Featured Brunch: DBGB
Arthur Bovino — August 27, 2010
Mussels “Poulette” and Pommes Mousseline at DBGB Kitchen & Bar.
When you think DBGB, seafood isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But, if it’s still not cool enough for Jim’s Matzoh Ball Soup, and you need something lighter than the brunch menu’s burgers, brats, or more traditional French toast and waffle fare, there’s a do-it-yourself seafood brunch combination that’s satisfying. (And filling if you supplement it with the restaurant’s great potatoes.)
Best of 2009: Trends and 2010 Predictions
Jeff Zalaznick — December 23, 2009
It’s that time of year again. Time for reflection and prediction. As we leave the aughts behind, we look back at the trends that changed New York City’s food landscape in 2009 and ponder what’s in store for 2010. We are going to take a positive spin: those that we hope will remain and those we eagerly anticipate.
TRENDS 2009
1. Best Steaks, Not From a Steakhouse New York has always been known for our steakhouses, but this year the best meat was ripped from the house’s hands and put into the control of some of the city’s best restaurants. Much of this loosened grip has to do with the all-star quality and distribution ability of Pat LaFrieda (watch video). Though I love me a Porterhouse at Peter Luger’s, a Rib-eye at Strip House and a Double Eagle Strip at Del Frisco’s, they have been surpassed by the Côte de Boeuf at Minetta Tavern, the Rib-eye for Two at Locanda Verde, the Strip at Marea. The list goes on and on. It was also the year that the bone in rib-eye finally rose up to overtake the porterhouse as King of all Steaks. It was only a matter of time. This is a major advancement across the board.
2. Haute Dogs The hot dog went gourmet and I am not complaining. Crif Dogs has been doing impressive things with the genre for a while now (though their new usage of “everything bagel spice” is very exciting), but restaurants like DBGB, Fatty Crab UWS and Cabrito are jumping into the mix with some seriously delicious contenders. This is one that I think will continue to grow in the next year.
3. Omnipresent Octopus Seriously, think about every restaurant you’ve visited lately and ask yourself if there was octopus on the menu. I guarantee that more often than not, no matter the cuisine or price-range, this cephalopod was probably present. And why not? It’s economical to serve, and recently, the average rendition is fabulous. I am so happy that chefs have finally learned how to prepare it so well, leaving the chewy childhood memories behind. Also, keep an eye out for sweetbreads, I think that they are starting to fall into the same category.
PREDICTIONS 2010
1. Artisanal Italian beer everywhere.
2. Large-format alternative (not steak or chicken) proteins for two.
3. Lamb belly becomes the new pork belly.
4. Italian Small Plate (aka “Stuzzichini”) Restaurants
5. Brain is the hot new Offal
6. Mexican Infusion: Fusion Cuisine and Sandwich Revolution.
Best of 2009: New Restaurants
December 21, 2009
By row, left to right: Locanda Verde’s Chicken for Two, Marea’s Spaghetti with Crab & Uni, and The Breslin’s Thrice Cooked Chips. 2nd Row: The Standard Grill’s Rock Shrimp & Iberico Hash, Minetta Tavern’s Côte de Boeuf, and DBGB’s Yankee Burger. 3rd Row: Kesté‘s Pomodorini e Provola Pizza, Fatty Crab’s Fatty Sliders, and Vinegar Hill House’s Red Wattle Pork Chop.
Here are our picks for the nine best new restaurants to enter the New York food landscape in 2009. If you want to know what to eat when you get there, go to the restaurant pages for AlwaysHungry’s recommended dishes.
BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2009
1. Marea. Michael White is king. The Octopus & Bone Marrow Pasta says it all.
2. Locanda Verde. The valiant return of Andrew Carmellini. Incredible vibe for any occasion.
3. Minetta Tavern. McNally’s greatest hit. Proving supercool can taste good too.
4. The Breslin Bar & Dining Room. A new scene for the food scene. French Fries. Late nights.
5. DBGB Kitchen & Bar. Something for everyone. Great space. Great sausages.
6. Vinegar Hill House. Re-invinegarated a neighborhood with the Red Wattle Pork Chop.
7. Kesté Pizza & Vino. The best of the new artisanal pizza contenders.
8. Fatty Crab UWS. Taking a risk with heat, spice and fat on the UWS.
9. The Standard Grill. Without a doubt, the best party in town.
AlwaysHolidays: On the Second Day of Christmas…
Arthur Bovino and Maryse Chevrière — December 13, 2009
Technically, the Twelve Days of Christmas don’t start until Christmas Day, but we’re already in the spirit. To celebrate over the next ten days, here’s the carol, ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’ AlwaysHungry-style, featuring some dishes we tasted in 2009 that we’d be willing to sing about.
Two Turtle Doves. What could be more appropriate for two lovebirds than a dessert for two? Below are two of our favorite sweet treats to be shared with the one you love.
Today, our Christmas food carol would begin:
On the second day of Christmas, my waiter brought to me… two desserts for two,
Left, Dylan Prime’s Chocolate “Porterhouse.” Right, DBGB Kitchen and Bar’s Omelette Norvegienne.
