AlwaysInformed: Forget Korean Tacos, Try The Crêpes
Arthur Bovino — November 30, 2009
Top, “Crêpe Korean Style Beef with Mixed Salad” at 22 Happy Cups. Bottom interior and exterior.
Anyone seeking other examples of Korean culinary fusion may be interested in 22 Happy Cups in the Flatiron District. They don’t do tacos, but this simple lunch spot offers a variety of crêpes. While most are conventional— including fresh fruit, cheese and other normal fillings— there’s one particular standout that’s more prominently featured: “Crêpe Korean Style Beef with Mixed Salad,” ($7.45).
Cross-section of crêpes, Korean-style at 22 Happy Cups.
The mixed salad is incidental (it wasn’t even dressed) and the dish isn’t exactly filling, but the light, thin crêpe was quite pleasant, and the meat inside was very tasty— sweet, salty, and juicy— your basic bulgogi preparation. If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth stopping in for a quick bite.
Information: 688 Avenue of the Americas, (212)929-2313
Hours: Daily, 7am-10pm
AlwaysInformed: The Losses and Gains of Summer ‘09
The Hungry Goat — September 15, 2009
Dubbed by some as the Summer of Death, the 2009 summer season has certainly experienced its fair share of losses. Joining the dearly departed of the celebrity world are several beloved and well-respected, recently shuttered New York City restaurants. In their honor, AlwaysHungryNY.com has compiled a list of the dishes we’ll miss and why miss them. Of course, where something is lost there’s generally something gained. So with that in mind we included and annotated our favorite new crave-worthy dishes from restaurants that opened during the summer.
What We Lost
Clockwise from top: The John Dory’s Hangtown Fry, French Fries, and Oyster Pan Roast.
Restaurant: The John Dory, closed 8/29/09
The Hangtown Fry “The John Dory’s rendition has to rank up there with the city’s best egg dishes. Eggs are creamy. Bacon is substituted with a thick prosciutto that has the texture of tender corned beef. Slices of pickled jalapeño add bursts of a light vinegary flavor and heat also spread throughout the dish. The oysters are only slightly cooked. The pooled flavors lining the plate’s bottom when you finish are worth wiping up with the delicious Parker House rolls.” (read more)
Oyster Pan Roast & French Fries “Plump, warm, bathed in cream, I needn’t more than a bite to know this classic would be my favorite dish at The John Dory. A perfect bite is to dip a fry in the oyster pan roast. Incidentally, if crisp is an overused word by food writers, this is its definition.” (read more)
AlwaysPartying: Food from Brazilian Day Festival 2009
Arthur Bovino — September 08, 2009
How many people attended. Check newspaper article.
The two-day Brazilian Day Festival 2009 celebration this weekend featured a lot of action in Midtown, and Brazilian food was no small part of it. Festivities started on 42nd Street and Avenue of the Americas and stretched all the way up to 56th Street. The usual street food fair-vendor suspects were there, the arepas, zeppoles, and gyros. But there was also a solid block on 46th Street between Madison and Sixth Avenue that was almost completely Brazilian food.
Green and yellow, flag-as-cape wearing Brasileiros and festival-goers got a chance to eat some of their favorites from feijoada and açai na tigela to coxinha, acarajé and of course, pão de queijo. AlwaysHungryNY.com attended, hungry and ready to eat, drink and photograph it all.
Pão de queijo, $1/3.
Coxinha, $3.
Kibe ($3/1) a Brazilian-Lebanese street snack consisting of deep-fried meat and bulgur wheat.
Crêpe with Goiaba (Guava) and Pastel de Queijo.
Click Here for more pictures of food from Brazilian Day 2009 >>
AlwaysPartying: Scharffen Berger Chocolate Luncheon
Michelle Kiefer — July 28, 2009
from left: Chef Jacques Pépin; Sharffen Berger Chocolates; John Scharffenberger
Julia Child once called Scharffen Berger, “America’s finest dark chocolate,” recalled John Sharffenberger during yesterday’s Scharffen Berger Chocolate Luncheon at the French Culinary Institute in SoHo, an event honoring the soon-to-be-released film, Julie & Julia (Aug. 7).
