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Air’s Champagne Parlor is All About the Bubbly
Beer, wine and even cider bars abound in NYC, but Air’s Champagne Parlor is one of the few area drinkeries devoted to bubbly. To be fair, the Riddling Widow briefly preceded it, but owner Ariel Arce was actually beverage director during its tenure, as well as Birds & Bubbles before that, and Chicago’s Pops for Champagne (not to mention Grant Achatz’s exclusive, original The Office) before that. Meaning her reputation as queen of Cuvèe absolutely proceeds her.
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Where to Celebrate Oktoberfest 2017
If you’re already mourning the loss of summer, Oktoberfest is a reliable way to get you over the hump. Essentially spanning the duration of fall (kicking off on September 16th this year & extending all the way to October 31st, allowing revelers to seamlessly transition to Halloween), the 16 to 18-day festival is a giddy saturnalia of German culture…
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Spotlight on the Finalists for the 2017 Vendy Awards
As a fun challenge to the James Beard Awards, the Vendy ceremony — now in its 13th year — is dedicated to honoring the very best in street food. So here’s who’s in the running during the September 16th event at Governors Island; from an artisanal twinkie baker to an upstart french toast sandwich maker, to a Chinese meat skewer purveyor, whose been tapped for the Vendy Cup…
Most Recent Dish
Gizmo Girl’s Waffle Cone Maker
In the continuation of April Pastry Month, and the onset of warm weather this weekend, Gizmo Girl brings you the waffle cone maker for the perfect afternoon ice cream cone fix. Forget the ice cream truck: make your own homemade & warm waffle cone then stuff if with your favorite flavor. Waffle Cone Maker Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email Us. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreWildwood BBQ
Serving up ecumenical barbecue in Gramercy Park Address: 225 Park Ave. South, at 18th St., (212) 533-2500 Hours: Mon.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11:30 a.m.-12:30 a.m.; Sat., noon-midnight; Sun., noon-11 p.m. Cuisine: Regional barbecue Vibe: Big-city barn Occasion: Festive occasion; group dining. Don’t Miss Dish: Barbecue burger; Texas smoked brisket; carrot cake. Price: Appetizers, $5-$9.50; entrées, $9.95-$28.95; dessert, $7. Reservation: Recommended If you want barbecue in New York City these days, you have to ask yourself what kind you’re...
Read MoreBenoit
The not-so-fine art of fine French dining. 60 W. 55th St., between Fifth & Sixth Aves., (646) 943-7373. Seven days a week. Breakfast, Mon.-Fri., 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m.; lunch, Mon.-Sat., 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; dinner, Mon.-Sun., 5:30-11 p.m. CUISINE French bistro. VIBE Elegant midtown bistro. OCCASION Group dining, business lunch. DON’T-MISS DISH Cassoulet, onion soup gratinee, escargots. PRICE Appetizers, $9-$19; entrees, $19-$48; dessert, $7-18. RESERVATIONS Recommended. No one expects humble from Alain Ducasse. But that’s what you get at Benoit. There’s...
Read MoreBar Milano
CUISINE: Northern Italian. VIBE: Elegant and deafening Murray Hill spot. OCCASION: Casual date; breakfast; neighborhood dining. DON’T MISS DISH: Cabbage with farro; caviar-topped potato with egg; monkfish and foie gras. PRICE: Appetizers, $9-$24; entrees, $20-$43; dessert, $5. RESERVATIONS: Highly recommended. 323 Third Ave., at 24th St., (212) 683-3035. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; seven days a week, 8 a.m.-3 a.m. Dinner served seven days, 5 p.m.-midnight. Bar menu available till 2 a.m. Whoever heard of a month-long wait for a...
