Featured Dish: Chimbori Jalwa at Tamarind Tribeca
Maryse Chevrière — May 18, 2010
Chimbori Jalwa, a new appetizer at Tamarind Tribeca.
Think appetizers at an Indian restaurant and your mind might automatically go to samosas, chutneys, and roti with raita. Not wrong, but at the recently opened Tamarind Tribeca, there is another dish worth ordering to join these menu standard-bearers: Chimbori Jalwa.
A new menu addition that is unique to the TriBeCa location, the dish ($14.00) presents fresh lump crab meat molded into a short-stack cylindrical tower, like a crust-less crab cake with Indian spices.
Mixed with ginger and garlic, and tinted with Madras curry powder, there’s a sweet heat from the introduction of green chilies. It stays on the tip of your tongue and matches the sweetness of the crab. Scattered kernels of corn and sliced scallions add texture, and there are two spice-charred breadsticks available for munching— a muted balance to the intensely flavored dish.
Featured Restaurant: Luke’s Lobster
GutterGourmet — November 12, 2009
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The “A Taste of Maine” Platter with Lobster Roll, Crab Roll, Shrimp Roll, and Empress Crab Claws.
Sandwiched in between Caracas Arepa Bar and Caracas Arepa Bar To-Go on East 7th is Luke’s Lobster (view). No bigger than a shack with a small counter and eight stools, Luke’s mission is to make the lobster roll as accessible as the hot dog. With lines out the door, and very reasonable prices ($8/small lobster roll, $14/full roll), they may well succeed. Their slogan is “From ME (Maine) to You,” literally. The lobster meat is vacuum-sealed from when it leaves Maine to the time that it hits your roll.
The ‘A Taste of Maine’ consists of a small lobster roll, a small crab roll and a small shrimp roll with a pair of tiny Empress Crab Claws. Unlike the ones on ice at the holiday party, which taste like Sarimi and require a thorough dunking in cocktail sauce, these claws are so sweet that they are reminiscent of their larger Floridian Stone Crab cousins. The crab roll was more of the fresh crab. The shrimp was sweet like Ama Ebi. The lobster roll was all claw and knuckle meat—among the best New York has to offer. All the rolls are soft, toasty, top-split hot dog buns. If there was any mayo or filler, we did not see or taste it. A bag of potato chips and your choice of six organic Maine Root sodas (Blueberry, Ginger Brew, Sarsaparilla, Root Beer, Orange or Lemon Lime) to wash it down— all for 20 bucks.
Seasonal Spotlight: Sweet Potatoes
The Gluttoness — November 10, 2009
A sweet potato-centric meal from: Yerba Buena Perry, Blue Water Grill, Gansevoort 69, & Kyotofu.
Sweet potatoes don’t require much more than baking and butter to be tasty. And while some chefs do keep things simple, other restaurants use them in more exotic dishes from ceviches to Japanese desserts.
Click Here for a Sweet Potato-Centric Meal from Four Restaurants >>
FirstLook: Ed’s Chowder House
The Gluttoness — October 05, 2009
The exterior of Ed’s Chowder House, and the raw bar, inside.
When news broke about Center Cut’s transformation into Ed’s Chowder House (view), I instantly had confidence in Jeffrey Chodorow’s new direction with Eighty-One’s Chef Ed Brown. After City Harvest’s Street & Savory Event in June, I named Brown’s Crispy Fried Clam Roll the evening’s best savory bite. Considering that Center Cut was bad and remarkably over-priced, a sophisticated clam shack seemed worth a shot (though said Clam Roll is nowhere to be found). The stately decor and older crowd hasn’t changed much, but both the bar (with it’s own menu) and dining room are crowded with diners now that buttery Lobster Rolls are flying out of the kitchen a la Pearl Oyster Bar.
Featured Restaurant: Anthos
The Gluttoness — October 05, 2009
Whole Grilled Loup de Mer with a Medley of Market Vegetables.
At Anthos, Michael Psilakis’ Greek cuisine is often dominated by French execution. Even the Greek Salad isn’t inherently Greek, rather it’s riddled with “farmhouse vegetables,” such as peas, asparagus, broccoli and beets. So if you’re looking for a simply grilled fish you’re better off at Milos or Taverna Kyclades. A Whole Grilled Loup de Mer (shown above) at Anthos may sound like a light, simple order, yet the segmented fish, deboned from within, is stuffed with herb lemon butter and breadcrumbs. The filling infuses the fish with herbs and provides a gritty texture to compliment its soft flesh.
