Gourmet Gossip: August 2014
…sed of the industryâs most noteworthy bits and bites, from the shockingly affordable all-dessert tasting menu at Contra to Pastisâ official au revoir to the Meatpacking District. (Câest la vie.) Pastis Sent Packing: Sometimes, you just canât go home again. Â After assuring patrons that the seminal Meatpacking District mainstay, Pastis, would return once the building was finished undergoing renovations, Keith McNally now says that probably wo…
Read More
Valentine’s Day Dining Guide 2017
…acon, Dover Sole paired with grapes and verjus, Muscovy Duck plated with kumquats, and Venison âWellingtonâ with chestnuts. Read More Contra 138 Orchard St Lower East Side,New York 10002 (212) 466-4633 Little sibling Wildair may have stolen some of its thunder, but the reliably envelope-pushing Contra is still one of the hottest tables in town. Â And co-chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske have planned a Valentineâs Day menu that goes far…
Read More
The Eight Craziest Hanukkah Latkes in NYC
Youâve got to love a holiday (Hanukkah) that advocates for the consumption of deep-fried food (latkes). But anyone could lose their taste for sour cream-cloaked potato pancakes after eight straight days, which is why weâre showcasing a host of chef-inspired options; from zaatar hummus-adorned rounds at Mile End to turkey and latke sandwiches at Ellaryâs Greens! Veselka 144 2nd Avenue East Village,New York 10003 (212) 228-9682 This 24-hour Ukrai…
Read More
NYC Easter Dining Guide 2016
…d ramps, Seafood Salad with lobster, octopus and sweet shrimp, Seared Hudson Valley foie gras with kumquat apple chutney, Grilled Lamb Chops with chard, cipollinis and creamy potato puree, and Gotham Chocolate Cake topped with salted almond ice cream, preceded by an optional Petrossian Caviar course of Royal or Golden Osetra, with traditional accompaniments. Read More Aquavit 65 E 55th Street Midtown East,New York 10022 (212) 307-7311 This clas…
Read More
A Seafood-Lovers Brunch at Barchetta
…le during the breakfast-meets-lunch meal, save for a predictable variant on smoked salmon or lox. Â But if anyone understands our penchant for under-the-sea eats, itâs Dave Pasternack (or as Frank Bruni once dubbed him, âThe Fish Whispererâ), whose claim to fame was opening one of New Yorkâs top seafood destinations, Esca, along with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich back in 2000. Â Thatâs why it was especially exciting for us fish-o-philes when Past…
Read MoreLandmarc's Salmon with Ratatuouille & Olive Tapenade
By Chef/Owner Marc Murphy(Serves 4)  For Ratatouille 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 small red onion, large dice 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 red bell pepper, large dice 1 small eggplant, large dice 1 zucchini, large dice 1 yellow squash, large dice 1 28-ounce can peeled crushed tomatoes A bouquet garni of 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 1 bay leaf kosher salt freshly ground black pepper  For Salmon 4…
Read More
2013 Annual C-CAP Benefit
…e alike. Â Some have great food and then there are some leave you with a bad taste in your mouth so to speak. Â Of course, theyâre all for a good cause, which is what matters. Â But C–CAPâs annual benefit is one of our all-time favorites and not just because the food is excellent. Â (It is!) Â This unique organization provides scholarships to underserved youth who demonstrate talent in the kitchen. Â (Theyâve awarded over 37 million…
Read MoreThe John Dory
…ory If you could draft a fantasy restaurant team, who would you pick? It depends on whatâs on the menu, of course. Italian? Iâd take Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. British pub? Iâd take Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield. (Have you eaten the deviled eggs, devils on horseback or Roquefort burger at the Spotted Pig?) These people are first-round draft picks, in my opinion. Together, they could open a restaurant called Dumpster,…
Read MoreMesa Coyoacan
…de asada â slivers of skirt steak â with salsa verde, and moist grilled tilapia topped with pickled cabbage and a wonderful avocado crema. Mesa Coyoacan doesnât look much like a Mexican joint. The bar top is made from tables that were left behind by the previous tenant, the bar shelves from wood scraps rescued from Dumpsters. Filament bulb fixtures hang from the ceiling, mismatched wallpaper lines the walls, and pop music blare…
Read More
Edible Events: August
…and breweries (Uintaâs Imperial Black IPA, Fullsteamâs Cack-a-Lacky Pale Ale), along with booze-absorbing bites courtesy of a collection of local food trucks. Blues & BBQ Festival (8/19): This bittersweet culminating event to Hudson River Parkâs summer-long, river-adjacent entertainment series pairs blues and roots musicians with some of the tastiest âcue this side of the Mason-Dixon line. Â The Campbell Brothers, Dumpstaphunk and Sugar Ray a…
