Trendwatch: Suddenly Sexy Salmon
…, boring and mostly farm-raised. But with the rise of wild salmon and recent popularity of Jewish-American deli cuisine, we’ve noticed that salmon has come into fashion. Especially cured and smoked salmon, and not just at Russ & Daughters or just Jewish delis. There’s a killer salmon trio at Kutsher’s, standout Danish gravlax smørrebrød at Vandaag, smoked salmon sashimi at Alta and even vodka-cured salmon at Cafe Boulud. …
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New York's Best Feasts of Seven Fishes
…white anchovies and grilled calamari salad. For round three, look forward to fried flounder along with a Tuscany classic – shrimp and mussel cacciucco. Dark chocolate budino and homemade biscotti round out the stellar line-up at this standout East Village Italian. i Trulli Address: 122 E. 27th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Phone: (212) 481-7372 Website: www.itrulli.com I Trulli’s celebrating this feast for not one, but se…
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Rosie Cell Phone Holder
Apparently, not all kitchen essentials are for cooking, Especially not in this day and age when cell phones have virtually replaced landlines and you can pull up a recipe on your ipad or iphone. That’s why we love this practical, new kitchen tool, the Rosie Cell Phone holder (pictured right). This sleek, stainless steel holder fits onto any rail or shelf and is big enough to hold anything from a cell phone to a tried-and-true cordless phon…
Read MoreJuly 4th Eats
Technically, the fourth celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence, but these days, the holiday is about the food and there’s plenty of ways to eat patriotically in New York. Restaurants are getting in the spirit with everything from red, white & blue potato salad to barbecue, pies, and of course, the grand daddy of all eating competitions – Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island. Nathan’s Famous – Annu…
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Q & A with dell’Anima & L’Artusi’s Joe Campanale
…bottle of a cool white wine like the Foradori Manzoni Bianco or maybe a magnum of rose? Have you ever taken (or considered taking) the Master Sommelier exam? On a separate note, have you seen the documentary, Somm? And did it give you panic attacks, as it did us? Before I opened dell’anima, I did a bunch of wine education and took a ton of wine tests. I received the following certifications: Diploma in Wines and Spirits form the Wine and Spi…
Read MoreQ & A with Keith McNally
Keith McNally has mastered the art of French restaurants better than most Frenchmen: the tin ceilings, weathered mirrors, and red leather banquettes. Just look at his body of work — Balthazar, Pastis, and Schiller’s Liquor Bar. Not bad for a working class British man, who used to bus tables at Serendipity and shuck oysters at One Fifth. But before he arrived in New York, McNally tried to make a living as a the…
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Sugar Hill Creamery Ups Harlem’s Ice Cream Game
…me in Hell’s Kitchen and Prospect Heights, Oddfellows has outposts in East Village and Williamsburg, Big Gay Ice Cream is the pride of the East Village and Greenwich Village, and Morgenstern’s rules over the Lower East Side. Yet Harlem, despite its noted restaurant renaissance, has lagged behind as far as small batch scoops are concerned; its market largely dominated by corporate Baskin-Robbins. That makes Sugar Hill Creamery undoubtably the big…
Read MoreQ & A with Silkstone
Once upon a time, ambitious young chefs trained under big name chefs, so they could follow in their footsteps one day. Take Ben Towill: he grew up in a small town in England, trained under several celebrated chefs, including Gordon Ramsay, for a number of years. His next stop was New York, where he opened Kingswood and helped make it a popular Australian gastropub. But Towill’s next move was a bit unexpected…
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Char. No. 4’s Half-Hog Wednesdays
…oast pig dinner to accompany our seasonal, October beers, not to mention the incredible selection of whiskeys at Char No. 4. The Half Hog special will be available in the dining room and at the bar in addition to the regular menu, so you can try his signature sausages, too. You can make a reservation for Half Hog Wednesdays by calling (718) 643-2106 or book online at www.charno4.com. We’ll see you there! If you haven’t read our formal rev…
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The Recently Revamped El Rey Is A Prime Summertime Destination
Come summertime on the Lower East Side, there’s no better spot to peep at beautiful, fashionable passerby than from a sunny window seat at El Rey, sipping on a frozen Tinto de Verano, aka a “Poor Man’s Sangria,” made from equal parts cola and red wine. And after taking a break for renovations and a chef shuffle this past spring — Gerardo Gonzalez is out, Marlow & Daughters vet, Mason Lindahl, is in — the Nick Morgenstern-owned eatery is eve…
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Q & A with Beautique’s Chef Craig Hopson
