foodie nyc

Memorial Day Grilling

There are a few things I don't like about living in NYC.  I'd say close to number one on the list is not being able to have a yard and then, of course, a dedicated area to serve my male desire to light fires and cook my dinner alfresco like the yuppy caveman I am.   

Instead, I get to cook my summer dinners in an air conditioned apartment while looking forward to the few times I'll get to grill over the course of the summer season.  This Memorial Day was one of those rare times and it was worth all of my "pain" and "suffering".

You'll notice my favorite Weber grill.   Forget about BTUs, fancy yuppie chrome and easy clean up. 

I enjoy flavor with my Q, so while I am yet to master wood, I grill with charcoal.  I stare blankly at those lucky grill owners who claim that gas grills are easier to deal with.  Weekends are made for backyards and grills - 5 minutes of extra time is so worth it to me.

This weekend I did what I tend to always do - grill lobster.  You can read about my preferred method here.  Nothing like butter, mint and lobster with some of that nice charcoal flavor.  I also grilled avocado and nectarines, which is a nice combination.

I then wanted to do a hunk o' meat, cooked on low heat for most of the afternoon.  But I didn't have as much time as needed, so instead I went with a technique I haven't experimented with before - the cedar plank. 

After soaking the plank, all I did was dust my fresh piece of halibut with green curry, put it on the plank and then placed them on the grill (I also added a tomato, as you can see).  Unfortunately, the green curry sort of overwhelmed the delicate cedar plank flavors, so that was a good lesson learned. 

It was very tasty, however.  I grilled some corn, jalapenos and scallions for a salad to go with the fish.   

Can someone invite me over and let me BBQ for them all day? I need to grill a marinated leg of lamb or maybe a flank steak.  I have limited experience but I'll definitely promise to grill lobster and bring some good wine (and beer).  Pretty please?

A Buttery Fresh Pear

I enjoy when wine geeks make crazy analogies about what a specific wine tastes like to them.  Some of the most enjoyable descriptions and analogies are the kind you never see attached to your name in print.

But since I enjoy being the butt of jokes, I'll actually make a geeky analogy about the flavor profile of a wine I am very much enjoying right now.  It's the 2003 Landmark Overlook Chardonnay from Sonoma.  It's a fantastic wine that is buttery, rich with a nicely balanced brightness that is far from being overoaked.  In describing how this wine tastes, I was thinking about butter. And fresh fruit. I think I'd say that this wine tastes like a fresh slice of pear being dunked in drawn butter.  Now that is kind of disgusting to me and I'm not sure I'd want to eat that, but the buttery, fresh, crisp nature of this wine leads me to make this (foolish?) analogy.   I have enjoyed the Landmark with a morel tart and many of the spring treats I've been making recently.  For about $20, this is a nice pick up for the warm weather months ahead. Find it here.

Sausage, Morel, Asparagus Tart

Sorry for the lack of stimulation here over the past week.  Really slammed at work, a bit under the weather...yeah yeah. No, seriously though, having a cold is one of the most painful things for me as I tend to avoid drinking wine, as I can't enjoy the experience with a stuffed nose and diminished senses.  Since I can't appreciate wine in this state, I tend to just avoid even trying.  Boo hoo.  OK, I'll stop whining now and continue to enjoy beer for a few more days until I get back in wine drinking shape.

Until then, here's a dish I made a few weeks ago.  The general thought behind this idea was developed around creating a spring pot pie.  I would poach the morels per my usual method, then use the creamy mushroom liquid as a sauce within the pot pie to flavor vegetables like asparagus, carrots and peas.  I made a buttery pastry, rolled it out thinly (not thin enough though) and placed it into a nonstick muffin tin.  I blind baked the dough (with dried beans inside and nothing else), took it out of the oven and let it cool.  In the meantime, I cooked some sweet Italian-style sausage, blanched the vegetables, and added everything to the poached morels and the mushroom sauce.  After that, I just filled the tarts and served warm.  I obviously strayed from the pot pie concept, so I'll just have to call this a tart.  Spring pot pie has a better ring to it, so I'll need to experiment with that before the season ends.....

