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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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Macao Trading Company
311 Church St., near Walker St. (212) 431-8750 Seven days, 5 p.m.-4 a.m.; CUISINE Global fusion; VIBE Exotic speakeasy; OCCASION Swanky date, bar bites, festive group dinner; DON’T MISS DISH Sticky rice-stuffed quail, Portu-guese-style shrimp with green sauce, trio of flans; AVERAGE PRICE Appetizers $8, entrees $22, desserts $7; RESERVATIONS Highly recommended.Macao Trading Company At the moment, the most beautiful bar in New York may be the one at Macao Trading Co.. It’s a grownup’s bar – owned by...
Read MoreValentine's Day on a Budget
Just when the dust was starting to settle from New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day suddenly creeps in, in the not-so-distant future. February 14th is less than a month away. That means many prime tables and time slots have already been snatched up. Not to fret. New York’s got an endless selection of romantic and affordable restaurants with tables for two. Whether you’re looking to seal the deal, hopelessly romantic or something casual, there’s a restaurant that fits the part…“We...
Read MoreThe Little Owl's Gravy Meatball Sliders
By Chef & Owner Joey Campanaro (Serves 12) Ingredients: 1 lb. ground beef 1 lb. ground pork 1 lb. ground veal 1 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese 1 cup panko bread crumbs 2 cups cold water 3 large eggs l ½ cup Warm water 2 Tbsp. molasses 1/4 oz. fresh yeast 1 1/2 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. olive oils 4 Cups all purpose flour 2 bulbs of whole roasted garlic 1 chopped Spanish onion 1/4 chopped fresh garlic...
Read MoreInauguration Day in NYC
Buh-bye Bush. I’d say that’s reason enough to celebrate this Tuesday, January 20th — Inauguration Day. A flurry of restaurants around the city will be hosting Inauguration festivities and honoring the occasion with everything from Obama-tini’s, Chicago-style pies and my personal favorite, Hill Country’s “Give Bush the Boot” cocktail… Hill Country 30 W. 26th St. (212) 255-4544 http://www.hillcountryny.com/home.php The soon-to-be-former President Bush may be from Texas, but Hill Country’s all about Obama’s inauguration. So much so they’re serving a...
Read MoreQ & A with Ignacio Mattos
Nearly every good young chef knows how to roast a pig in New York these days. But how many can say they’ve roasted one in the middle of a city street? A fashionable one at that. Ignacio Mattos did just that for the annual Sagra del Maiale event at il buco . It might sound like the place you’d find a guy raised on a dairy farm in Uruguay. But Mattos had it all figured out by the age...
Read MoreThe John Dory
A little like Le Bernardin in blue jeans. Address: 85 10th Ave., near 15th St.Phone: (212) 929-4948 Seven days, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.Cuisine: SeafoodVibe: Kitschy fish shackOccasion: Posh counter dining, date, group dinnerDon’t Miss Dishes: Razor-clam ceviche, chorizo-stuffed squid, oyster pan roast, sautéed cod milt:Average Price: Appetizers, $16; entrées, $28; desserts, $10Reservations: Highly recommendedThe John Dory If you could draft a fantasy restaurant team, who would you pick? It depends on what’s on the menu, of course. Italian? I’d take...
Read MoreThe Stanton Social's Caramelized Apple Quesadilla
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to cook at home more. Perhaps we should ease into 2009 with simple, delicious recipes from some of New York’s finest chefs? Chef Chris Santos has a wonderful way of transforming finger food into something decadent. The proof: Stanton Social’s packed reservation book. Santos’ quesadillas are a perfect start to the year. Quesadilla “wedges” of caramelized apple, smoky bacon, brie & truffleBy Chris Santos INGREDIENTS: 6 flour tortillas; 6″ each 6...
Read MoreQ & A with Gael Greene
40 years – Most queens don’t rule for that long. But that’s how long ago Gael Greene arrived on the NYC restaurant scene, changing the way we think about food. She reigned as a New York Magazine’s chief restaurant critic for thirty-four years and stayed on until just recently as the magazine’s Insatiable Critic for six years. Greene was notorious for her wide-brimmed hats, passion, and documented affairs with the likes of Clint Eastwood an a chef from Le...
Read MoreBar Bao
Redefining Vietnamese on the upper West Side. 100 W. 82nd St., (212) 501-0776. Mon.-Wed., 6 p.m.-1 a.m.; Thurs.-Fri., 6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sat., 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 5-10 p.m. CUISINE Vietnamese VIBE Cozy meets cool upper West Sider. OCCASION First date, group dinner, neighborhood outing. DON’T-MISS DISH Daikon duck hash, cuttlefish with salsa verde, duck fried rice. AVERAGE PRICE Appetizers $11, entrées $20, desserts $8. RESERVATIONS Recommended When I was just an eater and not a writer, I used to...
