Stanton Social's Watermelon Margarita
By Partner Peter Kane 3 cubes of (tequila infused) watermelon MUDDLED w/ 1/2 teaspoon of diced ginger .5 oz of ginger simple syrup 1.5 oz watermelon infused white tequila .75 oz of fresh lemon juice Shake and serve over CRUSHED ice in a rocks glass. Address: 99 Stanton St., between Orchard & Ludlow Sts. Phone:...
Read MoreParlor Steakhouse
1600 Third Ave., at 90th St. (212) 423-5888 Sun.-Thur., 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 5:30 p.m.-12 a.m. CUISINE Modern American steakhouse. VIBE Butcher-shop sleek. OCCASION UES date; group dining. DON’T-MISS DISH Tomato and watermelon gazpacho, filet mignon, sour-cream cheesecake. PRICE Appetizers, $9-$15; entrees, $22-$42; dessert, $8-$10. RESERVATIONS Accepted. You need a road map through the menu at Parlor Steakhouse. Here it is: Order the gazpacho, ask for the filet mignon medium rare, and finish with any one of Andrea Bucheli‘s desserts. If you don’t eat meat, order the branzino. If you don’t eat meat or fish – seriously, what are you doing at a steakhouse? You can still have a glass of wine and order dessert, which is probably worth the trek uptown. Did I mention the desserts? Save room, lots of room. They’re created by Bucheli, 28,...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Wine Thermometer
Every wine has its perfect temperature – but the chances of getting it just right are probably slim to none. Thanks to the latest wine gizmo, the Wine Thermometer, getting your dry sherry to its ideal chill or your cabernet to its best temperature is simple with this metal sleeve. Slide the thermometer around the bottle and the temperature will match the desired grape. Who knew becoming an oenophile was such a sinch. Wine Thermometer Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email...
Read MoreQ & A with Deborah Racicot
Pastry chef Deborah Racicot defined herself as one of New York’s finest pastry chefs early on in her career. With no formal culinary schooling, Deborah Racicot found herself training under such prominent chefs as Claudia Fleming at Gramercy Tavern as well as Richard Leach at Le Cote Basque. Having grown up in Vermont, Racicot gravitated toward classic creations with a decidedly creative and refined twist. Now at Gotham Bar and Grill, she divines a grown up version of “S’mores” with chicory ice cream, a key lime souffle, and a summer cheesecake with blueberry compote and nectarine sorbet. Single/Married/Divorced? Single What did you want to be when you grew up? A veternarian. What was your first job in food? I was a cocktail waitress in a Mexican restaurant in Vermont. It was a blast. What...
Read MoreBack Forty's Kentucky Kirby
By Mixologist Michael Cecconi (Serves 1) Ingredients: 1½ ounces Sazerac Rye 1½ ounces Kirby Cucumber Sour* 3-4 fresh mint leaves To make the cocktail:Combine rye, cucumber sour, and mint in a shaker, add ice, then agitate vigorously. Pour through a julep or other fine mesh strainer into a chilled (five ounce) martini glass. Garnish with a thin slice of cucumber and serve.To make the Kirby Cucumber sour Ingredients: 6 Kirby cucumbers, peeled Lime juice Simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water, heated together until the sugar dissolves) *Puree cucumbers in a blender with a pinch of salt. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and set aside. To make the sour, mix together two parts strained cucumber juice with one part fresh lime juice and one part simple syrup. (Leftover sour mix can be frozen indefinitely.) Additional comments by Back...
Read MoreConvivio
If you’re looking for a sign of the times, Convivio is it. 45 Tudor City Place, at 42nd St. (212) 599-5045 Sun.-Thur., 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m; Fri.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Cuisine Southern Italian. Vibe Warm Tudor City haunt. Occasion Business lunch; group dinner. Don’t Miss Dish Four-course prix fixe or the sweetbreads piccata, tuna & caper ravioli, roasted squab. Average Price Appetizers, $13; entrees, $25; dessert, $11. Reservations Recommended. Sometimes, a restaurant doesn’t really need a makeover. All it needs is a make-under. Convivio is a perfect example. Just six weeks ago, L’Impero shut its doors on a quiet block in Tudor City. Two weeks later, it reopened as Convivio. A quick wardrobe change, a few tweaks to the menu and voila, a new restaurant. Sort of. It’s the same chef, Michael White, same owners, and yet everything...
