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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
Q & A With Cory Colton
Pastry chef Cory Colton’s culinary career was inspired not by his mother or farm upbringing, but rather by Marcel Desaulniers’ television show, “Death by Chocolate.” After formal education at the CIA, Cory perfected pastry in kitchens varying from The Trellis in Williamsburg, Virginia to the St. Regis in Aspen. But it was his drive to cook in NYC that brought him to Lespinasse and then the St. Regis, and now, Quality Meats. At Quality Meats, Cory’s signature desserts include...
Read MoreQ & A With Waldy Malouf
Chef Waldy Malouf is not just a chef. Though he owns and operates multiple restaurants in NYC, including Beacon Restaurant on 56th Street as well as his namesake pizza joint, Waldy’s, on 27th Street, his career extends far beyond the kitchen. After graduating from the CIA, Waldy took over the Rainbow Room, revamping and earning the restaurant three stars from the NY Times. Since then, Malouf has written two cookbooks, and now sits on many charitable organizations in NYC,...
Read MoreQ & A With Jared Stafford-Hill
Chef Jared Stafford-Hill has traveled from East to West: previously chef de cuisine at Italian East Village restaurant, Hearth, he recently seized the opportunity to take over as executive chef at bobo, a chic townhouse in the West Village. Jared has revamped the European menu and implemented a rigorously green-conscious kitchen. Here, he combines bohemian and bourgeois influences with a salad of jamon serrano garnished with manchego, crushed almonds and apricots, and a dry aged beef “Fiorentina” with oxtail,...
Read MoreQ & A With Josh Emett
Some might find Gordon Ramsay intimidating (to say the least,) but for Josh Emett, the chef de cuisine for all of the NYC Gordon Ramsay restaurants, Gordon Ramsay instills confidence and prowess, not fear. Josh joined the UK Ramsay team in 2000, starting as senior chef de partie at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea and then shifting to Gordon Ramsay at Claridge’s. In the fall of 2006, Josh left his homestead for NYC at The London to take part...
Read MoreQ & A With Michael White
It’s hard enough to succeed as executive chef in one kitchen, but Michael White manages to produce superior Italian dishes at two: Alto and L’Impero. Marrying into a Southern Italian family, his wife Giovanna was influential in his understanding of homemade pastas and balancing bright and bold flavors. And spending 7 years in Italy, he solidified his talents in Italian cuisine. Now residing in NYC, Michael maintains a consistent exploration of Italy, enabling him to add a personal touch...
Read MoreQ & A With Susan Ungaro
With the 2008 James Beard Awards on the imminent horizon, we thought it would be an opportune time to check in with the foundation’s newest president, Susan Ungaro. Though Kim Cattrall from Sex and the City will dropping in to host the awards ceremony on June 8th, another woman runs the illustrious show year-round. For twelve years, Ms. Ungaro served as the editor in chief for the award-winning women’s magazine, Family Circle. An award winner herself, she has earned particular...
Read MoreQ & A with Craig Hopson
Craig Hopson inadvertently stumbled into the kitchen as a means to supplement his daily surfing habit while growing up in Australia. From there he traveled through Europe, training in such esteemed kitchens as Restaurant Guy Savoy in France before returning to Australia to launch his own eatery, Circa Restaurant. He moved to New York City to work alongside Terrance Brennan at both Artisanal and Picholine, earning himself a reputation for injecting bold and innovative flavors into French classics. Tapped...
Read MoreQ & A With Alex Stupak
Pastry chef Alex Stupak is a master of innovative designs and textures, making him no stranger to the molecular gastronomy taking place at wd~50. In a kitchen where science takes dishes to a whole new level, Alex has relied on experimentation and a precise sense of balance to perfect the creations that continue to delight and awe customers. At the youthful age of twenty-six, chef Alex Stupak had earned the pastry chef position at one of most innovative and...
Read MoreQ & A with Karen DeMasco
Pastry chef Karen DeMasco has distinguished herself not with subversive creations or unconventional methods, but with exemplary, classic desserts. Trends may come and go, but Karen’s elemental style that embraces seasonal fruits has sustained her ever-evolving career and a seven-year run at Craft. Karen first honed her techniques at Gramercy Tavern, and then Della Femina, where she was well-received by the New York Times. She was then lured by chef Tom Colicchio to helm the pastry department at Craft,...
