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July 30, 2004
National Cheesecake Day
Today is National Cheesecake Day. To celebrate, Junior's will be giving away a free slice of its famed cheesecake with lunch or dinner at its restaurants in Brooklyn and Grand Central Terminal.
July 29, 2004
San Francisco: Sandwich
Since moving to San Francisco, I've managed to preserve much of my daily routine. In New York, my routine included swinging by the Union Square Greenmarket (open Mon., Wed., Fri., Sat.). Now in San Francisco, I frequent the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market (open Tues., Thurs., Sat., Sun.). Saturday is the big day for both markets. On Saturday mornings, folks who consider themselves serious foodies show up bright and early to get the best picks and avoid the rest of us. I built the sandwich above with ingredients from one of my Ferry Plaza Farmers Market visits: fresh arugula, heirloom tomato, Japanese cucumber, cilantro chutney, hummus, swiss cheese, on a hunk of sweet baguette. Yum!
July 28, 2004
Instructions on preparing corn for freezing
On preparing corn for freezing: "In his pursuit of freshness, he had my mother prepare the boiling water, then he cut and shucked the corn in the garden, and ran into the house with it. It is the only time in my life I ever saw my father run. It's a memory I cherish."
GOPizza
Slice launches GOPizza, "Your Grand Old Guide to Gotham's Greatest Pies"
NYC: Review Roundup
Today's review roundup includes: Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pacifico, Alain Ducasse, and three African restaurants in the South Bronx.
NYTimes Restaurants Frank Bruni gives Blue Hill at Stone Barns 3 stars (630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills, Westchester County; 914-366-9600):
The restaurant, which opened in Westchester County three months ago, is attempting something special — something more than its fairly thorough adherence to the ethic that a restaurant's food should, as much as possible, be seasonal, local and the result of sustainable agriculture. Blue Hill not only gets many of its vegetables and some of its meat from the surrounding land, which was part of the Rockefellers' Pocantico Hills estate. It also gets to exert control over how those vegetables are grown and how the meat is fed.
This reality, which goes beyond mere novelty, is one compelling reason for people near and far to pay attention to the restaurant, an offshoot of Blue Hill in Greenwich Village, where Mr. Barber also supervises the kitchen. But there is another, better reason: most of the food here is terrific, and some of it is flat-out wonderful. The premium that the restaurant places on immediacy has a culinary purpose, a hedonistic payoff.
On a recent visit, tomatoes were just coming into season. Mr. Barber and Michael Anthony, the chef who works by his side, had used them for a rough purée that, Mr. Barber explained later by telephone, was hung in cheesecloth, with a container beneath to catch the drip. This nearly clear liquid — the distilled essence of the fruit, closer in spirit to a potion than a juice — came to the table in tall glasses, as an amuse-bouche. If early summer could be said to have a taste, this was it.
RECOMMENDED DISHES Salad of 11 mixed greens and herbs with egg; green gazpacho; pea cannelloni with crab meat; white king salmon; wild striped bass; duck; roasted pig; chocolate bread pudding with caramel sauce.
Fast Good
Chef Erran Adria of Madrid's El Bulli attempts the transformation of fast food into good food with Fast Good, his new restaurant in Madrid.
July 27, 2004
July 26, 2004
Heirloom Tomatoes
I made my first visit to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market this past Saturday, and found the market saturated with peaches and heirloom tomatoes. I was most fascinated by the number of different varieties of heirloom tomatoes available -- way beyond anything I recall seeing at New York's Union Square Greenmarket. Which so many to choose some, it was quite overwhelming. Thankfully, many vendors offered tasting samples of their tomatoes.
What exactly are heirloom tomatoes? According to expert Darrell "Tomato Man" Merrell, ". . . [A]n heirloom is a plant that's been handed down from one family member to another for several generations. Darrell considers a plant 50 years old or more an heirloom tomato. A lot of open-pollinated tomatoes have come along since then that will someday be heirlooms. An heirloom is generally a plant that's survived the test of time and produced an abundance of tomatoes with great flavor."
Heirloom tomatoes are more flavorful, colorful and often oddly shaped than typical store bought tomatoes. The intensity of the color of the tomato general indicates its acidity; darker colors are more acidic and lighter colors are less acidic. The more red a tomato has, the sweeter it is and the greener a tomato, the more tart it is. Yellow and orange varieties have a mild and sweet flavor while purple and black varieties have a bold, rich, acidic flavor.
The LaTimes story, Heirlooms Arrive, includes a list of some of the more common varieties with brief descriptions. The story reports that at Whole Foods markets, heirloom tomatoes are summer's No. 1-selling produce item in terms of dollars spent. The San Francisco Chronicle suggests three heirlooms worth considering , 'Mrs. Houseworth', 'Mortgage Lifter, Radiator Charlie's', and 'Earl of Edgecombe'.
Super Hero Delivery
Filling a niche: Pizza delivered by super heros
July 23, 2004
Too Much Pork
Too Much Pork, a food blog
July 21, 2004
The future of New York's produce
The future of New York's produce: How can New York City support area farms and nourish its citizens at the same time?
NYC: Review Roundup
Today's review roundup includes: Ici, Maia, Brasserie LCB, Gavroche.
NYTimes Restaurants Frank Bruni gives Ici, "a sweet new restaurant full of unpretentious pleasures," one star (246 Dekalb Avenue, Fort Greene, Brooklyn; 718-789-2778):
Sometimes restaurants succeed precisely because they do not try too hard. Because they are humble in reach. Because they are what they are, and they know what that is.
