"[A] fantastic blog... which ranges from opinions on food and wine to daily adventures in a culinary-related profession."

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

>The NEW Spice on 8th & 22nd>>

Last night, I finally had a chance to check out the new Spice which recently opened on 8th Avenue & 22nd Street in Chelsea. I was really glad it opened because the bar scene in Chelsea (along 8th Avenue) was beginning to get pretty grim. I mean really, there was nowhere nice to just sit and have a nice cocktail over a chat with a friend. Chelsea, which not only used to be the gay mecca of Manhattan but also a pretty decent destination for just going out with friends, has been on a steady decline for years now. David had it on the nose when he said the death of Chelsea came when Big Cup closed, which is right, but I think the final nail in the coffin came when Food Bar closed. (Who really believed those "Closed For Renovations" signs?)

Nevertheless, my gay roots remain in Chelsea and I'll probably venture there for years to come in search of the perfect martini regardless of the comings and goings of its various venues...

Enter, the new Spice. Okay: So Spice has been in Chelsea for a number of years and it's been about that long since its initial flair has worn thin. But the original Spice [in Chelsea] is on the West side of 8th Avenue and the new Spice is on the East. Now, argue with me if you will, but the East side of 8th Avenue is just a hipper place to hang (unless you're making a pit stop at the American Apparel at 19th Street to take care of an unexpected wardrobe malfunction).

So not only is the new Spice on the hipper side of 8th Avenue, but it 1. replaced that God-awful Chinese takeaway that's been there for God only knows how long and 2. it's just around the corner from Barracuda. --So it's like you're still in that hipper-than-g-lounge-vicinity, but you don't have to actually go into Barracuda and breathe that funky bar-air which it's seemed to develop over the years... (Can someone please tell the bartender that that incense he's burning isn't helping?)

So despite the cold and the rain and despite the 40 minute subway ride from uptown, I headed downtown on the 1 train to meet Danny for a drink.

Upon entering Spice, the pleasant hostess offered to take my umbrella and tag it with my name while I eyed out a comfortable bar stool. I must say that I was impressed. This Spice had a completely different decor and design from the Spice on the West side of 8th.

As you enter, the bar sits on your right, large enough to handle more than just those patrons waiting for a table. And directly opposite the bar, to your left, are 2 lush-looking teal leather couches and 2 white porcelain tables which could very easily double as ottomans.

Surrounding the bar are stools capped in soft black leather, tacked with nails and reaching below, are several bag hooks. Behind the well stocked bar is a tiling of gold-marbled mirrors which match the golden birds hovering above your head on a ceiling impressed with clouds. Throughout the restaurant is the same matte teal of the couches which I found to be rather soothing. Overall, the atmosphere feels soft and dim and slightly hotel bar/lounge-ish, circa 1950 (think Shun Lee on 65th).

For the fare: I have to say the prices are knockout--a bottle of Malbec for $24 and a serving of Summer Rolls for $4 (plus complimentary cashews). But the taste, not so much. If you already know Spice's menu, just order what you already know you like (I thought I was, but apparently my memory didn't serve me). Next time I'll get the Warm Duck Lettuce Wraps--quite tasty and large enough to serve as a light meal. > >

Add'l Notes: Spice's star dish is the Tamarind Whole Fish - $18

Monday, February 22, 2010

>Woo! for Woo>>

For Lent this year, David has decided that he's going to give up buying non-local produce and meat.

I, on the other hand, have decided to give up Mass.


(I know, God is going to strike me with lightning.)


We both got up early Saturday morning and headed over to the Inwood Farmers' Market on Isham Street for some local meat and produce.

It was pretty good; there was a nice artisinal cheese guy, a wine guy, a meats guy, a beans guy, a breads guy, the yogurt ladies, the milk lady... and so on. We came home with plenty of good things and some fresh link sausages from the turkey guy too.