Read MoreQ & A With Nancy Olson
Nancy Olson has traveled a long way from her hometown in Napoleon, North Dakota to her current mainstay as executive pastry chef at Gramercy Tavern. With its unwavering devotion to bucolic compositions, this Danny Meyer haunt surely reeps the benefits of Olson’s rural upbringing. Nancy’s father raised cattle, while her mother made jams and jellies from seasonal produce grown on their farm. Her upbringing planted shaped a pastry career focused on the freshest, farm-grown ingredients. At Gramercy Tavern, Nancy’s...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Reveo MariVac Food Tumbler
48 hour marinades went out with afternoon naps in today’s fast paced society. But that doesn’t mean your meat should suffer: the Reveo MariVac Food Tumbler can do in ten minutes what a 2 day marinade would accomplish. The tumbler will even tenderize your meat as it absorbs your marinade. Maybe there is time after all for a few afternoon zzz’s… Reveo MariVac Food Tumbler Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email Us. Until we eat again,...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer
Too often the father of the house rules the BBQ, alienating himself from the party, banished from the beach, to cook up the afternoon steaks and burgers. But this Father’s Day, give the gift of wireless technology: the Wireless Talking BBQ/Oven Thermometer will beep when your meat is cooked to your desired temperature – up to 330 feet away! So this year, invite dad to the conversation and let the wireless thermometer do the grilling work. The Wireless Talking...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s 14 M.P.H. Cooler
For those interested in going green this summer, turn in your gas guzzling SUV for the 14 MPH Cooler. This cooler will drive your way from the house to the beach – up to 15 miles away – with the day’s food and drink in tow. Hold on to the handle bars to clutch the break, and rest your drink in the built-in cup holder. Your days of juggling your chair, towel and lunch just got a whole lot...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s BBQ Branding Iron
If Memorial Day weekend didn’t kick start your grilling season, this gizmo most certainly will. The BBQ Branding Iron brands your charred meats so there’s no more confusion as to who grilled what, or what hunk of meat belongs to you. The Branding Iron has interchangeable letters, allowing for your steaks to be personalized, or even your chicken breasts to wish you a happy birthday. You might as well stick a candle in your grilled chicken and forgo the...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Steady Sticks
With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, many may be turning in their work suits for their swimsuits and heading to the beach. Along with the cooler filled with sandwiches and soda, bring a bottle of wine and these Steady Sticks to enjoy while the waves come in. Your chardonnay will stay sand-free as these sticks elevate your glasses and bottle, and give you a free hand to fly that kite that’s been wrapped up all winter. Steady...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Hot/Cold Serving Tray
Here’s to your next stress-free cocktail party: The Hot/Cold Serving Tray allows your hors d’oeuvres to stay warm or cool with no effort. Just chill the tray or heat it up, and it will maintain its temperature for up to two hours. Tepid appetizers are a thing of the past; here’s to a hot and crispy pig in a blanket… if you can get your hand on one before they’re gone. Hot/Cold Serving Tray Care to share your favorite...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Charm Spaghetti Server
What a difference a few tongs can make: the Charm spaghetti server takes the hassle from getting your saucy spaghetti and meatballs from bowl to plate. Quite the bargain at $1.99, considering the dry cleaning bills you’ll be saving from your past spaghetti sauced shirts. All bets are off, though, when it comes to flying meatballs… Charm Spaghetti Server Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email Us. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for...
Read MoreGizmo Girl’s Henrietta Egg Cooker
Whether you’re an eggs benedict fanatic or an egg salad devotee, this egg cooker and poacher will alleviate all anxieties in cooking the perfect egg. The Henrietta Egg Cooker and Poacher not only looks cute, it chirps when eggs are hard boiled or poached to completion. This chick holds up to seven eggs for hard boiling, or four for poaching. Pass the hollandaise sauce, please… Henrietta Egg Cooker and Poacher Care to share your favorite kitchen gizmo? Email Us. Until...
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