Ici provides a good example. Its menu is extremely brief, with as few as a half-dozen appetizers and a half-dozen entrees. The handiwork behind some dishes is as simple as a sauté pan, butter and a few accents and herbs. There are only about 30 wines available — all of them European, most of them French and many from small producers that eschew pesticides and embrace biodynamic techniques. Those criteria translate into curiosity-piquing selections, like that Italian white: a falanghina, which is an ancient varietal, made by Ocone.
Ici has the intentions and soul of a neighborhood bistro, not a destination restaurant, although it turns out to be a very pleasant destination. It does not try to wow but to soothe, and every time I lingered there, I felt tranquil and content, in a modest way that befitted the place.
RECOMMENDED DISHES Vegetable frittata with Cheddar cheese (breakfast only); smoked fish and frisée salad; arugula salad; spaetzle with braised chicken and corn; hanger steak; sautéed cod; skate with hazelnuts; fresh fruit tart; chocolate pot de crème.
July 20, 2004
July 19, 2004
July 16, 2004
Radio Silence
Apologies for the radio silence this week as NYC Eats headquarters completes the relocation to San Francisco. Never fear, NYC Eats will march on with regularly scheduled posts returning next week.
July 12, 2004
July 08, 2004
July 07, 2004
NYC: Review Roundup
Today's review roundup includes: Mas, Kombit, Mix, Casa La Femme North, Franny's.
NYTimes Frank Bruni gives Mas one star (39 Downing Street; 212-255-1790):
The chef, Galen Zamarra, who once steered the kitchen at Bouley Bakery, tries to get his meat and produce from local or regional providers, to use organic ingredients when sensible and to tailor what he prepares to the moment in time. His menus read like loving postcards from Mother Nature — like dispatches on the latest harvest.
If ramps are coming into their own, they are coming into this kitchen. If asparagus is happening out there, it is happening in here. The vegetables at Mas taste reliably, and wonderfully, fresh.
But the dishes into which they are woven are much less certain propositions. While some work beautifully, others stint on flavor, alternately too restrained or too confused. Still others are betrayed by poor execution or inadequate impulse control.
A few of the appetizers I sampled, including a crab meat and portobello salad of sorts, had been doused too liberally with balsamic vinegar. I was served several entrees that were only slightly warm as they arrived at the table and veering dangerously in the direction of cold just minutes later. This little chill happened during one visit with monkfish medallions and black bass. It happened during another visit with an herb lasagna and, once again, the monkfish.
And it genuinely saddened me, for many reasons. Mas is the kind of earnest, tasteful restaurant that this city — that any city — can always use. It nicely splits the difference between fussy and unfussy. The wine list is serious, the selection of artisanal cheeses is impressive, and the china gleams. At the same time, the soft banquettes that skirt the dining room and the needlepoint throw pillows on them signal that comfort, not stuffiness, is the objective here.
RECOMMENDED DISHES Trout piscator; slightly seared tuna with crispy shallots; grilled sardines; squab baked in clay; almond-crusted soft-shell crab; selection of artisanal cheeses; banana tuiles with acacia honey ice cream.
July 06, 2004
Hot Dog Records
Adam has a great write-up of the world recording breaking Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating contest over at Slice. Kobayashi set a new world record, eating 53 1/2 hot dogs and buns, and Sonya "The Black Widow" broke the women's record with 32. Not a bad day!
July 02, 2004
Grooming Produce
Grooming Produce: how to wash and store your greens
July 01, 2004
Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest
It's that time of year again - competitive hot dog eating season! Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest is only a couple of days away, and the question on everyone's mind is, "Will Kobayashi rule supreme?"
Three-time world champion Takeru "Tsunami" Kobayashi of Japan will be defending his world championship title at the event. Kobayashi ate 44 1/2 hot dogs and buns to win the title last year, short of his recording setting performance in 2002 of 50 1/2 hot dogs and buns. Keep in mind, that's 50 1/2 hot dogs and buns in twelve minutes. The current American record holder is Ed "Cookie Jar" Jarvis, who finished second last year with 30 1/2 hot dogs and buns.
I'll be cheering for Sonya "The Black Widow" Thomas. She burst onto the competitive food eating scene last year when she broke the women's record at Nathan's, finishing 25 hot dogs and buns. After that record-setting performance, she quit her job and began competing in eating contests full-time. The IFOCE (International Federation of Competitive Eating) remarks of Sonya:
There is an century-old prophesy within the competitive eating community, dismissed by most, that foretells the rise of the 'One Eater,' a woman who will electrify America's gurgitators and lead them to international victory once again. Like Joan of Arc before her, this eater will be slender of stature, but mighty in strength. In recent months, the prophesy has been mentioned more and more frequently as the eaters have watched Sonya Thomas excel in nearly every contest she enters.I would not be surprised to see Sonya finish in the top three this year. On her website she writes, "In this, my rookie year, my speed has picked up considerably since my first Nathan's; my stomach capacity has always been pretty good. Anyway, I'm just going to do my best, and whatever happens, happens--that's it!"
Game on!
Event Details: Preliminary ceremonies for the 2004 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest will begin at 11:30 am at the corner of Surf & Stillwell avenues in Coney Island, Brooklyn. At 12:25 pm, eaters representing the United States and nations from all over the world will be introduced, and at 12:40 pm the historic 12-minute all-you-can-eat contest will begin.
Directions:
Nathan’s Famous
1310 Surf Avenue
(Corner Surf & Stillwell avenues, Coney Island, Brooklyn)
(718) 946-2202
D, Q or F Trains to Stillwell Avenue, last stop
Belt Parkway to Exit 6, Cropsey Avenue
South on Cropsey Avenue to Surf Avenue (Keyspan Park), Left, Two blocks
Commercial parking lots on West 17th Street and West 12th Street between Mermaid and Surf, West 15th Street between the Boardwalk and Surf and on Neptune Avenue between West 12th and Stillwell Avenue