And the rest of the carol would go:
And Felidia’s pear ravioli.
Featured Brunch: Daniel Boulud Does Brunch
The Gluttoness — November 06, 2009
Summer Fruit Parfait with Yogurt, Granola and Berries, $9.00.
Hot off the heels of its two-star review from The Times, DBGB Kitchen & Bar (view) has experienced the expected surge in business, and not only during prime dinner hours. Turns out it’s not all about the sausages, especially during brunch, when DBGB serves sweeter delights like Belgian Waffles topped with chocolate or berries and whipped cream, and a Fruit Parfait featuring figs, yogurt and granola. You can still order a juicy Yankee Burger, and those sausages (nine varieties) well, they get even better— any of them can be topped with two eggs, any style for $6.00.
Breakfast favorites abound, whether you’re looking for Brioche French Toast, a simple stuffed omelette in the velvety, uncolored French style, or poached eggs “en cocotte” with caramelized onions, mushrooms and bubbly Gruyère. Best of all is the classic Croque Madame, topped with an oozing sunny-side egg, and the super crisp, triangular hash brown cakes served in a miniature iron skillet.
For little kids, the horribly hungover and serious sweet tooths alike, nothing will end your bountiful brunch on a better note than DBGB Kitchen & Bar’s spectacular sundaes. There’s a Cassis Beer Yogurt with Speculoos Cookie, Rainbow Meringue, and Black Currant Compote too. But for the sake of the season you might consider the Caramel-Cider (with braised apple, marshmallow and oatmeal crumble). Of course, it’s impossible to go wrong with the indulgent chocolate chip cookie and brownie-flecked Coffee Mocha. Looks like Daniel Boulud has spent some quality time with a pint of Half Baked.
Haven’t we all.
Featured Dessert: DBGB’s Baked Alaska for Two
The Gluttoness — September 11, 2009
DBGB’s Omelette Norvegienne (Baked Alaska for two, $18) w/Raspberry Sorbet, Vanilla and Verbena Ice creams, Meringue and Chartreuse.
For dessert-lovers a double-serving of sweets can be a must-order whether or not you’re dining solo or à deux. DBGB Kitchen & Bar’s (restaurant page) super-sized treatment of their Baked Alaska fulfills both possibilities. This classic dessert usually features pastry-wrapped ice cream, topped with meringue, then broiled or torched until the creamy insulator is ablaze with a bubbling, brown char. In addition to the American moniker (said to have originated in 1876 with Chef Charles Ranhofer of Delmonico’s to honor Alaska’s acquisition), at DBGB the dish is given a French appellation, Omelette Norvégienne.
DBGB’s open-ended Baked Alaska for Two displays a spumoni-like trifecta of flavors. The restaurant’s pastry chef, Myriam “Mimi” Eberhardt broke down this “pretty traditional dessert.” First she portions it for two so the ice cream doesn’t melt. The trio of ice creams are frozen solid then wrapped in a thin layer of almond cake. This spongy layer is covered with French meringue which is pre-charred then flambéed tableside with Chartreuse (a green French liqueur made using 130 herbs under the supervision of Carthusian monks). The cake quickly becomes infused with its surrounding flavors, particularly the remnant Chartreuse and melting meringue, which drools to the bottom once the confection is set aflame.
Chef Eberhardt’s selection of homemade ice creams is based on the season so the dessert’s flavors will change with nature’s bounty. Currently a tart, ruby red raspberry sorbet acts as the fruity gem in the center of vanilla bean and lemon verbana ice creams. As Mimi explained, “the freshness of the sorbet balances the creaminess of the ice cream.” As superb as this current combination is, we’re eager to taste what flavors fall has in store.
SEARCH: Kids Are AlwaysHungry Too
June 19, 2009
Tomorrow kicks off Kids’ Restaurant Week in New York City. From June 20th through June 28th, 32 of the city’s restaurants will be offering special prix fixe children’s menus. Some notable participating restaurants include: Artisanal, BLT Burger, Blue Water Grill, DBGB Kitchen & Bar, Kefi, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, The Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel and Zarela.
Of course some Manhattan eateries always welcome the younger ones, it’s just a matter of finding them all. For this reason, AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Very Advanced Search has a kid friendly feature that enables you to find the best place to bring the kids without sacrificing a good meal. Clicking “kid friendly,” then searching will provide you with a list of all the city’s children-friendly restaurants.
Of course, you can also just use our Very Advanced Search Engine to find restaurants that serve kid-approved fare. We have included some typical examples below but if your children have more sophisticated tastes, well, you can search those too.
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.
AlwaysPartying: DBGB Preview
Arthur Bovino — May 28, 2009
Here are some pictures (above, Fromage de Tete) to supplement The Feedbag’s nonpareil celebrity and food coverage of DBGB Kitchen & Bar’s Tuesday night party. Daniel Boulud’s food was excellent, everyone was in attendance and we’re sure it will be a big success.
As Jeff noted the other night, “Daniel looks good downtown.”
Click here for food pictures from Tuesday night's party at DBGB Kitchen & Bar >>
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