When you work for a place as legendary as Le Cirque, it can be hard to find ways to convey your own culinary point of view. “There is obviously so much history with that restaurant, and a lot of standards that Sirio Maccioni keeps in place,” admits Craig Hopson, who served as executive chef for the seminal, midtown spot for five years. “I would say that about half the menu is set in stone, so I tried to get creative with the other half as much…
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El Toro Blanco – Reviewed
…as a pretty typical ceviche, tossed with lime, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno and avocado, best spooned onto a salty chip. The real find here is the Lobster Ceviche, an original melange, composed of shredded jicama, coconut, bits of mango, mint and a kick of habanero to make it a tad more interesting. To Die For Tamales… Tamale Elote Verde The tacos are the weakest link on the menu. While I was underwhelmed by the Taco stuffed with Tinga De…
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New York’s Enduring Obsession with Uni
…ient to trend hard, but lord knows it is indeed trendy, and has been for some time now. If we died tomorrow, it certainly would be center stage in our last meal. (We can’t get enough!) Just what is that gloriously briny shellfish? The Japanese name for the edible part of the spiny sea urchin (i.e., the gonads, believe it or not), bright orange uni have an intensely creamy consistency and a sweet and briny flavor; essentially, they taste…
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The Most Delectable Summer Sweets
…idalia Caramel. Don’t want to pop a breath mint after dessert? There’s also a comparatively sedate bowl of Warm Cherries, daubed with Fennel Seed Ricotta and laked with good Olive Oil. Read More Contra 138 Orchard St Lower East Side,New York 10002 (212) 466-4633 Pastry chef Fabian von Hauske has gotten a lot of attention lately. He was selected as one of Eater’s “Young Guns,” made Zagat’s yearly “30 Under 30” list, and…
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Where to Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2016
…still thoroughly shell shocked from the year that was, and trepidatious (to put it mildly) about the year yet to come, there’s never been a better reason to let it all hang loose on New Year’s Eve. For a short while, at least, you can forget your troubles in the bubbles of a glass of complimentary champagne — not to mention feast like there’s no tomorrow at spots like Loring Place, Augustine and more. Augustine 5 Beekman St New York 10038 (212)…
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Inside Le District, Battery City’s French Food Mecca
…er on what you’ll find in each bustling quadrant of Le District, from fromageries and florists, to prepared food counters and coffee bars. Market District: Shop like the Parisians do, by stocking up on gorgeous meats, breads and cheeses at a variety of different specialty shops, scattered throughout the market. Stop at the fromagerie for brie de maux, the boulangerie for crusty baguettes, the charcuterie for duck confit, and the poissonerie for…
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Roberta’s Pizza
…u’d never know it from the outside… or the inside, for that matter. Step inside this dingy-looking, converted garage and you’ll feel like you’ve just entered some roadside bar with loud music playing, long wooden tables with benches, painted cement walls and twirling ceiling fans. You’ll probably be inclined to grab a beer, or even better, a cider and you should order something to pass the time while you wait for a…
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Eat Out for Breast Cancer Awareness this October
There’s always a good reason to indulge in New York — last September, proceeds from sweets around the city went to fund Meals on Wheels, and this October, diners are encouraged to eat out for Breast Cancer awareness. For the rest of the month, participating restaurants will donate a portion of profits from selected cocktails and dishes, to various charities involved in fighting breast cancer, so here’s where to gorge for a great cause — f…
Read MoreQ & A with Oceana’s Ben Pollinger
…inspired by the ingredients, what I ate and experienced there. You spent time working at Tabla and Union Square Cafe, both Danny Meyer restaurants, and two very different cuisines. Was the transference difficult from Indian cuisine to American/Italian? No. Both restaurants had American ingredients and classical technique at their roots, I already had a good understanding of American and Italian flavors before coming to Tabla. We heard you ha…
Read MoreGraffiti’s Green Mango Paneer
by Chef Jehangir Mehta & Owner of Graffiti (Serves 4) Ingredients: 8 oz of cubed paneer 2 green mangos diced (small) 1/3 cup grape seed oil 1⁄2 tsp ground tumeric 1⁄2 tsp chili powder 1 small pinch of asafoetdda Instructions: 1. Fry cubed paneer in 1 inch of grapeseed oil until golden brown, then set aside 2. In a separate pan heat 1/3 cup of grape seed oil on medium heat and add diced green mangos, ground tumeric, chili powder and asafoetd…
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