Q & A with The Local Store's Richele Benway
How often do you stumble upon a local store in the middle of midtown Manhattan? This just might be the first. Chef-owner Richele Benway has brought a quaint sensibility to midtown east with The Local Store, a new restaurant & wine bar, that serves creative sandwiches and small plates made from locally sourced, farm-fresh ingredients. The menu changes three times a day, and features simple, but elegant dishes, like roasted tomatoes with garlic scape and goat cheese, corn chowder and gazpacho. Benway earned her culinary chops working for some of New York’s best chefs, including Gotham Bar & Grill’s Alfred Portale, whom she credits as one of her mentors. So why open a local store in New York City? “I knew there would be no other place like it,” she says. You can’t argue with that, and the neighborhood...
Read MoreCafeteria's Lychee & Lavender Libation
INGREDIENTS 1.5 oz. Rain Infused Vodka 2 oz. Lychee Puree Splash of Fresh Lemon Juice Splash of Simple Syrup 1 Sprig of Lavender PREPARATION Shake vigorously. Pour all ingredients over ice into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a sprig of lavender. Cafeteria Phone: (212)414-1717 Address: 119 Seventh Ave., at 17th...
Read MoreDovetail's Warm Scallop Ceviche
By Chef-Owner John Fraser Ingredients 4 scallops 1/2 large fennel 1 jalapenos split in half and de-seeded 1/2 cup of quinoa 1 lemon 1 tb honey 10 bing cherries pitted and cut in halves 1/2 c of cilantro leaves picked of large stem 1/2 c of spinach(stems picked) cut thin PreparationCut fennel into 1 inch pieces and simmer with 2 cup of water, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp of honey, & a pinch of salt until soft, then let cool. Drain off the excess water, toss the fennel with evo and puree. Blanch the jalapeno in boiling water for a minute then cool and cut into small dice. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa with a little salt in boiling water for 25 minutes, then drain & toss with olive oil. Let cool on a cookie sheet. Mix the...
Read MoreQ & A with Perbacco's Chef Simone Boneli
Most chefs dream of becoming a chef in New York, but not Simone Bonelli who grew up in Modena, Italy. “I had never been to New York City, and I never really wanted to come either. I always thought it was too noisy and crowded for me to like living there,” Bonelli says. But when the owners of Perbacco asked him to head up the ktichen at their East Village enoteca, Bonelli couldn’t pass up the opportunity to strut his culinary talents abroad. And it’s a good thing he made the move, considering the rave reviews he’s received for his progressive take on homestyle Italian cooking there. Perbacco’s original menu showcases dishes from all over Italy in a modern light, but Bonelli’s favorite regional cooking is Sicilian. “They have all the extremely traditional ingredients that I love,...
Read MoreQ & A With Kelvin Slushies
Alex Rein has always secretly loved slushies, but the former lawyer thought the 7-11-style drink wasn’t quite sophisticated enough to bring back to the office. “It’s hard to be taken seriously as an adult if you are walking down the street and drinking a bright blue slushie,” he explains. So Rein left law and started Kelvin Natural Slush Co., a Manhattan-based truck that sells gourmet versions of his favorite frozen snack. His slushies incorporate real fruit purees and let customers mix-and-match to create unique concoctions, like blood orange with ginger and white peach with tea. Rein didn’t have much experience in the food business, but that didn’t stop him from experimenting with new flavors and a one-of-a-kind business. Not only is selling real fruit slushees, but he’s also taken to the roads to do it. When he’s not working...
Read MoreOceana's King Crab Ratatouille
By Executive Chef Ben Pollinger(Serves 2) Ingredients– 1 ½ pounds Alaskan king crab– 1 plum tomato– 1 red bell pepper– ½ zucchini– ½ yellow squash– 1 clove garlic– 1 shallot or small red onion– 1 sprig each oregano, basil, thyme– ½ tsp chili flakes (optional)– 3 Tbs EVOO– 1 Tbs white wine-Salt and pepper to taste PreparationBreak Alaskan king crab legs into sections. Cut a slit down both sides of each section with kitchen scissors.Remove core from tomato and slice 1/3 inch thickSlice pepper in half lengthwise, remove seeds, stem and ribs, slice each half lengthwise into 1/3 inch wide stripsCut zucchini in half widthwise, reserving one half for another use. Cut one half in quarters lengthwise. Cut out seeds. Cut each quarter into 1/3 inch pieces. Do the same for yellow squash.Slice garlic into thick slicesSlice shallot into...