Sunday was M.G.'s going away party at Woo Lae Oak (she's leaving us to move on to a back of the house position at D. Posto). All the gals (and a couple of guys) met us there for the 5 to 7 o'clock happy hour. I managed to try every drink I wanted to: the Asian Glow, the Lychee Martini and the Saketini (the last one being my favorite, although the Lychee Martini could be nice as a dessert drink). And from their "Small Bites" menu, my favorite was the O Ree Mari cold duck wrap--very tasty.

At just five or six dollars per item, the "Woo Happy Hour" works out to be a pretty good deal. > >


It was nice to catch up and relax with everybody (outside of our usual front of the house posts).

Layke, one of the former maître d's at my restaurant, just returned to New York from a month long stay in Brazil (and is still jealously tan). Currently, she's temping/helping out at a new restaurant about to open in Flat Iron, but she also told me that she just interviewed for a management position at my favorite (and hippest) restaurant in Meat Packing.

I told her and Fabiana (who has plans of opening her own catering business), "Whoever becomes more successful first, we're all going to follow." (In jest of course, but we'll see...)

Our next stop after Woo was at Blue Ribbon [Brasserie].

Fabiana wanted the chicken burger and M.G. wanted the Beef Marrow, but I couldn't decide what I wanted because, as usual, I wanted to try something new. Cathy kept nudging me towards the Cheese Fondue and eventually, (they were out of foie and I had already had the sea urchin) I obliged.

It was pretty good: a simple swiss fondue with apple slices, bread cubes, breadsticks and a "bacon canapé" to share. For once, I didn't close out the place and was back home at a rather respectable hour; a gleaming beacon of rectitude was I. > >

Friday, February 19, 2010

>F for FASHION, FOIE GRAS & FRIDAY>>

So Fashion Week has come to a close (along with the tents at Bryant Park as home) and I must say that it was the dullest Fashion Week I'd ever experienced. Of course, with the death of the amazingly talented Mr. Alexander McQueen last week, a veil was cast over Fashion Week's opening night (not to mention the inclement weather which I'm sure made fancy young things teetering about in heels feel apprehensive about running around town...).

Earlier in the week, I peeked at a handful of shows on NYMag's website and was a little shocked and rather disappointed at the humdrumness some of the major designers were churning out onto their runways. Taupe, Grey, Khaki. Really?? The most exciting thing that happened to me all through Fashion Week was the DJ from the Boom Boom Room telling me I had the flyest shoes in NYC (the cobbler did do a beautiful job on my Ferragamos...).

In exciting news, I was finally able to meet up with the artist (Leandro Miguel Cruz) whose work is currently on display at La Sala 78 and purchase one of his pieces as an early anniversary gift for David. (I tried to hide it behind our dresser, but it was a little too large and I was afraid it might get damaged or discovered before the 26th, our actual anniversary.)

David was completely shocked when he saw it hanging on our living room wall. :)

In other exciting news: in honor of the 25th anniversary of D'Artagnan (the first company ever to produce foie gras domestically in the U.S.), selected chefs from around the globe will offer (as a part of the "Glories of Gascony Dining" event) a special menu, for 2 days only, at selected restaurants throughout the city.

My restaurant has been chosen as one of 10 carefully selected restaurants to take part in D'Artagnan's Glories of Gascony Dining event. You can see the special menu we're offering here in addition to our regular dinner menu. > >

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

>EXAMTIME>>


So I just re-took my wine exam required for ICE's "Premier Cru" wine certificate.

It was an online exam which I took about a month ago, but when I clicked 'submit' upon completion of the exam, an error message appeared. (!!) Luckily though, when I clicked "back" all of my selections were still there and I saved them onto my computer....

So, with not much else to do today except for "check the internet" before heading off to work, I decided to give the exam another try.

This time, my selections submitted successfully. I think I did fairly well and I'll get my results in about 2 weeks. >>

Monday, February 15, 2010

>M is for monday - off - that's good enough for me>>

Mmmm... it was a yummy weekend! Saturday night was 'ladies' night out' and I met up with Cynthia, Karen and the rest of the crew at Blue Ribbon for a pit stop before heading uptown for some dirty dancing. After we got seated at our usual round table banquette, Cynthia and I decided we wanted to have something we'd never had there before (as usual...). There was a Sea Urchin special (which were live--the oyster shucker was poking it for us with his knife so we could see it move) which we went with, along with the Grilled Sardines which we were both curious about.



