November 20, 2009
From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Laren Spirer, November 20, 2009 at 4:00 PM
[Photos: Highlands; Laren Spirer]
In my mid-20's, I used to think all Scotch was the same. It was something that old men drank, and something that my male friends were "learning to drink." Every time I tasted it, all I got was heavy peat and smoke, so I assumed that's what Scotch was all about.
Flash forward to the present. Not only have I matured greatly since then (or so I'd like to think), but during the course of my spirits education—both formal and informal—I have learned just how wrong I was back then.
Highlands, New York's West Village Scottish bar, is a perfect place to educate yourself about Scotch whiskies. Take some time to taste and learn which ones suit your personal preferences; they've chosen about thirty, and compliled brief tasting notes on each, but their selection goes beyond the printed list. That said, Highlands isn't all about the Scotch. The comfortable, sophisticated atmosphere lends itself to a visit just to perch at the bar, no matter the type of tipple you prefer. They offer beer, wine, and a handful of seasonal cocktails, as well as modern Scottish-influenced small plates, like a lamb sausage roll and House Cured Loch Duart Salmon (haggis is reported to be coming in the not-too-distant future).
A recipe for my favorite Scotch cocktail, after the jump.
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Posted by Hawk Krall, November 20, 2009 at 3:30 PM
"Take two of the best classic deli sandwiches and combine them."
[Original artwork and photographs: Hawk Krall]
Kosher hot dogs have always been a staple of New York delicatessens. It was only a matter of time before a deli man or two decided to pile some of that delicious pastrami on top of a frankfurter. The components are pretty self explanatory: all-beef kosher hot dog piled high with good, moist pastrami, on a poppy seed bun, maybe garnished with a squirt of deli mustard.
I found one here in Philadelphia at Famous 4th Street Deli, probably our most well-known classic delicatessen. My Pastrami Dog came with at least half a pound of pastrami piled on top. I made it all the way through without a knife and fork, which wasn't easy, but well worth it.
At first glance the Pastrami Dog doesn't look too different from other meat-on-meat atrocities. But it makes more culinary sense, almost a no-brainer. Take two of the best classic deli sandwiches and combine them.
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From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 20, 2009 at 2:30 PM
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
With the notable exception of Go Go Curry there is probably no Japanese restaurant in Manhattan more obsessed with New York Yankees left-fielder Hideki "Godzilla" Matsui than Go Sushi. Sports pages featuring Matsui are pasted above the sushi bar at this Saint Mark's izakaya, whose name means "five" in Japanese. To honor the newly minted MVP who has worn the number 55 since his days at the Yomiuri Giants, and in recognition of the Yanks World Series win, Go introduced the Yankee Roll. My team loyalties—such as they are—lie with the Mets, but only because I love Queens. Nevertheless, I decided to cast aside my loyalty to the home team and try the $5.50 creation.
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From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 20, 2009 at 1:30 PM
The menu description doesn't do this dessert justice: "acorn squash slowly cooked in syrup served with vanilla scented whipped cream." The dessert is by Natalia Machado, the pastry chef at Tribeca's Industria Argentina, and it's named Zapallos en Almibar ($9), an Argentinian classic with a rich history, not often served outside the home. Acorn squash is cubed, soaked in pickling lime, then cooked for hours in syrup.
The result? Glossy, almost translucent cuts of squash, with an crackle crisp exterior and innards, a soft and creamy affair. The contrast of two textures in a single bite is addictive. It's very sweet, so the fresh whipped cream, light with a touch of vanilla, is absolutely necessary. And if squash is not your thing, you're bound to find joy in a quince and cheesecake stuffed crepe or a molten dulce de leche cake paired with caramel-streaked sea salt ice cream.
Industria Argentina
329 Greenwich Street, New York NY 10013 (map)
iatribeca.com
From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Carey Jones, November 20, 2009 at 12:30 PM
"We're already looking towards next year. After all, Borough Market quickly became a weekly event..."
Photos: Erin Zimmer
When I first visited the New Amsterdam Market on a brutally cold, ice-whipped December day back in 2007, Robert LaValva and Cerise Mayo had assembled a single long row of vendors for their first-ever "Wintermarket" at the South Street Seaport.
In fairness, it was an incredible row of vendors: Anne Saxelby grilling cheese sandwiches, Mario Batali (in shorts!) slicing porchetta, The Bent Spoon serving ice cream that sold out despite the nastiest sleet storm I'd ever seen.
