-
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.
-
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…
-
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
Tandoori-Style Thanksgiving Turkey with Cranberry Chutney
While Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without turkey, and it makes an striking centerpiece for the holiday table, let’s be honest here — Turkey isn’t exactly the most flavorful bird. Sure, it’s tasty smothered in gravy and cranberry sauce, or layered into the perfect bite along with stuffing and mashed potatoes, but on its own, turkey can be dry and bland. Well, not this bird. Given the Indian treatment with aromatic, sweet and savory spices, and marinated overnight in a flavorful, moistening blend of yogurt and mustard oil, this Tandoori-style turkey will be the talk of your Thanksgiving feast!
Read More
Q & A with Il Buco Alimentari’s Head Baker Kamel Saci
If pastry chefs tend to get less widespread attention than savory chefs, artisan bread bakers generally receive even less. But why should they? After all, bread is one of humanity’s oldest foods (having been around since the dawn of agriculture), and was famously referred to in the Bible as “the staff of life.” So if you stop to think about it, it’s a noble pursuit to devote your career to churning out the tastiest loaves imaginable, and Kamel Saci, the Head Bread Baker at Il Buco Alimentari in the East Village, makes some of the very best…
Read More
A Happy Hour for High-Rollers at American Cut
Like any New York steakhouse worth its weight in T-Bones, American Cut (courtesy of Iron Chef Marc Forgione) is giddily over the top. The bi-level space is comprised of a seemingly endless series of stylishly backlit rooms, and they begin to fill, as the night stretches on, with Tribeca high rollers, looking to blow a little mad money on Barolo barrel-aged Negronis and cuts of wet or dry-aged meat. But during the newly installed happy hour, at least, New Yorkers can opt for a dialed down, yet totally delicious version of the American Cut…
Read More
The Best Large Format Feasts in New York
Many holidays, Thanksgiving chief among them, are associated with sprawling, family-style feasts. But it’s become a pervasive trend in the restaurant world to offer large format dinners with whole fish or meat that can be ordered ahead. So why wait for the holidays to enjoy a communal meal when you can make a reservation any time of the year for Fried Chickens at Ma Peche, Suckling Pig at MP Taverna, or a Leg of Lamb at Rotisserie Georgette?
Read More
Upland – First Bite
Do you remember the super short-lived restaurant that was Manzanilla? I’d eaten at Dani Garcia’s Michelin-starred eatery in Marbella, but Manzanilla wasn’t all that. In fact, the food was pretty awful, which is always depressing when a talented chef is in the mix. But let’s not dwell on the past. Especially when Stephen Starr opened such a breath of fresh air in its wake. While Manzanilla was dark and void of personality, Upland has a gorgeous glow to it…
Read More
Q & A with Petaluma’s CJ Bivona
Taking the executive chef position at Petaluma, the recently revamped, 30-year-old Italian institution on the Upper East Side, might seem an odd move for CJ Bivona, who, previously, was perhaps best known for cooking James Beard Award-nominated Southern fare, at Jeff McInnis’s praised Miami hotspot, Yardbird. But in actuality, the Hudson Valley native insists that he’s actually a lot more at home with pizza and pasta than fried chicken and shrimp and grits…
Read More
The Ultimate Thanksgiving 2014 Dining Guide
Some people get tremendous pleasure out of cooking up extravagant Thanksgiving meals from scratch, while others handle the food-centric holiday by making reservations. Now, we’re not advocating one over the other, but we definitely have more input to add if you decide to go the restaurant route; namely, which New York eateries are serving up exciting, affordable, and flat-out delicious holiday feasts…
Read More
Season’s Eatings at Park Avenue Autumn
Most legitimate restaurants regularly change their menus with the seasons, to reflect the ever-changing bounty of local farms and greenmarkets. But restaurauter Michael Stillman? He remakes his entire establishment. That would be the inventive, 22-year-old stalwart, Park Avenue, which he recently moved to a new downtown location, just in time for a fall relaunch. And (until just after Thanksgiving, at least), the spot will be known as Park Avenue Autumn…
