May 15, 2012
You know it's spring when squash and parsnips lose their spots on the menu to asparagus, snap peas, beets, and ramps. And suddenly, it's a whole new dining scene as restaurants reinvent themselves with the first signs of spring. We've spotted pickled ramps, rhubarb a briny spectrum of oysters, and even spotted our first, soft shell crabs of the season.
Chefs are seizing the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning, shedding hearty comfort foods and sprucing up their offerings with vibrant, spring produce. There's asparagus risotto and asparagus fries to boot at The Little Owl, soft shell crabs at Aldea, and a dramatic set change at Park Avenue Spring. Then, there's the more unique offerings, like roof-to-table dining at Bell Book And Candle or Northeast Kingdom's seriously seasonal dishes replete with a chef that gardens and forages for your dinner. Here's a few of our favorite spots for spring...
Northeast Kingdom
Address: 18 Wyckoff Ave. btwn Starr and Troutman Sts. (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 386-3864
Website: www.north-eastkingdom.com
If you really want to seize the season this spring, we strongly suggest a trip to Northeast Kingdom. Chef Kevin Adey takes seasonal to a new level with a menu that's an homage to the northeast's fresh produce. Where else can you find ramps, dandelion greens, trout lilies, lambs quarter, and stinging nettle all on one menu? And Adey is not only serious about buying locally, but he also gardens and even forages for the herbs he uses to season his plates. The result is an entree of rocky mountain lamb osso bucco with dandelion greens, Jerusalem artichoke, mushrooms, and potato puree. If that's not your guy, there's pork tenderloin paired with Rhode Island clams, stinging nettle, marble potato, and a bacon broth.
Address: 141 W. 10th St., btwn Charles & Christopher Sts.
Phone: (212) 414-2355
Website: bbandcnyc.com
Let's be honest: Dining farm-to-table in New York, or in any city for that matter, is a tall order. Which is why Bell Book And Candle ingeniously came up with farm-to-rooftop dining in the West Village. An impressive array of fresh herbs and produce on the menu come directly from the roof to your plate. How cool is that? And the food is as good it sounds. For spring, there's watermelon gazpacho, seared diver scallops with fava beans and hen of woods mushrooms, roasted aspargus with a poached egg and smoked bacon, and seasonal sorbets for dessert.
Address: 7 Cornelia St. btwn 6th Ave. & Jones Sts.
Phone: (212) 989-3399
Website: wongnewyork.com
Wong first garnered praise for bringing "Asian locavore" dining to the West Village, but what really caught our attention were the whimsical, globally inspired dishes Simpson Wong was turning out from behind kitchen doors. Duck fat ice cream anyone? Right now, he's celebrating spring with lamb ribs, served with black radish, carrots and a lemongrass-mint salsa verde or a montauk calamari salad with hazelnuts, tangerine, and chives. If you've got a duck fetish, Wong is your Graceland. Try the Duckavore Dinner for four, which includes duck broth, duck sung choy bao, duck bun with Chinese celery and cucumber, duck meat loaf, Long Island whole duck, seasonal greens, duck noodles, and duck a la plum. Phew.
Address: 76 St. Marks Ave. at Flatbush Ave. (Brooklyn)
Phone: (718) 622-3276
Website: flatbushfarm.com
The garden is officially open at Flatbush Farm and Bar(n), and we recommend making a leisurely pit stop at the bar before settling in at your table. Even the drinks are local and seasonal, including the Garden Snake, a refreshing blend of gin, cucumber juice, lemon soda, and thai basil. When you 've made your way to your garden table, settle into the asparagus salad with duck prosciutto, cavatelli and spring vegetables, or steelhead trout with oyster stuffing, braised leeks and chowder broth. (Sounds good to me!) Revisit the seasonal cocktail list before ordering the bonfire brownie and peanut butter ice cream for dessert.
The Little Owl
Address: 90 Bedford St. at Grove St.
Phone: (212) 741-4695
Website: littleowlnyc.com
Dubbed "best balls" by Esquire Magazine for their iconic veal-pork-beef meatball sliders, The Little Owl is giving us several more compelling reasons to stop in for spring. Start with the sunflower salad with golden beets and parmesan, or even better, the asparagus risotto. And there's plenty of fish on the menu, too, like halibut, arctic char and sauteed skate, while meatier favorites include the pork chops, served with butter beans and dandelion. Did we mention the asparagus home fries accompanying an entree of crispy chicken? If that doesn't scream spring, I don't know what does.
