Located in a former garage in Brooklyn, down a warehouse-dense road, Roberta’s is nestled in a space that at first glance makes you question your propensity to enter. But when you do, you are warmly greeted by a brightly lit, rustic atmosphere set with reclaimed wood communal tables overlooking a piping hot wood-burning oven. Weather permitting, you can also grab a seat in the back garden and settle in for some equally delightful rustic fare.
Roberta's Communal Seating
Creatively named pizzas are the feature of the menu. We had the Da Kine, a word in Hawaiian pidgin that generally refers to anything abstract. It’s also a new take on the typical Hawaiian pizza with tomato, mozzarella, ricotta, jalapenos, pineapple, prosciutto cotto. Let me tell you, it was DE-LISH-OUS! Thin slices of sweet pineapple, cut with a subtle spice from the jalapenos and topped with a delicate, almost lacy proscuitto, which I found to be so much better than the typical thick squares of ham. All washed down with a draft brew served in a Ball jam jar — doesn’t that just scream rustic dining experience?
Roberta's Da Kine Pie
The Skim: I can only speak to the stellar pizza I had, but the menu also features other creatively rustic dishes such as the Orecchiette with lamb pancetta, egg yolk, piave or the Pork Chop with fregola, guanciale, romanesco. This may look like a run-down industrial joint from the outside, but Roberta’s is serving upscale, unique dishes that will make your taste buds sing, but in a comfortable atmosphere that invites you to enjoy a low-key meal out with friends whatever the occasion.
It was several months ago during a trip to San Fran that I found myself at the Ferry Building on a brisk Saturday morning. With sleep in my eyes and jet lag fogging my weary head, I decided a steaming cup of coffee was in order. And so I stood. In a 30 minute line. For coffee. This is not something I would normally do, but the craving had settled in and my interest was piqued as I noticed many others patiently and happily waiting. Waiting for what? Waiting for a single cup of freshly ground, individually dripped, piping hot and made to order Blue Bottle Coffee. Was it worth the wait? Was an individually dripped cup of java really that good? Of course it was. So imagine my delight when I learned Blue Bottle was bestowing it’s bean to brew love on Brooklyn.
Blue Bottle Coffee One Cup at a Time
The brilliance of this brew rests in the fact that the beans are roasted onsite, allowing for the absolute freshest possible cup to be prepared specially — for you and only you. Once ground, the beans are placed in a paper filter that is nestled in a ceramic drip cup, and which magically come to life as prime temperature water is poured from the spout of a swan neck kettle. Drip. Drip. Drip. Wait. Wait. Wait. And so is born your beautifully crafted cup of Blue Bottle joe.
“I will only sell coffee less than 48 hours out of the roaster to my customers, so they may enjoy coffee at its peak of flavor. I will only use the finest organic, and pesticide-free, shade-grown beans.” — Blue Bottle Coffee Founder Vow
Blue Bottle Roasting
It is no small thing to walk into a minimally marked building, down a minimally trafficked street, on an off hour of a weekday, to find a concentrated crowd of eager Brooklyn Blue Bottlers. The intense perfume of fresh beans, the hum of the roasters, the casual conversation of a loyal caffeine crowd, all welcomes you with open arms as soon as you enter the garage door fronted store. This isn’t your typical coffee stop that lures you in with free wifi and tables at which to pitch your tent for hours. No, Blue Bottle offers a standup bar to encourage socializing while you tip the mug, and a great view of what it means to create small production coffee in the freshest way possible. The only thing wrong with it? It’s 30 minutes from my apartment.
Fall is my favorite time of year. The air has a slight chill and smells of damp leaves, the colors have a vibrance that puts spring blooms to shame, and the farmer’s market is flush with the fall harvest eager for roasting up a cozy meal to share. Some of the most spectacular veggies made their way to the market this weekend, so before I jump into my favorite fall soup recipe, I just have to share my bounty: Easter Egg Radishes and Graffiti Cauliflower…
Fall Farmer's Market Bounty
…leeks, butternut squash and granny smith apples.
Butternut Squash Soup Inspiration
I’ve made this recipe so many times, I’ve lost count. The base of the soup is courtesy of Michael Chiarello, but I’ve made a few adjustments that make this one of the best bowls of butternut squash soup I’ve ever had. The sweetness of the squash and apple is enhanced by the subtle spice from the chili and pepper, but what really adds a memorable, unexpected contrast is the slightly tart pomegranate that bursts with each bite and the salty melt-in-your mouth fluffy popcorn.
Best Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
Prep Time: 20 mins | Cook Time: 1 hour Serves 8
Squash Soup
2 TBS unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, white parts only (~1 large leek)
1 TBS minced garlic
6 cups peeled and roughly diced butternut squash (~1 medium squash)
3 cups peeled and roughly diced apples (~2 large apples)
3 tsp Toasted Spice Rub, recipe follows
6 1/2 cups chicken stock or 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 3 cups water
Sea salt
Pomegranate, deseeded
1 bag microwave popcorn
Toasted Spice Rub Note: the spice mixture makes enough to fill an empty spice container to use in the future and make the soup even quicker next time.
1 TBS coriander seeds
1 TBS black peppercorns
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup pure chili powder (about 1-ounce)
2 TBS kosher salt
2 TBS ground cinnamon
In a small heavy pan over medium heat, combine the coriander seeds and peppercorns. Turn on the exhaust fan, add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool. Put in a blender with the chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground. If you have a small spice mill or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, and cook until it turns nut brown. Add the leeks and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute briefly to release its fragrance. Add the squash and apples, raise the heat to high, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Toasted Spice Rub and cook briefly to toast it, about 1 minute. Add the stock or broth-water mixture, bring to a simmer, and partially cover. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the squash and apples are tender, about 40 minutes. Transfer in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, reheat to serving temperature, and season with salt. Divide the soup among bowls and garnish each portion with some of the pomegranate and popcorn. Serve immediately.
Roughly Dice Peeled Squash and Apples
Slice Leek and Mince Garlic
Saute Leeks and Garlic Until Soft
Stir Until Caramelization Begins and Add Toasted Spice Rub
Add stock, simmer partially covered for 40 minutes and then blend until smooth. Garnish with Pomegranate seeds and popcorn kernels. Serve immediately.
We may not have a Wal-Mart or SuperTarget in NYC, but we do have Eataly, a new take on Molto Mario that brings both imported and locally sourced artisanal Italian products to Manhattanites {and the droves of tourists lined up around the corner} in a very big way. Housed inside the old Toy Building, Eataly is grocery marketplace, coffee bar, food court, culinary classroom and a headache all under one roof. Don’t get me wrong, I love Eataly and everything it’s about, but if you thought making your way through the aisles of Fairway was bad, then prepare yourself for patience-testing as you navigate through awe-struck photogs, non-english speaking patrons and hour-long waiting periods for a table. I’ve been to Eataly twice since it opened and the best advice I can share: plan to cook Eataly-bought ingredients at home, or be willing to eat during the early bird special. I did both, so here’s the experience relived.
Walk in and bypass the Lavazza coffee bar, which will inevitably have a long line because it is right by the front door. Not far past that long line you will discover another very slick walk-up coffee bar with a large and shiny imported coffee machine that not only looks cool, but makes a mean cup of Giuseppe.
Walk Up Coffee Bar
What goes better with un cafe than beautifully decadent desserts?
Italian Pastries and Sweets
Puglian Style Mozzarella!
But after you’ve sampled a taste of Italy, make your way to my favorite part of the store, the salumi and formaggi section. Here, the best of Italian food craft is married with locally-sourced ingredients, to bring you fresh cuts of meat and cheeses, including handmade mozzarella, literally made before your very eyes. If you chat with Sal for a bit, he might even share some warm mozz right from the pot!
Sal, Your New Cheese Friend
Grab some fresh produce, which I thought all looked very nice and was reasonably priced. If you’re not one who wields a knife with ease, then pay a visit to the brilliant vegetable butcher, who will wash, clean and prep your veg in any way you would like. Why oh why has no one done this before?!?
