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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…
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Q & A with The Clam’s Mike Price
Mike Price is giving Clams their day so to speak. Price and co-owner Joey Campanaro just recently opened New York’s very first, clam-centric eatery in the West Village. But don’t even think about calling The Clam — a shellfish-centric restaurant recently opened by Market Table’s Mike Price & Joey Campanaro — a seafood shack. In theory, it may seem to have a lot in common with West Village neighbors, like Pearl Oyster Bar and Mary’s Fish Camp, but Price insists the only unifying factor between the three is a love of seafood…
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Alphabet City’s Most Authentic Mexican Street Food
We’re a tad preoccupied with Latin American eats this week and thanks to hip cantinas like Empellon Cocina and Toloache, the modern taco has been elevated to gourmet status. But let’s not forget its humble beginnings as a Mexican street food staple. Much like the ubiquitous New York pretzel stands, vendors selling tacos and other antojitos (snack foods) pepper city corners and roadsides all over Mexico, their most popular offering arguably being the taco. Hungry foodies craving a truly authentic, no-frills taco will find just that at Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocer in the East Village…
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Sunset Park’s Awesome Latin American Eats
Since Brooklyn is a borough largely settled by immigrants, you’d be hard pressed to find a neighborhood that doesn’t boast a pocket of exotic, affordable, and seriously delicious eats. And Sunset Park is especially rich in multicultural influence; you’ll find a bustling Chinatown (currently the largest in New York) centralized along 8th avenue from 42nd to 68th street, and a vibrant Hispanic population west of 5th avenue. We’re focusing on the culinary imprint made by Sunset Park’s Mexican, Puerto Rican, Dominican and Ecuadorian communities, so here’s where to find a few of Brooklyn’s best tacos, cemitas, huaraches and more.,,
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New York’s Best Breakfast Sandwiches
We’ve all been lectured — ad nauseam — that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And it’s true. But considering that at least five days a week, our mornings involve one too many taps of the snooze button and then dashing out of the house in various states of undress, it’s also the toughest meal to set aside time for. That’s where early-rising restaurants like The Smile in Noho and Whirlybird in Williamsburg come in. Because honestly, waiting a few minutes on line for ham and gruyere-topped English muffins or egg and chorizo-stuffed tacos takes no more effort than popping in a toaster waffle, and are a heck of a lot more satisfying and tasty. Here are a few of our other favorite breakfast sandwiches in New York right now…
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Baked Butternut Squash Arancini
What’s not to love about the addictive Italian bar snack, Arancini? Literally translated to “little oranges,” the crispy, golden rice balls boast a melting exterior of creamy Arborio or leftover Risotto, often studded with savory ingredients like Prosciutto, Peas or Cheese.
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Home-Infused Olive Oil
Have you noticed the amazing array of flavored olive oils you can buy in the grocery store these days? Nevermind all of the homespun flavors you’ll find on the table in restaurants, like Blood Orange or Lavender-Thyme Olive Oil…
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Best Brooklyn Bites: Dosa Royale
For years now, we Brooklynites have bemoaned the lack of a single South Indian restaurant in Brooklyn. Sure, you’ll find plenty of places serving saucy, Northern-style Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb Korma and Saag Paneer, but not a one featuring the unique, largely vegetarian fare associated with the Southern region, like Dosas, Idlis and Vada Pav, that is until now…
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Q & A with Peter Sherman of BarBacon
Peter Sherman has worked for luminaries such as Joël Robuchon at L’Atelier de Robuchon, April Bloomfield at The Breslin, and David Bouley at Bouley. So what was the next step for the French Culinary Institute-educated, New York-born chef? Opening the city’s very first all-bacon restaurant, of course…
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Trend Spotting: Ancient Grains Are In Fashion
Eaters everywhere have noticeably upped their consumption of “superfoods” (ingredients that boast a number of beneficial vitamins and minerals) in the last couple of years, like omega 3-rich salmon, heart-healthy acai berries, and even chia seeds (yes, the stuff that sprouts on those terra cotta pets), which actually contain 500% more calcium than milk. And not just at home…
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Where To Celebrate Mardi Gras 2014
If you can’t make it to New Orleans for Mardi Gras this year, be grateful that you at least get to spend it in New York because our bars and restaurants (Cajun, Creole, Southern or otherwise) simply never miss an opportunity to party. (Well, it’s true.) So don your beads and masks and spend Fat Tuesday sipping Sazeracs at Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch, eating Smoked Duck Gumbo at Back Forty, or snacking on King Cake…
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Cheesy Cherry Lambic Fondue
It’s New York Beer Week, which gives us a fantastic excuse to ingest suds as often as possible over the next seven days. And what better way to incorporate them than in a fantastically gooey and decadent cheese fondue? But we’re not talking about your standard cheddar and ale combo. We’re taking a cue from the traditional Swiss recipe, flavored with white wine and kirsch (cherry brandy), by swapping in cherry lambic, a fruity, Belgian-style beer!