Address: 594 Union Ave., btwn Richardson & Bayard Sts. (Brooklyn)
Phone: 347-5209-4921
Website: bellwetherbrooklyn.com
When we think of warm weather, we think of sun, water, and seafood. If you're serious about seafood, head to the south end of McCarren Park for dinner at Bellwether. The seafood selection here rivals some of the best spots in the city. Where to begin? The raw bar offerings include clams, Taylor Bay scallops, Florida stone crabs, shrimp cocktail, and local oysters. There's ceviches, lobster tacos and diver scallops with snap peas, and young radish. Carnivores need not fret. They serve meat, too. http://www.restaurantgirl.com/2012/05/index.html#005274
Aldea
Address: 31 W. 17th St. btwn 5th & 6th Aves.
Phone: (212) 675-7223
Website: aldearestaurant.com
If you haven't caught on, we'll happily admit our obsession with seafood. Apparently, chef George Mendes shared our affection for the fruits of the sea. Named "Best New Chef" by Food & Wine last year, Mendes is currently meditating on wild striped bass with spring asparagus and fava beans, diver sea scallops with mushrooms and citrus, day-boat monkfish, and sea-salted Chatham cod. That's just for starters. The menu also features his signature sea urchin toast along with wild bass crudo and soft shell crabs. If you're not craving seafood, you can still sample spring with a crispy pig ear salad accompanied by early spring ramps, apple, and spinach.
Park Avenue Spring
Address: 100 E. 63rd at Park Ave.
Phone: (212) 644-1900
Website: parkavenyc.com
It's hard to pick a favorite time of year. After all, summer, autumn, winter and spring all of their unique flavors and ingredients. Fortunately, mother nature lets us sample the seasons in turn, as does Chef Craig Koketsu with his rotating menus at Park Avenue Winter, Autumn, Summer, and Spring. Right now, they're celebrating spring with an interior that's designed just for the occasion. Reminiscent of an English garden, the dining room is quite literally alive with with wild and raw vegetation in shades of purple, gold, and green. And the dishes deliciously follow suit with chicken liver mousse served with a cherry mostarda and pickled ramps, roasted baby beets with pistachio pesto, and Peekytoe crab cakes with avocado and raspberries. Definitely don't skip dessert because Richard Leach is one of the best pastry chefs in the city. For spring, he's created a rhubarb & banana tart or lemon beignets with a plum and lemon mousse.
May 10, 2012
May 7, 2012
Last minute shopping has never been our strong suit, so we figured we'd better get a jump start on Mother's Day gifts. If you're mother's a chef, an aspiring chef, or just a foodie, this may be the perfect gift. We've always loved Do-It-Yourself gadgets to experiment and experience things for ourselves, but we're a little intimidated by the notion of making our own cheese. That is, until we stumbled upon William Sonoma's Cheese Kits (pictured right). May 3, 2012
Michael Psilakis is a fighter. Plenty of chefs have their ups and downs, but few bounce back as well as Psilakis has done over the years. Just look at his career: He elevated Greek to a haute plane with Anthos, earning a Michelin star in the process, and cooking at the White House. He parted ways with Anthos and Mia Dona and his partner Donatella Arpaia, and soon after both restaurants closed. Psilakis then opened a short-lived spot called Gus & Gabriel, which became Fishtag, and Kefi.
He's having his moment in the spotlight once again. After opening MP Taverna, a Greek family-style restaurant in Roslyn, to rave reviews, he's decided to open two more MP Taverna outposts this summer in Irvington and Astoria. Psilakis also has a newfound television career, competing on this season's No Kitchen Required, a new BBC America show (think Survivor meets Top Chef). While he may not look like he's scared of much, he confesses to us, "I absolutely hate bugs. I was handed a larvae beetle to try - and the thing was alive!"
Single/Married/Divorced?
Married
What
was it like growing up Greek in Long Island and what was a typical dinner in
your home?
There
were a lot of family gatherings, all of which centered around food. I was the
oldest of my siblings and it was my job to make sure everyone had a drink,
everyone had food on their plates. Entertaining is a really intimate thing and
I think watching my parents cook, and helping them cook, has really helped me
immensely in the kitchen. As for what we ate, my parents ran a traditional
Greek home. All of the staples were always on our table including lamb of
course.