Eataly's Fresh Produce
Vegetable Butcher -- Your Other New Friend
As if this isn’t impressive enough, as you walk deeper into the brightly lit concrete walls of this Italian megastore, you soon stumble upon another brilliant display of fresh pasta — cut, twirled and presented in a myriad of ways to make cooking fresh pasta at home, not only easy, but exciting. And if you want to really go over the top with your squid ink tagliatelle, then you can also buy white truffles at $3,400 / lb, or the more affordable black truffle for $420 / lb {what a steal!}
Eataly Fresh Pasta Counter
Want to stock up on some dried pasta for those cold winter nights? Eataly has at least 6 rows of pasta in various shapes and sizes.
Pasta di gragnano
Of course if you’re willing to wait, or eat lunch at 11:30 like we did, I highly recommend snagging a seat at one of the ristorantes to taste what all this Italian Artisanal goodness is really about. We opted for the pizza-pasta section, because it was hard not too after all the amazing s’ghetti we walked by. The meal did not disappoint. Neapolitan style pizza, simple spaghetti al pomodoro and the best dish of all, fusilli al ragu with a blend of veal, pork and beef bolognese. DE-LISH.
Wood Burning Pizza Ovens
Spaghetti al Pomodoro
Fusilli al Ragu
The Skim: Patience is a necessity when making an Eataly excursion, but you will be rewarded in every bite — whether you stop for a quick coffee fix, to stock up on the makings of your own homemade feast or successfully snag a seat for an in-store bite. Grocery must: At $3.80 for a ball of fresh mozzarella, it’s not only creamy goodness, but a steal! Menu must: Fusilli al Ragu is molto molto buono!
Free Fall Cheese and Chocolate Extravaganza! Saturday November 13
7:30 p.m. until the cheese runs out…
The Red Hook Bait and Tackle 320 Van Brunt St. (at Pioneer St.)
Learn about the cheeses and chocolates
and how to pair them with wines, beers or spirits.
RSVP to wurwarg@gmail.com to attend, so they can make sure there is plenty of cheese and other good things. Did I mention this extravaganza is FREE! Life doesn’t get much better than that.
Matt Bonano and Jessica Wurwarg (Cheese People) Colleen Riley (Chocolate/Dessert Person) Edie Stone (Bait and Tackle Person)
“Say it with cauliflowers.” Because I love you, one great cauliflower recipe begets another this week. For a couple years I’ve had a photo I took of a purple cauliflower hanging on the limited wall space of my NYC kitchen. And while I was walking through the farmer’s market this weekend, I saw him again. The most stunningly royal purple “graffiti cauliflower.” Let me be clear — this graffiti cauliflower is not purple because of some lame carnation-in-dyed water method, this is the color nature intended! So I bought him, brought him home and consulted one of my favorite food websites Food52 for some inspiration from their week 6 recipe contest: “your best cauliflower recipe.” Just today the recipe below was announced as the winner — and I concur with the crowd!
This winning recipe is just another reason to fall in love with cauliflower, and while most people turn the other way from the boring, colorless white cauliflower, let me remind you that this veg is packed with cancer fighting nutrients and vitamin C. So when you can cook up a recipe with lots of other great flavors and find a beautiful variety like this one, you not only create a heathy dish, but one that looks and tastes spectacular. If you can’t get your kids to eat this, I don’t think there’s any hope for them! This recipe is so tasty I recommend following the quantities below so you have leftovers, but you can easily cut it in half if you only want to make enough for 2-3 servings.
2 large heads cauliflower {I used purple grafitti}
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp coarse salt, divided
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup panko {Japanese bread crumbs}
Zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 TBS roughly chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 425°F. Trim tough stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a paring knife, cut cauliflower into smaller spears. Place in a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; toss to combine. Spread cauliflower out on 2 large, rimmed baking sheets. Roast until edges start to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through. Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add panko and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir to coat in oil. Cook, stirring constantly, until bread crumbs are golden. Add lemon zest and garlic and toss until mixture is very fragrant and bread crumbs are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place in a medium bowl and add parsley, stirring to combine. Set aside. Remove cauliflower from oven and place on serving platter. Top with bread crumbs and serve immediately.
The Goods-Roasted Cauliflower with Gremolata Bread Crumbs
Toss with Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper and Spread on Baking Sheet
Whew! Has it really been 100 posts? That’s a whole lotta food and drink to digest. Check out the most popular posts of all time and a few that may have been written before you started reading…
Set inside the private room at Del Posto, Murray’s Cheese threw a Sunday soiree where wine was flowing and some of the best artisan cheese and salumi was being hand cut and shared freely with eager New York City Wine & Food Festival fans. Here were some of my favorite slices — all of which can be cut and carried home from Murray’s Greenwich Village or Grand Central locations.
La Quercia: Rossa Heirloom Proscuitto After talking to the owner of La Quercia, Herb Eckhouse, for awhile, I walked away with several slices of the most creamy, silky prosciutto I’ve ever had and a new appreciation for buying domestic. Made from 100% Iowa-raised Berkshire Pork, this special breed’s short muscle fibers and fat creates a smooth and buttery bite, better than any slice I’ve found elsewhere…yes, even compared to some from Italy. Find it HERE
A lot of us visit Italy and dream of bringing back a little piece of that lifestyle, but Herb and Kathy Eckhouse actually did this after living in Italy for a former job. Over a coffee at an Italian cafe and a few slices of prosciutto, a friend fleetingly said “if you make something this good, you’d make a lot of people happy.” It’s been 10 years since that comment and now this couple has mastered that delight, using the best, responsibly raised pork to highlight the bounty of Iowa and share an artisanal prosciutto product that is pure enjoyment.
Want more? You can actually buy a subscription to a whole pig and over the course of 2 years of breeding and aging, you’ll get various shipments of the best quality pork money can buy — from head to tail. Contact Kendra@laquercia.us for info.
La Quercia Prosciutto
Farms for City Kids Foundation, Spring Brook Farm: Tarentaise Spring Brook Farm is doing something really special in cheese — they’re involving kids. 100% of the proceeds from this fresh cow’s milk Vermont cheese supports the Farms for City Kids Foundation, which brings children to the farm for a one week immersion in farm-based curriculum, giving kids a hands-on experience and understanding of microbiology, food preservation, health and nutrition. If that’s not reason enough to try this, how about the fact that they won First Place in the Best USA Cow’s Milk Cheese category at the World Championship Cheese Contest in Wisconsin!
Farms for City Kids, Spring Brook Farm Tarentaise Cheese
Vermont Butter and Cheese: Cremont, Bonne Bouche, Creamy Goat Cheese, Sea Salt Butter This isn’t the first time I’ve written about Vermont Butter and Cheese — remember when I gushed about trying their cheeses at the Fancy Food Show? Just because I’ve sampled their spread before, didn’t mean I wasn’t going back for seconds. That luscious Double-Cream Cremont mixed-milk cheese that I previewed at the Food Show, is only a few months on the market and is already outselling their previously most popular Bonne Bouche. It’s a beautiful thing when best gets even better. Put this is on your next cheese platter, right next to all the other extraordinary cuts I’m introducing you to. Find it HERE
2010 Best Goat Cheese in America
Creminelli Fine Meat: Casalingo, Tartufo, Barolo, Wild Boar. Americano and Della Musica Sausage That’s a whole lotta meat. And this is why I love what I do. I snagged a slice {or maybe two} of the Wild Boar sausage. It was earthy, salty, meaty goodness. And it was made here in the fine U.S of A. I’m catching on — no suitcase or jet lag needed to enjoy the artistry of authentic handcrafted Italian salumi. Using only choice cuts from select breeds raised on small family American farms, Creminelli Fine Meats are creating a great meat eating experience. Find it HERE
Creminelli Fine Meat Wild Boar Sausage
Cellars at Jasper Hill: Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Landaff Creamery Landaff To close out a lot of nibbling, I stopped by one last table and was glad that I did. Let me first start by saying this Cabot Clothbound Cheddar was something truly unique because it actually tasted subtly like roasted peanut butter. I’m sure that’s not the first thing you would compare a cheese too, nor is it likely the most appealing way to describe a cheddar. But for that very reason, I was stopped in my tracks and forced — yes, forced — to go back for another bite to make sure my taste buds were not deceiving me. It’s made from one herd’s milk, sold to Jasper Hill when the cheese is only 3 days old, bound in cloth and and aged for 10-14 months in their new 22,000 sq. ft., 7-vault facility in Jasper Hill, VT. This may not be that exciting to most of you, but it excites me. No one else in the U.S. has a facility of this scale and is doing what they are — that can only mean one thing for us cheeselovers. More. Incredible. Artisanal. Cheese. Find it HERE
Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Jasper Hill, VT
So there you have it. Good American cheese and salumi that does not involve plastic-wrapped single slices. Thank you Murray’s for indulging us with some truly delightful handcrafted bites.