Curry Ricotta Gnudi, Mushroom Reduction, Fried Sage

Do you know I'm obsessed with gnudi? The question is, why aren't you? NYCers that have been to The Spotted Pig know what I mean.  These ricotta, egg, flour gnocchi like dumplings are light, flavorful and easy to prepare.  After a brief time in hot water, they can get incorporated into virtually any flavorful sauce that strikes your fancy.   You can also add flavors to the raw gnudi mixture itself.  In this case, I added a touch of ground curry powder to it, anticipating that the earthy flavors of the curry would be a natural fit for a mushroom sauce I'd be making.  The mushroom sauce was a simple reduction of a mushroom stock I had handy, but you could experiment here...that's the fun of cooking, right? Finally, in thinking about finishing this dish, I wanted a crispy, crunchy texture that would contrast and enhance the soft, light qualities of the gnudi.  I chose to fry sage in vegetable oil for only a minute or so to accomplish this.  The sage added another interesting earthy element to the dish, tying it all together.

My recipe for gnudi is outlined in a previous post for a Lobster gnudi dish.  Enjoy!

Fav Leflaive

In the need of a last minute restaurant option while walking around the SoHo area, we landed at Aquagrill.  I hadn't eaten there in close to 5 years (other than an oyster pitstop), mainly because there are more exciting menus to seek out these days.  But being in the area and not willing to wait at Blue Ribbon or plunk down a wad at Fiama, I went with what I knew to be a safe choice with Aquagrill. 

Maybe I'll discuss the restaurant soon, but for me the real standout of the experience was the 2003 Olivier Leflaive from Saint Aubin.  This White Burgundy from Puligny-Montrachet is a 1st Cru, therefore not even close to the top of the line Grand Cru Montrachets that Leflaive produces.  I've tasted some Grand Cru Burgundies both young and old and they are generally worth their hefty price tag.  But I decided that for $50 ish at Aquagrill, we'd try this 1st Cru along with the seafood/spring focused menu.  It was an excellent wine.  Buttery and rich, yet with nice acidity, this wine could have been confused with a modern California Chardonnay.  I know French Chardonnay lovers would bitch-slap me for saying that, but whatever.   Many recent California Chardonnays I have tasted have been very sensitive about the over-oakiness feedback they have been receiving over the years, having replaced the oakiness with an acidic, bright finish to balance their richness.  While I found this Leflaive less buttery and even a touch nutty in comparison to a traditional Cali Chard, I would be bullshitting you if I told you I could tell the difference in a blind tasting.  Anyhow, I loved this wine and tracked it down for $30 a bottle.  Buy a few and enjoy this over the course of spring with dishes like poached morels and ramps.  I also plan on drinking this wine with fresh, creamy corn over the summer.  You NYCers can find this wine here. 

FoodieNYC Restaurant Notebook: May 10, 2006

Every so often I will give a list of restaurant recommendations based on notable and recent dining experiences I've had. These aren't reviews.  No one I know speaks in terms of stars ("Babbo is so three star - you should go!"), so I won't either.

Highly Recommended - You'll Love It

Nougatine - Jean Georges now offers a more casual, less expensive option within his flagship restaurant on the UWS.   It has a serene if unremarkable atmosphere.  It remains a bit stuffy, yet it has energy thanks to a bar that was packed with diners and drinkers alike.  I've dined at JG proper in the past and was completely blown away with the innovative nature of their cooking, plating and flavor combinations.  Hey, that's why JG has four stars.  Nougatine does not really offer that level of innovation.  It focuses on simple, straightforward, perfectly executed dishes featuring the highest quality ingredients.  Indeed, it's the same staff and quality ingredients from the JG kitchen.  We had a tuna tartar dish that was very good but not unique or memorable at all.  A foie brulee was the most innovative dish on the menu and beyond fantastic. A crunchy layer of carmelization was atop a rich, creamy base of foie below.   A strip steak entree was very nicely executed.  The quality of the steak was great - phenomenal beefiness made the dish a standout.  An organic salmon dish with Asian vegetables was again not special in theory, but the quality of the salmon was extraordinary.  Only an average cheese plate at the end of the meal was not up to par (uninspired selections, served too cold, just boring).   Another bonus of the restaurant is access to the JG wine list.  We had a 2001 Rioja for $40 bucks that was excellent.  We got out of there for about $120 ish, which is less than Cesca, Compass, Telepan and many other options within this caliber in the UWS area.

