Featured Restaurant: Le Gigot
GutterGourmet — August 30, 2010
Gigot d’Agneau aux Flageolet and Crème Brûlée at Le Gigot.
Enter Le Gigot. Içi Paris. The only things missing are the French accordion music and the mimes. Pick one of the 10 tiny bistro tables and you’ve abandoned Cornelia Street for the Left Bank
Featured Dish: Cervelles au Beurre Noir
GutterGourmet — June 02, 2010
Cervelles au Beurre Noir at La Lunchonette.
I’m probably the only person who watches Return of the Living Dead and wonders whether I’m missing out on some good eats. The zombie predilection for brains over other parts of the human anatomy is not easily explainable. However, if done with a classic beurre noir sauce with cepes, those zombies may be on to something. Returning to an old favorite on 10th Avenue, La Lunchonette, I was delighted to see the cervelles— calves’ brains— listed as one of the chalkboard specials.
The beurre noir is not really black, but a brown butter sauce. The brains are not dissimilar in taste or texture to sweetbreads, though creamier. Naturally, they’re wrinkled and folded, but they’re also delicious enough to satisfy any monstrous craving. If brains seem a bit much to swallow, try watching Michael Jackson’s Thriller video to stimulate your appetite— works for me.
Featured Restaurant: La Lunchonette
GutterGourmet — April 06, 2010
Escargots au Cognac.
Before Del Posto, Morimoto, or Pastis, when the Meatpacking District was home to, well, meatpacking (not to mention dealers and prostitutes), there was a restaurant on 10th Avenue that would transport you to the southwest of France. La Lunchonette still exists 20 years later, a testament to its greatness.
The unmarked door on 18th Street looks like the entrance to someone’s street-level apartment, which is confirmed when you practically walk in to the cubicle of a kitchen as you’re warmed by the flames of the burners. There are two separate rooms, and closely positioned tables. A long bar which is not used as a bar (save two stools), but rather to hold vases of flowers, and to store wine.
Featured Restaurant: Five Leaves
Arthur Bovino — March 15, 2010
Grilled Sardines with Caramelized Cauliflower, Eggplant, Pine nuts, and Curried Date Dressing, and Affogato with an Intelligentsia Organic Espresso Shot at Five Leaves in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
There was a time not long ago, when those walking from the Bedford L toward McGuinness had already filled their bellies, or well knew the contents of their fridge. It was a hike past the Turkey’s Nest, the concrete baseball field, and the benches near the Automotive High School, to their vinyl-sided homes. Unless they planned to eat Polish, Thai, or at Wasabi, passing N 12th without having eaten was a no-no. But change comes fast in Williamsburg, and this energy has spread to Greenpoint. So it is that Five Leaves, a neighborhood joint, provides this hipster trail of tears a place to feast on the way.
First Look: Bistro Vendôme
Arthur Bovino — February 19, 2010
Clockwise from top: Australian Rack of Lamb with Potato Gratin and Rosemary Jus, Mussels Provençale, Exterior.
In a city plush with new menus touting the trendiest ingredients and applications, the opening of a French bistro that serves classics like moules frites and escargots could be easily overlooked. After being invited to Pascal Petiteau’s newly-opened Bistro Vendôme, we can report that that would be a shame. Bistro Vendôme smells of new restaurant. The wood floors shine and the paint is fresh, but it’s filled with warm lighting and once you sit down, the sop-it-up scent of butter and garlic.
More About Bistro Vendôme with the Full Slideshow >>
AlwaysQuestioning: Terrance Brennan & Bradford Thompson of Bar Artisanal
The Gluttoness — May 26, 2009
Together, Executive Chef, Terrance Brennan (of Artisanal and Picholine) and Consulting Chef, Bradford Thompson (formerly of Lever House) are delighting diners with their ““French”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/thought-for-food/tag/French/ inspired” interpretation of Mediterranean small plates in an extension of the Artisanal brand, Bar Artisanal. AlwaysHungryNY recently sat down with these two chefs who have turned the failed Trigo space into a grand bistro in TriBeCa. When the kitchen at Bar Artisanal has settled into a routine, Brad hopes to open a restaurant with French and West Indian themes. In the meantime, the two are perfecting dishes, and eating plenty along the way.
AHNY: Are you Always Hungry?
BT: I’d say so, yeah…for adventure.
TB: No, because I nosh all day, especially with the new restaurant.
AHNY: So, what did you eat today?
BT: Two espressos and a cappuccino. We had a photo shoot all day. Oh, and granola.
TB: We had the photo shoot, so I tasted the Pizza, Chutney, Steak Tartare}thought-for-food/tag/Steak-Tartare/, Roquefort Parfait, Chickpea Frites, Oysters and Hangar Steak.