Guests were treated to a clip of the title character, Julie Powell (Amy Adams) being inspired by Scharffen Berger chocolate, a chocolate-tasting led by John Scharffenberger, cooking demos by Chef Jacques Pépin, and a three-course lunch consisting of chocolate-inspired dishes. The tasting involved three dark chocolate varieties (82%, 70%, 60% cacao) and one milk chocolate . Unlike single-origin chocolates, Sharffen Berger sources cacao blends from multiple origins that change each year depending on which beans are deemed “extraordinary” at the time. Mr. Sharffenberger described this blend as a “symphony” in contrast to the “beauty of a flute solo.” It’s an approach that corresponds with his description of “flavor as a time lapse.”
Lunch was prepared by Chef Jacques Pépin with help from FCI students. The appetizer, Pâté de Faux Gràs a Ma Façon, featured a buttery crostini spread with rich, savory chicken foie gras, sprinkled with cacao nibs and chopped pistachio. The entrée was a perfectly tender Tri Tip Roast with Cacao Nib Rub. Some audience members were the lucky beneficiares of one of Chef Pépin’s cooking demonstrations: crepes with grated chocolate. The grand finale was a dessert trio: Warm Chocolate Cake with Apricot-Cognac Sauce, Chocolate Raspberry Gratin, and Chocolate Rochers with Hazelnut and Cornflakes. Each dish emphasized the simplicity of its ingredients.
Sharing one of his favorite quotes, Pépin asked, “What is patriotism but the tastes of the dishes you had as a child?” This link between food and memory was present throughout the afternoon as he shared memories of his family as they related to the chocolate dishes he prepared, as well as his favorite anecdotes of Julia Child, the woman who made French cooking accessible to the masses.
Pâté de Faux Gras a Ma Façon
Tri Tip Roast with Cacao Nib Rub
Warm Chocolate Cake w/Apricot-Cognac Sauce; Chocolate Rasperry Gratin; Chocolate Rochers w/Hazelnut & Cornflakes
AlwaysTraveling: La Bague de Kenza (Paris, France)
Michelle Kiefer — July 23, 2009
Assorted pastries at La Bague de Kenza in the 11th Arrondissement, Paris
Pastries are a must-eat when visiting Paris— there is no better place to indulge in classics like macarons, tarts and éclairs. But stopping into the Algerian pâtisserie, La Bague de Kenza in the 11th Arondissement, reveals a side of Parisian cuisine not readily found in every guidebook.This now trendy part of town still maintains its lively and multi-cultural feel, making La Bague de Kenza an exciting detour from the more touristed Parisian streets.
Restaurant: La Bague de Kenza (view site)
Address: 106 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris, France (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Ghribia, Cravatte de Pistache, Makrout, Dziriate, Mhajeb, Kesra
The shop is a wonderland of colors. Counters are filled with towering platters of small pastries in myriad shapes and designs. Each cookie and cake creation is an intricately detailed work of art. These are nut and honey-based treats that will surprise even the most devout pastry-lovers.
Two standouts include Ghribia, a Hershey Kiss-shaped mound with a subtle sweetness that melts on your tongue like the softest shortbread you can imagine, and the Cravatte Pistache, a crisp green spiral whose nut-sprinkled shell gives way to gooey pistachio filling. Other excellent choices include Makrout, a dense and crumbly cake made with dates and honey that puts Fig Newtons to shame, and the Dziriate, a delicately folded cup of pastry filled with almonds.
There is also a small counter featuring savory creations— an ideal way to balance all the sweets you’ll consume during your visit. The Mhajeb is an exceptional savory treat, a crêpe filled with cheese or vegetables. Even more addictive is Kesra, a dense, flatbread with a chewy center. Try to buy some of these wedges before they sell out or you may find yourself craving them at all hours.
