New York’s Best Tables for One
We all eat alone. Whether it be delivery on the couch or lunch at your desk, sometimes foodie calls aren’t an option. You can’t always grab a friend every time you’re hungry. Unless it’s a burger at the local bar, most people still don’t feel comfortable dining out alone. Some of of the best restaurants in the city are near impossible to get into, but for a party of one, take that seat at the bar and enjoy the people watching . By RG writer – Caitlin Decker Cafe Ino 21 Bedford st (corner of Downing) (212) 989-5769 www.cafeino.com Unlike the the majority of Jason and Jennifer Denton’s buzzing restaurants, this Greenwich Village eatery is a quaint escape from the stir of the city. In true Denton style, there’s an impressive wine list and casual, yet creative Italian food. Having been open more than...
Read MoreCraftbar's White Anchovy Bruschetta
By Chef de cuisine Lauren Hirschberg(Serves 4) Ingredients: 24 pieces of marinated white anchovies Country bread cut into 1” slices 4 whole eggs 2 whole leeks 1 ½ cup olive oil 1 Tbsp chopped parsley 1 Tbsp chopped chives 1 clove garlic For the Aioli: 1 cup olive oil 1 whole lemon, zested and juice reserved 1 egg yolk Salt and pepper to taste Procedure: 1) To cook the eggs, bring a pot of water to a boil and place the eggs in the water for exactly six minutes. Remove from the boiling water and submerge in an ice bath to cool. Carefully peel the shells and set eggs aside. 2) Split the leeks down the center and wash thoroughly. Cut the leeks crosswise into ¼” pieces and cook in 1 cup of the olive oil over low heat...
Read MoreGarlic Slicer
The recent revolt against salt has me thinking that garlic might be the new salt. Garlic boosts the flavor of everything from pasta sauce to roasted chicken to soup. There’s just one drawback: Cutting the cloves. Not only is it time consuming, but it’s also nearly impossible to get uniform slivers. But the worst part is what I call “garlic hands” — the smell that lingers on your skin no matter how much you wash them. This garlic slicer (pictured right) cuts it for you. Your only job is to peel the cloves. Put a peeled clove into the chamber and twist. One turn of the gadget creates 3 thin, uniform slices. The stainless-steel blade can slice two cloves at once, which comes in handy when you’re cooking for a crowd. Or you can store the extra slices in...
Read MoreQ & A with Riccardo Buitoni
Riccardo Buitoni isn’t an Italian-American chef raised in an Italian family on American soil. He’s the real deal. Born in Piedmont, Italy, he learned his craft on Italian soil, making fresh pasta with his mother. His first cooking job was at a local restaurant in his hometown. From there, Buitino cooked his way through London, with a stint at a five-star restaurant in Sardinia, before landing in New York in Tocqueville’s kitchen. Buitino fell in love with Williamsburg and opened Aurora, his flagship restaurant in Brooklyn before it was fashionable to do so. His innovative, regional cooking quickly earned critical attention over dishes, like chestnut pappardelle with wild boar ragu, roasted cauliflower fontina cheese fondue, and fresh bread baked daily. A few years later, he opened a Manhattan outpost in Soho with ambitious Piedmont cooking, including his mother’s...
Read MoreShandy Cocktail on The Rise
By RG writer -- Caitlin Decker This winter has given rise to a warming trend on the restaurant front. First, it was fish shack and now, cocktail menus are showing signs of spring fever, like the gimlet, negroni, and Bee's Knees. More importantly, we've noticed the sudden revival of the beer-based Shandy Cocktail. Considering the recent popularity of beer halls gardens, it’s no surprise that beer is claiming territory on cocktail menus as well. The Shandy was first created in the UK to drink on hot summer days after football matches. The classic Shandy is a mix of pilsner beer and lemonade or ginger beer. Since then, the Shandy has spread throughout the world and every country has their own version and name for it. It's known as the Panachè in France, the Refàjo in Colombia, the Rock...
Read MoreThe Future of Coffee & Tea
I stopped by the annual Coffee & Tea Festival, expecting to see notables, like Mud, Stumptown, and Gorilla, but no dice. I did find surprisingly good, tea gummy bears and green tea latte dusted almonds made by Tavalon. More importantly, I discovered the future of both tea and coffee brewing is gravity. Credit where credit is due: Teavana was way ahead on this trend. A few years ago, I bought their “Perfect Tea Maker,” which operates under the same principle. Here’s how it goes down: You pour the loose leaves into the top, add hot water, and let it brew for two minutes. When it’s ready, place it on top of any cup and it triggers the liquid to release. Pull it off the cup and it stops pouring. There’s a strainer on the bottom to catch all the...