Read More
Tuome – Review
I wasn’t expecting to stumble on such a buzzy vibe at East Village newcomer, Tuome, on such a rainy night. Chinese fusion — oh how I hate the F word — isn’t exactly in fashion. In fact, most people are wary of any fusion at all. (The mere mention often makes people cringe!) And yet, there I was filing into a packed dining room, filled with the energy of eager eaters, nibbling away on a hybrid of Chinese and New American cooking…
Read More
A Seafood-Lovers Brunch at Barchetta
Given our self-proclaimed obsession with shellfish, brunch often feels like a missed opportunity. After all, there are generally precious few seafood dishes available during the breakfast-meets-lunch meal, save for smoked salmon. But if anyone understands our penchant for under-the-sea eats, it’s Dave Pasternack, whose claim to fame was opening one of New York’s top seafood destinations, Esca, along with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich back in 2000. That’s why it was especially exciting for us fish-o-philes when Pasternack finally launched Barchetta with a weekend seafood feast…
Read More
Edible Events: November 2014
There are all manner of fun, food events taking place in New York on a daily basis — from lavish, charity-driven galas to crowded, walk-around tastings and an endless array of pop-ups. But unless you have the time and money to party seven days a week, you’ll have to be somewhat discerning about what goes onto your calendar. So here are just a few worthy food celebrations we recommend getting tickets (or making reservations) for now!
Read More
Guide to New York Cider Week 2014
The popularity of cider has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few years, to the point that there are practically as many varieties of fermented apple juice on bar menus nowadays as there are of beer and wine. Cider actually has an annual celebration all to its own called New York Cider Week, being held from October 24th to November 2nd this year. So here are a few apple-centric events you simply wont want to miss…
Read More
Haute Halloween Treats
While you’re never too old to get into the spirit of Halloween, let’s face it — for our refined, adult palates, Tootsie Rolls, Candy Corn and Krackle can seem more like tricks than treats. So why not have it both ways this holiday, by indulging in a few haute Halloween sweets at shops, like L.A. Burdick and Papabubble…
Read More
Our Favorite Cocktails For Fall
When restaurants make themselves over for fall, they leave no stone unturned; updating not just their dinner and dessert menus, but their beverage offerings as well. So take a moment to check out some of the delicious, seriously seasonal libations at bars and eateries all over the city, from the cream and allspice-topped “Mare Island” at the award-winning The Dead Rabbit…
Read More
Afternoon Tea 2.0 at The Plaza
The Plaza is practically, by definition, a destination for indulgence. And the Afternoon Tea Service with a tasty new menu from Geoffrey Zakarian, just reinstituted after a long period of renovation, is the ultimate in pinky-lifting luxury, so if you go, resist the urge to worry unduly about the bill to come…
Read More
Gourmet Gossip: October 2014
In this great dining city of ours, barely a day passes without news of an exciting new restaurant opening, closing, or must-try dish. That’s why we’re keeping you apprised of the industry’s most noteworthy bits and bites, including the launch of two major Mexican ventures, some unexpected chef shuffles, and Eataly’s expansion plans…
Read More
Super Chefs Tasting
As foodies, we’ll seize any excuse to sample the cooking of pedigreed chefs, the likes of Michael White and Gabe Thompson. Throw in a good cause and there’s just no excuse not to, which is why we’re so excited about this year’s Super Chefs tasting, benefiting six of New York’s underserved elementary schools…
Read More
Seasonal Eats: Pumpkins
There’s no question that pumpkins are the ultimate fall accessory; arranged in harvest displays amidst haystacks or carved into grinning jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. After all, the cool weather cultivar is native to North America, and remains one of the most popular crops in the US, with over 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin produced each year. Much more importantly, they’re one of our favorite fall foods…
Read MoreCheck out my Book — Try This
Recent Videos
Recently Interviewed
Most Recent Gizmos