Beppe - I've been to Beppe twice recently.  It's a very casual, homey Italian restaurant with a low key (read: untrendy) atmosphere.  The simple pasta dishes are executed perfectly.  A rabbit tagliatelle, for instance, had braised pieces of rabbit within the pasta, while a clear, flavorful stock/brodo took it over the top for me.  The homemade sausages at Beppe, served as an appetizer, are a favorite.  They have a hint of cinnamon that I find an intriguing and excellent touch.  The fries cannot be missed - they are insanely good.  Insanely.  Good.  Main courses are usually whole grilled fish or simple braised meats.  I've had a braised beef cheek dish with vegetables twice and loved it both times.  Simple Italian classics done right and relatively inexpensively are the hallmarks of Beppe.  The wine list is long but very expensive (not in keeping with the prices of the food or the style of cuisine) in my opinion. 

Upstairs at Bouley -  This restaurant makes me wish I lived in Tribeca.  A very small restaurant that doesn't accept reservations.  Two cooks in the exposed kitchen.  Two sushi chefs at a small sushi bar.  That's it.  The menu is equally as small, with about four or five choices for both appetizers and mains, and a few  selections featured from the sushi bar.  The dishes are very simple and seasonal.  I had a crab salad with asparagus that was excellent, followed by cod in a pea broth that was simply grilled to perfection. The cuisine is very similar in concept and execution as Bouley proper - refined and clean in flavor (i.e. not overly busy with lots of ingredients) but just a bit simpler at Upstairs.  The service can be a bit unorganized and manic. For instance, there are occasions in which have to run across the street to Bouley proper to get the wine you order from the wine list.  They also have some outside seating as well which will be nice for the summer months. 

En Japanese Brasserie - I love the atmosphere and design of this restaurant.  It is elegant, sleek and modern, yet it is mellow and relaxing. Sit at the large communal type table that forms the perimeter of a tranquil pool. We did a $50 pp ten course tasting of their favorite dishes on the menu, served in small bites.  The sashimi we had was very fresh and flavorful.  A tofu tasting was served in a few styles of preparations that were intriguing and unexpected for a tofu novice like myself.  Multiple fish preparations-a shallow fried cod, the ubiquitous black cod miso, sashimi with rice in fish broth - were spot on.  A braised pork belly dish was meaty, flavorful and juicy.  They also have an xxcellent sake list with detailed tasting descriptions for guidance.

A Voce - I've been to A Voce only once thus far and tasted only a few dishes.  I was with a large party, however, and was able to gauge reactions to individual dishes.  Overall, the restaurant is very good and reasonably priced.  I very naturally started to compare the restaurant to Babbo, which I find to be a compliment to A Voce.  Appetizers and salads were a strong point.   The duck meatballs are phenomenal - simple, rich, homey and yet a new taste for me.  A porcini salad with lentils was also very nice - simple and uncomplicated.  A few of the pasta dishes were also a success.  Ramps with parm and speck was an excellent pasta that a few people really loved.  I had the lamb ragu with ricotta and papardelle.  It was very tasty, but I found the balance of ragu to pasta way over the top. I think I would rank both Babbo and Lupa's pasta execution as both superior to A Voce.   Many at the table did not find the entree section of the menu intriguing - only one out of 10 chose an actual entree which tells you something.  Finally, I find the space a bit uninviting and a little tacky, but that's just me.  I personally find A Voce a notch below Babbo in terms of food and wine (though A Voce has a nice list), but still very good overall.   I'd encourage you to make a reservation there.

Recommended, But.....