It’s cauliflower season! Are you scratching your head wondering why I could possibly be so excited about cauliflower, a generally overlooked and underappreciated vegetable? Well, it’s also Breast Cancer awareness month and it seems only fitting to highlight this veg for both of these reasons. Cauliflower contains two key nutrients {indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane} that help fight against cancer and heart disease by cleaning out the system of toxins that would normally damage cells and by keeping estrogen levels low, which is known to foster tumor growth. If that doesn’t make you think of cauliflower as a new friend, how about the fact that three florets of cauliflower a day will provide you with 67% of your daily vitamin C requirement — keep that in mind as cold season fast approaches.
In my opinion cauliflower by itself doesn’t have any super flavors to write home about, but given how nutritious and substantial these little guys are, it’s a great base to mix with other fantastic flavors and create a healthy and tasty side or main dish that is worth getting excited about. Here’s a recipe from Everyday Paleo that I made the other night. I must admit, I never would have thought about combining with coconut, but the flavor was a fantastic complement and coconut has a great nutrient profile of its own that makes this a noteworthy alternative for diabetics or for those who can’t eat gluten.
Savory Cauliflower “Fried Rice”
Prep Time: 5 mins. | Cook Time: 10 mins. Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side
1 head organic cauliflower, steamed
1/2 red onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBS fresh basil, diced
1 egg
2 TBS coconut flour
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
3-4 TBS coconut oil
Bring 2 inches of water to a boil. Remove thick stem and core from cauliflower and discard. Using a knife, cut cauliflower into smaller florets. Add to boiling water and cover, cooking for approximately 2-3 minutes or until knife tender. In a large mixing bowl, add the minced onions, garlic, and basil. Place the steamed cauliflower in the bowl as well and add the egg, coconut flour, salt, and pepper. Using a potato masher or metal whisk, mash the cauliflower down to the consistency of rice. Mix all the ingredients well. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the cauliflower rice and saute for 7-10 minutes or until the “rice” starts to crisp up a little and the onions are tender. Remove the rice and keep warm in the oven. Note: This is better, the longer it sits, so preparing ahead of time and warming in the oven is a good thing!
All the Goods
Add the Steamed Cauliflower to the Rest of Ingredients
It was not long ago that I was raving about my dinner at L’Artusi, the attractive, open-kitchen Italian spot tucked down one of those non-perpendicular West Village streets. So when they asked me to come preview their newly created Brunch menu before the public unveiling this Sunday {October 17}, I couldn’t help but spread the love again. I am an encourager of exemplary eating establishments. When I have a great meal, I want you to know about it. I want you to go. Tomorrow! So pick up the phone, make a reservation {212.255.5757} and then keep reading.
Every good brunch deserves a bloody mary. And every good bloody mary deserves some “hmpf”. What I mean by that is I want spice and all sorts of goodies in my Sunday cocktail — I want veggies, I want olives, I want lots of little bits floating around giving me that liquid-salad-with-a-kick kind of feeling. Because frankly, if I’m drinking on a Sunday morning {thank you Tippling Bros.}, I need to feel like I’m getting some sort of nutritional benefit. L’Artusi’s Mary does just that — and with a cherry, err, pancetta cube on top.
Graciously our very helpful server also suggested we start with the bread basket. This isn’t just any roll and butter basket. This is a collection of seasonal, bready goodness — a cranberry muffin, cherry scone and some dark, nutty bread that I couldn’t get enough of. All served with a side of whipped, soft, creamy butter and a lovely plum jam.
L'Artusi Bread Basket
My favorite of the two mains we ordered was the Eggs Florentine. We already know my obsession with eggs,and that I assert high expectations for any egg dish that I order at a restaurant. And this exceeded them ten-fold. Served on crispy polenta {clever Italian substitute to the ‘ole english muffin} with lovely, bright green spinach and a perfectly poached egg that oozed creamy, golden goodness, the florentine was then lovingly topped with a tomato-hollandaise, again adding a unique flavor profile and twist to the classic preparation.
L'Artusi Eggs Florentine
We were also treated to an unexpected dish that has my vote for best contender on the menu. The Polenta Amatriciana is probably best shared between two people because of its richness. A bowl of polenta {that I’m sure has no shortage of butter in it} is topped with the same amatriciana sauce that graces their bucatini on the dinner menu. This stuff is amazing — a combination of tomato, pancetta and red chilis, it is smoky and slightly spicy. What else would you want on top of a bowl of creamy polenta? An egg? Yes, I thought so — a perfect poach floats on top of this bed of delight, just waiting to be broken open so all the eggy yumminess can swim around with all the other flavors. And to really round this out, the entire dish is finished with some freshly grated parmesan cheese.
L'Artusi Polenta Amatriciana
How about the sides? You can’t go wrong with the pancetta bacon or the super crispy rosemary potatoes. I agree with the person verbally singing the praises of that pancetta bacon and if you need a little crispy, salty potato to soak up your Saturday night, well then you’ve found them!
“This the the best bacon I’ve ever eaten in my life” — overheard @ L’Artusi
The Skim: And that, my friends, was a brunch worth sharing. I expect L’Artusi’s sunday brunch will be just as popular as their dinner is, but even if you can’t manage to get a reservation, you are always welcome to walk in and eat on the really comfy stools at the bar or start with one of their creative morning cocktails or fresh juices while you wait.
What do you get when you mix a crowd full of foodies, a session focused on mixology and two non-related “brothers” stirring in some fascinating facts about the history of cocktails and tippling tips and techniques? A real good time. After attending two earlier New York City Wine & Food Festival events that day, all I expected was to sit back, take notes and learn a hint or two from Tippling Bros.Mixology 101, but what we got was an early start to a boozy Saturday night.
Tippler Paul Tanguay Settin' Up Bar
The event kicked off with a seasonal Champagne cocktail called Fireside Sparks, created by the two tippling partners Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci. As we sipped, these “perpetuators of libational awareness and enjoyment” jumped into a lesson, fully equipped with a powerpoint. Not exactly what you would expect from typical barmasters, but these experts are two of the most well known beverage consultants, whose common mission it is to help the world drink better! Here’s some useful info to successfully get you through your next trivia bar night…
Tippling Trivia:
The word “punch” originated from the Hindi word for five — panch {make a fist and it will all make sense}
There are 5 components to the original punch recipe: spirit, citrus juice, sugar, spice {often tea} and water
The word “cocktail” first appeared in print in 1806. Politicians, dignitaries and wealthy businessmen drank cocktails in the morning to get over the previous night
The original cocktail was made up of: spirit, sugar, water and bitters
Jerry Thomas wrote the first cocktail book in 1862
Hardly Done with Fireside Sparks, When The Smokey Margarita Arrived
It was not soon after starting to sip down the first cocktail, that the second arrived — a Smokey Margarita. Mmmm, love ‘ritas. How generous of them to give us two cocktails while we enjoy the mixology lesson. On to bar tools…
Pecking order — Always start from the cheapest ingredient when concocting your cocktail — that way if you lose count or mess up, you’re not out the good stuff!
Garnish — Add an aromatic garnish to change the flavor profile of your cocktail and make sure it’s sticking out of a glass such that your nose gets near it when you sip {try a rosemary sprig stuck in a cherry to anchor}
Batches — make 3/4 of the amount of drinks you want to serve when making batches {ice / water makes up 25% of every cocktail}. P.S. Making batches is a great way to enjoy your own party without having to play bartender. That’s one lesson I starred, highlighted and underlined.
Make crystal clear ice — Boil water and pour while hot into ice cube trays or muffin tins. The movement of the boiling water pushes out all the air, to create “clear” ice. Get fancy by adding citrus slices to your form after 30 minutes in the freezer.