But looking back two years later, it's incredible to see how the market has evolved. After a hugely successful 2008 market and a well-attended oysterfest fundraiser in February, New Amsterdam Market was able to set a monthly schedule for the fall of 2009, and this Sunday, November 22, the third market in this series will convene. (More info here.)
LaValva's mission is the same as ever. He seeks to establish a year-round, large-scale venue for sustainable, local food—driven not only by farmers, but by purveyors, butchers, and distributors who can draw from multiple sources to expand the range of regional products available in New York in bring the best of those to market.
But establishing a monthly meeting, LaValva tells us, has caused a key shift: New Yorkers are starting to view the market as a resource, not just a novelty. "People come here to shop," he told us. "At the October market, we saw visitors coming with bags, and shopping lists. People from lower Manhattan, who arrive on foot, and buy food for the week. There's a sense of a regular schedule that lets them do that."
The future of New Amsterdam Market, after the jump.
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From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Nikki Goldstein, November 20, 2009 at 12:00 PM
"It's a great hangover brunch dish, and there's something to be said for that on a Sunday morning in the West Village."
[Photo: Nikki Goldstein]
With all the natural light that pours into the space, 10 Downing is a beautiful place to wake up. The one thing that nobody likes in the morning, though, is a broken promise: The website had given me hopes of a delicious-sounding sunny side up duck egg atop duck ham with stewed figs and onions, which my menu and waiter promptly and unapologetically informed me was no longer available. Thankfully, there was redemption, which took the form of two slow cooked eggs atop corned beef hash, a comfort-packed classic with extra oomph.
After a bread basket filled with carrot muffins, chocolate cookie logs, and olive oil cake, I was ready to tackle the hash, which looked far daintier than any I've seen before. Below the pile of frisee were two beautiful, gigantic eggs that had a favorably disproportionate ratio of yolk to egg white. I wondered where they came from—a local farm, perhaps?—but couldn't resist the desire to pierce the yolk and start chomping away.
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From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by BrianYarvin, November 20, 2009 at 11:00 AM
[Photos: Brian Yarvin]
Walking through my local outpost of the Supremo supermarket chain, under the Mexican, Colombian, and Brazilian flags, I got an intense dose of Latin American flavors that showed just how important those cuisines are here. Just what are all those different tortillas? In what way are Oaxacan, Guatemalan, and Salvadoran ones different from each other? And cremas? There are all those different kinds! Strolling down the aisles of Supremo gives a person hope. The presence of all these great ingredients means that somebody is cooking great Mexican, Central and South American food right near by. Because if they weren't, this place would be out of business in a second.
The cheese section makes you ask why we never talk about Latin America when the subject of artisan cheese comes up. There's some serious cheese here. A variety of fresh ones that you just don't see anyplace else. And the produce is for those who know. Fruits, roots and leaves of every description, and more habeneros then you ever thought could be in one place, with very little labeling besides names—and sometimes not even that.
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From A Hamburger Today
Posted by Robyn Lee, November 20, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Sidecar
560 5th Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11215 (b/n 15th Street and 16th Street; map); 718-369-0077; sidecarbrooklyn.com
Cooking Method: Grilled
Short Order: A juicy, satisfying burger.
Want Fries with That? Comes with great skinny fries.
Prices: Cheeseburger, $12; extra toppings +$2
I checked out Sidecar in Park Slope due to a recommendation from AHT reader Dan Federman. He did not recommend that I pair the burger with fried chicken though; I take the blame for that and the subsequent discomfort it wrought on my dining companion's digestive system.
The 7-ounce (or 6-ounce; I got two different answers) grilled cheeseburger is made with grass-fed beef and comes with lettuce, onion, and tomato on the side, We got ours medium rare with American cheese and added sautéed onions for another $2.
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From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 19, 2009 at 4:30 PM
"Asians love glitter." —Pichet Ong
[Photo: Spot]
Normally I'm not a dessert guy, but yesterday I stopped by Pichet Ong's Spot, which Kathy reviewed earlier today, for one of the chef's seasonal desserts: jackfruit cake with rum toffee and coconut. I've had young jackfruit cooked in savory Indonesian preparations as well as raw mature jackfruit. Why not try it baked into a sweet treat? The gigantic fruit is native to Southeast Asia, so I was curious to see what the Taiwanese-born, Thai-raised dessert chef would do with its sticky flesh.
Rum and "Disco Sparkles," after the jump.
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Posted by Michael Nagrant, November 19, 2009 at 3:30 PM
Dry rub Memphis barbecue. [Flickr: orangachang / CC BY-SA 2.0]
Memphis barbecue ain't all that. There, I said it.
