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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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Where To Celebrate Mardi Gras in NYC
What with Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, and Groundhog Day (for those of you that celebrate), it’s easy to forget that other, fun February festivity… Mardi Gras. French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras traditionally refers to the practice of eating rich, fatty foods before Lent. In modern times, it’s more closely associated with parades, bead throwing, debauchery, and general gastronomic excess.
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The Marrow – Reviewed
There is marrow on the menu at Harold Dieterle’s new West Village eatery, of course. It comes roasted and topped with sea urchin, teeny nibbles of fried potatoes, a few wisps of baby celery greens, and a drizzle of meyer lemon aioli. Looking for a light bite? Consider eating elsewhere. But if you’re looking for some heart-warming (or stopping) cooking to cozy up to this winter, The Marrow has quite a few terrific options.
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Restaurant Openings to Look Forward to in 2013
For food writers, each year generally ends with a flurry of restaurant “Best Of” listicles, chronicling the highs and lows of eateries both old and new. But as soon as the calendar reads January 2nd, we hit the reset button, turning our attention towards a brand new crop of impending openings. From Michael White’s eagerly anticipated double header in Manhattan (The Butterfly and Ristorante Morini), to Andy Ricker’s continued expansion of his Pok Pok empire in Brooklyn (Whiskey Soda Lounge), it’s already shaping up to be a banner year for the New York restaurant scene. And who knows? A few of them just might make our “Best Of” lists at the close of 2013.
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Sexy Steamed Mussels with Citrus & Prosecco
It’s a funny thing about mussels. They’re delicious, healthy, easy to prepare and cheap (generally five dollars a pound, which is pretty damn good for shellfish!). But people rarely think to make them at home. Sure, they’ll order them out… who hasn’t had a good Zuppa de Mussels served with hunks of crusty Italian bread or a bowl of tender mollusks steamed in beer and sided with a pile of crusty fries? We’ve seen them dotting saffron rice in Spanish Paella, served A la Plancha (most recently at Willow Road in Chelsea), and done up Southeast Asian style, loaded with Lime, Chili, Coconut Milk and Kaffir leaves.
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The Ultimate in Chocolate for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day compels us to take a moment during the doldrums of February to show that special someone or crush that we really care. But it also happens to be a celebration of something equally important. Chocolate. And we’re not just talking about those cheesy, heart-shaped boxes of candy peddled at every Duane Reade or corner store (although we do have a certain fondness for them, too). Forget flowers…
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Best of New York’s Chicken Wings
It always happens to us: Right around Super Bowl Sunday, we start to get cravings for all sorts of comfort-cum-sports bar foods, from chili to wings. Except lately, we’ve noticed wings have become more than just a dive bar staple. We certainly didn’t expect to find them being served as a special at Andrew Carmellini’s The Dutch, or glazed in agave and a chile spice blend at Alta, a tapas joint in the West Village. Shall we dare call fried chicken wings a trend?
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Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese
Whenever we think of comfort food, the very first thing that springs to mind is creamy and melty Macaroni and Cheese. We love it every which way, from the electric orange stovetop stuff that comes out of a box, to refined casseroles of artisanal cheese, hand-cranked pasta and brioche breadcrumbs.
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Best Of Super Bowl Eats
Even if we don’t necessarily love football, we love the opportunity to indulge in support of our peers that do love it. After all, the Super Bowl is the second biggest eating day of the year, only superseded by Thanksgiving. Why should this eating-related holiday only be for football fans? We’re not just thinking about nachos, although a properly executed nacho platter warrants real recognition. In New York City, we can pair our football with all sorts of foods, from Italian to real deal barbeque.
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Valentine’s Day in NYC
Valentine’s Day comes with very high expectations, but it’s not easy to plan something original and impressive every single year. Most guys will just stick with a classy dinner, but with everything New York has to offer, why not plan something a little different this time round? I’ve found six great Valentine’s Day activities around the city that are sure to impress. And don’t worry, they’ve all got great eats, of course.
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Q & A with The Marrow’s Harold Dieterle
Way back in 2006, Harold Dieterle was the first to win a little culinary competition called Top Chef. But for anyone familiar with his refined cooking style, drama-free demeanor and unfaltering work ethic, it came as no surprise when he quickly proved himself outside the confines of the show. Lately, Dieterle has food folks chattering over his newest restaurant, The Marrow, with Brooklyn residents bemoaning the fact that it didn’t open in Hotel 718 as originally planned.
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Heated Appetizer Tray
If you’re entertaining, you’ve got plenty on your mind. Between cleaning the house, prepping the food, and buying (and probably drinking most of) the alcohol, the last thing you need to worry about is keeping the appetizers warm once they’ve been served. But it’s always a dilemma, isn’t it? Unless you’re breaking out the Sternos, it’s nearly impossible to keep everything tasting fresh from the oven.
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The Ultimate Roast Chicken
If nothing else, every home cook should know how to make the perfect Roast Chicken. It’s inexpensive, soul satisfying, and equally impressive as either the centerpiece of an elegant dinner party, or served to the family for a laidback, weeknight supper. Chefs as noted as Thomas Keller and Lidia Bastianich would both request the humble roast chicken for their last meal on earth. And as we recently illustrated in our article “Food Trends to Watch for in 2013,” family-style, roast chicken dinners have become the pride of some of the best restaurants in the city.
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The Glory of Grains
We always crave comforting, earthier fare when temperatures decline, and few things satisfy that craving more than unprocessed whole grains. Nutty, complex, and versatile, grains like quinoa, farro, barley, and amaranth can serve as a base for pretty much any dish and chefs across the country have been discovering the glories of grains.
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Restaurant Trends to Watch for in 2013
Do you remember when it was, exactly, that Sriracha became the go-to condiment in restaurants across the city? Neither do we, but that’s precisely how food trends work. They take root little by little, gradually seeping into public consciousness and onto our plates, until eventually, you’d be hard pressed to find a relevant restaurant without a Kale Salad or Housemade Charcuterie. But those are so 2012, and we’ve got our eye on the horizon. Here are the burgeoning trends we predict we’ll be seeing a whole lot more of in 2013…
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Louro – Reviewed
More people should be talking about Louro in the West Village. It opened in a space that was once home to Lowcountry, and before that Bar Blanc, which opened was ultimately a bust, too. (Ironically, Bar Blanc’s chef, Cesar Ramirez, went on to open one of the hardest reservations in town better known as Brooklyn Fare.) But the past is the past and the space now looks less flashy.
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Ultimate Valentine’s Day Restaurant Guide
Valentine’s Day may be almost a month away, but bars and restaurants throughout the city are already busy planning. So, if you don’t want to get shut out of a reservation (and consequentially, banished to the couch by your significant other) you’d better start planning too.
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Dish Spotting: Willow Road’s Mussels A la Plancha
Being “new” is the best thing a restaurant has going for it nowadays. Everyone loves to try new things afterall. It’s just human nature. We all like seeing a new movie, staying at a hip, new hotel, or trying a chef’s latest creation. I mean, who wants to eat the same thing at the same haunts week after week?
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Where to Eat During Restaurant Week 2013
We’re helping you determine which restaurants offer real bang for your buck during Restaurant Week this year. And you better make those reservations soon, because the prime tables, especially during dinner hours, are sure to get snapped up fast!
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