It must have been a slow news day because both Eater and Serious Eats picked up a comment I made on eGullet and ran with it.
Although I hate to lend an iota of credence to this absurdity by wasting a single nanobyte on this topic, as the person who (inadvertently) initiated this party, and, more importantly, as one who takes photographs in restaurants, I feel the need to address Chef David Chang’s recent ban on photography in his restaurant momofuku ko. Continue reading ‘ridiculousness…’
Aquavit, New York
A restaurant that has been disparaged, or has received wobbly reviews at best, has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Aquavit was such the underdog.
I like underdogs.
Needless to say, expectations have a lot to do with one’s dining experience. Regarding Aquavit, mine were heavily guarded, which probably explains, in part, why I was floored by my recent meal there. Far and away, that lunch left a deeper impression on me than any other meal I had on my recent trip to New York.
Aquavit, New York
But bested expectations shouldn’t undermine the worth and merit of the food. This is especially true of Aquavit, whose food, on this occasion, proved the restaurant deserving of every accolade and praise it has received. Everything was perfect; not a single flavor ran askew, no texture was misplaced, temperatures were spot-on, and presentations were beautiful.
Admittedly, I’m a complete Scandiphile; especially when it comes to the cuisine, which I adore. (I don’t think that it’s a coincidence that I’m also partial to Japanese cuisine; I’ve long held that the Japanese and Scandinavian cultures/aesthetics/cuisines are the counterparts of each other in their respective continents.) Continue reading ‘review: home run…’
Eleven Madison Park
Last time, the earth stood still. This time, my meal at Eleven Madison Park was a total eclipse.
Neither the sun nor moon disappeared. But, for the five blissful hours that my hosts and I dined, it seemed as if the whole world’s attention had been diverted to our table.
Eleven Madison Park is one of the many gems that decorates Danny Meyers’ Union Square Hospitality Group, one of New York City’s most celebrated restaurant groups. I have eaten at four of Meyers’ nine restaurants (ten if you count The Bar Room at The Modern separately; there’s also a catering company that I’m not counting) and Eleven Madison Park has easily become my favorite.
Warm Gougeres
Eleven Madison Park
In full disclosure, I was guests of a couple of Eleven Madison Park regulars. The fact that they were known to the house became readily apparent when almost every server in the house lined up at our table to welcome my friends back. Given this amount of attention, I’m not sure that it is fair for me to comment on the service, or even the meal at all.
However, I’m convinced that my friends’ frequency as clients had little, if anything, to do with my amazing experience. You are, of course, free to take what I’m about to say at a discount. Continue reading ‘review: eclipse…’
A Spandex Week
It all began two minutes off the jetway at LaGuardia on the way to baggage claim. A text message popped up: “Where R U? Shke Shck ice crm of day = cffee + dnuts.”
Me: “B rght there!”
And thus kicked off what would become my most gluttonous run at New York City to date.
The cab dumped me off at my place in TriBeCa. I put up my suits and shirts, washed my face, and was out the door to run a few errands in midtown. I make my way back down to Madison Square Park where I met my friend at the Shake Shack for ice cream.
I really shouldn’t have been eating ice cream at 5pm, given that I had a dinner reservation at 8pm. But, the weather was perfect, the line was short, and I’m a firm believer that one’s appetite can never be spoiled, only whetted, by ice cream. Continue reading ‘a spandex week…’
2008 James Beard Awards
For the second year in a row, I had the honor of attending the James Beard Awards Gala and Reception in New York City. As last year, the ceremony was held at the Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center.
It was hot. It was a zoo. At times, the event was somewhat magical, in an Alice Waters-let’s-celebrate-the-farm-idealist sense of the word. At other times, it was absolute madness and mayhem.
2008 James Beard Awards
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
For anyone who thinks the James Beard Awards Gala and Reception is remotely civilized or dignified occasion, one has only to see the mass exodus out of the auditorium as soon as the last award is given to realize that it’s just like any other big event with food.
I mean, sure, you’ve got the culinary gliterrati of America dressed to the nines. But even (and especially) the culinary gliterrati get hungry. By the time they handed out the last award (after the six gazillion cookbook awards, which really need to be moved to the media awards two nights before) we village people were getting restless. Continue reading ‘james beard awards…’
The American Restaurant
How thrilled was I to read in the Kansas City Star that Debbie Gold will be returning to The American Restaurant, where she and her ex-husband, Michael Smith, won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest (first for Kansas City)?
Very.
A few months ago, I lamented the closing of 40 Sardines, the gutsy Mediterranean-inflected restaurant that Chefs Gold and Smith opened together in 2004 after they left The American Restaurant.
One of my biggest dining regrets is that I never ate at The American Restaurant when Gold and Smith cooked there. It’s not in the same galaxy as, say, my regret of missing Gray Kunz at L’Espinasse or Alain Ducasse at the Essex House when that was open. But, the Gold and Smith team at The American Restaurant is considered by many to have been a *golden age* in Kansas City’s culinary history. I look forward to getting a glimpse of that storied era now.