The grilled sardines came with a nice anchovy paste for dipping and a pleasant onion and carrot salad (the carrots were the best!). The Sea Urchin, with a wasabi-ginger dressing, was quite nice as well. 2 bottles of cava later, 4:30 surreptitiously rolled around; there was no dancing to be done that night..


Sunday, Valentine's Day, David returned home from from a 2-day trip to Denver for a lecture-recital he was giving at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. I, unfortunately, had to work that night, but made up for it with a yummy dinner I brought home for him which I warmed up in our stove.

Our first course was a steamed shrimp salad with avacado and champagne vinaigrette dressing plus a black olive pizza topped with arugula and freshly shaved parmesan cheese. For our main course we had salmon with shredded brussel sprouts and truffle mashed potatoes plus red snapper in an aromatic spice broth along with sweet potato ravilolis.

David supplied the dessert and wine for our dinner which was an assortment of chocolates from Mondel, and 2 different kinds of wine. From Mondel there were: Chocolate Covered (both milk and dark) Green Marzipan sprinkled with coconut flakes, Espresso Truffles, Champagne Truffles and the classic: Cocoa Almonds. As always, they were all divine. It was my first time trying the Espresso Truffles and they were by far my favorite! If you've never been to Mondel's before, do yourself a favor and make the trip uptown on the 1 train to 116th Street. In a memior, Kate Remembered, about Katherine Hepburn, her fond memories of Mondel Chocolates are quoted.

"The time we shared, ...intimate conversation, and lots of dark chocolate (the best in the world) came from a small shop on Upper Broadway called Mondel's - turtles, almond bark and breakup..."



For our wine, the first one we had was a Foreau Sparkling Vouvray. Very nice. It had a bouquet that seemed to bloom in your mouth and nice, creamy bubbles. David told me he had had this one once before at a wine tasting in France and it was one of his favorites.


For our second wine, we had the Spago Nero Prosecco. Now usually when I'm at a restaurant and having some cava or prosecco by the glass I'm not very happy about it (aside from the $10 savings per glass compared to champagne). But this prosecco was not 1 smidgen short of being divine! (For a prosecco at least.) On the nose: very yeasty and very fruity--what a lovely combination. And at just $13 a bottle, a definite steal!>>

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

>JUST IN>>

In a very limited edition...

The perfect carry-all for wherever you go
  • Show your support and look hip
  • Made from 100% natural 8 oz. cotton canvas – great for the environment
  • Only $7.00 - for a limited time only!

Just leave a comment here if you'd like one and I'll make sure you get one...

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Sherry and Sardines


INWOOD foils cooking plans once again. I decided, last night, that I would make a Spanish-themed/tapas dinner to go along with a bottle of Lustau sherry I had bought at PJ's. The first thing that went wrong was the anchovy-butter log that I was going to make (a trick I'd learned from one of the assistants in wine class: chop anchovies into very small pieces, combine with a stick of butter and form into a log; serve it on some nice bread or on steak before cooking). I purchased a can of anchovies in oil that I thought (in addition to making the butter log) would pair nicely, as is, with the sherry for our first course. 

After preparing some almonds for roasting, I excitedly opened the anchovies to drain, then set in a martini glass for course one. To my utter dismay, the anchovies were not anchovies at all, but sardines. 

Earlier that night at Fine Fare, there was a sign for sardines on sale, 5/$4. Always one to take advantage of a sale, I happily picked up a can to place into my shopping basket, but then I thought I'd one them up and buy some nicer ones in olive oil (for just $1.29).

Well that 5/$4 sign threw off all my concentration and I accidentally put a can of sardines into my basket without realizing that they, in fact, were sardines and not anchovies.

"David, are sardines and anchovies basically the same thing?"

"No."

Great. So I took out the roasted almonds, which browned a bit too much during all the fishy hullaballoo and went back out into the cold in search of anchovies.