Somewhere between learning about shaking and stirring, a Manhattan appeared in front of me and somewhere between learning about the garnish in my newly poured Autumn Manhattan and the wisdom of making batches, my pour from the Bottle of Baron also arrived. Ok, I get it. This is a drinking event. I checked my watch, it was only 6pm. The night was young, but I was well into an evening of strong cocktails thanks to my new friends. I guess this is what you get when you attend a session all about mixology, hosted by the masters of tippling themselves. Thankfully with camera in hand, I could put down the pen and still manage to snag some great cocktail recipes for you all. Cheers and Bottoms Up!
Tippling Bros. Hand Crafted Cocktails
Fireside Sparks
Hardly Done with Fireside Sparks, When Smokey Margarita Arrived
2 oz. Cranberry-Infused Whiskey
.75 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 oz Spiced Syrup
1/4 Tangerine
1 oz Chilled Sparkling Wine
Muddle tangerine in a mixing tin. Add remaining ingredients and shake. Float champagne over the back of a spoon. Strain into a chilled flute or sour glass. Garnish with a tangerine peel and sugared cranberry skewer. Lightly dust with nutmeg.
Smokey Margarita
1.5 oz Tequila Blanco
0.5 oz Mezcal Joven
0.5 oz White Grapefruit Juice
1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1 oz Agave Nectar
Grilled Lime Slices for Garnish
Spicing the Glass Rim:
2 parts Kosher Salt
1 part Cinnamon
1 Part Cumin
1 Part Chili Powder
Shake all ingredients together. Strain over ice in an old fashioned glass rimmed with Mexican-spiced salt. Garnish with grilled lime wheel.
Autumn Manhattan
Autumn Manhattan
2 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1 oz Cinzano Sweet Vermouth
0.25 oz Oloroso Sherry
2 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
Rosemary Sprig stuck in a cherry for garnish
Stir all ingredients together until well chilled. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with Luxardo cherry and rosemary sprig.
Bottle of Baron {think sweet island cocktail}
8 oz Aged Rum 2 oz Grand Marnier 2 oz Simple Syrup 4 oz Orgeat Syrup 4 oz Fresh Lime Juice 2 tsp Hibiscus Concentrate {Jamaica Concentrate at your local bodega is the same thing} 6 oz Cold Water
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl or plastic container. Funnel into a clean wine bottle. Cork and refrigerate for several hours before serving. Serve over one cube of ice in a small punch glass. Garnish with an orange slice or vanda orchid.
Giada de Laurentiis Greets the Audience with a Big Smile
Following Alton Brown’s “opening act”for the New York City Wine & Food Festival demos, Giada De Laurentiis was warmly welcomed by longtime friend and Food & Wine Editor, Dana Cowin. With her husband and a houseful of fans in the audience, she greeted the crowd with her big…smile. People actually asked me if her head was in fact as big as it seems on TV, so let me answer that question. It’s not so much that she has a big head, but that she has a teeny tiny body. How a woman who makes a living cooking and eating — mostly Italian food — can stay so skinny is beyond me! But I digress.
Giada couldn’t have been more charming or likeable and took a totally hands-on, participatory approach to her demo. Enter the lucky husband and wife team selected from halfway back in the seats to come on stage and help Giada cook Smashed Potatoes. I think the wife actually claimed her husband was the cook in the family, just so he could come up and meet her in person. Giada left them to follow a few simple steps {start with some fingerlings, boil ’til tender, smash with your hand, brown in a pan with a little olive oil & garlic and then toss in a lemon-parsley vinaigrette. Easy!} while she took questions from the audience.
Giada De Laurentiis Knows Her Audience
Husband and Wife Team Make Smashed Potatoes for Giada
The Infamous Tasting Bite from Giada
With her 2 1/2 year old daughter, Jade, to look after, Giada’s new cookbook is inspired by making good food, faster — relying a little more on good pantry items that are always on hand to cook a meal. So it was only appropriate that for her second dish, she invited two pint-sized friends on stage to help prepare her sweet & sour pork chops.
Giada's Little Helpers
Tiny fingers sure can be generous with the salt! It’s a good thing this was all for show and no one was actually eating these chops!
The Kids Were Very Generous with the Seasoning
Giada’s Sweet & Sour Pork Chops
Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins
Serves 4
4 Boneless Pork Chops
Salt and Pepper to Taste
1/2 cup Honey
1/2 cup Balsamic Vineagar
3 sprigs of Rosemary
1 bunch Scallions, diced
Add the honey, balsamic, rosemary and scallions to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick pan to medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Cook pork chops 4 minutes on one side and 3-5 minutes on the other side, or until slightly pink in the center. Remove from heat, add to a plate and pour sweet & sour sauce over top.
With mere seconds left on the clock for her demo, Giada still made time to call up another set of eager helpers to whip up the world’s fastest batch of double chocolate cookies. It was all for show, but the benefit of being on set is the {voila} already made finished product. And the benefit of sitting in the front row, is snagging one as the helpers return to their seats with a full plate of chocolate-y goodness. For all you chocolate bakers out there, I asked Giada what her preferred chocolate to bake with is and she said Ghirardelli is the best {but Giada, you have to get the pronunciation correct, it’s Gear-ar-delly with a hard G like SpaGHetti!}
Giada's Helpers Whipping Up Double Chocolate Cookies
The Benefits of the Front Row
Another tasty New York City Wine & Food Festival event. Everyone benefits from the up-close access to some of Food Network’s biggest stars. Food Bank for New York City, Share Our Strength, the fans and my readers!
Yes Alton, I'm Still Saving You A Seat at 8.ate@eight
Alton Brown considers himself a Southern cook and lives by the motto that everything that happens in the kitchen is about science. And what is the defining flavor of the South, you ask? Bourbon, of course. Bringing those two perspectives together during his New York City Wine & Food Festival demo, Alton concocted three classic Bourbon recipes shared in the post below:
Bourbon Mint Julep Bourbon Ice Cream Bourbon Banana’s Foster
It’s 11am and Time for a Mint Julep
Alton Brown’s Bourbon Mint Julep Prep Time: 3-5 mins Serves 1
10 mint leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 jigger Bourbon
Ice
Seltzer or Club Soda
Add the mint leaves and sugar to your glass and gently muddle to bruise the leaves, but careful not to tear {about 3-5 turns of a muddler}. Add a full jigger of Bourbon, fill the cup with ice and top off with seltzer water or club soda. Alton recommends not stirring for a stronger surprise near the bottom of your swig.
Gentle Muddling is Key
Getting into the science behind cooking with Bourbon, Alton pulled out the periodic table and his chemistry notes to explain that ethyl {found in alcohol} doesn’t freeze — in fact it acts as an antifreeze. So when making something scrumptious like Bourbon ice cream, it’s important to mimic the flavors you would find in Bourbon, with non-alcoholic ingredients. Pulling out a glass pickle jar for easy ingredient shaking and a large canister of liquid nitrogen {clearly not in most home kitchens}, Alton revealed a few on-stage tricks for instant ‘scream.
Alton Brown’s Bourbon Ice Cream
1/4 cup Bourbon
2 cups Half & Half
1/2 cup Agave
1/4 cup Molasses
1/4 cup Buttermilk
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, grated
Handful Chopped Pecans
1/3 cup Bacon, Cooked Extra Crispy
Add the Bourbon, Half & Half, Agave and Molasses to a microwave safe container and microwave until the Molasses dissolves. Allow to cool. Add cooled liquid and rest of ingredients to a tight sealing container {Alton recommends a bulk glass pickle jar} and shake vigorously. Add to home ice cream maker, or if you’re like Alton, add to a Kitchenaid mixer and starting pouring in liquid nitrogen for great effect and a quick freeze {not sure I would actually recommend this}.
It's All About Science in the Kitchen
Adding a Touch of Bourbon for Authenticity
Shake Shake Shake
Everything Into the Mixer (Including the Liquid Nitrogen)
Wrapping up the 45-minute demo, Alton pulled out a few more tricks, this time involving flames, to make a Banana’s Foster dessert to pair with the Bourbon Ice Cream. An important ingredient to making this dessert successfully is heat from the caramelized sugar. Without it, the Bourbon would not burn on its own. And note to the parents out there, it’s impossible to boil out all the alcohol because steam from the cooking process puts the flame out first….so if you want little Johnny to fall asleep early, this might be the dessert for him.
