A Full Belly

Bar Bites

Bar Bites

The essence of Japanese flavor

The essence of Japanese flavor, in a bottle

Contribute to a Julia Child Memory Book

Contribute to a Julia Child Memory Book

NYC: Review Roundup

Today's review roundup includes: 71 Clinton Fresh Food, Yolele, Per Se, Pure Food and Wine, Brasserie LCB, Happy Family Restaurant.

NYTimes Restaurants Frank Bruni gives 71 Clinton Fresh Food two stars (71 Clinton Street; 212-614-6960):

[. . .] In March, Jason Neroni took over, boldly remaking the entire menu, save one dessert, to suit his own fancies and fascinations. He is 28 years old.

Guess what. He is also an impressive, resourceful cook, adventurous without, for the most part, being absurd. He does a riveting trout tartare appetizer, which comes in a densely packed puck of roasted pine nuts, mustard seeds, chives, chorizo oil and, as a final reach for richness, a quail egg. Among his entrees is a delicately fleshy skate wing with a foam that mingles flavors in a tantalizing way, rendering each of them almost discernible but not quite, like a word on the tip of your tongue. This combination, he told me on the telephone, is clove, cinnamon and cocoa.

Thanks in part to Mr. Neroni, who worked at the Tasting Room, 71 Clinton is still vibrant, still relevant. If it no longer packs the adrenaline of a new and unlikely affair, it offers the calmer, more constant bliss of an enduring romance. The foundation of its winning formula remains the same: It weds a contemporary, eclectic culinary sensibility to the scale and intimacy of a neighborhood place, then blesses that marriage with a decidedly downtown vibe. Its servers dress, neck to toe, in black and put an irreverent and often facetious spin on what is, in fact, earnest hospitality.

RECOMMENDED DISHES Trout tartare; diver scallops with pissaladière tart; wild greens and vegetable salad; poached foie gras in dashi broth; skate wing; chicken with morels; seasonal cheeses; warm chocolate cake with peanut butter ganache.

Le fooding

Le fooding

watermelon carvings

Intricate watermelon carvings

On vacation

NYC Eats is on vacation. Back next week!

Remembering Julia Child

• Egullet pays their respects to Julia Child
• NYTimes audio slideshow (William Grimes)
• Julia Child's Slate diary
• "And though she was a t.v. world away, she was so real and genuine in her passion for food, and intimate in her approach. I'm left with the feeling that I've known her, all these years, that she's been with me in my kitchen all along, laughing in her funny way, chatting about cooking tips, commiserating in the dismay of recipes gone awry, but most of all, sharing our love for cooking. Farewell, dear lady. We shall miss you."
• "Everyone knows who Julia Child is. Not only a national treasure, she is a cultural icon. And though she passed away this morning just missing her 92nd birthday, her impact on American cooking will long continue. It's hard to remember a time before Julia Child. But it's not hard to see how she made a difference. Can you imagine a time when leeks were not commonly available in supermarkets? It wasn't so long ago. But on her TV programs she encouraged us to demand things like shallots and leeks from grocery stores and they complied."
• "As Julia said in the introduction to The Way to Cook, "Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal." "In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal." So, tonight, raise a glass of Bordeaux to her memory, sit down with a group of your friends over a well-prepared home-cooked meal, and start poring through her cookbooks in search of ways to keep her spirit alive and well in the kitchen. Bon appetit, Julia, and thank you."
• "That was the magic of Julia. She may be best known for introducing America to fine French cooking, but she could also show you how to do a simple technique just right. And her sense of humor was always wonderful too."

  "I am sure she is enjoying herself now in her new kitchen."

• This morning, I was writing about lobster murder. As anyone who’s here will remember, Julia’s instructions for Homard a l’Americaine were particularly troubling. Now, bisecting a living lobster is not an easy thing to do – not for the cook, and certainly not for the lobster. I still feel a little bad about it, and this morning I was writing something maybe a little resentful about how I had visited this torture on a crustacean on Julia’s directive.
  
  She told me I could do it, so I did, and it was hard. I don’t ever, ever want to do it again – not for her, not for anybody. But it was important that I do it once. Killing that lobster made me face up to a lot of stuff that bothers me – stuff about responsibility, and hard decisions, and carving (bad word, maybe) a place in the world I can be comfortable in. I would not have done it without Julia to tell me – “Go ahead – What could happen?”
  
  There’s so much I would not have done. Because it would not have been there for me to do. Without you here, I would be a different person – a smaller, a sadder, a more frightened person.
  
  So thank you Julia. Thank you.
• It's hard to imagine. She seemed capable of going on forever, fueled by her curiousity and zeal, defying the health-nuts. But she won't be forgotten thanks to fans like Julie of Julie/Julia (whose book we'll someday get to read) and the rest of us who aren't afraid of butter.
• Julia Childs died in her sleep yesterday at the ripe old age of 91. Who says butter is bad for you? I had four thick slices of bacon and some brie for lunch today in her honor. Bye, Julia, and bon appetit.

Julia Child's Slate Diary

Julia Child's Slate Diary

Alder's Bar Masa visit

Alder's Bar Masa visit