Slow Cooked

Relocation

I am a Brooklyn loyalist but after a harried two weeks, I relocated to what initially felt like a brand new country: the Upper West Side. But along with having Central Park half a block from my door, I am discovering more than a few culinary treats in my new neighborhood. The Upper West Side has oft been maligned for its mediocre restaurants - at least, for quantity over quality - but there are several already on my list to try, including the recently-reviewed Dovetail on 77th. And, within just a few blocks of my apartment, I have Citarella (where I picked up a delicious burrata and heirloom tomatoes), Patsy's Pizza (where I ate my first night in the new digs), Jacques Torres (where I felt reminded, happily, of Brooklyn), Levain Bakery (where Sara swears I will find the best cookies in the city), Fairway (a madhouse, but one I keep going back to), City Grill (a comfy, favorite neighborhood bar and grill spot with a good burger and a bartender who knows his wines) and a branch of Le Pain Quotidien literally downstairs from my apartment. It was hard to leave all my favorite local Brooklyn shops and foodie haunts, but I'm starting to feel at home, here on my nice new block.

So share: what are the best spots on the Upper West Side? Good take-out options? Best brunch? Wine shop?

A Very Festive Weekend

The typical New York street fair has a lot of the following:  lemonade, sausage and peppers, tube socks, incense, mozzarepas, cheap jewelry, grilled corn.  I'm not a huge fan of the typical New York street fair.  I am, however, a huge fan of the Atlantic Antic, which for 33 years has filled Atlantic Avenue with food, music, shopping, beer, more food, more music, more shopping, some of the usual street fair crap, and basically everyone in Brooklyn.  I'm also a fan of oysters, any way I can get them, which is why this past weekend represented a convergence of all my street fair wishes, perhaps as a reward for having suffered through many other crowded festivals (usually accidentally), when trying to get from point A to point B.  However the street fair stars managed to align, I'm happy they did.

On Saturday Kevin and I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge and headed south, not our usual course; we walked through the financial district down to Stone Street, where an Oyster and Guinness festival was underway, in honor of the blue point harvest on Long Island.  Freshly-shucked oysters were available by the half-dozen (I had at least two dozen.  At least) and Riesling, Champagne and Guinness were all available as well - the main booths at the festival were operating on a 'ticket' basis; attendees could buy drink or oyster tickets for $6 apiece, but towards the far end of Stone Street, a variety of fried goodies and bottled beers were also being sold, for cash.  The bar Ulysses sponsored the event, so loud Irish music (with a background din of college football from inside the bar) dominated, and the somewhat preppy crowd seemed perfectly content with their beers and their canned U2 blaring.  It was strange being down in the financial district -- I used to work on Water Street, a million years ago, but haven't spent much time south of Fulton in years, and Pearl Street had an almost sound stage quality to it, like we were all on the set of some quaint New York-based movie.  With lots and lots of oysters.  Yum.

I originally thought of the oyster festival as just a precursor to the main event, but this year's Antic wasn't nearly as gluttonous as 2006.  We tried a brat from Espositos and a fantastic pulled pork sandwich on baguette from Jolie, Kevin had some grilled corn, and we both had lots of Six Point beers, but there were no ribs, no crepes, no chorizo, no jambalaya for us this year.  (All those things were available, to be clear...we just didn't eat them.)  I briefly contemplated getting more oysters from Jolie, but decided that perhaps my stomach had been raw-bar'ed enough for one weekend. 

I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to try either the barbecue sandwiches at the Waterfront Ale House or the sardines at La Mancha, but I still got my fill, and still staunchly believe that the Atlantic Antic is the best street fair in the city.  It's all local vendors, there is fantastic food, and it's never (ever!) rained on Antic Sunday.  Along the mile-plus stretch, you will still be able to find a lot of the street fair staples (plenty of incense, those African baskets, mozzarepas) but there is so much personality that it's above and beyond most festivals. 

Frankly, I'm proud to say that three of my meals this weekend came from the streets of New York.  Not something I often brag about...    

Round Up: Where We've Been Eating

I've been light on the posting lately, but not necessarily light on the eating.  So where, and what, exactly have we been eating this spring?

Well, in matters of home cooking, I've been relying on both the tried-and-true, and the quick-and-easy.  Kevin and I have both been craving Mexican (at least, Mexican inspired) food lately, so home-cooked standouts have been fish tacos, chicken tacos, various nacho-esque dishes, and sometimes dinner of nothing but tortilla chips in fresh pico de gallo. 

