The Early Word: Ghenet Brooklyn

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 8:27 AM, May 9, 2008

We stopped by Ghenet Brooklyn, the new Ethiopian on 4th Avenue in Brooklyn last night. The space is tiny, and encircled with delicate metalwork screens. Since there were four of us, we got the Ghenet combination for four, which turned out to basically mean we got everything on the menu—all the vegetarian dishes, as well as doro watt (spiced chicken stew), and sega watt (spiced beef stew). The combo probably could have fed six—it arrived on an enormous plate, with injera layered below and also served on the side. The doro watt was wonderful—bone-in chicken cooked in a thick, darkly spiced sauce with a boiled egg alongside. And all the vegetarian dishes were equally good. We particularly liked the earthy, lemony collard greens, the stewed red lentils and the cabbage and potatoes. We ate until we couldn't. And the combo was only about $55—a good deal, a good meal, we're fans.

Most Disturbing Foie Gras Headline Ever

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 11:53 AM, May 8, 2008

From our friends down under at The Australian newspaper, we get the following gem:

"Obesity leaves children with livers like foie gras"

I'll give you a minute.

It turns out that the scientists quoted in the article don't make that analogy, they simply talk about what the causes and symptoms of a diseased liver are. The editor probably came up with that very vivid image to sex things up a little, in a manner of speaking.

No worries, foie-gras-haters. We can leave the ducks alone now and start farming chubby Australian school children.

Fork in the Road Talks to Chefs about Gastro-Economic Distress

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 10:55 PM, May 6, 2008

This week, Fork in the Road talks to chefs who are grappling with the crazy-bad euro/dollar exchange rate.

The problem is not that they can't afford a Paris vacation—no, it's that all those delicious things that come from Europe (like cheese, wine, Mediterranean fish, chanterelles and truffles) are now ridiculously expensive. They can raise prices, but only so much—would you pay $22 dollars for a glass of Champagne? In some cases, that's how much chefs would have to charge to maintain any profit margin. So the chefs are sourcing other ingredients and changing their menus to stay both profitable and relatively affordable.

Our Man Sietsema and Anatomy Known Only to Veterinarians

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 10:37 PM, May 6, 2008

This week, Our Man has discovered a Nigerian place in East New York, Brooklyn—and he is really psyched, because although Our Man frequents all manner of African places around the city, a reliable Nigerian spot had eluded him until now.

Not anymore! Enter Festac Grill, where chef/owner Abiodun Imasuen serves several dishes that Our Man thinks are fantastic. (Although he has to convince her that he does indeed like spice before she'll let him order.)

When Imasuen is finally persuaded that Our Man really does want to sample her wares, she comes up with a wonderful goat pepper soup, "bursting" with offal—"kidney, liver, tripe, jelly-like skin, and other anatomic features normally known only to veterinarians."

Our Man also enjoys a simpler fish pepper soup, and the poached porgy. Our Man also approves of the bar snacks, including beef kebabs coated in crushed peanuts.

On a related note, I just found this website, which has a bunch of Nigerian recipes, in case you want to try those dishes at home.

Indiana Primary Special: Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 1:02 PM, May 6, 2008

Most states have a dish or two that they're known for. New York has plenty: Pizza, cheesecake and bagels to name a few. Texas has barbecue and Tex-Mex, California has tacos and burgers, Massachusetts has clam chowder and the Carolinas have pulled pork.

The non-stop Indiana primary coverage made me wonder what dish Indiana is known for. A first round of Google searching turned up the fact that Indiana produces a lot of corn, which doesn't quite qualify.

But then I came across references to the pork tenderloin sandwich—sounds generic, but it's not. Turns out, this is a very particular sandwich, related to pork schnitzel, but always made with tenderloin, and always deep fried rather than shallow-fried. It's pounded thin, marinated overnight, breaded, fried and then served on a soft white bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo.

There's even a documentary dedicated to the search for the perfect specimen, called "In Search of the Famous Hoosier Breaded Pork Tenderloin Sandwich." You can watch an excerpt here.

There's an awesome blog dedicated to the pork tenderloin sandwich, featuring glamor shots of the porky goodness at various eateries (the guy seems to eat at least two a day) as well as a photo tutorial and recipes for making your own.

Any ex-Hoosiers out there know if this deliciousness is to be had in New York?

New Zealanders Think We're Crazy

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 4:36 PM, May 5, 2008

The other day, a man with the most amazing accent called me up. After I got over the loveliness of the phrase "good on you," which I think translates as "thank you," I discovered that I was speaking to Simon Morton, host of This Way Up on Radio New Zealand, and that he wanted me to speak on his show about New York's calorie listing law.