Alton Brown’s Bourbon Banana’s Foster
Cook Time: 7 mins
Serves 2
2 TBS unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 under ripe bananas, sliced in half lengthwise
1/4 cup bourbon 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
Melt butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over low heat. Add brown sugar and nutmeg and stir until sugar dissolves. Add bananas and cook for 1 minute on each side, carefully spooning sauce over bananas as they are cooking. Bring sauce to a simmer and carefully add the bourbon. If the sauce is very hot, the alcohol will flame on its own. If not, using stick flame, carefully ignite and continue cooking until flame dies out, approximately 1 to 2 minutes. If sauce is too thin, cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it is syrupy in consistency. Add orange zest and stir to combine. Immediately spoon the sauce over ice cream and serve.
Alton Melting the Sugar and Butter with the Bananas
Opa!
Great Bourbon Demo
Great demo and early morning learnings for us science geeks who like to know why something works or doesn’t work in the kitchen! If you liked Alton Brown’s Bourbon in the morning approach, then check out his new book that just came out called Good Eats 2: The Middle Years.
New York City Wine & Food Festival kicked off Thursday night with several star-studded events attracting celebrity chefs, industry big-wigs and foodies for a weekend long line-up of good food for a good cause. The weekend is jam packed with 120 day and nighttime events, seminars, demos, book signings and dinners with up close access and to some of the biggest culinary names and their tasty creations. The best part about it all {besides this being foodie heaven} is that 100% of net proceeds go directly to Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength, two community-based organizations focused on helping to fight hunger — allowing us to literally put our money where our mouth is.
Alton Brown Sock Puppet Blue Print
What better way to launch into a series of eating and drinking events, than by attending the Chelsea Market After Dark event hosted by Food Network great and host of Good Eats, Alton Brown. Every single business operating out of Chelsea Market also showed up with some of their tastiest creations to design an evening centered around an assortment of flavors and bites for foodies to sample as they socialized through the halls of the former Nabisco factory, which is now home to some of NY’s best specialty food shops.
Alton Brown, looking awfully fit and sharp in his corduroy jacket, hosted his own mini-bash amongst some of his set props and scientific paraphernalia, generously mingling and taking photos with the crowd. As fans inched in around him, I jumped in for an intro and took the opportunity to learn a few things worth sharing:
Favorite Kitchen Utensil: His Brain Most Important Dish to Learn for New Cooks: Eggs {I agree!} Favorite Spice: Cumin {have you tried my cumin egg salad recipe Alton? We might be new friends} Favorite Recipe: Whatever his wife makes {always a good answer}
Alton Assuring Me He'll Attend My Next 8.ate@eight Supper Club
Know Your Beef
A True Chemist
Taste Buds Dissected
Chelsea Market is one of my favorite places to shop, with everything from bakeries and farmstand meats to an olive oil filling station and kitchen supply store, there is no shortage of places you can stop in to pick up the makings for a weekday dinner or artisanal products for a unique gift. After hangin’ with Alton’s whimsical puppets and props we explored the rest of the market for other worthy discoveries. Lots to taste, but here are some highlights:
The Lobster Place: Fresh shucked oysters
One of my favorite places to pick up fresh fish or seafood — they have a huge selection of whole, filleted and pre-seasoned fiddies, the prices are reasonable and there is a chowder and sushi bar for a quicker bite when cooking is not an option.
The Lobster Place Shuckin' Oysters
Pure Food and Wine: Pinot Noir Pepper Tarts with Cashew Cheese, Caramelized Shallot and Black Trumpet Mushrooms Don’t run away when I tell you Pureprepares only raw-vegan and organic food. They are doing things with fresh ingredients that would make you believe magical cooking techniques were involved, but in fact everything they serve you has not been cooked. The flavors are extraordinary, the presentation beautiful and you don’t leave feeling in need of undoing a button or two. I love meat just as much as the next carnivore, but this was MY FAVORITE bite I sampled the entire evening. There’s something to say for not messing with nature.
Pure Food and Wine Pinot Noir Pepper Tarts
Jacques Torres: Chocolate Chip and Mudslide Cookies
Everyone who knows me knows I’m not big on sweets, but after taking a bite of these I would recommend to all you chocolate lovers to run and get one for yourself. The Jacque Torres chocolate chip cookie was top notch, but the mudslide cookie was a chocolate champion, replacing the butter in the recipe with morechocolate and creating a richness that will make your head spin.
Jacques Torres Chocolate Chip and Mudslide Cookies
Dickson’s Farmstand Meats: Pulled Pork Sliders
After too much chocolate on the tongue, I had to wash it down with something savory again. One of the most popular tables of the evening {as evidenced by the line} was Dickson’s Farmstand Meats pulled pork sliders. And I can understand why — using all locally sourced, artisanal pork, they topped this guy off with a creamy, pickley slaw/spread/relish — whatever you want to call it, it was good. Full of flavor and texture it was MY FAVORITE CARNIVOROUS bite of the night.
Dickensons Farmstand Meats Line Awaiting Pulled Pork Sliders
DFM Pulled Pork Sliders
Yum! ‘nough said.
More to come on other NYC Wine & Food Festival events. In the meantime, stop by Chelsea Market if you haven’t already discovered this mecca of artisanal and good food goodness. Its factory feel is cool enough to check out on its own, but I could get lost for hours among the ever increasing number of shops and stands bringing some of the freshest and best food products to New Yorkers.
A year ago I went to Brooklyn Fare with 7 other close friends to dig into an evening of fine dining and free flowing wine, while seated at a superbly intimate and unique, but casual, chef’s table in the kitchen of Brooklyn Grocery. So I am extremely excited to hear and spread the word that the Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare Grocery was just awarded 2 Michelin stars — one of only 10 restaurants in New York and the only restaurant in Brooklyn.
Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret said the eatery was one of the best 300 restaurants in the world.
In honor of their honor, I thought I would recap the memorable meal. A picture is worth 1,000 words with this post! For a fixed price {wine is BYO}, we watched our meal being prepared table side, chatted with chef, Cesar Ramirez, and left happy, satiated foodies. Reliving this meal through photos makes me want to go back tomorrow! As you can see, what was supposed to be a 5-course tasting menu, actually turned into 13 — hence why we had to call the local wine store to restock our supply {come prepared}! The evening started out with a shot of Lemon Verbena Foam
Starting out with a shot of Lemon Verbena Foam
And A Bite Sized Parmesan Macaroon
Followed by a fried ball of liquid foie gras. WHAT! Amazing liquid gold in a bite.
And then Crispy Crab Balls {not pictured}, leading to Fresh Oysters w/ Sea Water Gelatin Film
Fresh Oysters w/ Sea Water Film
On to more foamy goodness — Parmesan Foam, Shaved Lemon Zest and a generous heap of Truffles
Parmesan Foam, Shaved Lemon Zest and Truffles
And a lighter Hamachi Crudo w/ Soy and Lime
Hamachi w/ Soy and Lime
Finished Product
The beginnings of Crab and avocado wrapped in bibb lettuce, topped with button mushrooms and shaved porcini — An amazingly rich, but light; fresh, but earthy contrast of flavors.
Laying the Avocado Foundation
And then the Crab Roll
Crab and avocado wrapped in bibb lettuce, topped with button mushrooms and shaved porcini
Our taste buds were doing jumping jacks, but this was nothing compared to the next dish:Egg, truffle foam and fried italian black rice. You can only imagine how well this combination of both consistencies and flavors played together. I quickly started to lose track of which course we were on or if these dishes were even on the listed menu — it was one tantalizing bite after another. With a lot of wine to wash it down!
Egg, truffle foam and fried italian black rice. A-mazing.
And just when the rich flavors start to make your head spin in glee, Chef Ramirez lightens things back up with a Fish stew with lobster, frog legs, octopus, cod cheeks, topped with lobster foam.
Fish stew with lobster, frog legs, octopus, cod cheeks, topped with lobster foam
And a most interesting John Dory with Veal Jus— redefining surf & turf?
John Dory with Veal Jus
And to finish off the savory menu, a highly seasonal and highly delightful, Milk fed pork, baby leeks, shaved apple stack topped with melted powdered caramel.
Milk fed pork, baby leeks, shaved apple stack topped with melted powdered caramel.
Of course, the evening also ended with something sweet, colorful and fantastically fun to eat. Poached plum, topped with ricotta, 26-year aged balsamic, muscato gelee and plum marshmallows.
Poached plum, topped with ricotta, 26-year aged balsamic, muscato gelee and plum marshmallows.
