Food: June 2009 Archives

              

We haven't tried the food yet, but The Standard Grill—the new restaurant that officially opened last week on the ground floor of The Standard Hotel—seems to have a lot going for it. Besides being really ridiculously good looking, the joint's timing and location are prime indeed, coinciding with the first section of the High Line park to open to the public. The restaurant, designed by Roman and Williams, is comprised of three distinct spaces: an outdoor dining section, a sun-soaked bistro with tiled floor and a full bar, and a white-tablecloth, fine dining room with red banquettes and orange leather armchairs.

La Cense, an 88,000 acre Montana ranch that uses sustainable farming methods to raise 100 percent grass-fed cattle, launched its first burger truck in midtown today, at 48th Street and Park Avenue. And the crowds went wild! La Cense's consulting burger chef is none other than Adam Perry Lang, the pitmaster-owner of Daisy May's BBQ, not to mention a classically trained veteran of the Le Cique, Daniel, and Chanterelle kitchens. And so a long line of determined guinea pigs formed almost immediately this morning, and according to some reports it stretched over a half hour long.

We've covered New York City brunch here and there, perpetually getting those bloggy defibrillator paddles to ask time and again whether or not all those filled-past-capacity mimosa hours are ever actually worth it. While it's still not clear why brunch even exists, brunch springs eternal. Thankfully, the kind folks over at Time Out New York have put together some epic roundups on those magical, egg-poaching hours in this week's issue, breaking things down into nine categories such as no-wait spots and best biscuits. There's a section on deals, like Mercadito's massive $15 fresh fruit mimosa, rice, beans, and entree superplate. Another section measures the door-to-door travel time of one prospective brunchee waiting in line at the popular Clinton Street Baking Company with another trekking out to Forest Hills to a underdog spot called Just Like Mother’s. Perhaps most useful are details on four alternative brunch cocktails. That section, however, leaves out Clover Club's entire "Liquid Brunch" menu, probably the most innovative brunch talking point to emerge in a long time.

    

The place is still waiting for a liquor license, but bar and restaurant Fort Defiance has opened up for business on Van Brunt Street in Red Hook. There's even a flag hanging out front, so you know it's ready. Proprietor St. John Frizell told us last month that he plans to serve cask beer and unfussy, solid cocktails once the license comes through. For the time being, however, the restaurant has eased into its morning routine: a menu of Counter Culture coffee drinks, pastries from Park Slope's Colson Patisserie, and a few sandwiches. The kitchen is small and accordingly, the menu is being kept to five items or less by chef Sam Fiorino a Good Fork alum. It includes a painstakingly researched, Central Grocery-style muffuletta sandwich for $9.

This week Frank Bruni at the Times reviews Meatpacking District hotspot Spice Market, where chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's menu is inspired by Asian street food. Interim dining critic Amanda Hesser gave it three out of four stars in 2004, but the paper was forced to issue a statement acknowledging that Hesser should have disclosed the glowing jacket blurb Vongerichten wrote for her book.

   

Click through the images above for details on this week's newcomers, which also include Calexico and The Pod Cafe.

You know things are bad when Mark Bittman flat out refuses his publisher's request to update his 1994 omnibus Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking on the grounds that overfishing and sustainability issues too frequently shift the labyrinthine rules of buying seafood, and no longer supply any diner with enough specific information that holds up in print. In a recent article, Bittman describes the "logistical and ethical nightmare" that's replaced the once-simple process of buying fresh fish, admitting that even the old standby wallet cards supplied by authorities like the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch have limits. When a waiter can't tell you what parcel of the Pacific your cod came from, for example, or if it met its end by trawl or longline, a piece of paper in your pocket isn't likely to help much, either.

    

Chef Ryan Brown and his Brooklyn-based Choice Cooking company provide both catering and personal chef services. For the personal chef service, Brown works with clients to develop custom-designed menus and each meal includes soup/salad, entree and dessert. We tried some of his offerings, which come pre-cooked in eco-friendly packaging that can be heated up in either the oven or microwave, and found them healthy, hearty and delicious—with plenty for leftovers, too. Brown recently told us where the best place to get groceries in New York is, what the personal chef business has been like during these financial times, and a story about catering for a famous client who brought a hooker to dinner.

Papacitos, the wildly popular Greenpoint Mexican restaurant with the best vegetarian tacos in town, was the victim of a brazen robbery Saturday night. Co-owner Cody Utzman tells us that thieves broke into the establishment after it closed, hopping the courtyard fence and entering through the back. According to Utzman, the robbers smashed open the cash register and made off with a safe that had $10,000 inside, as well as the restaurant stereo and some employees' personal belongings. Police have dusted for fingerprints and are investigating the incident.