Read MorePomme de Terre
“It’s shocking,” a diner at Pomme de Terre said one night. “I’ve lived down the street for 20 years. A few months ago this was a seedy bodega that dealt drugs.” Now that seedy bodega in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, is a charming corner bistro near a laundromat, a CVS pharmacy and a few takeout spots — a culinary nowhere along Newkirk Ave. This snug 40-seat space is appointed with vibrant murals that resemble vintage French posters. The original tin-ceiling...
Read MoreOlana
A culinary homage to the Hudson Valley. 72 Madison Ave., between 27th & 28th Sts., (212) 725-4900 Dinner, Mon.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-1 p.m.; lunch, Mon.-Fri., 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. CUISINE Modern American. VIBE Dated elegance. OCCASION Group dinner; neighborhood dining. DON’T-MISS DISH Grouper ravioli; roasted rabbit; white peach & cherry mousse. PRICE Appetizers, $11-$18; entrees, $24-$38; dessert, $8-12. RESERVATIONS Recommended. New Yorkers take their neighborhood restaurants seriously. Every new eatery that opens around the corner reinforces the notion that you live...
Read MoreAgo
New York gets a hollow replica of the original Ago. 377 Greenwich St., at N. Moore St., (212) 925-3797 Dinner, Sun.-Thurs., 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m., Fri. & Sat.,5:30 p.m.-midnight; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily. CUISINE Tuscan Italian VIBE Hip, bustling trattoria OCCASION Group dinner; Tribeca dining DON’T-MISS DISH Burrata con fagiolini; eggplant parmigiana PRICE Dinner, appetizers, $12-$18; entrees, $19-$44; dessert, $10-$12 RESERVATIONS Recommended The New York debut of Ago restaurant in the newly opened Greenwich Hotel had the makings of...
Read MoreEleven Madison Park
A spectacular reinvention. 11 Madison Ave. at 24th St. Phone: (212) 889-0905 Dinner: Sun.-Thurs. 5:30-10 p.m.; Fri. & Sat. 5:30-10:30 p.m. Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Brunch: Sat. & Sun. 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Not many restaurateurs are as skilled at pulling off a top-notch $4.75 burger (Shake Shack) as they are a $145 haute French tasting menu (Eleven Madison Park). But Danny Meyer has built an enviable empire of 11 winning lowbrow and high-end restaurants. On a recent evening,...
Read MoreKorhogo 126
A modest Brooklyn restaurant unleashes exotic African spices. 126 Union St., near Columbia St. Phone: (718) 855-4405 Dinner: Weds., Thurs., Sun., 5-10 p.m.; Fri. and Sat., 5.-11 p.m. Some restaurants lack soul. Not Korhogo 126. You can taste the soul of its owners on nearly every plate. This French West African eatery marries the culinary heritages of Parisian-born Emmanuelle Chiche and chef Abdhul Traore, who made his New York City debut at Les Enfants Terribles on the lower East...
Read MoreElettaria
A hip stage for modern American with an Indian edge. 33 W. Eighth St., near MacDougal (212) 677-3833 Dinner, Mon.-Sun., 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. CUISINE Indian-inflected American VIBE Hip Village haunt OCCASION Bar dining; downtown date DON’T-MISS DISH Crispy pig’s feet; fried quail. PRICE Appetizers, $9-16; entrees, $18-25; desserts, $7. RESERVATIONS Recommended From the looks of it, you would never know there is a well-trained chef hustling in the kitchen at Eletteria, a restaurant that just debuted in Greenwich Village....
Read MorePorterhouse’s Key Lime Pie with Coconut Macaroon Crust
by Wayne Harley Brachman (Adapted from his cookbook, American Desserts) Ingredients for the coconut macaroon crust: Nonstick vegetable-oil spray ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 2 ¼ cups unsweetened, shredded coconut 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pea-sized bits 2 large egg whites 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Ingredients for the key lime filling: 4 large egg yolks 1 14-ounce can of sweetened condensed milk Grated zest of 2 key limes (about 2...