I could not begin to describe the complexity and brilliance of this meal with words, so hopefully the photos are enough to make your mouth sing. I’m guessing the wait list is longer than a line at Whole Foods on a Saturday afternoon, so get your friends, set a date many months from now and get involved. When you make your reservation be sure to ask for the recommended local wine store that will help pair wines with the meal the day prior {just plan for more courses than revealed and don’t be shy about sharing with Chef Ramirez and his team}.
Chef-owner Roberto Passon {of Bocca di Bacco} opened his own venture Aria in the past few months, featuring small plates {cicchetti} and small glasses {ombre} of Italian food and fruits of the vine. Like most wine bars, it’s small, dimly lit, with exposed brick and a chalkboard menu — and lacks a full kitchen. But just because they’ve constructed a quaint atmosphere, doesn’t mean they haven’t figured out how to send out lip smacking food that you’re reluctant to share.
Aria Grilled Lamb Chops
We started with the burrata {just say the word and I’ll order it}, but followed that with the best plate of the evening — two grilled lamp chops in a balsamic vinegar sauce. They were just the right amount of salty with each sweet, juicy, herby bite. I found myself wanting more than the one I was alloted {my half of the plate} but our over-excited bartender-waiter insisted we order the gorgonzola stuffed dates. This is the type of thing that you know is probably not good for the waistline, but you enjoy every bite — dates, stuffed with gorgonzola and wrapped in prosciutto before being cooked to a crisp outer layer. It’s a rich morsel of chewy goodness. Four was too many though, so these we did happily share with our new bar stool friends perched to our left.
Aria Gorgonzola Stuffed Dates
The Skim: You don’t have to go for the food to enjoy Aria though. With a generous amount of bar space given the size of the bar {seats wrap around to the bar tending side}, it’s easy to order a few ombres of wine or house cocktails, quickly make friends with the bartender {who is all too eager to pour you a shot of Italian liquor} and have a harmonic evening. It makes for a great date destination, place to grab some vino with friends or perhaps make some new ones.
Inspired by her planned trip to Paris, my roommate purchased the Barefoot Contessa’s cookbook, Barefoot in Paris. And eager for the departure, we sat down one evening to plan a meal to bring a little taste of French cuisine to the comforts of our NYC apartment. The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for cheese straws is simple, but outstanding! I would encourage everyone to keep a box of puff pastry in the freezer at all times for an impromptu addition to your next dinner party or to simply add a little flavor flare to a mid-week meal. And you could really substitute a number or herbs and cheese to take these straws in your own direction (rosemary and parmesan, chili powder and aged gouda, or cinnamon and sugar for a breakfast/dessert straw)
Barefoot Contessa’s Cheese Straws
Prep Time: 5-10 mins | Cook Time: 10-15 mins Makes 22-24 Straws
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted in the fridge
1 extra-large egg (large is fine)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup finely grated Gruyere cheese
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Roll out each sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured board or counter until it’s 10×12 inches. Beat the egg with 1 TBS of water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1/4 cup of Parmesan, 1/2 cup of Gruyere, 1/2 tsp of the thyme, 1/2 tsp of the salt and some pepper.
Step 1. Roll flavorings into puff pastry
With the rolling pin, lightly press the flavorings into the puff pastry. Cut each sheet crosswise with a floured knife or pizza wheel into 11-12 strips. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Step 2. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets
Bake for 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 2 minutes. Don’t overbake or the cheese will burn. Cook and serve at room temperature.
Sometimes you just want a good reliable NYC bar and restaurant — a place you can grab lunch mid-week, a cold beer after work with friends or a handcrafted cocktail on a saturday night with intriguing ingredients such as orange blossom water, egg white and small production rye. It’s hard to find all those things in one destination, but Rye House has succeeded in creating a reliable bar and restaurant menu with reverence for traditional American spirits and cuisine.
I met my friend for lunch on a cold rainy day and shook off the chill with a soup and sandwich combo. It pleasantly reminded me of something I may have been able to order if I sauntered in off the cobblestone street of New York City circa 1850. The Spring Onion Potato Soup with a sourdough crouton and provolone was served in a sturdy handled bowl and was just the hearty starter I needed.
RyeHouse Spring Onion Soup
The “Pittsburgh” sandwich was the perfect pairing to go with the simple flavors of the onion soup and had its own warming qualities with a unique combo of grilled andouille sausage, provolone, house slaw, fries all stacked together and served on a wooden plank. The spice of the sausage was nicely mellowed out by the crisp slaw, and while the fries weren’t exactly necessary on the sandwich, they added a different sort of salty, crispy bite that made this a lunch to remember {lunch menu HERE}.
RyeHouse Pittsburgh
The Skim: With a long welcoming bar placed near the front and high tables along the wall, the casual atmosphere of Rye House invites you to stop in for whatever you’re in the mood for — a good craft draft, a creative cocktail or memorable, but simple American cuisine. Rye House also holds weekly beer tastings featuring a changing selection of craft brews, so this may just be the perfect place to discover some of the names appearing at NY Craft Beer week.
NY Craft Beer Week is an annual celebration of New York City and its craft beer community. The week’s events range from neighborhood beer walks and bar promotions to tasting festivals, food pairings and beer dinners. So when I was invited to the NYC Brewer’s Choiceevent at City Winery this week, I grabbed my drinking stein and shoes and headed downtown for what was sure to be a hop-ping good time. City Winery rolled out the wine barrels and rolled in the kegs to throw the best beer bash I have ever been to {even if you count college}. The space was packed with beer aficionados and regular eager amber samplers like myself, who had about 20 breweries to sip suds from and several artisan food purveyors generously pairing our brew with some tasty bites.
Patience and a penchant for tipping back a glass swiftly is what it took to power through the crowds and extensive selection in order to cover the spread thoroughly. There were definitely some highlights and unique brews worth making note of and keeping on your short list for the next time you visit the local pub.
Crafting Crowd
Empire Brewing Company: Roasted Pumpkin Ale (Syracuse, NY)
Made with over 100 lbs of fresh roasted pumpkins from Critz’s Farm in Cazenovia, NY. The pumpkins are added to the mash and then the beer is spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove. Deep amber in color, this autumn ale is the perfect cross between a cream soda and a pumpkin pie. It is a DE-LIC-OUS draft!
Ballast Point: Navigator Dopplebock (San Diego, CA)
Brandy barrel-aged, this brew was deep brown with a thick foamy head and strong chocolate and coffee flavors. It was easy to drink and the brandy added a complexity that paired very nicely with the 70% Mast Brothers dark chocolate they were serving.
Ommegang: Cup o Kyndness (Cooperstown, NY)
Appropriately named after a line from Scottish poet, Robert Burns’, poem Auld Lang Syne, this Belgian-Scotch style ale was a wee bit smokey and reminiscent of, well, a glass of scotch. One of the more unique pours of the evening, I would highly suggest this on a cold, rainy evening or when you’re looking for something a little different to warm the soul.
Stillwater Cellar Door (Baltimore, MD)
A light golden color, Cellar Door, exhibited hints of tangerine and sage, two delightfully refreshing flavors that made this brew a selection I could sip on a stellar summer day or as a perfect pairing with some salty cheeses or seafood.
Turns out I’m actually bad about taking pictures of drinks, so you’ll have to settle for snapshots of some of the highlights from the food pairings.
Betty Brooklyn,a brooklyn based private chef and caterer,whipped up some amazing deviled eggs with pancetta topping off the delicacy. The yolk was incorporated with some of the rendered pancetta fat homemade mayonnaise and dijon to create a salty, creamy, smoky pillow of flavor in one bite.
Betty Brooklyn: Deviled Eggs
Mama O’s Premium Kimchi was cookin’ up some crazy good kimchi chili and kimchi salsa. That makes so much sense — hot peppery, gingery, pickled Korean flavor goodness meets American classics — why hasn’t anyone done that before!
Mama O's: Kimchi Chili and Salsa
Orwasher’s Bakerycrafted some creative crusty breads using Six Point Ale, combining old world technique with new world flavors to create a super soft center surrounded by a crust that echos when you tap it…just how good artisan bread should be!
Orwasher's Artisan Rustic Beer Breads
Clearly a evening to remember — if I can after all that beer. So next time you visit your local Cheer’s, ask if they carry any of these craft drafts and give these suds a sip or two to suit your mood.
