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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
il buco's Ricotta Fritters
By Executive Chef Ignacio Mattos(Serves 6-8) Ingredients: 2 eggs 1 ½ tbsp. sugar 10 oz. sheep’s milk ricotta 2/3 cup flour 3 tbsp. baking powder 3 tbsp. Vin Santo Zest of one Lemon Peanut or canola oil, for frying Procedures: 1) Combine all ingredients and let rest in refrigerator.2) Scoop the batter into peanut or canola oil heated to 350 degrees inside of a deep fryer or deep saucepan.3) Fry until golden brown.4) Serve with a nice drizzle of saba* or vin...
Read MoreQ & A with Andrew Carmellini
I love dining out, but if I could hire a personal chef, it would be Andrew Carmellini. I’d never get bored. He’s as good at cooking Italian as he is at French. And he’s wonderful at rustic, comfort cuisine, especially roasted garlic chicken. In fact, Carmellini used to be the private chef for Governor Cuomo when he was still student at the CIA. Carmellini started cooking at a local Italian restaurant when he was 14 years old. That...
Read MoreTortilla Press
This is a big year for Mexican cooking, mezcal, tequila, and tacos. From La Superior and Mesa Coyoacan’s carnitas to Julian Medina’s refined fish tacos at the new Yerba Buena Perry, there are countless places to get a terrific taco in the city. But making them at home just got a little easier. The key to any good taco is a warm, soft tortilla. I usually buy them in the store, but this tortilla press makes it easy to...
Read MoreThe San Gennaro Festival – Now Just Another Street Fair
I used to love going to The San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy every year. Yes, it’s kitschy — a trip to Italy by way of Epcot — but it’s a highly entertaining feast with music and lights and lots of food, like Italian sausage and peppers, zeppoles, pizza, gelato, and torrone (nougat.) Why are they serving Philly cheesesteaks, gyros, pina coladas, and arepas at this year’s festival? The 82nd San Gennaro festival’s feels like every other street...
Read MoreBest of — Freezer Aisle Ice Creams
There are lots of reasons to get depressed about the end of summer, like all of the ice cream carts disappear from the streets til next spring. Thank god for the freezer aisle. Even when the Van Leeuwen truck goes into hibernation, you’ll be able to find their ginger, red currant and pepper mint & chip ice cream in the supermarket. These days, it seems like everyone has upped their game with some terrific and imaginative flavors, which also...
Read MoreSHO Shaun Hergatt's Slow Poached Egg with Cauliflower Puree
By Executive Chef Shaun Hergatt(Serves 6) Ingredients: 1/2 cup olive Truffle oil 6 whole egg 2 head cauliflower, cleaned and broken into even-sized florets ½ pound onions, julienned 2 cloves garlic, julienned 1.5 pounds butter 1 cup heavy cream Black caviar diced truffle, diced chives, gold leaf to garnish Procedure: 1)The night before, prep the egg Wrapping one egg at a time, lay piece of saran wrap flat on a rimmed plate and drizzle with truffle oil. Carefully, crack...
Read MoreSushi Platter
One of the pleasures of eating sushi is the presentation. Everything has its own precious dish and arrangement. Order in sushi and most people eat it straight out of the plastic carton or toss it on some boring plate. Use this sushi platter and you’ll feel like you’re eating in a restaurant without leaving the house. The circular white platter has a built-in chopstick holder, space for soy sauce, ginger and wasabi. Even better, it’s made for two,...
Read MoreAureole – Reviewed
*** Three StarsAureole Address: 135 West 42nd St., btwn. 6th & 7th Aves.Phone: (212)319-1160Cuisine: American Vibe: Sleek, haute midtownOccasion: Business lunch; Group dinner; oeniphile destination Hours: Dinner; Sun-Wed, 5:30p.m..-12a.m., Thu-Sat, 5:30p.m.-1a.m.Don’t Miss Dish: Pastrami pork belly sliders; Steamed branzini in lemongrass-coconut broth;Sweet corn souffle.Average Price: Appetizers, $15, Entrees, $30, Dessert, $10.Reservations: Reservations recommended. Capsule: Aureole does upscale Vegas by way of Times Square. Aureole used to be a sure thing. When everyone else was doing haute French, Charlie Palmer...