We suppose that even hawks get tired of killing their prey—yesterday, D. Billy at And I Am Not Lying wrote that he had a good lunch, "Well… there was this one part where A F***ING HAWK FLEW INTO THE RESTAURANT WHERE I WAS EATING, AND LANDED ON MY FOOD." What follows is an endearing story of shock and awe:

I was sitting at a window seat next to the open door, and my food had just been brought out. I looked down to see this guy (or gal - I don’t know hawks) just standing in the doorway, looking back and forth. After surveying the place for a few seconds, it flapped its way in and up onto one of the empty tables.

Continue reading "Hawk! Bird Of Prey Seeks Meal At East Village Chicken Joint"

La Taverna: This unpretentious new Italian-Mediterranean restaurant, located in a former Polish bookstore, opened on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint over the weekend. Owner Robert Tripak, who doubles as the hotel manager at the Da Vinci Hotel in midtown, tells us he came to New York from Poland as a teenager, and his place is the fulfillment of a dream to own a restaurant "that can be affordable and still provide great service." No liquor license yet, but there is an espresso machine behind the bar, and the menu is definitely "affordable"; the only entree over $10 is the grilled steak served with roasted potatoes ($12.95). There is also a mussels marinara, sautéed in a marinara sauce over linguini pasta ($8.45); pork chops stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, served with mushroom sauce ($8.95); and among the pizzas there's a Mediterranean Pie with spinach, plum tomato, kalamata olives, pesto, feta and parmesan cheese and basil ($6.95/$9.95). 946 Manhattan Avenue; (718) 383-0732

       

We've seen glimpses of the Jane Hotel before, but now the West Village establishment has opened their lobby bar. Owners Sean MacPhearson (Bowery/Maritime Hotels) and Eric Goode say the style is understated; "Since our rooms are compact, the bar will feel like a living room for our guests, a place where they can just hang out. If you ever see a velvet rope, it’ll probably be hanging from the ceiling.” Consisting of three rooms—a front bar, a ballroom lounge and an upstairs mezzanine—the space will be open to hotel guests as well as friends and visitors. And thirsty artists take note: "The Jane lobby bar will also revive the revered New York tradition of bartering drinks for art from its patrons."

Frank Bruni heads to Williamsburg to check out Rye, the South 1st Street joint from chef Cal Elliott (Dressler, Dumont). The NY Times restaurant critic admires the former bodega decor, where the "woodwork and pressed tin ceiling look like lovingly restored" and its "long, gorgeous mahogany bar," but ultimately offers one star: "Rye needs to be more consistent... when Mr. Elliott hits his mark, the cooking appealingly complements that atmosphere. It’s mostly a mix of bistro stalwarts and of-the-moment comfort foods like a side of macaroni and cheese, the non-slider sliders and the meatloaf sandwich, wet and wild enough to qualify as a sloppy Joe — an enormous, fantastic one at that. The mix of meats in its crunchy embrace included beef, veal, duck and pork."

Obesity, especially childhood obesity, is an issue that the city takes seriously. But one Upper West Side mother's tactics at P.S. 9 have caused the school—and many other parents—to become frustrated and weary. MeMe Roth, an anti-obesity activist who gets upset by "special occasion" junk food ("cupcakes that come out for every birthday, the doughnuts her children were once given in gym"), tells the NY Times, "I thought I was sending my kid to P.S. 9, not Chuck E. Cheese. Is there or is there not an obesity and diabetes epidemic in this country?”

             

Wondering where the smell of grilled meat is coming from? You should probably point your snout to Madison Square Park. This weekend is the 7th annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party (so popular that their website is even down, but here's a pdf map). You can get your fill of food — whole hog, brisket, pork shoulder, ribs and sausages — for $8 a plate from 15 different pitmasters until 7pm tonight. Proceeds from the weekend benefit the Madison Square Park Conservancy.

On Monday night, a street food-themed Citymeals-on-Wheels benefit brought together more than 40 food trucks and a group of acclaimed chefs who served upscale versions of street food (Michael Psilakis made pork shoulder "gyros") in the name of charity. The highlight for some was undoubtedly the NYC debut of the Kogi truck, a Los Angeles based Korean BBQ taco concept that has taken the West Coast by storm—Kogi and the Dessert Truck even offered a special $4 combo plate Monday at noon as a warmup to the benefit, and a huge line formed despite the well-publicized fact that only 200 portions of Kimchi quesadillas would be available. Midtown Lunch also broke the news that Kogi will come to NY, probably later this year, and Lee Anne Wong of Top Chef will oversee Kogi-NY operations.