Read MoreElettaria's Marinated Calamari Salad with Ginger-Carrot Vinaigrette
By Chef Akhtar Nawab Ingredients: 10 whole fresh calamari 2 ground pepperoncini 2 tbs fennel seed 2 tbs coriander seed 2 limes 4 large carrots 2 oz ginger 4 garlic cloves 1 cup uncooked fresh cranberry beans 1 stalk celery 1 large onion 4 cups water 1 cup olive oil 2 bunches purslane, from the green market 2 whole long peppers 4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 bay leaf, fresh 1 tsp toasted coriander seed 3 green cardomom Preparation:Under cold running water, separate the tentacles from the body and discard the transparent bone from the calamari. Peel away the reddish skin and fins. Gently turn the calamari body inside out and clean and remove the intestines. Gently cut the tentacles and remove the beak.With a juicer, pass through the 3 carrots, ginger, and garlic and combine all the juices. Toast...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Microwavable S’Mores Maker
S’more cravings don’t just hit in the great outdoors. Besides, some of just aren’t the camping type. Not a problem: pictured here is the Microwavable S’Mores Maker — a genius little invention that does the messy legwork for you. With a press of the button, a chocolate-marshmallow sandwich. Here’s to camping out…in the kitchen. Microwavable S’Mores Maker Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email...
Read MoreQ & A with Michael Lomonaco
Local and seasonal ingredients are no longer the exception to the rule, they practically are the rule when it comes to chefs sourcing of ingredents. But this wasn’t always the case and Michael Lomonaco was a chef far ahead of his time, diligently employing localism at nearly every turn of his career. After training under Daniel Boulud at Le Cirque, he delivered refined American cuisine at numerous New York institutions, including the 21 Club and Windows of the World. In late 2006, he re-emerged on the dining scene with Porter House NY, housed in the Time Warner Center. Here, he honors the soul of American cooking and does admirable justice to a bevvy of classics, including a jumbo lump crabcake, veal porterhouse chop, as well as butter-poached lobster with leeks, sugar snap peas and truffled mashed potatoes. Single/Married/Divorced?Married for 28...
Read MoreJames
605 Carlton Ave., at St. Marks Ave., Brooklyn (718) 942-4255 Tues.-Sun., 5:30 p.m.-midnight; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-1a.m; closed Mondays. CUISINE Modern American cuisine VIBE Romantic neighborhood haunt OCCASION Intimate date; neighborhood dining DON’T MISS DISH Spinach salad; seared diver scallops; lemon almond pound cake PRICE Appetizers, $8-$12; entrees, $14-$29; dessert, $8-$10 RESERVATIONS For parties of six or more It’s 1 a.m., do you know where your chef is? If you’re a regular at James you do. He’s on the roof in his garden, among his herbs, weeding, watering, unwinding. It’s the end of a long night in the kitchen at the corner of 605 Carlton Ave. and St. Marks Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. Bryan Calvert, the chef, has a short commute. He lives just above the restaurant and just beneath his rooftop garden – 600 square feet of...
Read MoreOlana's Grapefruit Parfait
By Pastry Chef Katie Rosenhouse Ingredients: Grapefruit Mousseline Pastry Cream• 1 Pint Whole Milk• 125 grams granulated sugar• 1 Vanilla bean• 1 egg yolk• 1 whole egg• 30 grams cornstarch• 30 grams butterMethod: Bring milk, sugar, vanilla, and cornstarch to a boil. Slowly whisk the hot liquid into the eggs to temper them. Finally, whisk in the cold butter, and strain into a plastic container. Segment 4 grapefruits, and soak in Absolute Citron Vodka, covered, in the refrigerator. Amaretti Cookies• At least 8-10 oz store-bought (or homemade) Italian cookies, roughly chopped. Violet Cream• 1 cup heavy cream• 1 Tbsp Violet syrup (can be found in some specialty stores) or at BaldorMethod: Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, adding the violet syrup towards the end to incorporate. Violet Tapioca• ...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s The Radio Control Snack Float
When paddling to the side of the pool is just too much effort on a lazy summer Sunday spent in the pool, the Radio Control Snack Float will come to your rescue. It holds up to five drinks and leaves enough room for a crunchy snack in the middle. With your remote control, you can steer your beverages right up to your float. Poolside service at its best. The Radio Control Snack Float Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email...
Read MoreCentro Vinoteca's Roasted Red & Yellow Pepper Goat Cheese Involtino
Created by Executive Chef Anne BurrellIngredients: 2 each red and yellow bell peppers 1- 1 ½ logs goat cheese at room temperature 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper 1 tablespoon Pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika) Kosher Salt 2 Tablespoons chopped chives Instructions:1. Preheat a broiler or grill. Place the peppers on the grill and cook them until they are BLACK on the outside. Yeah that’s right BURN THEM! When the peppers are black on all sides remove them from the heat and place them in an enclosed environment- either a paper bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Let them sit until they are cool- this can be done a day ahead. 2. Using your fingers scrape all the black off the outside of the peppers. Remove the stem and the seeds as well. This is a messy job- accept...