Turns out, New Zealanders are both incredulous and fascinated about our nanny state leanings—first they came for the smokers, then the transfats, and now you can't even enjoy a rainbow cookie at Starbucks without realizing you're about to get really, really fat.

I did the interview last Wednesday, the day after the law actually went into effect (on Tuesday, the stay requested by the Restaurant Association was denied). But restaurants who don't post the calories won't be fined until July, so many are not complying yet.

You can hear the interview (and Simon's accent) here.

Weather Up: Shmancy Cocktails in Prospect Heights

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 10:12 AM, May 5, 2008

We stopped by Kathryn Weatherup's new cocktail bar, Weather Up (get it?) this weekend to see what was what.

There were two bartenders working—a tattooed, tank-top wearing woman and a mustachioed (naturally), tie-wearing guy. Both apparently trained under Milk and Honey's Sasha Petraske, and both were very, very serious.

The place has no sign, but can be spotted by the shiny facade, which is done up in smooth white tile that reminds me of an operating room. The small room was busy, but not packed, and they were playing Motown, which is always, always welcome.

The cocktail list sports about a dozen classic drinks, like the Brooklyn, classic daiquiri, dark and stormy and gin fizz. I got a Weather Up, cognac, amaretto and lemon, which was tasty but a little too sweet. I did like the enormous piece of orange peel it was garnished with, because every time I took a sip I got a big, refreshing whiff of orange.

But if I'm going to pay $11 to $15 for a cocktail, I do like for there to be a little bit of comfort involved. There isn't much seating, so you're lucky if you can snag a seat at the bar. And for some reason, the bar doesn't have a foot rest, so if your legs aren't long, you're dangling like a six year old.

If you can deal with the price tag, though, this is a nice option to have in the neighborhood. But I don't think I'd make a special trip from Manhattan. As we were sitting there, watching the very serious bartenders pour and shake, my boyfriend commented that, as trends go, cocktail geekiness is one that's easy to get behind.

Terrine Mania from the UK

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 1:18 PM, May 2, 2008

The Guardian's Observer Food Monthly has a fun article from Stéphane Reynaud on making terrines. But not just porky terrines—there's a recipe for spring vegetable terrine with petits pois, new carrots and herbs; a smoked halibut and horseradish terrine; a meaty terrine beaujolaise made with piggy bits; and a milk chocolate crepe terrine.

All the recipes are here. You could throw a dinner party serving nothing but terrines from appetizer to dessert...is that brilliant or horrifying? Discuss.

First Lady Paterson Greens the Mansion, Enjoys Thai Food

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 3:45 PM, May 1, 2008

Having come to the Governor's mansion in, ahem, less than ideal circumstances, Michelle Paige Paterson is moving forward with several healthy eating initiatives that make considerably more appetizing headlines.

Today, Paterson announced that she would continue the local and organic food program that was launched last year at the Governor's mansion. The mansion chef buys local and organic produce whenever possible, shopping from a CSA program and a food co-op for New York state-grown produce.

Additionally, Paterson is working with eleven middle schools in Harlem on a project called Healthy Steps. Each student is given a pedometer, and the class to collectively reach four million steps wins a trip to Albany for a meal at the mansion with the Governor and First Lady, as well as a trip to an upstate organic farm. Mush, children, mush!

Our Q&A with the First Lady on where she likes to eat in the city, and why healthy eating is important to her, after the jump.

...read on

Jason Sheehan at Le Bernadin

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:38 PM, May 1, 2008

Jason Sheehan, the critic out at our sister paper, The Denver Westword, has written a lengthy, rapturous blog post about a dinner at Le Bernadin. It's worth a read, not only because Sheehan is such a good writer, but also because in this city of snark it's nice to be reminded of what sheer, unadulterated enjoyment sounds like. Read it here.

A highlight:

"Honest to Jesus kids, I wish I could remember the meal itself with more specificity. I know there was sole at one point, a bordelaise sauce teased with a spoon of something that might’ve been liquefied foie gras and tasted like nothing I’ve ever had before -- like wine must and deep, purple sweetness and butter and fat all at the same time, kept warm for me under a gleaming silver cloche when I had to duck out briefly for a breath. And I know there was a plate of something that involved bacon which, in our half-drunk and complete dizzy excitement, actually caused all three of us at the table to simultaneously cheer."

