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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…
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Q & A with Jerome Chang
Chocolate molten cake with sea salt and pistachios and vanilla crème brulee made with Madagascar vanilla beans may sound like avant-garde desserts served in an upscale restaurant, but both sell for five dollars out of a truck parked on St. Mark’s Place. The DessertTruck is the brainchild of former Le Cirque pastry sous chef, Jerome Chang, who graduated from The French Culinary Institute. Chang creates restaurant-style sweets that have earned the attention of publications, like Food & Wine as...
Read MoreForge
134 Reade St., between Hudson & Greenwich Aves. (212) 941-9401 Tue.-Sun., 5 p.m.-11 p.m. CUISINE Modern American VIBE Wintry Tribeca haunt OCCASION Casual date; group dinner DON’T MISS DISH Kampachi tartare; fettuccine “carbonara” PRICE Appetizers, $12-$18; entrees, $26-$34; dessert, $9-$11 RESERVATIONS Recommended Larry Forgione is often called the “godfather of American cooking.” His restaurant in St. Louis, An American Place, is a tribute to our country’s rich culinary history, a place where home-cooking standards like mac and cheese go...
Read MoreNYC's Best Breakfast Treats
Doughnut Plant 379 Grand Street Btwn. Essex and Grand St. (212) 505-3700 The “Blackout” doughnut is a tasting experience that I liken to a chocolate-induced state of Nirvana. Imagine an exceedingly rich chocolate doughnut oozing with smooth chocolate pudding. It’s not only in a chocolate crumb-spackled glaze. It’s devious and messy, but completely worth the sugar rush. Russ and Daughters 179 East Houston Street Btwn. 2nd Ave. and Chrystie Street (212) 475-4880 This classic Lower East Side shop has...
Read MoreScarpetta's Summertime Soft Shell Crab with Pea Puree
By Chef & Owner Scott Conant Ingredients: 2 cups extra virgin olive oil 1 shallot, thinly sliced lengthwise Kosher salt 1 cup frozen peas 1 to 1 1/4 cups chicken broth 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon, plus more for a garnish 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley, plus more for a garnish 2 slices bacon, preferably thick cut, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick lardons 1 cup very thinly sliced asparagus (from about 10 asparagus) 1 cup very thinly sliced green...
Read MoreCollapsible Rolling Musicooler
This handy summer gadget is a mobile beach party. The Collapsible Rolling Musicooler has its own portable radio, CD player and plugs to hook up your own MP3 player and can hold 54 twelve ounce cans to boot. Don’t you just hate it when your speakers get covered in sand? Finally an excuse to spend hours making your next playlist… Collapsible Rolling Musicooler Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email...
Read MoreQ & A with Jacques Torres
Jacques Torres doesn’t just love chocolate, he lives it. Beginning his career at France’s Hotel Negresco, Jacques has traveled the world to perfect his craft, a chocolate passion that has led to numerous cookbooks, television shows, and the coveted title of top pastry chef for France’s prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier competition. Despite all of his experience, Jacques has only increased his desire for learning and discovery, incorporating fresh and seasonal flavors into a line of innovative chocolates that is straight...
Read MoreHamptons feast! Best new restaurants on the East End
Going to the Hamptons used to mean grilling at home. One good reason was local produce, local fish and local meats. But it was also nearly impossible to get a reservation at the best restaurants in the area. Now everything’s changed. Suddenly there are a lot of restaurants worth leaving home for. Some of them will become fixtures (with impossible reservations) before long. These restaurants share a real pride in what Long Island grows – fresh sweet corn...
Read MoreRestaurant Girl's fave Hamptons spots
The classic lobster roll is what’s for lunch at Lunch, off the Montauk Highway. BABETTE’S Marvelous breakfast. Get the whole grain pancakes. 66 Newton Lane, East Hampton, (631) 329-5377 BLUE DUCK BAKERY & CAFE French baguettes and sunflower bread. 30 Hampton Road, Southampton, (631) 204-1701 BRIDGEHAMPTON CANDY KITCHEN Old-school soda fountain with great milk shakes, malts and lime rickeys. Main St., Bridgehampton, (631) 537-9885 DURYEA LOBSTER DECK Best barefoot outdoor dining on clams and lobsters. 65 Tuthill Road,...
