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Air’s Champagne Parlor is All About the Bubbly
Beer, wine and even cider bars abound in NYC, but Air’s Champagne Parlor is one of the few area drinkeries devoted to bubbly. To be fair, the Riddling Widow briefly preceded it, but owner Ariel Arce was actually beverage director during its tenure, as well as Birds & Bubbles before that, and Chicago’s Pops for Champagne (not to mention Grant Achatz’s exclusive, original The Office) before that. Meaning her reputation as queen of Cuvèe absolutely proceeds her.
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Where to Celebrate Oktoberfest 2017
If you’re already mourning the loss of summer, Oktoberfest is a reliable way to get you over the hump. Essentially spanning the duration of fall (kicking off on September 16th this year & extending all the way to October 31st, allowing revelers to seamlessly transition to Halloween), the 16 to 18-day festival is a giddy saturnalia of German culture…
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Spotlight on the Finalists for the 2017 Vendy Awards
As a fun challenge to the James Beard Awards, the Vendy ceremony — now in its 13th year — is dedicated to honoring the very best in street food. So here’s who’s in the running during the September 16th event at Governors Island; from an artisanal twinkie baker to an upstart french toast sandwich maker, to a Chinese meat skewer purveyor, whose been tapped for the Vendy Cup…
Most Recent Dish
Q & A with Charlie Palmer
You can’t really talk about “Progressive American” food without mentioning Charlie Palmer. Over the years, the chef has built an empire of successful restaurants that spans the country, including Sonoma, Washington D. C., Las Vegas and Dallas, Texas. But it all started in 1988 when Palmer opened Aureole. Inside this timeless, townhouse in Midtown, Palmer designed an elegant American menu that aggressively driven by ingredients long before it was par for the course. Palmer got his start at The...
Read MoreThe Libertine
British pub grub altered – for the worse – for the American palate. 15 Gold St., (212) 785-5950. Lunch: Mon.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Dinner: Mon.-Thurs., 5:30-10:30 p.m.; Fri., 5:30-11; Sat.-Sun., 6-10. Brunch: Sat.-Sun., 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. CUISINE: Brit comfort food VIBE: Think private men’s club. OCCASION: Business lunch, group dinner DON’T-MISS DISHES: Lamb potpie, hazelnut chocolate trifle AVERAGE PRICE: Appetizers, $14; entrees, $25; dessert, $10 RESERVATIONS: Accepted I’m all for whimsy and chefs who play with my food. After...
Read MoreGramercy Tavern's Concord Crush
There are few things I love more about autumn than concord grapes. Except for pumpkins, of course. Nobody makes a better concord grape cocktail than Gramercy Tavern. You might want to seize the last of this vibrant, full-flavored fruit before their season comes to a sadly premature end. All you need is a blender, some lime juice, sugar, and vodka. It might be a little too easy to make. And to drink. Ingredients: 2 oz. vodka of your choice...
Read MoreFroggetmee – Spoon & Chopsticks in One
Soba is having its moment in the NYC spotlight lately, so I thought I’d share my latest discovery (read – obsession.) The Froggetmee is a spoon and chopsticks in one. Who needs a handful of utensils to wash after dinner? Dining out? Don’t be shy. Stick your spoon-stick in your bag and head to Matsugen for a little inaka soba. I’m sure Jean-Georges won’t mind....
Read MoreQ & A with Julian Medina
Chef Julian Medina has changed the way we think and eat Mexican food in New York. Born and raised in Mexico City, Medina mastered the art of Mexican cooking at Hacienda de los Morales in Mexico City before moving to the kitchen of Los Celebrites to immerse himself in French technique and ingredients. And that was just the beginning. Medina moved to the United States, where he worked as the executive chef for Sushi Samba and Zocalo. Upon...
Read MoreBest of – A Taste of Fall at the Greenmarket
Autumn just might be the best time to shop at the Union Square Greenmarket. How many more reasons do you need than pumpkins, chestnuts, concord grapes, and apples? We took a stroll through the market to find out where to buy the best fruits and vegetables, how to pick them, and just which chefs you might run into along the way. Apples Where to Buy: Samascott Orchards at The Union Square Greenmarket, Inwood Greenmarket, Columbia Uni Greenmarket Who buys...
Read MoreChar No. 4
Hard times call for hard liquor. And Southern cooking at Char No. 4. ADDRESS: 196 Smith St., between Baltic & Warren Sts.; (718) 643-2106. HOURS: Sun.-Thurs., 6 p.m.-midnight; Fri.-Sat., 6 p.m.-1 a.m. CUISINE: Southern comfort food VIBE: Hip house of whisky Destination dining, group dinner DON’T-MISS DISH: Crispy cheddar curds, sage pork sausage, smoked honey glazed chicken AVERAGE PRICE: Appetizers, $8; entrées, $16; dessert, $9 RESERVATIONS: Accepted How many bourbons can you name? Do you know the difference between...
Read MoreAt the Table Event
Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR) will be hosting its third annual At the Table event this Tuesday, October 14th, to celebrate and raise money for women in food. This year’s benefit, which takes place at Prince George Ballroom, will feature some of New York’s finest female chefs, mixologists and pastry chefs. Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar will be serving up her legendary lobster roll, Audrey Saunders from Pegu mixing Old Cuban cocktails, and Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern capping the evening with...