Jovia -  I found the food at Jovia to be generally unfocused.  One of my biggest pet peeves is overwhelming a dish with flavor upon flavor, ingredient upon ingredient, and in the process losing the essence of the dish.  I found this happening very frequently at Jovia, both in duck and cod entree courses.   I am a tortellini in brodo aficionado, having O.D.'d on it at the source of its conception (the Emilia-Romagna area of Italy).  Jovia's version is pretty weak in comparison.  Finally, the prices are relatively expensive, most likely due to the very nice townhouse in which the restaurant is located.  I wouldn't discourage you from going to Jovia, but I'd rather eat at A Voce or a handful of other ambitious Italian restaurants right now for more focused flavors at a cheaper price.

Urena - I've been to Urena twice now, but have only eaten once.  We had to actually leave the first time we were there, as we were not seated after waiting 45 minutes for a table we reserved.  On our second visit, we did actually get to eat.  The food is pretty good but not great.  I had a braised short rib dish that was very nice.  Otherwise, I would say that the interpretation of Spanish cuisine is uninspired.  For starters, there is chorizo in about every dish.  There are the cliched flavors of Spain (manchego, salt cod, etc) continually repeated over the entire menu and multiple dishes I tasted.  Many of the flavors lacked balance - everything was rich, salty or smokey....that was about it.  I found the menu to be quite small and limiting.  In fact, the tapas are sadly not offered at the table, making this only an appetizer, entree menu.  Finally, the decor here is beyond horrendous.  I actually found it painful to be in the restaurant, as I continued to get flashbacks of eating in Jersey strip malls.  I think the food is OK, the wine list small and generally well chosen, but the atmosphere is an F.  The desserts are actually very good and quite original.  You could do a lot worse, but you have many other choices for more inspired Spanish cuisine in the city.

Smoked Paprika Aioli, Asparagus Potato Chip

I was looking to create a simple bite for guests to enjoy as they arrived for dinner I was preparing at home.  I usually try to have a few bites immediately available for friends as they arrive.  Not only is it a nice touch, but it buys me some time for the other aspects of the dinner that will follow.

This was a case in which I wanted to make something out of leftover ingredients or ingredients that I'd use in another dish later on in the evening.  You may recall the smoked paprika aioli I made for the ILSL May recipe.  I had some of that in the fridge.  I had a few Yukon gold potatoes and immediately decide to slice them thinly and fry them in canola oil to create chips that would be good for eating easily while socializing. I needed another element to add to the chip - I had a crisp saltiness as well as creamy smoky flavors from the aioli, so I went for the earthy, fresh flavor of asparagus.  I was going to use the stems in a dish, so I quickly blanched and reserved the tips to garnish the chip. 

This little bite went over very well - I might include something like this for our next foodie event on June 11 (with a bit of Latin American flare, of course.)

My Dream Jobs in the Food Industry

People always ask me what type of career would interest me in the food industry.  I usually rattle off grandiose plans about opening my own restaurant.   But I recently started to think about other opportunities I'd consider.   Any of you out there that can make these dreams come true should contact me immediately.

Giada's Cleavage Stylist
I can just see it now.....

Director: "All talent on set."

Me: "Hey G, let me have a last look at you before we shoot."

I stare at Giada's cleavage intently while I speak to her.  She is very cool with this.  It's my job.

Me: "Yeah, great.  MMM....maybe we should look at getting more "spillage" going on here.  What are you making? Fritattas? Yeah, definitely need some spillage for this one.  Fritatta episodes are a total snoozefest."

Giada: "Oh, Joe.  You are a genius.  No one knows my cleavage like you do."

In the middle of the shoot, I lean into the director's ear and whisper something. 

Director: "Cuuuuuuutttttt.   We need makeup to take care of Giada.  There's all this glare on her cleav.  Men aren't going to watch this effing fritatta episode with this crappy glare covering up the goods.  Great job, cleav stylist!"

Another day, another cleav successfully styled.

Recipe Editor, Food & Wine Magazine

I always wondered what it would be like to have a job where I could show up intoxicated to work and have it not be an issue.

So after brainstorming a few ideas, I came up with recipe editor for Food & Wine.   Think about it.  There is a team of people sitting around their offices looking for and testing recipes for upcoming issues.  Of course, there would be the kiss ass Type A who would try and come up with relatively interesting recipes that were slightly creative and unique.   But we all know that only consists of 1 or 2 recipes out of the 30 they publish per issue.