Brennan & Thompson on trends, snack foods and 'must-have' ingredients >>
Making the Grade: Bar Artisanal
The Gluttoness — May 19, 2009
“While Terrance Brennan’s Bar Artisanal looks and feels like a French bistro, and serves classics like Mussels and Steak Tartare, it’s obvious from the first slice of cured pork that in fact it’s a melting pot of Mediterranean flavors. Take the Pappardelle with LambNeck Bolognese or small plate (“Amuse Bouche”) offerings like the Chickpea Fries, Fried Artichokes and a Pan Con Tomate worthy of Top 5 consideration, which leaves you wanting more.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL BAR ARTISANAL REVIEW
AlwaysTraveling: Bouchon (Napa, CA)
Jeff Zalaznick — April 29, 2009
Chef Thomas Keller’s Napa Valley homage to the Lyon bistros for which it is named is more casual and accessible than his famed nearby restaurant, The French Laundry. Inside this red-brick Yountville restaurant just off the St. Helena Highway you’ll find classic brasserie fare like Steak Frites, Roast Chicken, Mussels with French Fries, Croque Madame and Boudin Blanc. Keller’s precise yet modern takes on these dishes have garnered Bouchon a Michelin star and made it a destination of its own. Its success has led the chef to open a Bouchon in Las Vegas, and plan a third, the last one scheduled to open in Beverly Hills later this year. This is Thomas Keller, so the dishes are beautifully presented and while moderately priced, are not exactly cheap. Of course, any meal at Bouchon would be incomplete without sampling something (read: the famous Macarons) from the Bouchon Bakery.
Restaurant: Bouchon
Address: 6534 Washington St, Yountville, CA, 94599 (view map)
Rating: * (Michelin 2007 and 2008)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Moules au Safran, Poulet aux Petit Pois à la Française
Tartare de Saumon
Salmon Tartare with Chopped Egg, Onions and Capers
Salade d’Homard et Gésiers de Canard
Maine Lobster Salad with Duck Gizzard Confit, Frizée, Arugula, Poached Cherries and Foie Gras Vinaigrette
Click here for more Bouchon dishes >>
AlwaysLearning: Bouillabaisse
April 08, 2009
What it is: A traditional Southern French Fish Stew housing a menagerie of cooked fish and shellfish.
Where it comes from: It was first created by French fishermen who wanted to make an inexpensive meal when they returned to port. The city most well known for Bouillabaisse is Marseille. They were so serious about their soup that in 1980, they passed the Marseille Bouillabaisse Charter, which clearly outlines the official ingredients.
Fish: Scorpion Fish, Red Mullet, White Scorpion Fish, John Dory, Conger Eel, or Skate. Spiny Lobster is optional. (4 of them, in any combination, is necessary)
Other ingredients: Salt, Pepper, Saffron, Olive Oil, Garlic, Onions, Fennel, Parsley, Potatoes and Tomatoes.
There are many great places to get Bouillabaisse in Marseille, but the most famous (and quite possibly the best) is actually located further East along the Cote d’Azur in Golfe Juan (near Antibes). The restaurant is called Tetou and it is truly a Bouillabaisse Restaurant. Along with the few options of grilled fish or salad, there are really only 2 main choices on the menu: Bouillabaise or Bouillabaise with Lobster. Of course, the Bouillabaisse is served in the traditional style: Rouille (Garlic-Chili Pepper Aioli) and Croutons (toasted bread) on the table, then the bowl of soup, then each type of fish, filleted and plated, course by course.
Where can you get it in NY: Bagatelle and Balthazar (top right) both serve their bouillabaisse as a daily special on Fridays. Similar to their famous Lobster Rolls, Mary’s Fish Camp and Pearl Oyster Bar both have competing versions of the old school stew to showcase their fresh shellfish.
Starting tomorrow you’ll be able to enjoy Allegretti’s acclaimed Provençal Fish Soup (above). Although there is no shellfish present, the gourmet dish features the fragrant broth of bouillabaisse alongside the traditional accompaniments: rouille and croutons. An addition of gruyere cheese makes for a French onion soup-like finish. Meant to be eaten using the “kitchen sink approach”: garlic from the crouton and the rouille seasons the herbaceous broth. Awarded best soup by New York Magazine in 2009, the complete effect makes for a light and vibrant dish, though we cannot consider it a competitor for best new soup.
The Round-Up: Marathon Route Dining
October 30, 2008
Just because participants in Sunday’s NYC Marathon have to endure a grueling 26.2 mile race, doesn’t mean you have to suffer starving on the sidelines. The New York Times has compiled a list of 26.2 noteworthy places (one is a truck) along the marathon route where hungry supporters can stop in and get a delicious bite. With cuisines ranging from classic American to Vietnamese, Polish, Honduran, and Senegalese, the eateries on this list are as international and eclectic as the runners competing in the race. (10/29)
Bay Street Lunchonette American Diner (Staten Island)
Plaka Taverna Greek (Bay Ridge)
Tanoreen Palestinian (Bay Ridge)
Thanh Dai Vietnamese (Sunset Park)
Yun Nan Flavour Snack Chinese (Sunset Park)
El Tesoro Ecuadorean (Sunset Park)
Milan’s Slovakian (Greenwood Heights)
Chip Shop British (Park Slope)
Sheep Station Australian (Park Slope)
Madiba South African (Park Slope)
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