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Narcissa – Reviewed
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for John Fraser to open another restaurant for six years now. Fraser first solo debut, Dovetail, opened at the tail end of 2007 to pretty sparkling reviews (aside from some pokes at the dull decor, myself included). In fact, many called Fraser a pioneer, one of the first pedigreed, young toques to trailblaze his way to the once sleepy Upper West Side, where so many have followed suit over the years. But he’s finally and smartly taken his talents downtown to the funky East Village to take a stab at a somewhat haunted space in André Balazs’ Standard Hotel…
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Where to Eat, Drink & Watch the Oscars in NYC
Hollywood’s biggest night of the year is this Sunday, March 2nd. If you didn’t manage to score a ticket to Vanity Fair’s exclusive star-studded Oscar party or your invite to Sir Elton John’s gala got lost in the mail, there’s no reason to be home alone. There are plenty of places in New York to enjoy some glitz and glamour, award-winning foods and cocktail specials on this star-studded evening. Check out our guide to the best places to celebrate the 86th Annual Academy Awards…
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Spotlight on New York’s James Beard Award Nominees
The Oscars may be coming up this weekend, but for members of the restaurant industry, there’s no greater honor than receiving a James Beard Foundation Award. Established in 1990, the JBFA’s recognize excellence and achievement in numerous culinary fields, from chefs and restaurateurs to food journalists, cookbook authors, wine curators and designers. And while the actual winners won’t be announced until the spring, just being nominated officially grants recipients bragging rights for life…
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Where to Celebrate NYC Beer Week 2014
We celebrated cider four months ago, and now it’s time to pay homage to that other fermented beverage, which is well on its way to becoming just as universally respected as wine. Beer! New York City Beer Week is back for its sixth year, promoting local breweries and beers. If you’re still drinking Corona and Coors light, this is the week to expand your horizons and drink local…
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Q & A with Rotisserie Georgette’s Georgette Farkas
Rotisserie Georgette’s owner, Georgette Farkas, is very well known in the restaurant industry — but not for, well, running restaurants. That’s because the New York native has spent the last 20 years as Director of Marketing for Daniel Boulud, helping launch his seminal flagship, Daniel, in 1993. So how did such a media powerhouse end up opening a high-end, rotisserie spot?
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Sochi’s Killer Cheese Bread
Are you as obsessed with the Olympics as I am? Beautiful mountain scenery, cute athletes, stray puppy adoptions—what’s not to love? A month ago most of us would have been hard-pressed to pinpoint Sochi’s whereabouts on a map of Russia. Now you can get its killer cheese bread at the East Village’s tasty newcomer, Oda House…
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“Go for the Gold” Russian Beet Borscht
We’re all about rooting for the home team during the Olympics, but something about the celebrations in Sochi really have us craving Russian food. And what could be a better antidote to the endless string of NY snowstorms than a bright red bowl of steaming Beet Borscht?
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