Outside of our apartment, some standouts include:

Taro Sushi, which is a hole in the wall on Dean Street, just off Flatbush Avenue.  It's a hole in the wall that Chowhound has raved about, and Kevin and I finally tried it last week.  We went for an early dinner/late lunch, first stopping at Total Wine Bar for a cocktail.  When we told Adam, the owner, that we were going to try Taro, he said, "Oh, I heard Japanese people eat there..." which is always a good sign.  The sashimi and rolls we ordered were fresh, delicious and dirt cheap.  The service was lovely.  The space was scarcely bigger than our bedroom, with no frills and no other customers, but the fish was top notch and I will absolutely be back.  Holes-in-the-wall with great food are my absolutely favorite type of place to eat, especially if they are ethnic cuisine of some sort.  Taro was worth the (underground) hype.

Cafe Riazor, where we ducked in for a late afternoon snack and drink and were duly impressed by the spicy garlic-broiled calamari and creamy spinach croquettes.  Sangria was made fresh for us, and thick, salty pieces of Serrano ham were accompanied with picked Spanish olives and creamy, grassy Manchego cheese.  The low ceiling and stucco walls added to the atmosphere and we left happy, satiated, and thinking we need to plan a trip to Spain before too long.

Caserta Vecchia, where we have on several occasions enjoyed some of the best brick oven pizza in the city.  Service and ambiance can be hit or miss, but the individually-sized pizzas are fantastic.  My favorite is the Campagnola, topped with cherry tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, arugula, prosciutto, and shaved parmesan.  Yum.

Barbuto, in the far West Village, where we had a truly mind-altering Easter brunch.  The service was somewhat slow, but the industrial-cozy space, wide-open view of Washington Street, and addictive crispy fried polenta more than made up for it.  The polenta was served in hot, herb-infused cubes, topped with shaved parmesan and basil and we ate it as fast as we could, slowing down only to keep our mouths from burning.  The menu was (refreshingly) not a brunch menu, but rather their daily menu for Easter, the same as the kitchen was offering for dinner.  I had the slow roasted lamb over grilled, charred ramps (ramps being one of those scarce seasonal items that I can never pass up, like fiddle head ferns) and Kevin had crispy pan roasted duck breast.  We both marveled at our entrees and vowed to return, quickly.

Why We Don't Mind the Rent [That Much]

We're getting ready to move, and the kitchen is in such a state of upheaval that not much cooking has been done lately.  Simultaneously, we haven't really had the time or energy to venture very far for dinner, so there has been a lot of omelet-making around these parts and three out of the past four nights have found me at Bocca Lupo (I've only recently discovered their daily risotto specials, and am hooked).

We're not moving far -- two blocks over, two blocks down -- and when Kevin and I were searching for real estate, proximity to our favorite food spots was high on the list of priorities.  Although we considered other neighborhoods, I think we were both relieved to sign our contract and realize that buying this apartment means not having to say goodbye to the red deli around the corner, or to Bocca Lupo, or to Cube 63, or to Lucali's or Pete's Waterfront or Marquet or Stinky or Smith & Vine or Zaytoons or  Saul or Bar Tabac or Frankies or to any other number of local neighborhood favorites we've grown attached to over the years.

People who don't live in the city or have not spent a lot of time in New York often wonder why New Yorkers are willing to pay so much for so little -- a million dollars gets you less than 1,000 square feet and two bedrooms if you're lucky.  But those of us who live here know that the cost of living covers much more than the space inside our apartment walls; we don't get 'so little', because we are paying not only for our apartments but for our neighborhoods.  It's easy to forgo square footage when you gain square blocks that all feel like home; a small kitchen is easy to bear when you have a cheese shop and a bakery and a green grocer and a butcher all within a five minute walk.  We live not only in our apartments but in our little worlds, the small radius around our addresses in which we can find all the essentials and feels as much like home as any backyard could or would.

We've grown very attached to our little world, and are happy to just be changing our window's view on it.

Michelin Rankings

The 2007 Michelin Guide to New York City restaurants was released this week, with no major changes to the innaugural rankings which debuted last year.  Glancing over the list, what first struck me was the tragic realization that I have eaten at none of the three-star restaurants (so, so tragic!), but also that I (not alone, obviously) have actually covered a good deal of one-star territory. 

And, as much as I'd like to be living a three-star (or even two-star) life, I'm actually pretty happy that I've managed to take a bite out of the one-star side of the big apple. 

Below I've listed and editorialized (where appropriate) the NYC restaurants which have received Michelin stars, and it should be noted that by next year at this time, I fully hope to have some three-star feedback.