Welcome home, Debbie Gold! I’m glad to hear you’re sticking around; our city needs you!
Congratulations are in order for Stephanie Izard, the winner of Top Chef Season 4. I’m thrilled to see Izard returning to the restaurant scene after a brief hiatus. I had a wonderful dinner at her Chicago seafood-focused restaurant, Scylla, in 2006.
A perfectly pan-fried filet of Tasmanian sea trout on a bed of black trumpet mushrooms and spaghetti squash and topped with black truffles and dices of macerated Fuji apple made my Best Dishes of 2006 list. You can see and read more about all of the dishes I had at Scylla on my Flickr account.
I look forward to hearing about, and hopefully eating at, whatever restaurant venture Izard commits herself to next. You can participate in and watch a live video chat with Ms. Izard on June 13 at 1pm on the Chicago Tribune website.
[Edited to add: re: Finale. Ted Allen has never encountered braised pistachios? Okay, maybe that wasn't so surprising. But, I was a little surprised by the B-roll showing the other judges being just as unfamiliar with braised pistachios.
I've had them at a number of restaurants.
At alinea, Grant Achatz has served braised pistachios with bison and with sweetbreads.
I've also seen them at Aqueous, where then-chef Dave Racicot (now at Lautrec) served braised pistachios with beef short ribs (although, admittedly, I think he is a great admirer of Achatz and there may have been some borrowing going on).
I'm sure I've seen them elsewhere as well.]
Chefs’ Night Out
Last night, I attended the Chefs’ Night Out party hosted by Bon Appetit at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. It’s kind of an unofficial kick-off for the James Beard weekend of festivities leading up to the James Beard Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 8.
Chefs’ Night Out
The event involved loud music, a dance floor, lots of cocktails, a dessert “buffet,” passed finger foods, an ice cream truck, and lots of people-watching.
Attendees included: Barbara Fairchild, Andrew Knowlton, Tom Colicchio, Tracie des Jardins, Johnny Iuzzini, Anita Lo, Drew Nieporent, Gail Simmons, Ilan Hall, Grant Achatz, Ilan Hall, Donatella Arpaia, Michael Psilakis, Bradford Thompson, David Kinch, Harold Dieterle, Anne Burrell, Fabio Trabocchi, John Besh, Lee Ann Wong, and many more…
Canapes, Del Posto
I was assured that Mark Ladner, Executive Chef of Del Posto, was cooking for us when the server came to our table to apologize that he had no clue what the chef was preparing. Apparently, Ladner had remained “tight-lipped” about our dinner. The courses would be revealed to our servers as the meal progressed.
I was reassured that Mark Ladner was cooking for us when he personally came out of the kitchen after the first course to introduce the second. He appeared two more times; the last time to say goodnight just before coffee and petits fours were presented - a gesture not surprising given his affable personality.
Canapes, Del Posto
That “Del Posto” means “of the place” in Italian hits squarely upon that for which I most appreciate about the restaurant. I can understand how less-informed (or, uninformed) diners might walk away from Del Posto being terribly deflated, or unimpressed - especially given the prices. (Although I did not see the regular menu, I have heard from many trusted sources that that prices exceed the value. I would tend to believe them given our $175 p/person dinner tab.).
I don’t mean to suggest (at all) that I’m a naturally “informed” diner. What I am saying is that our servers (and Chef Ladner) - no doubt because our party’s dinner had been specially-arranged - took extra care to explain the provenance of each course, each ingredient, each concept, each combination to us. It was like being read excerpted digests from the Oxford Companion to Italian Food for each composition they presented. This was great. I don’t know whether this sort of care is taken with the regular clientele. From what I have heard, it is not. And, if true, that is unfortunate. Continue reading ‘review: of the place…’
Sea Urchin-Caviar, Le Bernardin
Le Bernardin, a friend and I concluded, is one of those restaurants that, despite it’s acclaim and fame, one doesn’t necessarily crave or clamour for. It’s one of those restaurants that, when you are there, you wonder why you haven’t thought of it more fondly, and more often.
A meal at Le Bernardin is an interlude, gracefully entering and exiting one’s life without much fanfare. Sure, there’s the excitement and anticipation of eating at one of the finest restaurants in New York, if not the world. And, there is the slight sticker shock at the end of your meal, even though you have prepared for it well in advance. There may even be a child-like *squee* that goes up when they place a tiny dish of tagliatellini in front of you - orange and black and creamy all over, the noodles are coated in a sea urchin roe cream and topped by a tongue of sea urchin roe and a dollop of caviar.
Otherwise, Le Bernardin executes everything with a rare brand of confidence that lulls diners into trusting trance. The food isn’t rapturous; one isn’t likely to experience a revelation and see the heavens part as I have at Jean Georges. It doesn’t inspire a table-top aria either, the way the food at Babbo might. Instead, the food at Le Bernardin is the type that’s apt to cause one to close one’s eyes and reprioritize life. Continue reading ‘review: reprioritizing life…’