Sure, Anthos’ kitchen may be the exception to the chef’s mantra, “Butter doesn’t belong in a Mediterranean kitchen,” but that’s not to say that some of the dishes aren’t remarkably light. Take for example, the Day Boat Cod over which a thin, but robustly flavored smoked tomato broth is poured tableside. Or the slightly seared Yellowfin Tuna set atop yogurt vinaigrette. Still, the Smoked Octopus is pan-fried for unparalleled crispness. Psilakis’ heralded Ricotta Dumplings are given a creamy finish. Adorned with sweet jumbo lump crab, grilled leeks and wilted spinach, a salty touch of feta subdues the richness. Desserts follow suit, with Greek sweets like halva and pasteli being used to accompany a sinful Chocolate Torta rather than served by their lonesome.
Traditional Greek cuisine has it merits, but Anthos delivers a more sophisticated dining experience, with artistic, thoughtfully composed dishes that you won’t find anywhere else. The prices are definitely high, but an amuse, complimentary assortment of mezzes, petit fours and the always awesome cotton candy make the meal worth every penny. It’s definitely not your average Greek restaurant, but that is why Anthos is so remarkably above average.
See new pictures of food at Anthos on its restaurant page here.
AlwaysInformed: What’s Joe Difference?
The Gluttoness — September 17, 2009
Joe’s Shanghai and Joe’s Ginger, photos courtesy forgotten-ny.com and Joe’s Shanghai Restaurants.
We walked by a crowd of people waiting outside Joe Shangai (restaurant page) for soup dumplings in Chinatown the other day and it reminded us of something that most New Yorkers are aware of but that some newbies may not have caught onto yet: Joe’s Shanghai and the nearby eatery, Joe’s Ginger, are one in the same. And with similar menus and prices, you can get the popular Xiao Long Bao (“Little Basket of Dumplings”) at the relatively dormant Joe’s Ginger without having to wait or subject yourself to the deafening ambient chatter of Joe’s Shanghai.
Joe Ginger’s Crab Meat with Pork Meat “Steamed Bun,” $6.25/8.
After years of success following the 1995 creation of his first Joe’s Shanghai in Flushing, owner Joe Si opened Joe’s Ginger in late 2004 as an expansion of his business model. This isn’t one of those instances where a longer wait delivers more satisfaction with the food when it finally arrives. Whether you order the piping hot dumplings with just pork or pork with crabmeat, they taste even better when the hour wait becomes an instant feast.
AlwaysInformed: Lobstah Feast Friday at Rocky Sullivan’s in Red Hook
Arthur Bovino — August 31, 2009
Two of Red Hook Lobster Pound’s 1½lb lobsters. Bottom left, Susan Povich of the Lobster Pound. Right, Rocky Sullivan’s.
One thing that offers solace to hungry, rain-dampened people is a dry, friendly pub serving damn fine bar pizza and fresh Maine lobster. We forgave Rocky Sullivan’s (view site) for setting their TVs on another Mets loss instead of the Yanks’ extra inning, walk-off homerun victory because of its new affiliation with Susan Povich and Ralph Gorman of the Red Hook Lobster Pound (view site). Rocky’s will host the Pound’s Lobstah Feast every Friday through the end of the year. Starting at 6pm, $23 gets you corn, coleslaw or potato salad, a 1½lb lobster and dessert, first come first serve.
Featured Special: Back Forty’s Crab Boil
The Gluttoness — August 25, 2009
Maryland Blue Crabs at Back Forty’s Tuesday Night Crab Boil.
It probably wasn’t fair to Back Forty (restaurant page) that I finally scored my reservation for their Tuesday night Crab Boil fresh off a trip to Ocean City, Maryland. I’d just picked crabs at my favorite place, the Old Mill Crab House. One of their specialties is “All-You-Care-To-Eat” spiced and steamed Maryland blue crabs. Each order comes with an unlimited bounty of fried chicken, corn on the cob, “clam crisps,” fried shrimp, and the greatest powdered sugar-dusted hush puppies on earth.
The Old Mill is a tough act to follow and the experience at Back Forty wasn’t quite as revelatory. In order to reserve a table you have to log into their website starting at 10 a.m. on the Wednesday preceding the Tuesday Crab Boil you hope to attend. Then you have to wait for a confirmation callback. If you’re awarded a seat, you have one option, the $40/person prix fixe, advertised as “piles of spicy, steamed blue crabs, summer sides and pitchers of icy cold craft beer.”
There are two seatings, and the waiters made it obvious they were interested in getting started. I went with three friends and as soon as our asses hit the bench the waitress went into her explanation: we were entitled to only three buckets of crab, but all the corn and potatoes we could eat. That last part of the advertised description, the icy cold draft beer costs extra (not clear unless you scroll down on the website). Once we finished our crabs, we’d each get a slice of blueberry-peach cobbler.
Left, Salt Cod Hush Puppies. Right, Grilled Corn on the Cob.