Our Man Sietsema and Fork in the Road Join Forces, Eat Dosas

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 8:21 AM, April 30, 2008

This week's Eats section is a special South Indian extravaganza. Our Man reviews Tamil Nadu Bhavan, a new vegetarian South Indian restaurant on Lexington Avenue. Meanwhile, I discover three Hindu temples that all boast canteens, two of which focus on South Indian fare.

First up! Our Man at Tamil Nadu Bhavan, where he finds 20 varieties of dosas, including rarer finds like the ghee roast (a dosa swimming in clarified butter) and the self-explanatory "5-foot dosa," which is so big Our Man notes that it could be used to wrap up a good-sized child.

Our Man also finds serviceable South Indian thalis (full set meals of rice, several veggies and bread), along with all manner of lentils and rice aplenty. The best rice option, Our Man finds, is a one called curd rice that comes swimming in yogurt. It has a "puckeringly sour effect. Little Miss Muffet would have approved," notes Our Man.

Turn the page, and you'll find FitR (that's me) at three Hindu temples: two in Queens, one in New Jersey. Hindu temples often have kitchens to prepare prasad. Those are small food items (usually sweets) that are first offered to the gods, and then eaten by devotees as part of the worship.

These three temple kitchens, though, evolved into full-fledged canteens. (Well, one is more of a sweets/snacks shop), You can sit among a hubbub of families and eat all kinds of dosas, uttapam, idli, daals and other, rarer, regional specialties like pongal—a buttery yellow split pea and whole peppercorn soup—and bobbatlu, a sweet, grainy flatbread served with milk poured over it.

The Early Word: Barrio, Moco Global Dining, Eurotrip

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 10:48 AM, April 29, 2008

I've been to a couple new restaurants in the past week, and although they are too new to review, here's how they're looking so far:

Barrio (210 7th Ave, Brooklyn 718-965-4000)
The food here is mostly inoffensive—tasty at best, mediocre at worst, but all very, very overpriced. The place is charging prices that make you think it's aiming for something innovative, but in reality, Barrio is serving nominally fancied-up versions of dishes that you can get for about half the price and double the flavor at Tacos Nuevo Mexico, down on 5th Avenue. Just because you apply the sauce in a squeeze bottle squiggle does not mean you can jack up the prices.

Plain chicken enchiladas for $14.25? Tortillas layered with chicken, onion, cilantro, radishes and queso fresco do not add up to anything too exciting. The shrimp in Yucatan shrimp were nicely grilled and flavored with cilantro and jalapeño, but the plate was mostly filled with fake-tasting coconut rice. For $17.25? Eeeesh.

I'd usually not write about service issues at such a new restaurant, but our waitress here was...noteworthy. She asked my friend if she would like to "suck that last bit of alcohol out of the glass," recited the desserts to us while we were in the middle of our entrées, and at one point came right out and told us she had "forgotten all about us."

The cocktails here are great, though. Snag a place out on the deck and have a Perfecto Nestorindo, a drink made with agave, tamarind, pineapple and chile powder. It's on the expensive side ($8) but sometimes you get what you pay for.

Moco Global Dining, Eurotrip and better news, after the jump.

...read on

Merkato 55 Deathwatched

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:20 PM, April 28, 2008

Over at Eater, they've deathwatched Merkato 55, Marcus Samuelsson's newish, chi-chi, pan-African eatery in the meatpacking district. That doesn't necessarily mean that Merkato is on its way out, but the folks at Eater are rarely off the mark when they deathwatch a restaurant.

A few weeks ago, I was working on a story revolving around the question: Will New Yorkers pay fancy French food prices for fancy African food? The subject didn't pan out as a long-form story, but it left me curious about how Merkato 55 would do.

After all, with the exceptions of some North African cuisines (like Moroccan), African food is almost never interpreted in a New York fine dining setting. When I interviewed Samuelsson, he responded: “Opening a restaurant, any kind of restaurant, in New York City is expensive and challenging. And people often associate high-end restaurants with certain types of cuisine and not others.”

He told me that he opened Merkato 55 with the intention of changing that notion that some cuisines are inherently high-end and others not. That's certainly a goal I can get behind.

So if Merkato 55 fails, is it because we aren't willing to accept African food in a high-end setting?

Actually I don't think so. I think the restaurant serves some really good food, but there are several serious problems with the way it was conceived that are working against it.

For one thing, there's the meatpacking district itself. One one visit, I witnessed the following scene:

A paunchy man in a blue oxford shirt was snuggled into a corner table with his younger blonde companion, who sported a black skirt slit up to her hip. He raised his eyebrows at the waiter, and said, “African-inspired? I’ve been to places in Africa where you don’t want to eat the food.”