Read MoreApotheke's Holiday Spirit
The Pine ManhattanBy Barkeep Orson Salicetti Ingredients: 2 oz Pine-infused bourbon 1oz sweet vermouth House made pine bitters Sour cherries marinated in cherry Jerez wine. Preparation: Served up with a pine-rubbed...
Read MoreJohnny Utah's Black-eyed peas with black kale and smoked kielbasa
Chef Marlon Manty Apparently, it’s good luck to eat black-eyed peas to ring in the New Year. Apparently, Marlon Manty is a tad superstitious. Lucky for us, he’s also a chef with a recipe for the occasion. Ingredients: 2 yellow onions, diced 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 bunches Tuscan black kale 2# smoked Kielbasa sausage cut into rings 2# cooked black eyed peas, liquid reserved 1 bay leaf Zest of one lemon Red chile flakes Salt and pepper...
Read MoreQ & A with Toshio Suzuki
When sushi chef Toshio Suzuki opened up Manhattan’s SushiZen in 1984, he was up against a lot of skepticism. The very notion of eating raw fish was still a novel concept to New York. Iron Chef Morimoto learned his craft from chef Suzuki. Back then, Suzuki was a radical, daring customers to order “trust his omakase” and brave his live fish preparations. Befoer that, hetrained in Tokyo under Master Chef Nakanori. To think, Suzuki first set out to...
Read More10 Downing
10 Downing St., at Sixth Ave. (212) 255-0300 Tue.-Wed. 6 p.m.- 12 a.m.; Thu.-Sat. 6 p.m.-1 a.m.; Sun. 6 p.m.- 12 a.m.; closed Mon. CUISINE French-inflected American VIBE Bustling downtown eatery OCCASION Casual date, neighborhood bites, family or group dinner DON’T MISS DISH Trout tartare, squid ink agnolotti, coffee-scented semi freddo AVERAGE PRICE Appetizers $10; entrees $24; desserts $8 RESERVATIONS Recommended Here’s the first thing you need to know you about 10 Downing. Order the charcuterie, especially the duck...
Read MoreJimmy Bradley's Baked Fontina With Olive Oil & Rosemary Focaccia
(From The Red Cat Cookbook, chef and owner of The Red Cat and The Harrison) Ingredients: 1 1/2 lbs. Italian Fontina, soft, brown rind trimmed and discarded, cut into 1-inch dice 1/4 cup olive oil 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon thyme 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary Salt Freshly ground black pepper Sliced country bread or rolls Preparation:Preheat the broiler. For individual servings, divide the Fontina among four 6-inch cast-iron pans. Drizzle olive oil and scatter the garlic, thyme and...
Read MoreChristmas Cookie Cutters
Why not go a little crazy this holiday and change up the ole cookie baking routine? Instead of making the usual gingerbread men cookies, shape some anatomically challenged ones. Behold the ABC (Already Been Chewed) Cookie Cutters. They have missing heads, legs and arms. There’s no way kids won’t love them, and if a few scrooges can’t find their sense of humor, their loss. The ABC cookie cutters come three in a pack for $7. On Christmas Eve, just...
Read MoreQ & A with Patrick Connolly
Bobo’s always been a looker. But there’s more to a restaurant than a glittery chandelier and well-dressed dining room. Especially when you’re hungry for dinner. This West Village restaurant has had its share of chef shuffles. But Patrick Connolly is hoping to change bobo’s reputation. Connolly may have won round 1 of Eater’s Hottest Chef Competition, but he doesn’t intend to coast on his good looks either. Connolly got his start working at a family-run pub to pay...
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Vesta Trattoria
Vesta Trattoria 21-02 30th Ave., Astoria; (718) 545-5550 Lunch, Mon.-Fri., noon-4 p.m.; Dinner, Sun.-Mon., 5-10 p.m.; Tue.-Thur., 5-11 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-12 a.m. CUISINE: Italian VIBE: Warm nabe spot OCCASION: Casual date, neighborhood bites, family or group dinner DON’T-MISS DISH: Three-meat lasagna, lamb shank, baby Jesus cake PRICES: Appetizers, $8; entrees, $14; desserts, $5.50 RESERVATIONS: Accepted Have you ever had wine by the shot? I hadn’t either, until a few weeks ago. I don’t mean shot, as in a...
Read MoreDining Out on Xmas
Dining Out on Xmas Eve: Scarpetta355 West 14th Street (at 9th Ave)(212) 691-0555Scott Conant puts his stamp on Christmas Eve with his “Feast of the Seven Fishes”. How many courses? Seven of course. Southern Italian specialties include a duo of crudo, roasted scallops, black maccheroni alla Chitarra, and roasted black cod. If you’re not quite up for the feast, the regular menu is also available. If you’re taking the a la carte route, it would be a shame to...
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