None to be found.

Inwood foils cooking plans, once again.

So I instead decided to: 1. Cook up some chorizo in replacement of the anchovies; and 2. Nix the anchovy-butter log.

When I returned home, the almonds which I had left in the pan on top of the stove continued to cook and most of them were more or less burned. Things were going wonderfully. I tried to stay calm and started on the steak. I threw three or four fat slices of butter onto my skillet and began to fry the fillets.

They were much thinner than I had hoped for and the perfect slices with juicy, red centers that I was envisioning were becoming yet another passing dream. I checked on the baguette I'd had in the oven and so far, it was the only thing turning out nicely. I decided to slice the fillets and serve them on the baguette with some mayonnaise and sea salt, and make little sandwiches. (some cilantro would have been nice too.)

Without further ado, I called David in for our first course of chorizo, almonds and sherry. When I went to PJ's earlier that night, what I was actually looking for was the La Gitana Manzinilla Jerez we had had in wine class, but they didn't carry it. I instead went with another Manzinilla sherry they'd had, the Lustau, Light Manzinilla, Papirusa ($13.98). I chilled it in the fridge and at the initial whiff it seemed a little woodsy and rather volatile (15% alcohol). It was definitely much stronger than the La Gitana we'd had in class--a bit of acid, a good dose of tannins, quite alcoholic and some length on the tongue.

Tastewise, I wouldn't put it on the top shelf. But the more we ate the salted almonds and chorizo, the better the sherry became. And I'll say it once again--pretty volatile; just two glasses in and I was already feeling heady. (a good pick for dinner guests that you're afraid you might have some awkward silences with; after fifteen minutes of the stuff, chatting gears are pretty lubed) Incrementally, as we nibbled away on our tapas-sized steak sandwiches (which reminded me more of banh mi's than anything tapas-like), we neared the end of our "Spanish-themed dinner." During the dessert course (which I forgot to pick up while I was out), David switched from the Lustau to Casal Garcia. The Lustau was a bit too much for him...

SO, as I posted on my Facebook status last night, my Spanish-themed dinner went from Spain to Vietnam to Portugal. (Our ship had a little detour.)

As a former co-worker once said to me: People like us shouldn't cook

Monday, February 8, 2010

>scrappin around>>

So today I am off. I decided to set a "scrapping" limit for myself. In my household, scrapping means, but is not limited to:

1.) Being online for no reason in particular other than boredom or to "pass the time."

2.) Staying in bed for an extended period of time and sometimes returning there with food and/or beverages to be consumed while scrapping.

Example: Trudy has not done a damn thing today except for stay in bed all day and scrap.

So, even though I am online as we speak, I at least brought my laptop to the kitchen table so I'm not in bed [while I scrap].

Going back to some of the basics of my blog, my next classes (How to Enjoy Navigating a Restaurant Wine List; Unraveling the Mysteries of the Burgundy; and Advanced Wine Essentials) are registered and paid for.

Originally, I wanted to take The Celebrated Wines and Wine Regions of France, but my professor told me that I should take a more specialized class because that class was too similar to one evening we already had in Wine Essentials.

Additionally, I recently signed up for PJ Wine's email newsletter and found them to be a rather resourceful tool. For those of you not familiar, PJ Wine is a fantastic wine & liquor store in Inwood which carries a vast stock of spirits all sold at discount prices. (Worth the trek uptown on the A if you're planning a big party or event.) Every few days, PJ sends me an email about a new/limited-offering wine they're carrying, along with some nice tasting & pairing notes and a brief history. --An easy way to learn more on a regular basis.

They also offer free wine tastings in their "Upstairs Tasting Room" several times each month (although I haven't been to any yet, I keep missing the ones I want to go to...)>>

Saturday, February 6, 2010

>FRENCH MACAROONS & FOIE GRAS>>

So today, I am off. I spent the afternoon in the old 'hood (UWS) with David. One of our first stops was at Toast (105 & B'way) for a tasty brunch. Next, we stopped at Silver Moon Bakery, just across the street to pick up some bread. We also picked up some post-brunch sweets including a little box of French Macaroons and a frosted heart-shaped cookie for myself (I have a strange fondness for anything frosted pink).