Read MoreGramercy Tavern's Beef Kielbasa
By Executive Chef Michael Anthony(Yields approx. 12 pounds) Ingredients Lean beef 6 ¾ pounds Pork (fatty belly or shoulder and back fat) 5 pounds Kosher salt ¾ cup Pink salt (Instacure #1) 1 teaspoon Dextrose 1/8 cup White peppercorns, finely ground 3 teaspoon Mustard powder ¼ cup Garlic powder ½ Tablespoon Milk powder ½ cup plus 1/8 cup Crushed ice 1 to 1 ½ quarts Preparation1. Combine beef, pork, salt, pink salt, dextrose, white pepper, mustard powder, and garlic powder. Let cure overnight.2. Lay out meat on 2 sheet trays lined with plastic wrap. Put in freezer for 1 to 1 ½ hours until the meat is firm but not frozen.3. Grind meat through 12 3/16 die (medium die), alternating pieces of meat, fat, and bacon. 4. Return meat to freezer until it is firm, about 1 ½ to...
Read MoreQ & A With Saveur's James Oseland
James Oseland took an unconventional route to becoming the editor-in-chief of Saveur Magazine. A high school dropout, he eventually enrolled in art school and went on to act in movies and write in Hollywood for several years. 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’s Market. Single/Married/Divorced?Married–unofficially yet spiritually–to my partner, Daniel.What did you want to be when you grew up?When I was a little kid, I wanted...
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 Preparation1. Puree the raspberries with a hand blender or food processor. Pass through a sieve to remove seeds. Reserve on the side.2. In a mixer, whip cream, honey, and salt until soft peaks form. Reserve.3. In another bowl, add raspberry puree to yogurt slowly, allowing the yogurt to break up evenly. Add all the whipped cream at once and stir only slightly, allowing streaks.4. Divide mixture into 6 – 8 oz. glasses or 6 bowls. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.5. Top with fresh raspberries,...
Read MoreQ & A with Motorino's Mathieu Palombino
Mathieu Palombino isn’t your typical pizza chef, or as they say in Italy, pizzaiolo. He was born in Belgium and trained in classical French cooking, the last guy you’d expect to find manning a pizza oven. But Palombino’s pizzerias have been earning rave reviews since Motorino first opened in Brooklyn, followed a year later by the equally as popular Motorino in the East Village. He got his feet wet at Bouley and BLT Fish before traveling to Napoli & California to study the art of the pie. “I wanted to cook something wholesome, tasty & inexpensive,” he explains, so he opened a pizzeria. “Pizzerias are almost as vital in America as they are in Italy, so the artisanal pie craze had to happen,” he says. But what distinguishes his pies is the fresh buffalo mozzarella imported from Italy weekly,...
Read MoreGood Enough To Eat's Red, White & Blue Potato Salad
By Chef & Owner Carrie Levin Ingredients – 1 pound each (3 pounds total) Red Bliss potatoes, Idaho potatoes and blue fingerling potatoes, scrubbed well with skin on (should yield about 4 cups cooked) – 1 cup buttermilk – 1 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise – 2 tablespoons sour cream – ½ teaspoon garlic powder – ½ teaspoon onion powder – ½ teaspoon ground white pepper – 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt – 1 bunch scallions, white parts only, thinly sliced on the bias – ½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into small dice – Blue tortilla chips Preparation Cook the potato varieties individually. Place them in a pot with cold salted water to cover, bring to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer until tender yet firm enough that the potatoes still hold...
Read MoreRosa Mexicano's Organic Sangria
(Makes one small pitcher) Ingredients 2 oz cucumber-infused vodka, Rosa Mexicano uses Organic Crop Harvest Earth cucumber vodka 3 mint leaves ¾ oz simple syrup 3 oz Bonterra Viognier organic wine 4 oz fresh pineapple juice ½ cup mix of red apple and cucumber, diced PreparationMuddle the cucumber-infused vodka, mint and simple syrup together in the bottom of a small pitcher. Fill the pitcher with ice.Add the wine and pineapple juice and mix well.Stir in the apples and cucumbers and serve. Rosa Mexicano Address: 9 East 18th St., btwn. Fifth & BroadwayPhone:...
Read MoreQ & A with Bice's Jose Liriano
We don’t often get to meet the chefs who feed midtown’s power lunch crowd. Ever since Bice opened in 2002, it’s been packed with suits, luminaries & Italians nostalgic for a taste of home. The flagship restaurant is located in Milan, but the one in midtown was designed by Adam Tihany, whose resume also includes Per Se and Daniel. Unlike other power lunch destinations, the food at Bice is excellent. The chef is Jose Liriano who’s not from Italy, but rather the Dominican Republic which explains the Latin influence in some of the dishes. Liriano started as a line cook at Bice and quickly rose to executive chef of the same kitchen. Liriano’s homemade taglioni with lobster and osso bucco alongside parmesan risotto are both pretty hard to beat. Single/married/divorced? I am getting married! So, right now I have...