Read MoreGadgets of the Future Update
We have a winner. I thought the USB scan toaster had the the competition, but The Flatshare Fridge (pictured right) took first place in the finals of the Electrolux Design Lab yesterday in Vienna. Think five mini-fridges in one. This invention has the potential to end all wars over who left the refrigerator door open, who ate your groceries, or who left that scary, moldy thing in there for a month. College just got a little more...
Read MorePDT Witch's Kiss
It’s not often Jim Meehan gives up the recipe to one of his masterfully conceived cocktails. What we’ve got here was inspired by, “a recent stroll through the Tompkins Square Park Sunday Farmer ’s Market and six dusty bottles of Strega in our basement inspired this seasonal sour. Strega, a complex, bittersweet herbal liqueur is also the word for witch in Italian.” Ingredients: 2 oz. Cuervo Platino tequila .75 oz fresh lemon juice .5 oz Strega 1 Barspoon of...
Read MoreKitchen Gadgets of the Future
If you haven’t noticed, I’m a tad obsessed with culinary gizmos and gadgets. So I was pretty excited about Electrolux’s Design Lab 2008 this year. Especially since the criteria for the competition required that all entries, “address food storage, cooking and/or washing.” Competition was fierce and there were some genius entries. The Scan Toaster (pictured right) prints whatever you want to scan onto a slice of bread. Feel like squirting ketchup all over Sarah Palin’s face? Done. Want the...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Divided Loaf Pan
Come on, we’ve all done it – baked a banana bread only to eat half before it’s off the cooling rack. But the Divided Loaf Pan renders your picking fingers useless. An in the process, it also perfectly slices each piece while the bread is still dough, Never again will your loaf crumble to pieces when slicing or wrapping up. And most importantly, no one will notice that missing slice you stole in the kitchen.Divided Loaf...
Read MoreBar Pitti
Happiness is a plate of pesto pasta. 268 Sixth Ave., near Bleecker St., (212) 982-3300 Seven days a week, noon to midnight CUISINE Italian VIBE Downtown sidewalk scene OCCASION First date, group dinner DON’T MISS DISH Pesto pasta, veal meatballs, eggplant parmigiana AVERAGE PRICES Appetizers, $7; entrees, $13.50; dessert, $6.50 RESERVATIONS Accepted for parties of four or more Wasn’t last week a miserable one in New York? The markets were down and so were some of the candidates.Some people...
Read MoreQ & A with Sebastien Rouxel
Managing the pastry departments for eight world-class restaurants might seem daunting to most, but not to Sebastien Rouxel. He oversees Thomas Keller’s dessert empire – per se, French Laundry, and Bouchon Bakery to name a few. Born in France’s Loire Valley, Rouxel got an early jump start on his career working at his aunt’s restaurant before entering culinary school at the age of 16. Rouxel quickly earned the prestigious position of pastry chef for the president of France before moving...
Read MoreNew York City's Best Brownies
As we eat our way through the city’s greatest sweets, we check on how brownies are stacking up these days. As we learned, there’s more to life in the big city than just brownies… BEST BROWNIE – PERIOD Fat Witch BakeryChelsea Market75 9th Ave. (at 15th St.)1-888-41 WITCHhttp://www.fatwitch.com/brownie.html Though they’re small, Fat Witch Babies (or mini brownies) pack a sweet punch, especially the blondie. Described as a chocolate chip cookie in brownie form, it’s a cube of chewy perfection ...
Read MoreQ & A with Ben Van Leeuwen
Where ice cream is concerned, there’s some serious competition on the streets of New York these days. Think Mister Softee gone green and you have Ben Van Leeuwen. Van Leeuwen got the idea to launch his own artisanal ice cream concept while driving a Good Humor truck. Unlike Good Humor and Mister Softee, Van Leeuwen uses organic, local cream, and biodegradable cups. He gets his pistachios straight from Sicily and his red currants from local farmers. With ten...
Read MoreBraai
It’s not dinner at the zoo. It’s dinner in Hell’s Kitchen. 329 W. 51st St., between Eighth and Ninth Aves., (212) 315-3315 Sun.-Wed., 5 p.m.-1a.m.; Thu.-Sat., 5 p.m.-3 a.m. Cuisine: African barbecue Vibe: Funky Hell’s Kitchen spot. Occasion: Casual date, group dinner. Don’t Miss Dish: Venison sosoties & chicken bobotie. Average Price: Appetizers, $12; entrees, $23; dessert, $8. Reservations: Recommended Do you ever read the menu online before you go to a restaurant? It’s a bad idea, at least...
Read MoreNYC's Best Black & White Cookies
The beauty of a black & white cookie is that you don’t have to take sides. It’s genius, really. After countless calories of due diligence, we’ve rounded up our top picks… William Greenberg Desserts 1100 Madison Ave., btwn. 82nd & 83rd Sts.(212)861-1340 $3.50 may seem a little steep for a cookie, but Greenberg’s Black & White is worth every penny. Perhaps, it’s the silky vanilla or chocolate fondant. Then again, it could be the cake-like cookie. It’s the best...
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