Next, we dropped off my beloved patent leather Ferragamo 'Party' slip-ons at the shoe repair next to Silver Moon. Thursday at work (I don't know why I even wore them to work on a Thursday, I usually save them for weekends), while I was passing through the kitchen to make myself a plate of "family meal", I tore the side of my shoe on a piece of metal sticking out from the bottom of a gnarled filing cabinet. The horror!!

When I told our chef's daughter what had happened, instead of offering to repair/replace the shoes, she just said,

"Now your shoes are ruined."


--Thanks.


Oh well, I did get a good year's worth of use out of them. And I'm still going to wear them, they just won't be the sparkling diamond they once were...


Anyway, Restaurant Week is almost over (one more day) and then I have 2 days off - in a row! - before my schedule from Hades begins. Starting Wednesday, (the day before Fashion Week kicks off) I will be working the dinner shift 5 days in a row, all the way to Sunday. Which means, not only will I be manning the podium for all the mayhem which is about to befall us during Fashion Week, but I will also be there Sunday night for Valentine's Day. I'm going to need the biggest martini ever when it's all through.


But for now, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day off with a bottle of Casal Garcia which David bought for us to enjoy along with our dinner; and then we'll end our meal with our petite macaroons from Silver Moon and our latest Netflix flick, Raisin in the Sun.


And as promised, I'm going to talk to you about Foie Gras. Now I know that eating Foie Gras is controversial; hence, I've unofficially limited my consumption of it to no more than once a year. But this year, I went a bit overboard. So no more Foie Gras for me until 2011 (or at least my birthday).


I was confessing my guilt to M.G. over my recent added Foie Gras consumption when she told me that not all Foie Gras is made unethically. Apparently, you can get Foie Gras upstate where they let the birds eat freely, ad libitum. Surprised with the news, I decided to do some research on how I could find this "ethical Foie Gras."


It turns out, that in South Dakota there's a farm, Schiltz Goose Farms, that produces a Foie Gras alternative. They call their product: Late Harvest Fatty Goose Liver.

During the winter, geese have a natural instinct to fatten their liver prior to migration, hence the name, "Late Harvest." In order to procure the naturally fattened liver, the slaughter must take place during the winter, prior to migration. Therefore, you end up with a seasonal product, available only in very limited quantities.


Also, from the Spanish producer, Patería de Sousa, comes an award winning Foie Gras alternative, Ganso Ibérico. While the gavage method of force feeding is required to meet the French legal definition of Foie Gras,

producers outside of France are not bound to this tradition. Hence, Pateria de Sousa can call their goose liver product Foie Gras, even though it, in fact, is not.


But those of you that feel French gastoronomy supercedes ethics, may want to take a peek at Zabar’s Foie Gras offerings. In their catalog, there are 4 different kinds of Foie Gras (which they ship to you in 1 day). They offer an authentic goose Foie Gras with Truffles ($65 for a 7 oz. block); Three Little Pigs bloc de Foie Gras Canard (duck Foie Gras) made with Sauternes wine ($37 for 6 ½ oz.); D’Artagnan Medallion Duck Foie Gras with Truffles which is laced with both Sauternes and black truffles ($29 for 6 oz.); or they also offer a D’Artagnan Mousse of Duck Foie Gras ($28 for 8 oz.).


But being totally honest, I'm looking forward to trying the Three Little Pigs bloc de Foie Gras Canard. >>

Thursday, February 4, 2010

>TH for thursday + this & that>>

Hi Folks, so I finally have a moment to sit down in some peace and quiet and write my blog. Tuesday, I was off. My morning started with an e-mail from Gazelle saying we had to re-shoot my photo for Gazelland Magazine--it just wasn't working for the layout. So, 1 3.5 foot pile of laundry later: there I was again, slathering Vaseline on my face, scrubbing it off, and then heading downtown on the A train avec photo shoot garb and accessories.