ONE STAR RESTAURANTS

• Peter Luger -- never eaten there
  
• Saul -- one of my favorite spots, always good, always inventive, lovely cozy room
  
• Jewel Bako -- one of my most memorable meals ever, transporting experience, a thouroughly 'styled' dinner, lovely and artistic and immaculate from start to finish
  
• A Voce -- never eaten there
  
• Country -- never eaten there
  
• Craft -- dependably good but not as intimate and personal as I prefer restaurants to be; great for work events
  
• Dévi -- never eaten there
  
• Fleur de Sel -- dying to eat there, have heard amazing things
  
• Gramercy Tavern -- never eaten there but once had lovely ongoing phone-tag-and-conversation with wine director, trying to track down the name of a wine my parents drank there on one visit
  
• Veritas -- would love to go and eat at the bar and try as much wine as possible
  
• Annisa -- another of my all time favorite and most memorable meals; elegant room, inventive menu, soup dumplings to DIE for, and fantastic women-heavy wine list; one of my top picks for splurge-worthy grown-up night out.
  
• Babbo -- sigh.  worth all the hype.  especially the mint love letters.
  
• Cru -- never eaten there
  
• Gotham Bar and Grill -- classic, sophisticated, understated, comfortable, FANTASTIC service
  
• Perry Street -- never been, never even heard of it
• Spotted Pig -- love love love, but not sure I would give it the star; perfect for late afternoon burgers and cheese plates, and home of my favorite lemon tart in the city
  
• Wallse -- never eaten there
  
• WD-50 -- transporting and mind boggling, but more of a one-time place for me
  
• Kurumazushi -- never eaten there
  
• Lever House -- never eaten there, love the building, love the design (but I don't do midtown that often)
  
• Oceana -- (or the upper west side)
  
• Vong -- never eaten there, made many a reservation there back when I worked in investment banking, though
  
• Cafe Gray -- nope (world's most expensive food court has not been visited by me, not yet)
  
• The Modern -- good, fine, schmoozy
  
• Fiamma Osteria -- excellent pasta, but not worth the price or the hype, IMO
  
• Danube -- possibly the most beautiful dining room in the city; my memory of dinner at Danube is slightly clouded (fondly) by the fact that we ate there in October of 2001 in a deliberate move to support downtown businesses -- my mother visited, wanting to "support" NYC, we chose Danube knowing that the kitchen was offering both the Danube and the Bouley menu, as Bouley was being used by the Red Cross to house volunteer and relief stations, I think I ate exclusively off the Danube menu, everything was lovely but what I remember most of all is the gorgeous room and the smoldering ruins still buring down the block
• Aureole -- never eaten there
  
• Cafe Boulud -- never eaten there
  
• Etats-Unis -- never eaten there (can you tell I don't go uptown?)
  
• La Goulue -- never eaten there
  
• Sushi of Gari -- never eaten there but I think this is the next 'starred' spot I'd like to hit
• Picholine -- never eaten there

TWO STAR RESTAURANTS

• Del Posto -- never eaten there, but am totally a Batali-droid
• Masa -- DYING to try
• Bouley -- lovely
• Daniel -- never have I felt more like a kid playing dress up; that said, I had the best venison of my life there (was able to cut it with my FORK) and the service was absolutely, devestatingly perfect -- seamless, invisible, attentive, the likes of which I have only experienced in Paris

THREE STAR RESTAURANTS

• Le Bernadin -- hint hint hint hint hint!  I want!!!
• Per Se -- ditto!!
• Jean-Georges -- any of these three would make me happy!

Your thoughts?  Where should I eat next?  What's missing?  What's overrated?

 

Inequity

How is it possible that a bland, sloppy, generic tuna sandwich from the dirty deli on 33rd Street costs the same as the tuna sandwich at Almondine in DUMBO?  The sandwiches at Almondine are large enough for two people to share, made on exquisite bread, and are sold alongside pastries and espresso.  The sandwiches in the deli are 80% mayo and are served with a limp pickle and shredded iceburg lettuce.  It just doesn't seem right.

In Defense of Balthazar

It's become a signature style: the trademarked Bustling Bistro Clamor, the trademarked McNally Wineglass Hold, the zinc bar and mirrored walls and red banquets and the steak frites, oh how we know the frites!  When Balthazar opened nearly a decade ago, it offered downtown diners a chic space to enjoy good, casual, accessible brasserie dining.  It's since become a fixture on countless out-of-towners tours of Manhattan, while still packing in locals for late nights and long lunches.

I've eaten at Balthazar numerous times over the past nine years, and while I've never had a bad meal there, I have grown slightly weary of the packed bar and the tourists and the sometimes-rushed service.  I don't remember the exact occasion which made my husband and I decide to take a break from the Dowtown! Bistro! Scene! but at some point we decided that we'd had enough of Balthazar. 

The problem has never been the food; I'm a big fan of the moules frites, usually with a glass of Chablis alongside.  I love the duck shepherd's pie and occasionally crave the enormous nicoise salad.  The breads are fantastic, and the wine list is extensive and food-friendly.  We own the Balthazar cookbook and have made several dishes out of it -- the beauty of bistro cooking is that it's unfussy and hearty and comfortable. 