After tut-tutting the pat predictability of the Obamas' choice to dine at "locavore" restaurant Blue Hill last week, Frank Bruni at the Times has taken the opportunity to revisit Soho's Savoy, where chef/owner Peter Hoffman "began exalting all things organic, sustainable and humanely raised... a full decade before Dan Barber did likewise at Blue Hill." Bruni's two star-review, evocative of a comment-thread "FIRST!", declares that Savoy's still got it after almost two decades: "Raise a glass of wine (from an appealing, varied list) to Mr. Hoffman, an evangelist outpaced by younger adherents but not out of the picture. Not even close."

T.B.D. Garden: True, we told you about the massive new courtyard garden at Greenpoint's T.B.D. in last week's big roundup of al fresco drinking options, but what we didn't know then is that they're also going to be barbecuing back there every weekend and on select weeknights. Cook Min Chen, who knows T.B.D. co-owner Allen Welch from when they ran Long Island City's Lounge 47, tells us she's working on an expanded menu that promises to push beyond the standard BBQ fare. To that end, last weekend's menu featured seitan pulled "pork" and house-made potato veggie burgers, in addition to the regular burgers and potato salad you'd expect to find. Still under the radar and open just a few weeks now, this is a sweet space to spread out and read the paper while drinking a hard lemonade or five, and on weekends there's usually an old-timey jazz band or slot car racing.

              

Vermont Market and Pharmacy, the shuttered storefront on the corner of Sackett and Henry Streets in Carroll Gardens, has long been the source of intense neighborhood curiosity. The space, packed with old newspapers, jars, rusty maple syrup tins, and a coin operated horoscope-and-weight scale, has also inspired plenty of rumors. Neighborhood residents consider Mark Stein, the building’s owner, “a recluse who wears suspenders and prefers walking in the street,” according to a Times article about the mysterious pharmacy, and “a genius with a deep knowledge of homeopathic remedies.”

The Houston Street DKNY mural wasn't the only thing painted brown in the last few days: a solitary worker has rolled a couple of coats on the squat Red Hook building where the Delightful Coffee Shop will soon open. The old “Eating and Art Conditioning” sign is gone, signaling that the Stumptown cafe (to be operated in tandem with the Frankies) is getting closer to completion. Stumptown plans to roast beans for their local clients in a cast iron Probat located in the same space.

The never-ending cupcake craze has finally morphed with the street vendor. Thanks to Lev Ekster's CupcakeStop Truck the treats are now mobile, just find him in his truck (which, if not here, he promises you can find via Twitter). He'll be bringing some flavor to our Northside Festival show's afterparty as well, so if this coming Saturday night you're looking for a midnight snack, you'll know where to find it.

Filmmaker Matthew Beals has been working on a movie about Peeps for the last four years. He quickly found out that many people across the country, and probably the world at large, have a real fascination with the squishy little chicks. Beals tried to fit as many of their stories into his now finished film.The Power of the Peep (trailer) will premiere at the Third Annual NYC Food Film Festival. Those lucky enough to attend the world premiere of this movie, which closes the weeklong festival, will find themselves in a room filled with 8,650 Peeps (more information on the full lineup can be found here). We asked Beals about his enduring love of all things Peep, including the dark side of the sunshine-yellow marshmallow.

In the middle of the 19th century, more than 12 Brooklyn breweries were busy producing suds within the same 12-block square Williamsburg neighborhood—the so-called Brewer's Row—on the daily. A history focused group named Urban Oyster now leads walking tours of the area every weekend, retracing long gone hops with steps. Tour features include a peek at the two remaining Brewers' Row 19th century buildings, a pit stop at the Brooklyn Brewery, some snacks, tastings, and a lot of breweriana. Tours take three hours; more information is here. In other news, a massive home brew and beer themed cook-off is happening this Sunday at the Bell House. It's beer revival time!

              

Click on the images above for details on 13 other sweet spots for al fresco drinking, including the Extreme WOW (Presidential) Suites in Midtown East, Ortine in Prospect Heights, Spuyten Duyvil in Williamsburg, T.B.D. in Greenpoint, Studio Square in Long Island City, The Diamond in Greenpoint, LIC Bar in Long Island City, Nita Nita in Williamsburg, Huckleberry Bar in East Williamsburg, The Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District, Vutera in Williamsburg, 5 Ninth in the Meatpacking District, and The Brooklyn Ice House in Red Hook.