Read MoreThe Hog Pit's Fried Pickles with Cajun Chipotle Remoulade
By Executive Chef Steven StockingerYields 15 chips Ingredients: 1 Sour Pickle about 5” long 1 cup Flour 1/4 cup Cajun Seasoning 1 tablespoon Salt and Pepper 2 large Eggs 1/4 cup Buttermilk 2 tablespoons Dried Parsley 1 1/2 cups Panko Breadcrumbs 8 cups Vegetable Oil Procedure: 1. Place the oil in a pot over medium heat and bring oil up to 350˚. 2. Place flour, Cajun seasoning and 1 tablespoon Salt and Pepper in a bowl and mix well. 3....
Read MoreQ & A with Ken Friedman
What compels a guy in the music industry to open his own restaurant? Ken Friedman couldn’t find a restaurant where he could wear jeans and still eat great food. So he got a few friends to invest and opened one himself. By friends, I mean Jay-Z, Fatboy Slim and Michael Stipes. That’s who your friends are when you work in the music industry for 25 years, including at Arista Records with Clive Davis. The Spotted Pig literally became a...
Read MoreWine Thermometer
Most wine lovers know the basics — white wine should be chilled, red served at room temperature. But do you know the ideal temperature for drinking rose, champagne, or a pinot grigio? Neither did I. But there are optimal conditions for drinking different wines. For instance, sparkling prosecco should be served at a lower temperature than full-bodied whites, like a French Chardonnay. This thermometer slips easily around the bottle and lets you know when you’re wine’s chilled enough to...
Read MoreCereal Rush
I don’t care how old you are, cereal’s one of those creature comforts we never grow out of. Everyone’s got their favorite. Mine are Honey Nut Cheerios and Cap’n Crunch, the crack of cereals. No other comfort food captures the simple pleasures of childhood like a bowl of cereal. A box of Cocoa Krispies or Frosted Flakes reminds me of Saturday morning planted in front of the TV watching cartoons. I’ve noticed that some of New York’s best...
Read MoreA Brief Interruption…
I had a wonderful two years at the Daily News. It’s unfortunate such a great newspaper will no longer be reviewing restaurants. But Restaurant Girl is alive and well right...
Read MoreCherry Pitter
The only good thing about the end of summer is ripe, red cherries at the farmer’s market. I love eating them raw, but they’re just as good baked into pies. The only trick is getting the pits out, so we don’t endanger dinner guests or loved ones. Pies look prettier when you can get the pit out and keep the whole cherry intact. I just found this cherry pitter at Sur La Table. It pits 4 cherries at once...
Read MoreQ & A with Juliette Pope & Ralf Kuettel
It all began in the kitchen at Zoe. Juliette Pope was a line cook, and Ralf Kuettel was the sous chef. The two have been together ever since, and in the process, both have achieved successful careers in the food world. Juliette Pope started her career in the kitchen. She worked at Zoe and Union Square Cafe before moving to the pastry station at Gramercy Tavern. It was there she met Gramercy Tavern’s wine director, Paul Grieco who now...
Read MoreThe Mott
The Mott: A cozy find with thoughtful cooking pops up in Nolita Cuisine: Modern American Vibe: Charming downtown nook Occasion: Casual date, group dinner, intimate evening Don’t Miss: Fluke crudo, ricotta gnocchi, duck breast with spinach and figs Price: Appetizers, $11; entrees, $22; desserts, $7 Reservations: Recommended Phone: 212-966-1411 Location: 173 Mott St., at Broome I have to admit: Dinner’s a lot more affordable when there’s no alcohol on the menu. But most people like to have a drink...
Read MoreSummer's Best Mocktails & Booze-Free Beverages
August — It’s hot, humid, and anyone who can swing it, has skipped town in favor of the beach, a lake, or any available body of water. And, of course, drinking lots of cold, icy cocktails, chilled rose, and cold beers. Sometimes, it’s good to take a night off. That usually means depriving yourself and settling on a coke or lemonade or fizzy water. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but everyone’s getting creative with beverages these days, non-alcoholic...
Read MoreThe Spotted Pig's Hangtown Fry
By Executive Chef April Bloomfield Ingredients: 3 slices Smoked Bacon 2 eggs 2 Crisp spring onions or scallions, thinly sliced 3-4 Oysters, good sized and shucked 3 slices Pickled jalapeños 2 sprigs Parsley, picked and roughly chopped 1/4 Salt Olive Oil Procedure: Preheat broiler. Heat a medium non-stick pan over medium heat and cook bacon until golden and brown. Flip the bacon and turn off heat. Add the gently whipped eggs, salt, pickled jalapeños, and shucked oysters to the pan. Sprinkle...
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