Read MoreChat Noir
In the spirit of not just eating, but also of dining out in support of restaurant newcomers, who have chosen to brave the joyfully overpopulated restaurant world in hopes of making an impression on the cityâs fickle palate, I snuck a peek at two of fallâs newest food arrivals: Chat Noir & Goblin Market. Both of these two newbies, smaller than the recent crop of mega-restaurants and thankfully devoid of over the top decor and sta…
Read MoreQ & A with Locanda Verde's Josh Nadel
…by the bottle at Locanda Verde right now? So many. By the glass, we are featuring an unusual dry Vespaiolo from Contra Soarda for $12, and Billecart Salmon Brut NV Champagne for $18. By the bottle, a few of my favorites are Kuenhof Sylvaner (white) for $65, Triacca Valtellina Superiore âSassellaâ (red) at $45, and at the higher end, Paolo Bea Sagrantino di Montefalco âPagliaroâ at $120, among many, many others. In an online article for th…
Read MoreFOOD NEWS
Fresh Directâs Dream Steam â Fresh Direct, the biggest and one of the only successful online grocers, is introducing a new product to change the way people perceive microwave dinners. The Dream Steam, essentially reinvents the very notion of a microwave dinner, allowing consumers to cook a Fresh Direct prepackaged meal by just putting it in the device, adding water and turning on their microwaves. From oh-so-fresh wild salmon cut to…
Read MoreAsparagus Steamer
…own an asparagus basket & pot (pictured right.) What donât they make these days? Apparently, a lot of chefs want to protect their precious produce. Just wash, cut off the end of the stems and place in the basket. Then put the basket in the asparagus pot when it starts to boil, but not before. Thatâs how a lot of chefs end up with soggy stems. You can purchase the asparagus basket & pot online. When asparagus season̵…
Read MoreQ & A With Saveur's James Oseland
…bsp; But a job as a proofreader at L.A. Weekly sparked his interest in magazine writing and led him to his current career at one of the premier food magazines. James Oseland, who also judges on Top Chef Masters, has a taste for the exotic. He lived in Asia for years and even released some Malaysian cookbooks. Home in New York, he gets his Malaysian fix at Taste Good in Queens and shops for Malaysian ingredients at McCarren Park Farmer…
Read MoreOceana's Raspberry Yogurt Fool
By Executive Pastry Chef Jansen Chan (Yields 6 -8 oz wine glasses or glass custard cups) Ingredients 2 pints raspberries 4 oz. heavy cream 1 Tbls. honey (2 Tablespoons, if desired sweeter) Pinch of salt 4 oz. Greek yogurt Additional garnish: 1 pint of raspberries, 4-6 leaves of basil, cut thinly, and more honey Preparation 1. Puree the raspberries with a hand blender or food processor. Pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Reserve on the side….
Read More
Restaurant Letdowns: Pagani & Villard
…ing ânewâ makes it all the more depressing when hopes of a potentially fantastic find are dashed and calories wasted. But the truth is it happens all the time.  As often as food writers discover somewhere terrific, they encounter two or three sadly subpar spots. Case in point: This fall, I loved Piora in all its uniquely Korean-Italian glory (as did the New York Times, awarding it two stars a few weeks ago).  I loved Pioraâs Pan…
Read MoreSpotted Pig Winner
Gail Grant has won a FREE DINNER for two at Michelin-starred gastropub, The Spotted Pig. Ken Friedman took NYCâs dining scene by storm last year when he opened this now, uber-impossible to score a table hot spot with Italian-accented delights, courtesy of chef, April Bloomfield. âTis the season for giving, so stay tuned for the next dinner giveaway to be announced in Restaurant Girlâs Weekly Newsletter this Thursday, December…
Read More
New York’s Newest, Internationally-Inspired Soups
…et and daikon, Janchi Guksu; somen noodles dunked in seafood broth, and Tteok Mandu Guk; meat dumplings and rice cakes in an anchovy-steeped soup. Read More Cozinha Latina 37 Greenpoint Ave Greenpoint,New York 11222 (347) 889-7739 Chef Shanna Pacifico â who came up under farm-to-table guru, Peter Hoffman â is behind this bi-level Greenpoint spot; and while she always keeps an eye on seasonality, paying homage to authentic Brazilian cuisine is h…
Read More
Gourmet Gossip – April 2014
In this great dining city of ours, barely a day passes without news of an exciting new restaurant opening, a devastating closing, a shocking chef shuffle, or a groundbreaking, must-try dish.  Thatâs why weâre keeping you apprised of the industryâs most noteworthy bits and bites â from Bar Bolonatâs welcome launch on Hudson Street and Gavin Kaysenâs surprising departure from CafĂŠ Boulud to a centuries-old macaron recipe shipped from France…
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