Read MoreClassic Hamptons restaurants that are still going strong
Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton remains the top table in town. DELLA FEMINA As much about the guests as its fine American cooking. Cuisine: Modern American. Don’t-miss dish: Maine Day halibut with local asparagus; Strawberry shortcake. 99 North Main St., East Hampton, (631) 329-6666 EAST HAMPTON POINT A terrific view of the harbor matched by a terrific raw bar. Cuisine: New American. Don’t-miss dish: Gazpacho oyster shooters; milk chocolate Ovaltine semifreddo. 295 Three Mile Harbor Road, East Hampton,...
Read MoreMiranda
Miranda offers a marriage of Mexican and Italian food. A block north of Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, old women sit in lawn chairs along the sidewalk, fanning themselves with the crossword puzzle. Kids play catch in the middle of the street. A cyclist stops to high-five a friend through the large open window of a restaurant. It’s a new spot, open only since December, but already it seems to belong to the old neighborhood. It’s called Miranda. Inside,...
Read MoreHundred Acres is not even a ghost of its old self
‘Hundred Acres’ Imagine a restaurant on a quaint, tree-lined street. Nearby, a few lonely restaurants attract just enough attention to survive. But this one is haunted – haunted by the ghosts of restaurants past. Perhaps you’ve eaten in a place like this, where yesterday seems as vivid as the present. You go to the door you’ve always gone to, only to find it’s moved 40 feet north. A young female hostess greets you, and yet you can’t help...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Chill and Grill Outdoor Kit
Nothing says 4th of July weekend like a big bbq on the beach. The Chill and Grill Outdoor Kit just might be Gizmo Girl’s favorite gizmo – it combines functionality with its built-in grill as well as convenience with its adjoined cooler. And with a strap like a tote bag, hauling the goods never seemed so easy. Have a happy 4th of July and a mean BBQ. Chill and Grill Outdoor Kit Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo?...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Grill Tray
This week’s gizmo takes full advantage of our summer grilling possibilities: the Grill Tray conducts and retains heat from your charcoals, allowing for your cheeses to melt on your nacho chips and chicken fajitas to reach that perfect char. Made from aluminum alloy, this gizmo even comes with a little family history – they’re handmade at a Pennsylvania family’s foundry dating back to 1892. Now that’s what we call an heirloom. Grill Tray Care to share your favorite kitchen...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Professional Multi-Chopper
Forget knife skills – the Professional Multi-Chopper can chop your way through any onion, cucumber, tomato and potato. With three different pushers and four interchangeable stainless-steel blades, the chopping options are endless. No more tears in cutting onions, and frozen French fries are an item of the past. And it’s compact size makes for easy storage. Professional Multi-Chopper Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email...
Read MoreWallse’s Halibut with Cucumber, Dill, & Chanterelles
By Executive Chef & Owner Kurt Gutenbrunner (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS: 4 Filets of Halibut 2 Onions 1 Bunch Dill, Washed and Stems Removed 1 Cup Olive Oil 2 Cucumbers 1 lb. Chanterelles 3 T. Shallots, finely chopped 2 T. Thyme, finely chopped Canola Oil for cooking Wondra Flour for cooking 2 T. Butter 1 Lemon, Juiced DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat oven to 375. Coarsely chop Onions, place into a shallow baking dish, brush with Canola oil, and cover with foil. ...
Read MoreQ & A With Akhtar Nawab
Elettaria, one of the more recent editions to the West Village dining scene, serves an American menu with a spicy Indian twist, courtesy of chef/co-owner Akhtar Nawab’s upbringing. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, but raised on a myriad of authentic Indian dishes, Akhtar brings his knowledge of both worlds to the table; an impressive list of culinary experiences (most recently the European Union) contributes as well. Beginning his career at San Francisco’s Bizou, Akhtar continued to work on the West...
Read MoreBest of NYC’s Summer Cocktails
These days New York’s finest mixologists seize the fruits of the summer as much as the chefs do… PDT 113 St. Marks Pl., nr. First Ave. (212) 614-0386 Short for “please don’t tell,” the secret’s out about this East Village cocktail den. Connoisseurs collect for Jim Meehan’s Hemingway Daiquiri or the High Roller Menu. But right now, the hot weather drink to order is the East India Cocktail, made from fresh-squeezed pineapple and orange juice with a kick of...
Read MoreQ & A with Harold Moore
Co-owner and executive chef Harold Moore has returned to the New York dining scene with Commerce. Moore is a chef whose resume is as impressive as his commitment to his new restaurant. After spending time in both Daniel Boulud’s and Jean-Georges’ kitchens, Moore further developed his classic approach to contemporary American cuisine at Montrachet and March. At Commerce, his repertoire includes a porterhouse steak with cipollini onions, creamed spinach, and red wine shallot sauce as well as oysters with...
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