Astoria – Beyond Greek Food
One of the reasons New York’s such an exciting city is that there are so many different neighborhoods worth exploring, each with their own distinct feel and attractions. Take Astoria for example. It’s a vibrant neighborhood, located in the northwest of Queens, with a constantly evolving food scene. Astoria has long had a reputation for being a Greek enclave with great Greek restaurants to match. But these days, it’s got more than its share of worthy Middle Eastern, Latin American and Northern African restaurants, too. With the recent influx of young New Yorkers to the ‘hood, there’s a whole new crop of restaurants and bars, making it ripe for a food crawl. But where to begin? You might consider starting with an afternoon snack at La Casa del Pan, located on 38th Street near Broadway. This Colombian bakery specializes...
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Chip Maker
Now that football season is in full gear we need to start getting creative with our TV snacks. We could open a bag of packaged chips, but we’d rather make them ourselves. This week, we found this Chips Maker (pictured right). This tray and mandolin set lets us make potato chips in the microwave, which is perfect for our New York-sized kitchens. No deep fryer required. And because these chips are cooked in the microwave you don’t have to worry about all that admittedly delicious saturated fat. It’s like potato chips on a diet, which is something we thought we’d never say. And since you make them yourself, we suggest you experiment with whatever potatoes you find at the farmer’s market — be it sweet potatoes, blue potatoes or fingerling potatoes. We think this tool is the perfect way...
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Q & A With Jonathan Waxman
How do you keep your reservation book full for over a decade? Ask Jonathan Waxman. He’s managed to turn his West Village restaurant, Barbuto, into a vibrant New York staple. An outstanding roast chicken might have a lot to do with all of the success. Ironically, that’s the one dish he’d like to take off the menu, but it’s just too popular. The California-raised chef worked in the illustrious kitchens of Chez Panisse and Michael’s in California before moving to New York to revolutionize the food scene with his seasonal American cooking. Waxman’s written two cookbooks and was also a contestant on Top Chef Masters season two. Not bad for a former busboy who dreamed of hitting it big as a funk-rock musician. More importantly, he’s one of the few chefs that’s managed to do it all. When you...
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Destination Williamsburg: New Fall Dining
If you thought Williamsburg peaked a few years ago, think again. An exciting new crop of gourmet shops and restaurants has just opened in this stylish Brooklyn neighborhood this fall. Where to begin? Well, there are a few Manhattan imports, including a newly minted Meatball Shop and even a café version of La Esquina for starters. There’s lots of new spots as well, like Pillar and Plough with an open kitchen and a chef’s counter or Noorman’s Kil, a bar, with over 220 whiskies and menu devoted to grilled cheeses. Just when we thought the cupcake trend was tapped out, Brooklyn Cupcake renewed our faith with deliciously unique creations, like a rainbow cookie or a tres leches cupcake. There’s more where that came from this fall in Williamsburg… Pillar and Plough Address: 162 North 12th St. between Beford Ave....
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Three-In-One Peeler
A peeler isn’t the most glamorous gadget, but this one comes close. Where to begin? Well, the Perfect Peeler (pictured right) can be used by a lefty or a righty, which I can tell you as a lefty, is a rare find. It’s also ergonomically correct and has a non-slip grip. But the cincher is that the blade rotates vertically, horinzontallly, or even a 45-degree angle to cut anything and everything. The blade itself stays sharp ten times longer than most and it’s dishwasher safe. Sure, it’s just a peeler, but it’s a 2.0 version that will likely be around for a long time. The Perfect Peeler...
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Dine Out Irene
Although hurricane Irene amazed to more of a party then a natural disaster here in the city, our upstate neighbors are still hurting. Farms were flooded, crops and homes destroyed, and even Dinosaur BBQ’s Troy location had to close down for a few days to get their dining room back into shape. Enter Dine Out Irene, the food world’s answer to emergency relief. Make a reservation at your favorite restaurant for September 25th (we’re taking the opportunity to try out the new Fatty ‘Cue!) and if it’s a participating restaurant (here’s the list), they’ll donate 10% of your bill to New York farms that were hurt by the hurricane. There are 75 restaurants taking part in the project from big ticket restaurants, like Blue Hill, to casual, cheap eats like Bark Hot Dogs and even West Village newcomers Fatty Cue...
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Best of – New York Green Eats
Organic. Local. Natural. In a world of green movements and sustainable living, it’s no wonder so many restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon. Which is why it’s hard to distinguish between the ones that are all talk and the real deal. And while organic and farm-fresh imply health and sustainability, they sometimes suggest a heftier dinner bill. So we thought we’d weed through them and separate the men from the boys. We’re keying you in to some of the best restaurants with sustainable, organic, and locally grown food at a delicious price. From housemade burrata with garlic and basil grown on the roof of Bell, Book, and Candle to fall flavors and pumpkin ales at Northern Spy, the green movement is more than a niche market. It’s also an affordable one. Sample the wood-roasted eggplant at Franny’s or pair a...