TRAVEL@8: Some of the best food experiences and discoveries can be found when away from home. I know when I travel, the first thing I do is ask friends who have been to the same destination for recommendations of favorite local eateries. Now you can easily access 8.ate@eight’s favorite Travel Bites from the new tab at the top called TRAVEL@8. I hope this page inspires you to try new things, wherever your passport takes you. Eat up!
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La Scienza in Cucina e L’Arte di Mangiar Bene (The Science of cookery and the Art of Eating Well)is an iconic cookbook found in nearly every Italian household and is also known by the shorter name of its author, L’Artusi. I don’t know if it’s more fitting to say the NYC restaurant L’Artusi lives up to that iconic name or to say they are creating their own modern version of the Art of Eating Well through the complex, yet traditional Italian flavors that grace each plate. Either way, it was my selected destination of choice to celebrate Puglia Wine Week, and yes, we ate and drank very very well.
L’Artusi, the sister restaurant of dell’anima, partnered with Apulian wine producer Agricole Valloneto feature several of the best wines from this region and complement each pour with dishes inspired by Apulian cuisine. Agricole Vallone produces wines from three different estates located in Brindisi and Salentino, both found in the most southern region of Puglia known as Salento {the stiletto tip of the boot for those of you less familiar with Italian geography}. The region is known for its breathtaking views of the Adriatic and producing the Negroamaro grape using a traditional Pugliese tree technique. Sounds like a place I need to visit, but for now I’ll settle for an enjoyable evening of local pairings while sporting my own heels.
L'Artusi
To start, we ordered the housemade ricotta with sea salt and lemon, served with a side of raisin-mustard seed marmalade jam and homemade buttermilk crackers, as well as the scallop crudo, sliced thinly and served simply with lemon and olive oil. Our server paired this with the Vigna Flaminio Brindisi Rosato doc 2009. The creaminess of the ricotta and surprisingly light buttermilk crackers were outstanding on their own, but also worked perfectly with the deep pink rosé that exhibited sweet floral and cherry aromas.
L'Artusi Housemade Fresh Ricotta with Sea Salt, Lemon and Homemade Buttermilk Crackers
One of the reasons I love L’Artusi {and dell’anima} so much is because of their small plate, sharing approach to the menu. It’s a great way to sample new flavors and also solves the menu indecision problem that I’m often faced with {just bring a few friends and start ordering!}. The next two plates that followed were unanimously agreed around the table to be two of the best dishes of the evening. The beef carpacio with horseradish crema and rye crisps was so simple, but the crunchiness of the crispy bits and the mustardy kick of the horseradish added a unique depth. The roasted mushrooms with pancetta, fried egg and ricotta salata was my personal favorite — it was sharp, creamy and earthy and had a subtle kick from the pickled chili that was an unexpected, but welcomed surprise. Both dishes went extremely well with the Vereto Salice Salentino Riserva Rosso doc 2006, a 90% Negroamaro red with hints of pepper and chocolate.
L'Artusi Beef Carpacio with Horseradish Crema and Rye Crisps
L'Artusi Roasted Mushrooms with Pancetta, Fried Egg and Ricotta Salata
To finish off the evening we ordered two pasta dishes, but the highlight was an off-the-menu item that arrived from the kitchen and was an incredible celebration of the fall season. Butternut squash ravioli — not an uncommon menu item, but add marscapone cheese, a brown butter sauce and fresh grated parmesan and you have a perfect little package of flavors that would make any taste bud happy.
L'Artusi Special Butternut Squash with Marscapone and Ricotta
“I want to sleep in a pillow of whatever is in that ravioli”
— overheard @ L’Artusi
To pair, we closed out the meal with two reds tasted side-by-side, the Vigna Flaminio Brindisi Riserva doc 2006 and the Graticciaia Salento Rosso igt 2005. Both ruby red in color, the Graticciaia was made in an amarone-style, with 30% dry grapes and 70% fresh, which resulted in a dryer finish but opened up nicely over time and held up to the heavier pasta plates.
Agricole Vallone Wines
Table with a View - L'Artusi's Open Kitchen
The Skim: Uno) Eat at L’Artusi. With a menu featuring an artful list of crudo, veggie, pasta, fish, meat, cheeses and desserts, you won’t have a hard time eating well or creating a satisfying shared table evening. Due) Drink Apulian vino. Next time you’re looking through a wine list and perplexed by the plentiful picks, opt for a Negroamaro, Bombino Biano or Primitivo, three varietals common of the region. And for those of you who care, Puglia is the second largest producer {after Sicily} or organic wines, an indication of the important role agriculture plays in this unique Italian region. Buon Appetito and Salute!
In honor of Puglia Wine Week and to bring you a special edition from the hills of Italy, I asked my brother to contribute a guest blog recapping the honeymoon highlights from Puglia. So much to say and eat, so grab a glass of vino and enjoy!
Guest Grubber: Brian D. When we were choosing our honeymoon destination it was pretty daunting to know that we could go anywhere in the world we wanted and that we were about to escape for three weeks of uninterrupted freedom. Since both of us are gainfully employed by companies we do not own, it was pretty clear to us that this opportunity doesn’t come around all that often. Because of that, the paradox of choice kicked in in a big way and we struggled to narrow it down to a short list. We made our way through all of the continents and ultimately came to the conclusion that we wanted to go somewhere with good weather, great food and to a place that neither of us had been before.
After checking the September weather patterns of almost every place on earth, our final decision was to travel to southern Italy and make our way by car from Puglia, through Calabria and into Sicily. Interestingly, we went into the trip thinking that it was going to be all about Sicily, but now that we are home it is clear that the star of the three weeks was our time in Puglia. Puglia, for those that don’t know, is the region of Italy in the “heel of the boot”.
Puglia, or Apulia, is an interesting place. It is more agricultural, than industrial, and it is definitely a much less popular tourist destination than some of the bigger cities like Rome and Florence or areas like the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast. The accommodations in the area are based largely on the concept of Agritourism, where people stay at farmhouses, or “Masserias”, that were fortified back in the days when the landowners had to deal with foreign intruders and have since been converted into very comfortable bed & breakfasts. The place we stayed was called Masseria Torre Coccaro, a 39 room country estate halfway between the airports of Bari and Brindisi and surrounded by acres of olive groves and vegetable gardens.
Masseria Torre Coccaro
We stayed at Coccaro for 7 nights and used it as our base to explore the region. In hindsight, we couldn’t have chosen a better place and, unfortunately for our waistlines, we were able to sample some of the best food we have ever tasted. Here are the highlight bites:
The restaurant at Torre Coccaro
Fresh Seafood from Savelletri
Set in stables from the 1600’s, the restaurant offered up some of the best food on our trip. First off, their breakfast put the rest of the hotels we stayed at to shame. As for the rest of the meals, they collaborated with local farmers and bordering Masserias to source the best meats and cheeses. They had a network of people that help them find wild products like porcini and cardoncelli mushrooms, asparagus, snails, myrtle and berries. The nearby fishing village of Savelletri brought them fish daily, including freshly-caught scampi, shrimp, tuna, snapper, and local spiny lobsters. To top that off, almost all the fruits and vegetables served are produced on the estate.
Cooking School at Torre Coccaro This wasn’t something we planned to do, but when we arrived at the property and learned that there was a school on site we couldn’t pass it up. We had a ton of fun with chef Donato, learning how to make typical Apulian dishes including fresh bread, 6 or 7 different types of pasta, a simple pizza with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and capers, a fried version of a calzone called “Panzerotto” that is unique to the region, sautéed “sweet olives” that were picked that day and unlike anything I have ever had, an eggplant terrine and baked fish (Orata) with fresh vegetables. Luckily we weren’t forced to eat everything we made, but we were able to sample most of them. Needless to say, we didn’t have dinner that night!
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Local Puglia “Mozzarella Farm” Another treat that was offered up on arrival was a visit to the farm just down the road that raised cows and made fresh mozzarella and burrata cheese daily. For those that don’t know, “burrata” means buttered in Italian and is usually made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella and the inside usually contains both mozzarella and cream. That said, this farm also made another version of burrata filled with fresh ricotta, which was new to me and even better than the classic version…who knew it was possible. Believe it or not, we spent 45 minutes with 3 workers that spoke about 3 words of English, collectively. It could have had something to do with the free samples they kept pushing on us, but we just couldn’t tear ourselves away.