Here's a staff meeting:

Type A Editor:  "I was thinking about introducing Americans to this Argentinian style fried cheese I ate there recently.  But maybe we could grill it instead...."

Type F Editor (the position of interest ) : "Urr...I've got a great one.   Roasted red peppers."

All:  "Dude.  You are genius.  Let's put that in the June issue."

Type A Editor, sensing competition: "Uuhhhh.  I know that sugarcane is really big in...uhh....Kansas.  What about shrimp that we serve on a sugarcane?"

All: "Dunno if women in the middle of America will run out and buy some whole sugarcane, but f-it.  Run it!"

Type F Editor, slurring at this point and drooling:  "How'z about...urrrr...(mind blanks)...."Arugula salad? With...uh...parm?"

All:  "Dude, you are an ace! Publish it!  What would we do without you?"

Local Wine Shop Point Rater

Do you every shop at a wine store and see wine ratings from a source other than Wine Advocate (Robert Parker), Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and wonder just who the hell that is? I see this all the time in wine stores and at wine retailer websites.  You'll get a random quote with some descriptors and a point rating, followed by an acronym you've never seen, like LWSO (local wine shop owner).

Who the hell trusts the point ratings from a local wine store owner? Don't they want you to buy the wine? Uh, yeah.  Every.  Bottle.   

I would love to be the local wine shop point rater.  Man, what an easy job.

Owner:  "Joe, I need your scores this week.  Gotta display them so novices think Parker rated some of this swill a 90."

Joe:  "Sure, I'll get right on it."

I go off to the back and look at a sea of cases of the same wine, which I would obviously need to sell and get out of the store. 

"Hints of acid underscore the wild honeysuckle flavors and a bouquet of jasmine and lilly.  Picture running in an empty field with a butterfly dancing playfully around your head.  All of this beauty is trapped inside this bottle of wine.   95 pts, LWSO."   Dude.  Hire me now.

Taco Bell Sour Cream Squirter 

You know you want to shoot sour cream out of this device. 

Not even once?

You're lying to yourself.

LEAD FAKE PLOT WRITER, FOOD TV

Here's a job in which I could come up with half assed ideas and people would think they were good! And they would air before millions of people.  Dream.  Come.  True.

Staff Meeting for Barefoot Contessa Show:

Director of Cliches: OK guys.  You know the drill. Ina can't just cook and serve food to people.  Our audience is border line retarded, so we need to create a fake scenario in which we make them believe Ina is cooking for an occasion.  Got it?

Bunch of drooling, stoned looking people:  "Grunt."

Me:  "Here we go, I hit it on the head.   This has been done 1,000 times, which means it is a tried and true classic.  Ina will make food for a college girl who just finished her finals.  All she has to do is heat up the meal and serve it to her friends."

Director of cliches:  "Seen it!  A lot! On the network in fact....I'M INTRIGUED!!!!"

Me:  "You have Ina cooking.  Then you see the college girl on the street on her cell asking Ina for advice on which flowers to buy for her dinner party.  But here is the kicker.  She goes into the flower shop and has a "real" encounter with the florist.  They read their lines like robots - you know, as if it were real!"

Director of Cliches:  "You're promoted.  We are transferring you to Giada's show.  You can really take those scenarios to another level."

Announcing our June 11th Tasting

Just wanted to let you know that our next foodie tasting event has been announced for June 11, 2006.

Check it out here.

I am very much looking forward to creating a menu focusing on the ingredients, flavors and cooking techniques of some of my favorite Latin American countries.  I will also be incorporating some of the spring treats you've been seeing on this site into the tasting as well.

I hope you'll be able to join us - it should be a lot of fun!

Poached Morels, Roasted Ramps, Ramp Pesto

Here's a little appetizer I created in order to feature two of my favorite ways to serve ramps and morels.  As I've mentioned before, I love to poach morels slowly in half and half.  This produces soft, tender, creamy morels, but it also creates a cream infused morel liquid that I can use as a phenomenal finishing sauce. 