Read MoreThe Little Owl's Raspberry Beignets
By Chef and Owner Joey Campanaro 1st make this yeast dough with the following recipe. Then take 2 pints of raspberries and coat them with sugar. Wait until the berries macerate. When they become juicy, you will use this mixture to fill the donuts. Yeast dough: 3 cups warm water 4 tbsp. molasses 4.5 oz fresh yeast 3 tsp. olive oil 8 cups all purpose flour After you have made the dough, allow it to rise in a warm humid area of your kitchen. Make sure to keep the dough covered in moist towels or plastic wrap, so it doesn’t dry out. The dough will double in size with 30 minutes. After the dough rises, cut it into workable ¼’s, on a floured clean surface, using a rolling pin, gently work the dough down to 1ins. think. At this...
Read MoreQ & A with Kurt Gutenbrunner
Chef & restaurateur Kurt Gutenbrunner has produced a trio of successful restaurants in the city — Cafe Sabarsky, Blaue Gans, and Michelin-starred Wallse — and made Austrian cuisine mainstream in the process. He’s trained in some of the world’s finest kitchens, including Munich’s Tantris, and trained with such esteemed chefs as David Bouley. Mining his Austrian upbringing, Gutenbrunner modernizes and lightens traditional Viennese cuisine with such dishes as halibut with cucumber, dill and chanterelles, and wild striped bass with lentils, bacon, root vegetables and zweitgelt. Single/married/divorced?In a relationship. What did you want to be when you grew up?A chef…or a racecar driver What was your first job in food?When I was 15, I enrolled in a professional hotel and restaurant school and after completing my coursework I apprenticed at the Relais et Chateau Richard Löwenherz. You’ve worked in countless...
Read MoreMatsugen
Paradise found in a bowl of soba noodles. 241 Church St., at Leonard St. (212) 925-0202 Tues.-Sun., 5:30 p.m.-midnight; Fri. & Sat., 5:30 p.m.-1 a.m; closed Mondays. CUISINE: Taste of Tokyo VIBE Hip, tranquil Tribeca haunt. OCCASION Intimate date; business dinner; serious noodle endeavors. DON’T-MISS DISH Homemade tofu; Matsugen special soba; inaka soba with goma dare sauce; grapefruit jelly. PRICE Appetizers, $9-$65; entrées, from $12; desserts, $9-$14. RESERVATIONS Recommended The last time I ate food cooked by the Matsushita brothers, the chefs at Matsugen, was in the Ginza District of Tokyo. I went to both of their restaurants. It was my first serious introduction to the simple, intense flavors and ingredients of Tokyo cooking – astonishingly fresh soba noodles, grilled pork belly, homemade tofu, even my first taste of uni. And I can tell you that Jean-Georges Vongerichten...
Read MoreGreenmarket Profile with Dancing Ewe Farm
Ricotta’s light and fluffy texture makes it the perfect complement to summer salads or locally grown tomatoes — quickly becoming available in greenmarkets and grocery stories alike. Some of the best ricotta around can be found at Union Square Greenmarket. Dancing Ewe Creamery, situated near the Southwest corner of the market, offers a number of tasty local versions of Italian cheeses, including both cow and sheep’s milk ricotta. Back in 2000, Jody Somers bought a dairy farm and had what he dubs, “an epiphany.” He would travel to Tuscany and learn the art of cheese making. When Jody returned to this side of the Atlantic, he quickly made fan out of prominent chefs, the likes of Mario Batali. So the story goes that a Italian friend of a friend came to stay with him in New York, and became...
Read MoreGreenmarket Profile with Rockefeller Plaza Greenmarket
A midtown lunch often evokes images of a business lunch meeting or grabbing a gyro from your corner street cart, but is usuallyWith so many business suits, laptop cases, grey sidewalks and tall, grey buildings in Midtown, most people would be hard pressed to believe that a plentiful greenmarket, on par with Union Square, lies in the center of it. Midtown is known for its quick and easy food carts, not its fresh produce. To disprove that myth, walk over to Rockefeller Plaza between 50th and 51st Street (East of 5th Avenue,) to check out the Rockefeller Greenmarket. Having begun its season on July 23rd, it is open from 8AM-6PM, Wednesday to Friday, until August 29th. With around eight stalls on any given day there are ample options to create a fresher, more organic midtown lunch. On Wednesdays, Greenmarket stalwarts Red Jacket Orchard...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