Hand Pulling Mozzarella
Masseria Il Frantorio Another masseria,Il Frantorio, just down the road and on the way to the town of Ostuni, gave us one of the culinary highlights of the trip. They served up a seven course meal that was both creative and delicious. So much so that we didn’t realize that the entire meal was almost entirely vegetables (sourced from their garden on the property of course, BUT vegetables nonetheless!) It wasn’t until the last main course, when a filet of local swordfish was served, that we looked at each other and said “wow, I didn’t even notice”. The highlight of the meal was a pair of fried carciofi (artichokes) drizzled with reduced sweet wine alongside lampascioni fritti (hyacinth bulbs) with orange honey. Pretty simple, but super delicious when paired with a glass of late harvest Primitivo di Manduria.
Fried Carciofi at Il Frantorio
Al Fornello di Ricci In the town of Ceglie Messapica lies a restaurant calledAl Fornello di Riccithat Mario Batali called the best in Puglia.
“The place is perfect! If you are within 200 miles of this place and choose not to eat here, you are mistaken” — Mario Batali
Needless to say, we are suckers for marketing, or at least Batali hype, so we had to check it out. The meal did not disappoint. Across the board, the dishes were simple, but the flavor of each was intense. We knew we were in the right place when the tasting menu kicked off with a selection of eight different antipasti, ranging from simple beet chips to fried zucchini blossoms stuffed with fresh ricotta. After that we had two pasta courses, a main of locally-raised lamb, and dessert — each course paired with a different wine and included in the fixed price. Delicious. The only downside was the 45 minute drive back to Coccaro after the meal…as you might expect, driving on Italian country roads while in a food coma isn’t usually a recipe for success.
Fava Bean Crostini and Fried Zucchini Blossoms
I could probably keep going, as there are tons of other great meals and experiences that I left out, but it’s really just more of the same goodness. So as the Italians say, “Basta!!!” or “enough”.
Overall the trip to Puglia far exceeded our expectations and the fact that it never felt touristy and overrun just made it that much more special. We came home with the feeling that we had somehow outsmarted the rest of the tourists in Italy, standing in line at the Uffizi in Florence or craning their necks to take in the tower in Pisa. We couldn’t be happier with our decision to spend a week there and in some ways wish it was longer. Our only fear now is that we don’t get back before the rest of the world figures out what a great region it is!
Foodies, NY-ers and SF-loyalists alike made their way to MoMA PS1 in Long Island City on Friday, for what was to be a food face-off of epic proportions {all in the name of charity of course}. After David Chang, of the Momofuku empire, dropped a comment that “fuckin’ every restaurant in San Francisco is just serving figs on a plate with nothing on it. Do something with your food,” San Francisco-based chefs packed their knives and headed east to prove otherwise.
Le Grand Fooding
As a 3-block long line of eager eaters made their way through the entrance, they were handed four tickets good for a glass of Veuve, Cotes du Rhone red wine and two Belvedere Vodka cocktails concocted by drink masters, Jim Meehan of Please Don’t Tell{NYC} and Erick Castro from Rickhouse {SF} to enjoy alongside a selection of tastings prepared by notable chefs themselves under nothing more than pop up tents and the stars.
As far as the cocktails go, Jim Meehan won this face-off hands down. Using the new line of Belvedere Citrus, he shook up what he called the Park Side Fizz, a blend of Vodka, Orgeat {a sweet syrup made from almonds, sugar and orange- flower water}, Lemon, Fresh Mint and Soda. It was refreshing, not too sweet and went down all too easily, as I painfully discovered the next morning.
Park Side Fizz, Jim Meehan, Please Don't Tell
With drinks in hand we patiently lined up to try as many of the food stations as we could. With a large crowd and real-time food prep, some of the lines were longer than ideal, but this made a winning dish that much more of a satisfying bite. Here’s the scoop…
Le Grand Fooding @ MoMA PS1
Laurence Jossel,Nopa{SF} — Grilled Pork Shoulder Loin {aka Country Rib} with Early Girl Tomato Jam on Toast won my vote for Best Dish of the Evening!! Marinated for 4 hours, then slowly grilled for 35 minutes, this pork was full of flavor and tender on its own, but the sensory scales were quickly tipped by the most amazingly sweet, vinegary tomato jam that had hints of ginger and lovingly topped the stack of crostini and pork. I loved this dish so much I waited in line three times and am strongly considering booking a flight to SF to pay homage to a man who could create such a delicacy.
“I feel like I’m gonna go hug them for making something so delicious” — overheard @ Le Grand Fooding
Grilling Up Some Pork Shoulder, Nopa
Nopa Tomato Jam and a Classic T-Shirt
Best Dish of the Night: Grilled Pork Shoulder with Tomato Jam, Nopa
David Sclarow, Pizza Moto {Brooklyn} — Grilled Pizza with Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Lemon, Sea Salt and Basil. So simple, but with that list of fresh ingredients it was well worth the wait, especially since they were pairing it with a glass of generously poured red wine.
David Sclarow of Pizza Moto
Pizza Prep
David Chang, má pêche {NY} — Bodega Granola. A play on yogurt granola cups sold at corner delis, the bodega granola walks a fine line between sweet and savory, constructed from walnut granola topped with beet reduction tapioca, goat cheese foam, beet chips and greens.
Bodega Granola, ma peche
Mario Carbone & Rich Torrisi, Torrisi {NY} — Pickle Salad New Yorkese. This was one of the most unique dishes of the evening, with a nod to traditional deli items, the salad of cucumber and pickle slices was topped with corned lambs tongue and dressed with a a mustard-red vinegar dressing. Probably not the first thing I would normally order, but somehow it just worked.
Pickle Salad New Yorkese, Torrisi
The word on the street is the Tennessee-style fried chicken by Robert Newton, Seersucker {NY} was outstanding, but I didn’t wait in the hour-long line to confirm for myself. I’m guessing the wait confirms it though.
All in all, a great evening that raised a lot of money for Action Against Hunger, brought more awareness to a number of all ready notable chefs and restaurants and provided a great venue for social noshing and imbibing under the lights of New York.
Don’t let the rain keep you inside, there is so much to DO! this week. In addition to being EAT, DRINK LOCAL Week, it’s The First Ever Puglia Wine Week! You don’t have to live in NY to get excited either — the Puglia Wine restaurant roadshow is taking place in NY, L.A., San Francisco, Houston and Chicago! Find your favorite participating Italian restaurant, make a reservation and start swirling and twirling! My brother and his wife just returned from their honeymoon in Puglia and after seeing video of homemade burrata and pasta from the trip, I got very excited when I learned about a week of opportunity to explore more about this lesser known, but amazingly delicious region in Italy.
All food and wine lovers that will dine in these restaurants will have the chance to start their meals with delicious regional specialties, try wines from one of the best wineries of the region, and personally meet the producer in a casual, relaxed environment. Each sommelier of the participating restaurant will guide and educate the customers about the winery and each chef will create special recipes inspired by Apulian cuisine to exalt the wines and celebrate the occasion. During the course of the three days, restaurants will continue to propose diners pair their recipes with glass of wine from the host winery.
Find a participating restaurant HEREand get involved! Reservations can be made directly with the restaurant of choice.
Can’t make dinner? Try some tastings at participating wine storesHERE.
Second Annual EAT DRINK LOCAL week Brought to you byedible magazines andGrowNYC September 26-October 6, 2010
This harvest-time celebration of the local food chain, in collaboration with Edible magazines across the empire State, celebrates the restaurants, wine shops and wineries, breweries and beer bars, farms and food artisans, cheesemakers, bakers and everyone who feeds us.
Co-produced by Edible magazines and GrowNYC, the aim is threefold:
To raise awareness about the bounty of products grown in the region.
To drive customers to the restaurants and other businesses that support local food and drink
To raise funds for a charitable partner dedicated to promoting regional agriculture.
Some major events planned during the week:
September 23. An Amish style heirloom vegetable auction to be held at Sotheby’s
Throughout the summer, the Union Square and Grand Army Plaza Greenmarkets will feature cooking demos from partner chefs, New York wine pourings and other happenings.
8.ate@eight 