“Salt Cod Hush Puppies” came first. They were full of thick, firm chunks of yucca and soft, shredded salt cod for a subtle sea essence— definitely tasty, but totally different than the airy cornbread fritters to which I’m accustomed. An accompanying creamy citrus-saffron mayo made the croquettes even better. Only later did I realize how good some extra saffron sauce would have been on the roasted red potatoes. But before we knew it the first bucket of blue crabs was spilled onto our newspaper-lined table. We abandoned the boring potatoes amongst the sprawling shellfish in favor of the buttery, grilled corn, which was also seasoned with Old Bay.
As experienced crab pickers, we went to town efficiently. We were immediately disappointed at how small the crabs were. The best bet for the most meat were the claws, but even they didn’t offer the lump chunks we had hoped for. Over-steaming made what we did find mushy. Nonetheless, we worked quickly through all three buckets. When we finished we were covered in crab guts, juice dripping down our arms, but hot towels cleaned us up for dessert. We watched impressed by the staff’s skill at seamlessly rolling up the mess on our table into newspaper. It disappeared as if it had never been.
Excitement for the cobbler dwindled upon seeing its proportions: three parts cobbler to one part fruit. I wish they had used more sugar— after all that salt, a much sweeter sensation would have been heavenly.
Despite some critiques and the annoying habit the waitress had of referring to us as “Girls,” the Crab Boil still made for a great time thanks to the pitcher of cold Flying Dog Golden Ale (from Maryland) and a gluttonous group of good friends. It may not have tasted just like it does in Maryland, but all the picking sure made us feel we were dining near the Chesapeake, and that’s worth something in New York City, $40 to be exact.
Due to demand, Back Forty will be offering their crab dinner every night from September 1-5, including all day Saturday (9/5).
AlwaysInformed: New Items at Bouley Market
The Gluttoness — July 27, 2009
Bouley Bakery & Market’s Summer Crab Special
TriBeCa’s game of musical Bouley has resulted in a neighborhood market to brag about.
To recap: Bouley moved from 120 West Broadway to 163 Duane Street, leaving the original Bouley space vacant. Bouley Bakery, once on the ground floor, at 130 West Broadway below Bouley Upstairs, moved into the old Bouley space to become Bouley Bakery & Market, leaving “Upstairs” to expand into its downstairs space. At first, the Bakery’s coffee bar, fresh pastries, quiches, breads, pizzas and rotisserie chickens were joined with a salad bar, hot buffet and an expanded selection of raw meats (poultry and fish). The selection was decent. It was great for a quick, easy dinner, and baked goods were consistently superb. But the new venture was obviously thrown together, and there was plenty of room in the large space for further development.
There has been a new, quiet, but very cool addition:, the arrival of a summer special. On one night there were packaged crab dinners including two crabs, an ear of corn and a lemon wedge. Another evening there were lobster tails. There are also sushi rolls from Upstairs, including: Spicy Tuna, Soft Shell Crab, Eel, Vegetable, Salmon and Avocado, and California rolls. Clear containers of fresh pastas (gnocchi, fuzi, tagliatelle and taglialini) are piled high in the refrigerator above homemade ice cream. Hot and cold buffet items have expanded also, and many of the cold options like tuna salad, cold soba noodles, fingerling potato salad, and beets with walnuts are pre-portioned to grab and go.
These latest additions are dramatic improvements, but Bouley Market is still a work in progress. A made-to-order sandwich station is being readied (prepared sandwiches are now available) and a liquor bar is planned for the dining room. Upon completion, David Bouley will have succeeded in creating TriBeCa’s ultimate upscale cafeteria.
HungryHamptons: Westhampton Beach Farmers’ Market, Stall by Stall
The Gluttoness — June 19, 2009
Crabs from Seatuck Fish Co.
This past Saturday was the debut of the Westhampton Beach Farmers’ Market, and the 24 stalls had the parking lot behind Waldbaum’s bustling with fresh produce, fruit pies, chocolate fudge, homemade pasta and preserves. While Montauk Highway is riddled with roadside stands, this pop-up farmers’ market is known as one of the best in all of the Hamptons.
Highlights included Blue Duck Bakery’s sweet and sour cherry pie, Papa Pasquale’s burrata and homemade Lobster Ravioli, Horman’s spicy pickles and Seatuck’s bucket of live crabs (shown). The market is sponsored by the Westhampton Beach Historical Society, and will operate every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. until mid-November.
AlwaysInformed: Sunday, Monday, Crabby Days. Tuesday…
The Gluttoness — June 08, 2009
Ah, summers by the bay: Crab boils, Beer and Corn on the Cob. You can put on some sunscreen, pack up the car and head down to Maryland for a serious Crab Boil or enjoy this timeless tradition by picking crabs right here in the Big Apple.
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