Read MoreRouge Tomate's Spiked Cucumber Cooler
Ingredients: Pinch Dill 2 oz Vodka 2 oz Cucumber juice 2 oz Lemonade Preparation: Add all ingredients except and mandolin slices soda in mixing glass. Shake and pour into highball with cucumbers and soda. Garnish with cucumber slice. Rouge Tomate Address: 10 East 60th St., btwn. Madison & Fifth Aves. Phone:...
Read MoreFaustina's Seared Ocean Trout With Almond Puree
By Chef-Owner Scott Conant (Serves 5) Ingredients for Almond puree: 1 lb celery root 2 cup sliced blanched almonds 1 1/2 ounces of caramelized shallots 2 sprig thyme 4 cups white chicken stock 1 pinch chili flakes ½ cup olive oil salt Method:Peel and cut the celery root into 1” cubes, toast the almonds in a 300° oven until lightly golden brown, approx 6-8 min. Combine the celery root, almonds, shallots, stock, thyme and chili flake in a medium size saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook until the celery root is tender. About 20 min. Place this mixture in a high speed vita prep and puree until smooth, slowly add the olive oil until combined. Strain and reserve until needed. For the fish: 2 ½ lb Ocean trout (1 filet) ½ cup salt ½ cup sugar Zest...
Read MoreQ & A with First Prize Pies' Allison Kave
How many people enter a pie contest and win first prize on their first try? Not many, but cooking runs in Allison Kave’s family. Her mother owns Roni Sue’s Chocolate and her brother is the executive chef at the new Brooklyn bbq joint, Fatty ‘Cue. Allison’s bourbon pecan pie took top first prize at the Annual Brooklyn Pie Bake-off. That’s just a glimpse of the delightfully imaginative pies she creates, including Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Pie and Shoo-fly pie. Most of her thin-crusted creations were inspired by childhood sweets, like root beer floats & S’mores. She’s just as talented with seasonal classics, like a light & flaky, rhubarb & frangipane tart and ingenious savories like a Thanksgiving Leftover Pot Pie with turkey, gravy & stuffing. Single/Married/Divorced? I’m in a relationship, but not married. What was your first...
Read MoreSeasonal's Wheat Peach
Ingredients: 1 ½ oz. peach nectar ½ oz. fresh lemon juice 1 oz. Zacapa rum infused with rosemary Orange bitters Angostura bitters wheat beer Preparation:Set the beer aside. Shake all of the other ingredients then combine with Weihenstephan Hefe-Weisse draft wheat beer (or any wheat beer on-hand). Garnish with an orange slice. Seasonal RestaurantAddress: 132 West 58th St., btwn 6th & 7th Aves.Phone:...
Read MoreThe Men Behind The Meatball Shop
Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow have been talking about opening a restaurant together since they were band mates at LaGuardia High School, right here in Manhattan. This past February, they turned their dream into a reality, opening The Meatball Shop on the Lower East Side. This one-of-a-kind eatery muses on meatballs of all sorts, everything from lamb to rabbit for “Easter Bunny Balls” in spring. Clearly, they’re not your average red sauce joint proprietors: Chernow graduated from the French Culinary Institute, while Holzman began working at the early age of 14 under Eric Ripert at Le Bernadin and went on to head a slew of acclaimed California restaurants. But these best friends grew up on feasting on meatballs from a neighborhood pizzeria, so when it came time to collaborate on a restaurant, they came up with a house...
Read MoreSavoy's Spring Blush
By Mixologist Michael Cecconi For the rhubarb stock: 1 lb. rhubarb, cleaned and sliced into 1-inch pieces ½ lb. peeled, thinly sliced ginger Place ginger and rhubarb in a pot then cover an inch over with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until roughly one-quarter of the liquid is gone (around 20 minutes. Let cool, then strain out solids using a fine metal strainer. Reserve extra stock in fridge or freezer. For the drink (serves 1): 1½ ounces gin 1½ ounces rhubarb stock ¾ ounce fresh lime juice ¾ oz simple syrup 2-4 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin. Add ice, then shake and strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Savoy Phone: (212)219-8570 Address: 70 Prince Street, at Crosby...
Read MoreQ & A With Los Feliz's Julieta Ballesteros
It’s not often you see foie gras tacos on a menu. Julieta Ballesteros has quite an imagination, prone to taking liberties with Mexican cuisine. Her cooking style is unique to say the least — a mix of French and her native cuisine. That’s what happens when a native of Mexico moves to New York to study at the French Culinary Institute. After graduating, Julieta cooked at Mexicana Mama and also created the opening menu for Crema. She’s even worked as the consulting chef for Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Right now, she cooking at Los Feliz, a new Mexican restaurant in the former Suba space on the Lower East Side. Her French training is evident in dishes, like the foie gras tacos with mango compote and salsa as well as slow-cooked beef cheek wrapped in a banana leaf and served...
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