But the crowds and the B&Ters and the theme park environment got to me, especially since the Bistro Explosion of the late 90's led to Patois, Bacchus, Jolie, Moutarde, Belleville, et al opening within walking distance of my apartment.

Some of my favorite meals at Balthazar have been either weekday lunches or late night dinners, and back in the spring, Kevin and I had a long lunch there to celebrate his graduation from business school.  Ahhhh...we sighed, remembering why so many people fell in love with Balthazar to begin with.  And on Friday night we found ourselves standing on the street corner around 1:00 a.m., just south of Houston, hungry and hankering for red meat.  We hopped in a cab and within ten minutes were sitting in a corner booth at Balthazar, watching earlier parties wrapping up their meals and other stragglers like us stumble in and ask for the late night menu.

I had a cheeseburger and a glass of Medoc; Kevin had the bar steak frites and the same wine.  And you know what?  It was all fantastic.  It's simple food, good ingredients, a classic setting.  And after midnight, when the crowds have waned and the Scene becomes just a scene, it's one of the great hidden treasures of New York.  I realize there is nothing 'hidden' or low-profile about Balthazar, but to be able to wander in without a reservation, order exactly what you're craving, and do so with attentive servers and the knowledge that your meal will be consistently great...well, that's why we live here.

Eating Our Way Through the Atlantic Antic

I generally steer clear of street fairs, but the Atlantic Antic always lures me in with its bands and barbecue and fabulous shopping.  We started at the west end of the Antic around 1pm yesterday, and were back in the same stretch when the booths were being disassembled after 5pm that night.  In between, we walked as far east as Bond Street, and ate and drank our way all along the stretch.

There is just SO MUCH at the Antic, and (almost) all of the food looks and smells amazing.  Early in the day we found ourselves listening to music near the Waterfront Ale House and watching patrons come away with heaping BBQ sandwiches, which immediately made it onto the short list of Food We Might Have To Eat Later Even If We Are Very Very Full.  Sadly, we didn't make it back to Waterfront, but found plenty of other treats along Atlantic. 

We ate ribs and corn on the cob from PJ Hanley's (their booth was on the southeast corner of Court St and Atlantic), because when we saw their ENTIRE SMOKED PIGS, we could not step away without trying something.  I wanted to try the brisket, but none was ready right then, so my husband and I both sat on the curb with heaping paper plates full of pork ribs. The crackling, sweet, charred exterior skin was like candy; the actual meat was a little fatty for me, but the entire operation (smoker built on the street with cinder blocks and corrugated metal lid) was so impressive that I forgave the fatty ribs and instead enjoyed the act of getting ridiculously filthy with BBQ grease (in public no less!) on the side of the road, and having no one judge me for it.  The buttery grilled corn on the cob was equally messy and equally satisfying.  We washed down the ribs with $3 cups of Six Point Craft Ale "Brownstone" beer from the Brazen Head.

A few blocks to the east, we stopped again for run punch and sangria from Jolie, and I also slurped down a half dozen oysters while my husband waited in line for our drinks.  I am not a rum drinker, but the punch was spicy with cloves, very different from the saccharine punch I was expecting - it tasted more like mulled wine than a fruity concoction.

Our final food stop was the crepe stand near Court Street -- I had lemon and sugar; Kevin had Nutella.  Both are pretty damn hard to screw up, and both were exactly what we wanted. 

Later in the afternoon we met friends near Magnetic Field, at the west end of the Antic, and I tried another of the Six Point brews -- their Bengali Tiger beer.  I'm not really a connoisseur of beers, so I can't speak to whether it was the hops or the barely, but it was too bitter for me.  I really liked the Brownstone brew, however, which was dark and smooth (and at $3 a cup at the Brazen Head, a fantastic deal).

We didn't eat: BBQ sandwiches from Waterfront, anything from Sahadi or Damascus, any funnel cake, any corn dogs, the lamb from Jolie, key lime pies from Steve's, or anything from Soul Spot -- all were things I'd hoped to try, but the Antic is only one day a year, and I can only eat so much!

Was anyone else there?  What did you eat?  What are your fave fair foods?

Burgers & Cupcakes

Why am I only now learning that this exists?

Has anyone eaten there?  It's in relative proximity to my office, and I used to occasionally order lunch from Mitchell London (always good, if expensive), the former occupant of the space and owner/operator of this enticingly named spot.  If Burger & Cupcakes can provide even moderately good burgers and cupcakes, I may have a new local lunch favorite.

I plan on ordering from B&C tomorrow; will report back...