Read MoreNew York’s Top Classic Desserts
Balthazar 80 Spring St., at Crosby St. (212) 965-1785 This classic French bakery brims with exquisite breads, cakes, pastries and other treats. But the sleeper here is the splendidly moist bread pudding ($4.) Made with the bakery’s own cherry focaccia, this cake can be eaten like a fruit-filled muffin, but far creamier and denser with an unbeatable cinnamon essence. Fat Witch Bakery Chelsea Market 75 9th Ave. @ 15th St. New York, NY 10011 1-888-41 WITCH www.fatwitch.com You’d be...
Read MoreGramercy Tavern’s Chocolate Bread Pudding
By Nancy Olsen (Serves 12) Ingredients: Egg yolks – 2 Whole eggs – 4 Heavy cream – 3 cups Whole milk – 2 cups Vanilla bean, split and scraped – 1 Sugar – 1 ½ cups Brioche, cut into small cubes – 1 pound loaf, crusts removed Bittersweet chocolate, chopped – 4 ounces Vanilla extract – ¾ teaspoon Milk chocolate pieces to bake inside – 2 ounces Bittersweet chocolate pieces to bake inside – 2 ounces 1. Bring...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Oven Mit Apron
Since April is Pastry Month, it only seemed appropriate to bring to you one of the latest baking necessities. No longer must you scrounge around for oven mits when your kitchen timer is blaring – the Oven Mit Apron has its own built-in oven mits. Just slide your hands into the built-in pockets and pull out your oven-baked goods. Never again will you burn a batch of cookies while looking for that second oven mit. Oven Mit Apron Care...
Read MoreQ & A With Richard Leach
Most pastry chefs tweak their menu once a year. Richard Leach entirely dramatically reconceives his every three months. At Park Avenue Spring, this seasonal American restaurant gets a full makeover every time the temperatures change. But Richard has been embracing the seasons well before his position at PAS. He spent time in pastry at Aureole and Lespinasse, which earned him the James Beard Award in 1997 for Pastry Chef of the Year. In 2001, Leach published his cookbook Sweet...
Read MoreEighty One
An upscale newcomer on the upper West Side. 45 W. 81st St., between Central Park West & Columbus Ave. (212) 873-8181 Dinner, Sun.-Thur., 5 p.m.-10:30 p.m; Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m.-11:30 p.m. CUISINE Modern American VIBE Upper West Side elegance OCCASION Romantic date; fine dining DON’T-MISS DISH Sea scallop & foie gras ravioli; dry-aged Black Angus sirloin PRICE Appetizers, $12-39; entrees, $29-42; desserts, $12 RESERVATIONS Recommended With Dovetail, Bar Boulud, With Dovetail, Bar Boulud, Madeleine Mae and the latest arrival of...
Read MoreGotham Bar & Grill’s Meyer Lemon Mascarpone Cheesecake
By Deborah Racicot (Serves 8-10) Ingredients for the Lavender Shortbread: ½ Cup Powdered Sugar 1 Cup Cold Butter – Cubed 2 ¼ Tsp. Ground Dried Lavender Buds 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract 1 ¼ Cup All Purpose Flour ¼ Tsp. Salt 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch ¼ Tsp. Salt ½ Cup Meyer Lemon Zest 12 Ounces Mascarpone Cheese 5 Large Eggs 12 Ounces Mascarpone Cheese Procedure: 1. Preheat oven to 300f. Have all the ingredients at room temperature. 2. Beat Together cream...
Read MoreQ & A with Dovetail’s Vera Tong
With the recent debut of Dovetail on the Upper West Side, pastry chef Vera Tong dazzled both critics and diners with her truly inspired approach to classic desserts. Prior to Dovetail, Vera Tong worked in the kitchen at Compass, where she first met chef John Fraser. The two team up again at this highly received contemporary American restaurant where she not only has conceived an exemplary pastry menu, but also bakes the white cheddar cornbread that launch guests into...
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