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Dishspotting: Tonkatsu
We’ll travel almost anywhere to get great ethnic food. Luckily, in New York, you don’t have to travel very far. Hop a train to Astoria for great Greek, Flushing for Szechuan, or head to Jackson Heights’ “Little Tibet” to satisfy a momo craving. Right now, we’re obsessed with Japanese food and we’re not talking about sushi or soba. It’s katsu that’s got our attention lately. Truth be told, there’s nothing super unique about a breaded, deep-fried cutlet. Almost every culture has one. (Schnitzel and chicken parmigiana come to mind.) But what sets a Japanese cutlet, aka katsu, apart is the phenomenally crispy coating, the result of panko breading. Japan has several kinds of katsu, some made with pork, others with fish ground beef, or chicken. And they not only differ by protein, but also by thickness. The most popular,...
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Tribeca: Destination Dining
Tribeca has become one of the hottest neighborhoods for restaurant openings this fall. In just the past few months, we’ve seen the doors open at Silver Lining, the Il Matto re-do, White & Church and Matt Abramcyk, new eatery, Tiny’s. That’s just for starters. Sarabeth’s opened their first Tribeca outpost and Jung Sik finally filled the void left when Chanterelle sadly closed its doors. Chef David Bouley has long made Tribeca his preferred ‘hood and this past spring, he debuted his highly anticipated and awaited, kaiseki-style restaurant, Brushstroke. We wonder if the sudden onslaught of new eateries has anything to do with the celebrity power downtown, like Jay-Z and Beyonce or Gwyneth and Chris Martin. We’ll mull it over dinner. Jung Sik Address: 87 Harrison St. at Hudson St. Phone: 212-219-0900 The former Chanterelle space has been empty for...
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Sneak Peek: Empellon Cocina
When chef Alex Stupak announced he was leaving WD-50 and the world of modernist cuisine to open a Mexican joint in the West Village, the food world seemed perplexed to say the least. Afterall, this was a talented pastry chef making the strange leap into tacos and tequila. Open less than a year, his restaurant, Empellon, is not only surviving, but by the looks of the nightly crowds in the dining room, it seems to be thriving. In fact, he’s already working on a second outpost, called Empellon Cocina. With just 65 seats his newest venture will serve as a more upscale counterpart, trading tacos for a tasting menu and tortilla chips for elegant ingredients and plating. Stupak envisions tasting menus with wine pairings. Just what kind of food will Stupak be making at Empellon Cocina? Modern Mexican, or perhaps...
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Three-In-One Apple Gizmo
It’s that time of the year again. That’s right, it’s apple picking season. We’d love an endless summer, but if we must move into fall, picking apples with our own hands is pretty great, too. That’s the easy part. The tricky part is coring, peeling and slicing our shiny red picks for a pie. That’s where this Peel Away Apple Peeler (pictured right) comes in handy. Where to begin? It has a suction base and a clamp to hold the machine firmly in place. There’s also a three-pronged fork to secure the apple. And there’s a coring blade, slicing and peeling blade. Just turn the crank and peel away. My favorite advantage is that you can create different size slices because, as you know, some pies call for thin slices, while others call for thick, chunky slices. Now, all...
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Fall Food Happenings
Another Labor Day has come and gone, and now it’s back to school, back to fall food happenings. Summer may be the time to get outta town, but fall is all about being seen in the city. France’s Le Fooding is back for a second year with its decidedly casual dining events and annual Vendy Awards, a tasting and award ceremony celebrating everyone’s favorite street carts. For one night, chefs are transforming Roosevelt Island into Pig Island for a pig-apalooza of sorts and that’s just for starters. September 10: Pig Island II www.pigisland.com It’s a good thing that bathing suit season is suspended, because you’re encouraged to pig out at this event. You’ll find upwards of 25 chefs dishing out pig-centric plates on Governor’s Island, including pulled pork sliders from Dinosaur BBQ and maple bacon sticky buns courtesy of...
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Goodbye To Summer
It’s been quite an eventful summer. In just the past few weeks, we’ve had an earthquake and a hurricane, which is more weather action than we New Yorkers have gotten in over a hundred years. We’ve also had some excellent food festivals (Meatopia, Chefs & Champagne), restaurant openings (Baohaus, Tertulia), mourned some big-time closings (Moto, M. Wells) and eaten our way through summer’s bounty of produce. It’s been an amazing few months. Now, with Labor Day upon us, we’ve got that first day of school feeling. We’re ready to trade blueberries for apples (in our pies) and store the margarita glasses for next year. We’re sentimental, but excited for the fall food scene. We’re looking forward to bringing more food news, more good eats and a few more gadgets and gizmos to stock your kitchen. We’re kicking off the fall...
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Avocado Peeler, Slicer & Pitter
You can never eat too much avocado. Fact. We love guacamole in the summer and avocado slices on our sandwiches all year round. But if you’ve ever tackled an avocado, you know it’s not an easy task. First, you’ve got to peel it without bruising the fruit. Then, you get the pit out, and then you still need to wrestle it off the sharp end of a kitchen knife. Not anymore. This Amco Avocado Slicer (pictured right) has a contoured handle with a nylon loop one one end to pull the pit out without damaging the fruit. The other end does the slicing, cutting perfect spears, great for layering on a burger or a sandwich. It even peels the avocado in the process, doing the work of a knife and a spoon at once, which also means less...
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