scoop the batter into peanut or canola oil heated to 350 degrees inside of a deep fryer or deep saucepan.3) Fry until golden brown.4) Serve with a nice drizzle of saba* or vin cotto and sprinkle powdered sugar on top. Serve.*(Saba is a cooked trebbiano and lambrusco grape must that is then aged. It has a syrupy sweet, deep and complex spice, grape and figs.) These fritters will be featured at il buco’s 6th Annual Pig Roast, being held this Sunday, September 20th from 1-8 PM. Plates are $20 (cash only) and available on-site. Chef Ignacio Mattos...
Read MoreThe San Gennaro Festival – Now Just Another Street Fair
I used to love going to The San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy every year. Yes, it’s kitschy — a trip to Italy by way of Epcot — but it’s a highly entertaining feast with music and lights and lots of food, like Italian sausage and peppers, zeppoles, pizza, gelato, and torrone (nougat.) Why are they serving Philly cheesesteaks, gyros, pina coladas, and arepas at this year’s festival? The 82nd San Gennaro festival’s feels like every other street fair in Manhattan — generic, dirty, with lots of subpar food with one notable exception. The Stuffed Artisan Cannoli stand. There’s an Italian bakery with cannolis on every corner in Little Italy, but nothing like these cannolis, thus the long line. Your typical cannoli is a fried dough shell stuffed with ricotta cream, studded with chocolate chips and dusted...
Read MoreCereal Rush
I don’t care how old you are, cereal’s one of those creature comforts we never grow out of. Everyone’s got their favorite. Mine are Honey Nut Cheerios and Cap’n Crunch, the crack of cereals. No other comfort food captures the simple pleasures of childhood like a bowl of cereal. A box of Cocoa Krispies or Frosted Flakes reminds me of Saturday morning planted in front of the TV watching cartoons. I’ve noticed that some of New York’s best chefs feel the same way. Momofuku Milk Bar’s pastry chef, Christina Tosi, pioneered the nostalgic trend with her signature soft serve flavor, Cereal Milk. Suddenly, everyone from Johnny Iuzzini to Daniel Humm’s finding inspiration in a box of cereal. Jean-Georges1 Central Park West212-299-3900www.jean-georges.comJohnny Iuzzini’s always playing around at the pastry station. Right now, he’s buying a lot of boxes of...
Read MoreA Brief Interruption…
I had a wonderful two years at the Daily News. It’s unfortunate such a great newspaper will no longer be reviewing restaurants. But Restaurant Girl is alive and well right...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