Read MoreThe Vanderbilt's Baked Egg with Polenta and Piperade
By Executive Chef & Owner Saul Bolton (Serves 8) Ingredients: 8 eggs 10 red bell peppers 10 yellow bell peppers 2 lg Spanish onions 1 head garlic 3 sprigs basil (leaves picked and coarsely chopped) ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 cup polenta 2.5 cup milk 2 T butter ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Procedure: 1) Bring the milk and butter to a simmer and add the polenta, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat for about thirty minutes or until the polenta becomes soft. Finish with the grated cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Pour the polenta into a lightly greased 9” by 13” sheet tray and place it the fridge to cool. 2) Roast the bell peppers over an open flame and place in a...
Read MoreThe Hungry in America & Feed Fundraiser
This Sunday, February 21st, Tom Colicchio & Natalie Portman will co-host a fundraiser for The Hungry In America Project, which documents the immense poverty in our own backyard. Filmmakers, Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, have set out to expose the prevalence of hunger across America. FEED USA joins Vanity Fair to raise funds for The Hungry in America Project, FEED’S first American initiative. The event takes place this Sunday at Colicchio & Sons, located at 85 Tenth Avenue, from 6-9 pm. For tickets or more information, visit FEED...
Read MoreDIY Movie Popcorn
All the snow has forced me into my annual hibernation. The only thing I feel like leaving the house for on the weekends is dinner and a movie. Sometimes, the whole puffy jacket, hat, glove, scarf routine feels like too much trouble. Besides, movie night at home is much less expensive. The only missing is movie popcorn and microwave popcorn just isn’t the same.You can buy a movie popcorn maker for a couple hundred dollars if you plan on never leaving the house again. Or you can get this Whirley-Pop popcorn maker (pictured right,) which makes fresh popcorn the old- fashioned way. Just place it on the stove, add the kernels, and turn it on. It can make up to 6 quarts of popcorn in three minutes. The movie theater line takes longer. The aluminum pan has a turn...
Read MoreNewfangled Finger Foods
By RG Writer: Agatha Khishchenko Who doesn’t love eating with their hands? How fun would it be to share an utensil-free dinner with someone? It’s not as hard as you think. We’re not talking about fast food. Several great restaurants and chefs are putting a refined spin on finger foods in every genre of cooking. If you’re craving Indian, Tabla’s got tandoori-fired black pepper prawns There’s southern hush puppies at Tipsy Parson, fried pork scratchings at Breslin, and shrimp corn dogs at Blue Smoke. We’ve scouted out some of the city’s best gourmet finger foods… Blue Smoke Address: 116 East 27th Street, btwn. Park & Lexington Aves. Phone: (212) 447-7733 Danny Meyer’s barbeque joint takes classic finger foods to a new level. Case in point: Shrimp corn dogs with avocado- lime dip, deviled eggs...
Read MoreApotheke's Smoky Love Cocktail
By Mixologist Orson Salicetti We’ve still got a few weeks until February 14th, but we’ve been getting lots of requests for romantic elixirs to mix up for Valentine’s Day, so we consulted a few the experts at Apotheke for this sexy, smoky take on the subect. Most people don’t have tamarind-infused mezcal in the house, so the only prep work you have is to add the tamarind to the mezcal the night, or even better, a few days before and let it infuse. Ingredients: 1 ¾ oz. tamarind-infused mezcal ¾ oz. Agave lime sour mix ¼ oz. Aperol 3 drops of Salicetti bitters (or any artisanal housemade bitters will do too) Champagne Gold leaf (From any baking shop) Procedure:Shake and strain into chilled champagne glass fill the rest with the premium champagne. Garnish with a truffle gold leaf. Address: 9...
Read MoreC-CAP's 20th Anniversary Celebration
There are many wonderful causes, but this one is close to my heart. C-CAP awards scholarships to talented, underprivileged students to attend culinary school. On February 24th, C-CAP will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary at Pier 60 in Chelsea. This year’s benefit will honor chef Marcus Samuelsson for his contributions and dedication to C-CAP. Dan Barber, MIchael White, Dominique Ansel, Alfred Portale, and Bill Telepan, along with many other chefs, will be serving up their culinary creations. Tickets are $500, and available on the C-CAP website: www.ccapinc.org. Wednesday, February 24th, 6:30-9:00 PMPier Sixty, Chelsea Piers (11th Ave., at W 19th St.)(212) 974-7111The C-CAP...