I expected and wanted Memphis barbecue to be the soul shaking, stomach sating, come-to-Jesus occasion everyone says it is. I planned for weeks, read reviews, scoured internet forums, and I did my due diligence talking to locals about their favorite spots once I arrived in the land of Elvis a couple of months ago.
I hit Central, Germantown Commissary, Rendezvous, Cozy Corner, Corky's, Leonard's. It's the best I could do in three days, and it's possible if I'd just hit one more place—Neely's or A & R or Pig and Whistle or (insert your local favorite)—I would have finally found some real promised land.
Or, maybe not. Everyone touts the Memphis dry rub as the thing, but all of the "dry" ribs I had—including the tourist trap/celebrated inventor of the form, Rendezvous, (Justin Timberlake says they're his favorite; he may be gifted as a songwriter and performer, but he needs to work on his food criticism)—were overseasoned in terms of spiciness, and underseasoned when it came to salt. Generally, the rough bland sandy top coat on most of the examples I tried would have been more useful to prime a wall for painting than as a flavoring agent. At least I found something good on the "wet" front; it would be tough to top the beautiful crispy skin, deep pink smoke ring, and perfect meaty chew of the ribs at Cozy Corner.
Actually, it wasn't that Memphis 'cue wasn't all that, as much as it was that it wasn't everything.. There are actually few cities in America that do ribs, pulled pork, or other smoked goodies generally better than Memphis. The problem is I'm from one of the places that does.
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From Serious Eats: New York
Posted by Laren Spirer, November 19, 2009 at 2:30 PM
"Cheese is a mysterious force."
Lucy's Whey has been providing American artisanal cheeses to the residents of East Hampton since 2007. They've now brought their wares and love for cheese to the Chelsea Market, where Cheesemonger Amy Thompson is at the helm.
Amy's excitement about cheese and the new shop simply oozes forth in her personality (and yes, that was a deliberate choice of words). Amy took a break from her busy first week in business to talk to Serious Eaters.
Name: Amy Thompson
Location: Chelsea
Occupation: Cheesemonger
Website: www.lucyswhey.com
How did you get involved in the cheese business? Cheese is a mysterious force. In a sense, cheese found me. I was interested in learning and teaching about sustainable agriculture and food production, and in direct farm to table links. Artisanal cheese production exemplified many qualities of the type of food chain integrity that I was looking for: craftsmanship, pride, and a flavor palette rooted in terroir. I have previously worked at Murray's and Consider Bardwell Farm and hold the title of pinch hitter at Saxelby Cheesemongers.
Tell us a little about the cheeses you've selected for the New York branch of Lucy's Whey. We carry only American artisanal cheeses, many of which are made with raw milk, most of which we are buying directly from the producers. I have had the pleasure of visiting most of the cheesemakers myself. Our vision is to stock small production cheeses that have stories behind them and that are products of dedication to animal well-being.
We have a range of goat, cow and sheeps' milk cheeses, many of which are hard to find elsewhere. For example, Mountain View Dairy's Misty Mountain Camembert from Richfield Springs, New York—an Amish dairy with no electricity making 12 different kinds of raw milk cheese from 40 grass-fed cows.
We've also designed several panini that feature our cheeses. Come in for lunch!
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From Slice
Posted by Adam Kuban, November 19, 2009 at 2:00 PM
From the Slice inbox: "Waiting for your review of Mozza and Antica. Please get to it soon. Thanks. —Pizzafreak" OK. Here you go, Pizzafreak. My blathering about "Pizza Madness 2009" continues ... —The Mgmt.
[Photographs: Adam Kuban]
Until I touched down at LAX on Thursday, October 29, most of my knowledge of Los Angeles came from CHiPs, The Rockford Files, the Terminator franchise, and The Closer. I had a feeling I'd be in for a shock.
It came pretty early. On the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and North Crescent (straight-up 90210 territory), I saw both a Bentley Continental ragtop and a Lamborghini Murcielago filling up at a gas station. I was waiting for a bus. Instant loser.
Well, at the bus I boarded was up-to-date, clean, and cheap ($1.25 was the lowest fare I'd seen this whole trip). And it dropped me at the corner of Santa Monica and North Highland 20 minutes later. From there, it was only a short walk to Pizzeria Mozza.
This was lunch, though it came at 3 p.m., which was about the best reservation for three I could get a single day in advance. I was meeting Slice West Coast contributor L.A. Pizza Maven and AHT L.A. burger dude Damon Gambuto. Some quick impressions of Mozza and Antica Pizzeria, after the jump.
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