Even though the photo shoot did take up a chunk of my afternoon off, I didn't mind; it was lovely seeing Gazelle. He was kind enough to supply the champagne for the shoot (a really nice bottle of Veuve) which we both enjoyed afterwards. The shoot took place on the roof of his building which had some lovely views of 14th street going down into Meat Packing.

Even though it was a rather chilly day, by the end of the shoot, I didn't even feel the chill; we were having so much fun :) Later that night, while David and I watched Les Diaboliques in the coziness of our bed, it snowed.




Yesterday, my pirated internet was acting screwy again, so I had to go down to La Sala 78 to have a mocha latte while I tapped away on my laptop. La Sala doubles as a cafe/art gallery and as I walked in yesterday, I came upon a pretty interesting exhibit. Some of the paintings they had up were clearly "faux Picassos," but I didn't mind that at all; I found them rather charming.

I came back today to check out the prices which yesterday, were yet to be posted, but they're still not up today. I gave my card to the barista and asked her to have the artist give me a call.





>>Next Post: humane foie gras??>

Monday, February 1, 2010

>mmmm... for mondaaayy>>

It was a yummy weekend. My first stop was at the UWS location of Fatty Crab.

I met my good friend and eating buddy, Hiroko, there for a quick bite before we went to see NYC Ballet's production of Sleeping Beauty at Lincoln Center.
FC's wine list seemed to have some pretty decent selections. The server was knowledgeable (and friendly too--somewhat shocking considering she was a hipster, but we were on the UWS...) about their wines; she helped me decide between the Dry Riesling and the Pinot Gris. I told her I wanted a heavier wine and one that wasn't too dry. She said the Dry Riesling was very dry and overall, the Pinot Gris was a better quality; I went with her recommendation and was pleased.

On to the food, she told us everything at Fatty Crab was meant to be shared and we opted for 3 dishes: the Crispy Pork with watermelon salad, Fatty Duck (steamed and fried) with sweet and spicy sticky rice and for a snack, the Scallop Satay. Later, we were still a little hungry so we placed an order for Banh Mi (a Vietnamese sandwich) which had some tasty fried oysters in it.

Living up to their name, everything tasted fatty, but in a good way; nothing felt heavy or overly greasy. All the foods we ordered seemed rather light and delicate, yet quite flavorful too.

In the past, I haven't been a fan of Malaysian food; it always seemed a bit bland-tasting. But Fatty Crab's foods were anything but bland. Overall, I think it was a pretty unique taste experience. Nothing fussy or overdone, just simple and good food.

Also, our server gave us some complimentary cakes and comped one of our drinks! I think she just liked the fact that I had good faith in her suggestions...

Later that night... I "somehow" (that's usually how it is) ended up at Blue Ribbon. My friend Vil was having her birthday party downtown near Tribeca and Cynthia met up with me there. After a couple of vodka tonics between the both of us, we headed North for BR.

We both decided it was going to be the night we stick our necks out and have their Sweetbreads.

Now just so you all know just how courageous Cynthia and I were that night, according to Wikipedia, Sweetbreads are: the thymus (throat sweetbread) and the pancreas (heart or stomach sweetbread), especially of the calf and lamb (although beef and pork sweetbreads are also eaten).
The "heart" sweetbreads are more spherical in shape, and surrounded symmetrically by the "throat" sweetbreads, which are more cylindrical in shape.

According to the shape of our sweetbreads, I think we were eating "heart" sweetbreads.

What did I think of it? It was a little chalky. Nevertheless, we cleared our plate (we ordered one to share), but I don't think we'll be ordering Sweetbreads again anytime soon. (But who knows, that's what I said about their Beef Marrow and now it's now one of my favorite dishes there.) We also shared a dozen Malpeques (mmmm..) and our server threw in a complimentary lobster claw as well. 1 Cava and 1 Ketel & Tonic later, we got our check and both headed North again for home. --A low key BR night, I'd say. Although, one hour and thirty seven minutes later, I woke up at 225th street in the Bronx with the train conductor shouting over the loud speaker: "Either you're in, or you're out!" -- I was out.