Read MoreMini Heart Baking Molds
Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be a couples-only holiday. (Don’t you feel better now?) It’s a perfect excuse to bake for your family and friends. Which is why we love these heart-shaped molds. You can turn your baked specialty into a homemade Valentine’s Day gift. This mold makes 12 mini heart-shaped brownies, cakes, chocolates, or whatever else you can think up. The silicon pan is lightweight and super flexible for easy removal. You can even make a mixed bag of treats with the same tray. Once they’re cooled and out of the pan, you can frost and decorate with pink, red, or white sprinkles, M & M’s, or conversation hearts. $10.95,...
Read MoreQ & A with Eleven Madison Park’s Angela Pinkerton
Until recently, Daniel Humm oversaw both the dinner and dessert menu at Eleven Madison Park, one of NYC’s most spectacular restaurants. But what most people don’t know is that Angela Pinkerton was working right alongside him in the kitchen for over two years. In September, Humm handed over the reigns to Pinkerton, who was named executive pastry chef. The former biology major is no stranger to the culinary sciences. She worked as a clerk in a bakery through college and ran her own cake-decorating business before she officially decided to study pastry at L’Academie de Cuisine. Considering how fundamental science is to dessert, it’s no wonder Pinkerton’s so accomplished in the kitchen. She’s already integrated her style into the menu with new creations, like “Milk & Chocolate” with dulce de leche and “Caramel Apple” with toffee, walnuts,...
Read MoreChoptank – Reviewed
*** – Three Stars Address: 308-310 Bleecker St., at Grove St. Phone: (212)675-2009 Cuisine: Chesapeake seafood Vibe: Refined neighborhood joint Occasion: Oyster binge; Casual date; Group dinner. Hours: Seven days a week. Dinner, Sun-Wed, 5:30p.m.-12a.m., Thu-Sat, 5:30p.m.-2a.m. Don’t Miss Dish: Arctic Char; Fried chicken; Bay leaf sorbet. Average Price: Appetizers, $10 ; Entrees, $20; Dessert, $7. Reservations: Reservations recommended. Capsule: Fine fish shack fare & terrific fried chicken in the West Village You used to have to wait patiently for summer to arrive to get your fix of crab chowder, peel ‘n eat shrimp, and Old Bay seasoned fries. Not anymore. It may be February and freezing, but fish shack fare is in fashion right now. Choptank, located in the West Village, is the latest in a string of newcomers. If you wanted a lobster roll a few...
Read MoreBenoit's Pumpkin Soup
By Executive Chef Pierre Schaedelin(Serves 4)Ingredients: 2 ¼ lbs pumpkin 1 onion 1 leek 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 tbsp. butter 1/3 cup whipping cream, chilled 1 tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper Procedure: 1. Discard the pumpkin seeds and fibers. Peel the pumpkin with a large knife and discard the skin. Cut the pulp into small pieces. 2. Peel the onion and cut it into thin strips. Trim the leeks and outer leaves of the leek, and cut off the hard green parts. Wash the leek and slice it into thin strips. 3. Heat the olive oil in a round Le Creuset pot (essentially an oval Dutch Oven.) Add 4 teaspoons butter. Add the onion and leek and cook over gentle heat for 3 minutes. 4. Add the pieces of pumpkin to the pot, then the chicken...
Read MoreChocolate Fondue Set
There’s something inherently sexy about chocolate, especially warm, melted chocolate. Instead of buying your annual box of truffles or going out for one of those romantic dinners with special menus, you could celebrate Valentine’s Day over fondue. This romantic red fondue set (pictured right) is perfect for couples with different chocolate habits — he’s the milk chocolate type, you’re the dark chocolate kind. All you need is chocolate, wooden sticks, and dippables. Once you’re chocolate’s melted, you can dip strawberries, nuts, marshmallows, bananas, or whatever else you can think up into warm melted chocolate. You can even pour your melted chocolate onto ice cream. The fondue set keeps the chocolate warm, so it doesn’t harden. You can even melt cheese on one side and chocolate on the other. It takes a lot less time than baking and is easy...
Read MoreQ & A with Bar Blanc Bistro's Sebastiaan Zjip
Some restaurants just need a little time to grow up. That was certainly the case with Bar Blanc Bistro. When it first opened, the restaurant was called Bar Blanc and the chef was Cesare Ramirez. The space was stunning, but the food proved inconsistent and overpriced. Now, it’s called Bar Blanc Bistro and the chef is Sebastiaan Zjip, who’s determined to reinvent the cooking’s reputation and lower the prices. Chef Zjip, a Bouley protege, got his start washing dishes and peeling potatoes at a friend’s bistro in Toronto. After graduating from culinary school, he literally had no choice but to leave Canada for New York. Luckily, he ended up in David Bouley’s kitchens, working at Bouley, as well as the chef de cuisine at Upstairs at Bouley. He’s already received recognition for his refined, but rustic cooking at...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