After
opening several Manhattan restaurants, like Kefi and Fishtag, what inspired you
to open eateries outside of the city in places like Roslyn?
You
began your career opening high end restaurants, like Onera and Anthos? What was
the impetus behind moving toward more casual, family-style eateries?
After my father passed away my whole mentality about cooking changed. I was no longer interested in fine dining. For me, cooking became about family. With Anthos, I wanted people to come in and eat the food and only talk about the food and now, I of course want people to enjoy my food, but the experience should be so much more than that. I have strong and happy memories of being with my family growing up and many of those memories were made over cooking and eating food that we had prepared. Now that I am older, these memories have become much dearer to me and resonate with me on a completely different level. I hope that my guests are creating their own memories while dining at my restaurants.
Congratulations
by the way on the success of MP Taverna. When will the Irvington and Astoria
locations open and how will the menus be different from each other?
Thank
you. MP Taverna Irvington is opening very soon and Astoria will open this
summer. The menus will change depending on what my guests are looking for
in each location, but signatures, like octopus and the branzino will always
remain.
How
did you get involved in doing No Kitchen Required - a Survivor-esque cooking
competition on BBC America.
I
was approached by Chachi Senior the Executive Producer and creator of No
Kitchen Required. I was initially turned off by the show, but as the show
developed I saw it as less of a competition, and more as a catalyst for sharing
other culture's food and methods of cooking. After the third ask I was
sold!
Can
you share a few of your craziest experience on the show and weirdest things you
cooked and ate?
I
absolutely hate bugs. If you watch the show, you will see that I was handed a
larvae beetle to try - and the thing was alive! The thing is, you can't turn it
down because then you would be offending the people who have welcomed you so
graciously into their homes. Food is all mental, so I just told myself it was
going to be good. It wasn't the best experience but I was happy I did it and
conquered a fear in some way.
Did
you ever worry doing this show would jeopardize your credibility as a real deal
chef?
I'm
always conscious of how my media involvement will reflect on my restaurants and
on me as a chef/personality, but I viewed No Kitchen Required as a vehicle for
educating those who are interested in food, more than I saw it as a cooking
competition. I never felt it would reflect poorly on my reputation.
Would
you ever want to host your own cooking show?
I
don't think I would be a host or participant in the show, but I would love to
someday help write and produce a cooking show.
Whom
do you consider your culinary mentors?
My
mother and father are my inspirations. I spent very little time in other
chefs' kitchens, so I often turn to the techniques, flavors and ingredients I
grew up with and learned from my parents.
Why
did you decide to part ways with your former business partner Donatella Arpaia,
with whom you shared ownership of Anthos and Mia Dona? And how did you
feel about walking away from two restaurants that you helped build?
It
is really important to me to continue to grow as a person and it was time for
me to move in another direction and be successful on my own.
You
have run five restaurants in the former Gus & Gabriel space, which is now
Fishtag. Seeing as we're big fans of Fishtag, we're not complaining at
all, but why do you think there's been so much turnover in that space?
I
wouldn't really call it a turnover as most of it has been by choice. At this
point, I sort of consider it my launching pad because it has helped me
shape and understand the direction I have wanted to take my restaurants in. For
instance, Kefi started in the same space and over a short time period I just
knew I needed to expand and so I decided to move it out of the space and into a
larger area.
Were
you as disappointed by your New York Times review of Fishtag as we were? How do
you usually deal with criticism?
You
never know what is going to happen with reviews. It is possible the restaurant
is just having an off night at the same time that a reviewer walks through the
door. At the end of the day what really matters to me are the way that my
customers feel about the food they are eating and that they are enjoying the
time they spend in my restaurants while breaking bread with their friends and
family.
Describe
your ideal meal at Fishtag.
Tell Chef Stan [Matusevich] to go ahead and play! He will do you right every time!
What's
the most difficult part about opening a restaurant?
The
most difficult part of opening a restaurant is teaching your staff and everyone
involved in the opening, your restaurant's message. I think it's incredibly
important to let your employees know what's most important to you as a chef so
that this message is clearly portrayed to diners.
How
do you balance your extremely busy career with having a personal life?