It's a short jump from that kind of attitude to bad jokes about Ethiopian food being composed of empty plates. But that's also the sort of crowd that frequents the meatpacking.

Then, there's the fact that this is a tricky economic moment to open a 150-seat restaurant.

And it's true that many of us simply don't know as much about African food (it is an entire continent...) as we do about other cuisines. To give a mildly embarrassing example, I thought that the foie gras chutney on Merkato 55’s menu was a contrivance for suckers (like me) who will order anything with foie gras in it. It never occurred to me that foie gras might be an ingredient actually eaten in Africa, until I was leafing through Marcus Samuelsson’s African cookbook, Soul of a New Cuisine, and came across the tidbit that foie gras originated in Egypt.

The restaurant seems to be trying to split the difference between serious restaurant and clubby, trendy place in ways that are sometimes jarring. It offers injera bread (meant to be used as a utensil as well as a side dish) in a setting in which few feel comfortable eating with their hands, and serves absurdly expensive cocktails that are named after African tribal dances. (“We can’t call it an African cosmopolitan, so why not?” asked Samuelsson.)

Samuelsson was at the restaurant both times I went to Merkato, but many have commented that he seems disconnected from the project. However, when I spoke with him on the phone, he seemed devoted to the restaurant. And Soul of a New Cuisine, is a fantastic cookbook, well-researched and passionate.

But it may be that Samuelsson lost control of the concept to the other owners. Looking around Merkato, you have to wonder whom the repeat customers will be. If it’s the people who come for the flashing multi colored lights, those folks might not order, say, the tripe—one of the best items on the menu. A restaurant this large and ambitious has to fill seats to stay profitable.

I'm curious what you think. Is Merkato flawed, or are New Yorkers not ready for a high-end African restaurant?

Food Writing with a Global Conscience

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:02 PM, April 25, 2008

There's a really interesting story in this Sunday's Observer Food Monthly, (available online here). It's all about how refugees go about getting food and preparing it, and what dishes they long for from home.

Food writing is often simply entertainment (useful for finding your next good meal, yes, but still entertainment). Sometimes it opens up into cultural and political issues, too, and then sometimes food writing can go to places that you might not imagine food writing could or should go, like into refugee camps.

But why not? Even starving people have a food culture, and memories of foods from better times. If they've never experienced better times themselves, those memories are passed down from their parents or grandparents. This is the case for Palestinians, born into refugee camps, who talk about the traditional cooking of a home village that they've never themselves seen.

The article reminded me of another amazing example of profoundly good food journalism, The Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, by Peter Menzel, Faith D'Aluisio. The authors asked families from countries around the world to gather all the food the eat in one week in front of them for a photograph. It ends up revealing alot more than exactly what they eat, it also gives you a tangible notion of how they live.

Free Cheese!

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:09 PM, April 24, 2008

I have never heard of "cheese season," but apparently, we are in it! To celebrate my new favorite season, the Pecorino Romano Festival will be kicking off tomorrow and continuing through next week.

Taste This TV’s Chef Joseph Ciminera and other New York chefs will be offering free cheesy pasta (presumably made with Pecorino Romano) at events at restaurants around town. Free. Cheesy pasta.

More info is here.

The free cheesy pasta schedule, after the jump.

...read on

Fork in the Road Reviews Islero (Plus Bonus Recipe)

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 9:34 AM, April 23, 2008

In this week's paper, I review Islero, a new tapas spot on East 50th Street.

The upshot is that Islero has potential, but it doesn't seem to know itself very well. Throughout a meal at Islero, there are some inexplicable choices that seem to be an awkward reach for trendiness or fanciness—too many fussy garnishes, squeeze-bottle squiggles of sauce, chairs that tower strangely over the tables.

But some of the food is really tasty, and if the place would just relax into itself, I think it would be a good neighborhood spot.

The recipe (it's simple this week!) for Islero's best dish, arroz cremoso, after the jump.

...read on

Our Man Sietsema at the Golden Shopping Mall

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 8:00 AM, April 23, 2008

When J &L Shopping Mall in Flushing went under (reportedly because the owner sold it to a condo developer) a cry of hungry despair went up from chowhounders everywhere. J&L had held a much-loved food court with obscure regional Chinese specialties. But take heart, Our Man Sietsema is here to save the day.

This week, Our Man is at Flushing's Golden Shopping Mall, a worthy substitute for J&L. Our Man notes that the food court here holds "an even more arcane assortment of Chinese regional cooking styles."