Most visiting chefs making special appearances in New York kitchens hail from countries like Spain and France, and accordingly, bring foams and terrines aplenty. The Argentine chef Francis Mallman, however, will be packing one thing only with him later this month when he arrives for his guest chef stint at Bond Street restaurant Il Buco, and that one thing is Special Techniques in Advanced Patagonian Grilling. Hopefully, it clears customs.

Adding some extra toppings to what's shaping up to be the summer of ice cream vendors (complete with secret and not-so-secret wars), Serious Eats reports that a new contender, The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck, has its official paperwork in the mail and is getting ready to roll out.

Bklyn Larder, a new 1,200-square-foot specialty grocery store from the owners of Franny’s, opened yesterday on Flatbush Avenue. Specialty products include fleur de sel caramels, specialty pastas, dried Sicilian oregano (the good stuff), more chili powders than you can shake a stick at, and lots of charcuterie made by Franny’s chef Andrew Feinberg. The small sandwich menu at Bklyn Larder will change daily; salads and other prepared foods include chickpeas with tomato and olives, veal meatballs, and dressed sugar snap peas.

When fast food chain Jollibee opened its first East Coast location earlier this year in Queens, lines quickly formed out the door and essentially wrapped around Woodside. Filipino ex-pats and food explorers have been keeping the place very busy since, but the missing piece these past few months has been breakfast. Though the Woodside Jollibee opens at 7 a.m., its fried egg and garlic rice based breakfast platters—completed with pinoy favorites like chicken tocino or beef tapa—have been missing from the menu. Until now. Monday night, a manager at the restaurant said that Jollibee Queens will roll out a breakfast menu sometime this month, adding that it might happen as soon as next week. Keep your white-gloved bee fingers crossed!

The Village Voice's Robert Sietsema discovers South Indian restaurant Southern Spice in Flushing, and files a rave review that begins, "Sometimes a restaurant makes such an impression that it changes your way of thinking about an entire cuisine...Dish after dish was astonishing in the power and immediacy of its flavors." His colleague Sarah DiGregorio checks out two East Village cured-meat "specialists," Cure and Ballaro. The former "looks like a boudoir—a boudoir stocked with meat and cheese...Stick with the meat for best results. Even the most successful salad is made mostly of meat—a mess of a half-dozen kinds of chopped charcuterie, rendered even less healthy by the addition of sliced fresh mozzarella, all on top of a portion of mixed greens. The quiches, unfortunately, are heated to sogginess in a microwave." And over at Ballaro, "the proprietors are more serious about their food."

Jacques Torres Ice Cream: Unbroken by Hershey's cease and desist order, chocolate maker Jacques Torres has expanded his ice cream operation, making it even harder for some of us to squeeze into that Speedo. His new DUMBO ice cream shop (just blocks from Gothamist's offices—thanks a lot Jacques) is located next to the original Jacques Torres Chocolate he opened nine years ago. The shop sells an assortment of 12 to 15 ice cream flavors, three to four sorbet flavors and a frozen yogurt. We're told that each flavor is made with all natural ingredients custom blended with Torres's own unique proprietary starter mixes, "never a prefabricated starter as is common among most ice cream makers." You can get it in a cone, a pint, a cup, or made-to-order sandwiches. There's also cotton candy, milkshakes, cupcakes and other assorted treats, and some ice cream varieties are now being sold at the two Manhattan Jacques Torres Chocolate locations. 62 Water Street, Brooklyn

Last Friday night, chef Eric Ripert took a couple hours off from working the pass at Le Bernardin to grab a bag of popcorn and settle into one of the seats at the IFC Film Center. Ripert screened the well-reviewed documentary Pressure Cooker (playing through Thursday), about a teacher named Wilma Stephenson and her culinary arts class at a Philly public high school called Frankford.

Bar Tini, the third European-style cafe from restaurateur Peter Sclafani, is beginning to look like it'll be open soon. The paper covering the windows at the Eighth Avenue, Park Slope spot has come down and several interior details can be gleaned (if you cup your hands around your eyes like a creepy bastard and press your face against the front window, like we did). Mirrors and alternating low light sconces line the walls, there's an old worldish pressed tin ceiling and a long bar, hence the name.

A retired NYPD lieutenant is suing Bumble Tuna and Costco after choking on a bone that turned up in his tuna fish sandwich two years ago. In May 2007, Bob McKenna was eating lunch at home on Staten Island when an inch-and-a-quarter-long curved fishbone that was mixed into the tuna got lodged in his throat. He tells the Daily News, "I was choking on that bone for more than a minute. It felt like forever." After "nearly blacking out," McKenna managed to cough it up, but that was only the beginning of what court papers describe as "permanent and emotional pain and suffering."