It's tough! I have a really great family and two young boys and it is important
to me to be for them as much as possible. The memories that my parents gave me
and the experiences we share together have shaped the person that I am today
and I want my children and my wife to have those some types of memories.
What neighborhood do you live in and where are your favorite
places to dine there?
I live in Long Island. It is really great to have two successful
restaurants in New York City, but I'm happy to come home to the suburbs after a
long day at work in New York.
Other than your own, what are some of your favorite Greek spots in
New York?
Kyclades in Astoria - they have incredible grilled fish that is
fresh and simply prepared. In the city, I'm also a fan of Chef Jim
Botsacos's Molyvos, and Maria Loi's Loi.
How often do you get to visit Greece? What islands do you spend
time on?
I don't get back to Greece as often as I would like to, but I do
keep in touch with several of my friends there, and are constantly reading
about what is happening in the Grecian food world.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Any new projects on
the horizon?
There will always be new projects. Stay tuned.
April 30, 2012
Technically speaking, Cinco de Mayo marks Mexico's victory over the French at the Battle of Pueblo (blah, blah, blah). And while we can appreciate a little history, what we're really after is the culinary celebration -- salt-rimmed margaritas, tortilla chips, and mountains of guacamole. There are plenty of places to celebrate this year and an exciting new crop of Mexican joints to try this Cinco De Mayo. From taquitos to tequila, we're keying you in to the best in Mexican fare...
Toloache
Address: 354 Bowery
Phone: (212)937-4245
Website:www.toloachenyc.com
Chef Julian Medina isn't taking Cinco de Mayo lightly. In fact, Toloache's hosting its 5th Cinco De Mayo weekend with a celebratory French Invasion Margarita with a unique blend of tequila, tarragon, spring peas and lime, and a Mexican Passion Margarita with pineapple, horseradish and Valentina sauce. There's a $50 menu with pork belly tacos, tamales, skirt steak fajitas, roasted pork shoulder and more. Oh, and all of the entrees come with rice and beans, Toloache salad, corn tortillas, and a trio of salsas. And they're all served family-style so you'd be wise to bring friends. The more the merrier for Cinco de Mayo.
Hecho en Dumbo
Address: 354 Bowery
Phone: (212)937-4245
Website: hechoendumbo.com
What started out as a pop-up taco shop in Dumbo is now the latest and coolest Mexican joint to hit the Bowery. Chef Danny Mena's menu of antojitos, "little cravings," pays homage to the modern cooking of Mexico City with refined takes on traditional dishes, like roasted goat, short rib tacos, and grilled Mexican cactus. The breads, salsas, tortillas, and cheeses are all made in-house, along with a killer list of house cocktails, all made with fresh squeezed juices. Take the Tres Vidas cocktail, for example. It's a smoky, well-balanced blend of mezcal, smoked chile meco, bell peppers and fresh lime juice. Grab a few friends and share the parillada classica. Meant for two (but easily feeds four), this grilled assortment of meats, vegetables, tortillas, and house salsas make for the perfect tableside fiesta.
Rosa Mexicano
Address: 9 East 18th St., btwn. Fifth Ave. & Broadway (multiple locations)
Phone: (212)533-3350
Website: www.rosamexicano.com
If you really want to get in the spirit, Rosa Mexicano's hosting a serious fiesta this Cinco De Mayo. Now that Jonathan Waxman (of Barbuto fame) is consulting on the menu it's all the more reason to celebrate here. Year round, you'll find roving guacamole carts and pitcher-sized margaritas, but for Cinco de Mayo, they're pulling out all the stops, including a mariarichi band. They'll be serving special cocktails, like the Coco De Mayo, a margarita and pina colada in one, flavored tequila shots, and un fumo all'alba, a tequila-based cocktail with kumquats, lime, and a mezcal floater. Rosa's also offering a special Cinco De Mayo menu with specials, like carne asada and baja-style fish.