There’s so much to choose from at La Bague de Kenza. Employees are happy to guide you with descriptions, but half the fun is in picking randomly. The truth is, all you really need to enjoy this unique pastry experience are a few French demonstrative pronouns – or just the ability to point and smile.
There are three other locations: 173 Rue du Faubourg, Saint-Antoine; 233 Rue de la Convention, Paris 15; 1 Avenue Charles de Gaulle, Savigny-sur-Orge (Essone)
HungryChefs: Chefs Love Lupa, Mixed on Hot Dogs
The Gluttoness — June 11, 2009
Roasted Pork Shoulder “Gyro” with Pickled Cucumber & Yogurt from Anthos at Street & Savory
Some of the country’s best chefs attended Citymeals-on-Wheels’ Street & Savory Tasting Event. We’ve already brought you pictures of all the dishes and rounded up our favorite plates, but we were also able to speak with the chefs.
Our questions were obvious: What are you AlwaysHungry for? Which New York City restaurant do you crave? And in keeping with the night’s theme: what would you serve if you opened your own street cart? Some chefs took the easy route, promoting dishes they had prepared for the evening, others were quite creative with their responses.
AlwaysPartying: Top 5 Sweet & Savory at Street & Savory
The Gluttoness — June 10, 2009
“Street and Savory— A Global Street Food Festival for the Benefit of Citymeals-on-Wheels” was one of the most successful tasting events I’ve ever attended, and not because Kelly Choi was hosting. Rather than trying to outdo the next guy with fancier foie gras, the mission at Street & Savory was much simpler: a legion of legendary chefs set out to creatively interpret their favorite street foods. While the dishes weren’t necessarily low-brow, the majority of them kept with the theme, and the most delicious bites were those which could easily be served on the street.
Street cart veterans, like Roy Choi of the famed Los Angeles Kogi BBQ Truck, served Kimchi Quesadillas alongside Jean Georges, Daniel Boulud and Charlie Palmer, who took on the format with impressive results. With a little under forty booths, there was much to be eaten. Our award for creativity goes to Park Avenue Summer’s “3-Minute Picnic.” Of course, this wasn’t a contest, and ultimately, the real winner was Citymeals-on-Wheels, which raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to help feed the homeless, but of course we had our favorites among the many stands.
A quick round-up of the best of the bunch follows.
FirstLook: SHO Shaun Hergatt
The Gluttoness — June 08, 2009
It’s rare that I’m speechless, but last Thursday night’s preview dinner at SHO Shaun Hergatt stunned me into my first satisfied oblivion of 2009. Executive Chef Sean Hergatt has spent two years turning the concrete canvas within The Setai New York into a modern Asian masterpiece with simple elegance and ruby red accents. An expansive glass wall separates diners from the theatrics of the grand kitchen and many of the tables face Hergatt’s “stage” where he commands his dutiful “players.” You witness meticulousness then taste it.
The striking décor is matched by the drama of SHO’s impeccable food, which the chef described as “Asian-accented, modern French cuisine.” Hergatt is a brawny Australian with a sweet smile—the unexpected artist behind brilliantly feminine dishes that are as artistically inclined as they are sophisticated in flavor. There’s a continual dance between delicacy and decadence. Riveting taste always wins, but it’s the manner in which it’s achieved that is so interesting.
Duo of Canapes: Crêpe w/ Tobiko & Sour Cream over Lime & Sesame Seed Tuille w/ Whitefish Tartare
Two velvety crêpes were filled with tobiko and sour cream, then tied in purses, served over thin slices of lime and topped with gold leaf. Two sesame seed tuilles were rolled like cigars and stuffed with whitefish tartare. There was an impressive equilibrium between the rich insides and the subtle exteriors.
Click here for AlwaysHungry's full First Look at Sho Shaun Hergatt >>
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