You know how I feel about ramps. I like to separate the white bulbs from the green tops, so I thought I'd use them both in the same dish.  I pan roasted the white ramp bulbs in olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.  I then blanched the green tops for 30 secs, dried them, then pureed them in a food processor with pine nuts, olive oil, and some parm regg cheese to create a pesto-like sauce.  I spoon a little of that morel cream around the ramp and morel salad for an excellent and simple little spring treat. 

Below is my recipe for the poached morels.  Sorry, not in the mood to write recipes for the rest.  Word.

ILSL Recipe: May 2006

Welcome to the second installment of the I Loathe Sandra Lee Monthly Recipe.  This is the May edition, in which we collectively gather on the 'nets to gawk at Sandra Lee's recipe suggestions from her monthly calendar, Semi Suckiness with Sandra Suckass.

As you may recall, this month Sandra suggested we make quesadilla and taco-esque recipes with Pace salsa, store bought guacamole, and Kraft cheese.  Fellow loathers have joined me today to protest her horrendous approach to cooking, as well as her existence on the Food Network (and in my case, planet Earth as well). 

In addition to my own recipe featuring 0% Semi-Homemade ingredients and 100% creativity, I am happy to feature a few recipes from other loathers as well. 

Taco Salad by Chez Megane

Megan from the blog Chez Megane submits a recipe for a chicken taco salad.  Megan impresses us all by doing something that Sandra Lee won't do for the last piece of Kwaanza Cake on Earth - she fries her own tortillas for hard taco shells.  But let's hear it straight from Megan: "It's not that I'm against finding shortcuts in cooking or that I don't understand the need to make meals quickly. There are sacrifices to be made. But, there is a big difference between making these lovely Tacos posted here and Sandra Lee's version of quesadillas that includes jarred Kraft guacamole dip. Have you seen some of the crap this woman makes? Only the devil would actually use the powdered cheese packet from a package of macaroni and cheese in a separate recipe. She's not creative; she's insane!"

Here here, Megan. 
 
Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos by s'kat and the food

When s'kat emailed her submission to me a few days ago, I could tell we had a real loather on hand.  Indeed, s'kat writes "Woo-hoo!  Can I get a 'hell, no!' to processed and heavily refined products in here?"   Damn right you can, s'kat.  S'kat marinates chicken (No, Sandra.  Marinating does not mean covering something in taco seasoning from a box), grills it and places the chicken in the soft taco "...surrounded by just enough vegetables to make you feel good about yourself".   That's right, Sandra.  Feeling good about yourself would be the opposite of how your guests feel when they come over to your house for dinner. 

Check out s'kat's recipe here.

Pollo Con Mole Verde, Frejoles con Puerco by A Chicken in Every Granny Cart

Ann from a Chicken in Every Granny Cart emailed me today with the painful tale of writing a post full of "recipes and banter, links and knowledge, but alas, it's all gone now and I have to go to work, so it'll have to wait til tonight. *sigh*."  Gah!  That's alright Ann, I'll post any of your updated details about your chicken with green mole.  I love green mole and we all know that Sandra has no freaking idea how to make one.  If I had to guess, she would probably mix taco seasoning from an Old El Paso packet with some Mac N Cheese powder and mix it with Kool Whip or something.  Ann, forget about your Wordpress problems and just revel in the fact that you created a dish that I'm sure tasted great.

Check out A Chicken in Every Granny Cart here.

Finally, I'll post a recipe of my own.

Mini Crab Quesadillas with Asparagus and Smoked Paprika Aioli - by FoodieNYC (that's me, loser)

I created mini quesadillas featuring steamed jumbo lump crab.  No Sandra, not that imitation crab you love so much.  This is crab from....a real crab.  I steam the crab and dress it with a fresh, homemade aioli.  Sandra, I know your head is spinning at this point.  You cannot buy aioli in a grocery store.  I guess you can buy mayo, Sandra, but you'd get your broke ass kicked out of countries like Spain for behavior like that.  Finally, I roasted some asparagus and added it to the crab for some spring freshness.   Vegetables, Sandra.  Vegetables.  Think.  Different.

My full recipe for the mini crab quesadilla is below.....