Suenos
Address: 311 West 17th Street
Phone: (212)243-1333
Website: suenosnyc.com
Many Mexican food snobs swear by Sue Torres's regional Mexican cooking. We'd come just for the homemade tortillas (Sue's an expert on the subject), but there's plenty more to discover, including an extensive tequila and mezcal menu, not to mention six kinds of margaritas. And for Cinco De Mayo, Torres is adding a few drink specials, including a strawberry-jalapeno margarita, a michelada or tequila with sangrita. Even better, Suenos is getting an early start on the festivities, opening at noon with a special brunch menu with artichoke quesadillas, chicken enchiladas and much more. We haven't even mentioned the vast array of tacos and tostadas, or better yet, the lobster sopes or pork carnitas. For dessert, there's churros, sweet tamales and tres leches.
Mesa CoyoacanAddress: 372 Graham Ave., btwn. Silkman and Conselyea Sts.
Phone:(718) 782-8171
Website: mesacoyoacan.com
We've been fans of this Williamsburg spot and its standout mole since it opened just a few years ago. To celebrate, Mesa Coyoacan's cooking up Mexico's iconic pozole soup along with favorites, like cow tongue, grilled skirt steak, and braised pulled pork tacos.. If you really want to get in the spirit, order the poblano en nogado, a traditional dish that reflects the colors of the Mexican flag. Here, a poblano pepper is stuffed with a savory--sweet mix of shredded pork, chicken, peaches, pears, apples and almonds, all topped off with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds. And don't miss out on the Margarita de Tamarindo.
Mexicana Mama
Address: 525 Hudson St., nr. Charles St. (Multiple locations)
Phone: (212) 924-4119
This quaint eatery iin the West Village is known for its regional Mexican cooking, flan of the day, and a host of homemade salsas. While it's no frills, it's always festive and fun. Get in the spirit with enchilada rojas, your choice chicken, vegetable, barbacoa,or chicken mole burritos, or taco de Puerco - corn tortillas filled with roasted pork.
Dos Toros Taqueria
Address: 11 Carmine St., btwn. 6th Ave. & Bleecker Sts. (multiple locations)
Phone: (212) 627-2051
Website: dostoros.com
If you don't have time for a nightlong celebration, Dos Toros is the move. Nostalgic for the tacos they grew up eating in California, Brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer banded together to bring West Coast Mexican to New York. What started as a teeny taqueria has quickly grown into a Dos Toros empire with affordable, but exciting food and some of the best guacamole we've had to date. The menu is simple with your choice of tacos, quesadillas or burritos stuffed with Carnitas (chipotle smoked pork), Pollo Asado (grilled chicken) or Carne Asada (grilled steak). But they're serious about they're ingredients, including the tortillas, which come from Tortilla Nixtamel in Queens.
Mexican Radio
Address: 19 Cleveland Pl. btwn Lafayette & Mulberry Sts. (multiple locations)
Phone: (212) 343-0140
Website: mexrad.com
Tune your dials to Mexican Radio. With fifteen years of serving Mexican comfort food with an emphasis on local ingredients, this restaurant has more than a few classics worth stopping in for.. For starters there's chips and salsa, Radio nachos, and the oven-roasted poblano peppers. How often do you see Mexican mac n' cheese? Here,its studded with corn, jalepenos, poblanos, and a whole lotta cheese. Oh, and there's more, like the huevos rancheros for dinner, a mix of rice and beans, pico de gallo, cheese, crèma, and, of course eggs, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla. We highly recommend the margaritas as they're made with freshly squeezed lime juice.
Tortilleria Nixtamal
Address: 104-05 47th Ave., btwn 104th & 108th Sts. (Queens)
Phone: (718) 699-2434
Website: tortillerianixtamal.com
It doesn't get much more authentic than this Queens taqueria, which is why so many restaurants buy their tortillas here, including Dos Toros. Owners Fernando Ruiz and Shauna Page are determined to deliver a true taste of Mexico to New Yorkers, including eight kinds of savory and sweet tamales, cactus tacos, and chilaquilles verdes. There's even a nightly mariachi band, which will be out in full force in honor of the occasion.
Cinco de Mayo
39-32 Bell Blvd. Bayside Blvd. (Queens)
Phone: (718) 224-0330
The sounds of salsa music practically spill out onto the street at this festive spot. As the restaurant's name suggests, they celebrate this Mexican holiday all year round, but May 5th is the perfect opportunity to take a trip to Queens.. Kickstart your fiesta with beef empanadas and Cinco de Mayo's signature cocktail, the Mexican Bulldog, part beer part frozen margarita. And don't leave without trying the chicken chimichanga or the sizzling steak fajita.