Our Man throughly enjoys himself at the food court. He finds all sorts of regional dishes, like Sichuan composed meat salads swimming in chile oil, and the lighter fare from Tianjin, such as a salad of bean curd, celery and boiled peanuts.

He finds hand-cut noodles from Xi'an, and recommends the lamb noodle. And as is his wont, Our Man loves the lamb sandwich—"Don't miss the so-called lamb burger ($2.50), a wonderful sandwich on a homemade pita layered with rich roasted meat and pickled chilies."

(If Our Man was coming to my house for dinner, I'd definitely make lamb.)

A classic Our Man column, a great find. Get there.

YourAsian Crashes and Burns

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:38 PM, April 22, 2008

I went by YourAsian for lunch today, the new place opened by Jerry Joseph, lately of Jerry's in SoHo, thinking I'd put it in the dining guide. First of all, the sign is terrifying. Second of all, the food is such an unmitigated disaster that I can't justify wasting the newsprint for a dining guide blurb. The waste of a perfectly good mealtime, sadly, can't be undone.

This is a case of a decent concept that's badly executed. Basically, the place is meant to be like a salad bar with Asian noodles. You know, like PAX (not very good either, but you get the idea)—you tell the guy behind the counter what toppings and dressing you want, they toss it together, end of story.

At YourAsian, first you choose a base from among a number of different Asian noodles and rice: soba noodles, jasmine rice, nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), Thai noodles, fried rice noodles, and so on. Then you select your topping—stir fried chicken or beef, shredded pork, bbq roast pork, among others. Finally, you choose a sauce, which ranges from spicy red curry to sweet and sour or teriyaki.

You can also get those selections in a bowl of soup, rather than in a sauce, with either miso or chicken broth.

I liked the conceit of YourAsian, but I wasn't expecting miracles. Just some fairly good noodles and tasty toppings—a good fast food option for the neighborhood. I mean, Asian street vendors make amazing versions of this stuff with hardly any equipment at all, so you'd think that a restaurant with skilled workers (the chef is formerly of Yumcha) and basic amenities could whip up an adequate pile of noodles.

No. First of all, when you choose your noodles or rice, the counter person grabs a cold plastic container filled with your selection. Then, they throw your choice of meat on top (there are no veggies). They glop on the sauce, and proceed to stick the plastic container in the microwave.

So what you get is a plastic container, the lid dripping condensation. The pile of noodles or rice is stone cold in the middle and searingly hot on the edges. The noodles themselves are mushy and overcooked and the sauce is heavy and manages to have almost no flavor.

The only nice thing I can say is that the summer rolls are decent. Maybe they'll get their act together, but I think that their microwaving system is flawed—I'd rather eat something that has been sitting in a steam table than have it zapped into gummy, hot-cold oblivion.

After a few bites, I fled down the block to BonBon Chicken. Now that shit is good.

Test Tube Meat Update: PETA 'Civil War'

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 1:35 PM, April 21, 2008

In-vitro meat has gotten a lot of attention in the last few weeks, after a recent international symposium on the subject.

PETA has now jumped in on the test tube meat action. From the group's website:

"PETA is offering a $1 million prize to the contest participant able to make the first in vitro chicken meat and sell it to the public by June 30, 2012. The contestant must do both of the following:

• Produce an in vitro chicken-meat product that has a taste and texture indistinguishable from real chicken flesh to non-meat-eaters and meat-eaters alike.
• Manufacture the approved product in large enough quantities to be sold commercially, and successfully sell it at a competitive price in at least 10 states."

The New York Times, reporting on the story, quotes PETA founder, Ingrid Newkirk, as saying that the decision to sponsor the prize led to "'a near civil war in our office,' since so many PETA members are repulsed by the thought of eating animal tissue, even if no animals are killed."

Calorie Counting in Times Square

Posted by Sarah DiGregorio at 12:19 PM, April 21, 2008

The law that will force New York restaurants with more than 15 branches nationwide to post calories on menus was to go into effect today, but it has been delayed.

The Department of Health says that the district court judge has now set Friday the 25th as the new date for the law to go into effect, and pushed the date for issuing fines back to June 6. This is to allow time for legal maneuvering on the part of the NY Restaurant Association, which is now going to the Second Circuit appeals court to seek a stay of the law. The court will likely decide on whether or not to grant a stay today.

Because the status of the law seems to change every time we turn around, there's a lot of confusion out there about when restaurants will need to comply.

I went to Times Square, the epicenter of chain restaurant-dom, where the calorie law will make the biggest splash, to see how it was going down.

Terrifying ribs from TGI Friday's after the jump.

...read on