AlwaysInformed: Meatball Madness Preview
Arthur Bovino — October 08, 2009
Meatball Sliders at The Little Owl.
It’s finally here this weekend: New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. The GutterGourmet has been waiting for this moment for months. He’ll be at the event covering it for us on Sunday. To bone up:
-To learn about participants, visit relevant sites and AlwaysHungryNY.com’s restaurant pages below.
-For great meatball pictures, revisit our Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs roundup.
-For who else it might have been interesting to see compete and in which categories, read the Meatball Madness preview that GutterGourmet wrote after Meatball Melee of the Boroughs.
AlwaysPartying: Joe & Mario’s 4th Annual Wine & Swine
Jeff Zalaznick — May 12, 2009
from left to right, Cesare Casella, Billy Gallagher, Mario Batali & Dave Gallagher slicing up the Whole Roasted Pig
Yesterday, Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali hosted their 4th Annual Springtime Wine & Swine event, at the Bastianich home in Greenwich. In addition to Mario, Michael Schlow (Radius), Cesare Casella (Salumeria Rosi), William Gallagher (Becco), Dave Pasternack (Esca), Fortunato Nicotra (Felidia), and Andy Nusser (Casa Mono & Tarry Lodge) were all making it happen in the kitchen.
The surprise guest was Schlow, who was in from Boston making his award-winning Radius Burger. Topped with cheddar, horseradish mayo and fried onions, this is unquestionably one of the finest burgers in the world. Pasternack’s Balsamic Octopus is also a gift to humanity, as it truly defines what tender octopus should taste like. The Ribeye was immaculately tender and served perfectly rare. The Pig, cooked overnight and served whole, was a revelation as well. The party was phenomenal—the weather was beautiful, the band was rocking, and excellent Wine and Swine was served all-around. Perfect Monday.
Featured Restaurant: L’Artusi
Jeff Zalaznick — April 07, 2009
Dell’anima has been a favorite of AlwaysHungryNY since it first opened in 2007. Our fondness for the rustic cuisine led us to Owner and Sommelier, Joe Campanale, who once taught us how to make homemade limoncello, and has become a good friend. Although we were not totally thrilled with our first visit to his new abode, given a few months to air out the kinks, it’s great to see L’Artusi coming into its own. Consistently packed with tables of boisterous young diners (there was a 30 minute wait for 2, last Thursday night at 10:30), it’s clear that we are not the only ones loving the new spot, and with good reason.
The Italian menu is a delicate balance between light and heavy. Fresh salads like Escarole with Hazelnuts & Pecorino feature mountains of greens with tantalizing accents, and delicate servings of crudo are a refreshing way to start the meal. Reminiscent of the beautiful crudos at Esca, the Hamachi with Fennel & Meyer Lemon is a standout amongst the raw options. Though like at dell’anima, at L’Artusi, the homemade pasta is the star of the show at . Hand-rolled Garganelli with Mushroom Ragu (pictured) is so meaty you can’t believe its vegetarian. The Spaghetti & Meatballs is the best that I have had in recent memory, and Bucatini with Clams is a contender as well. They are both worthy of Top 5 consideration. If you have managed to restrain yourself from a no-holds-barred pasta bender, then opt for perfectly seared Tuna with Foie Gras, Cauliflower Puree and Grissini. I don’t usually enjoy slightly cooked tuna, but I found this dish to be divine. For dessert, the Olive Oil Cake is insanely moist, and as good a rendition as I have ever tasted.
Knowing where Campanale’s passions lie, it is no surprise, that the most impressive thing of all is the presentation and layout of the wine list. A true piece of educational art, the all-Italian wine list could serve as a textbook for anyone interested in learning about Italian wines, and the food that goes with it.
The vibrant atmosphere and great food, make this restaurant the perfect place for a birthday dinner, night out on the town, a double date or any occasion for group dining, L’Artusi is a shining star in the West Village, and if you’re in the mood for an evening of fresh pasta and fine wine, there’s no better company than Mr. Campanale.
SEARCH: Healthy, Impressive First Date, Raw Bar?
March 15, 2009
Use our very advanced search engine to always find the perfect place. Do you want to impress your first date—a healthy girl with a weak spot for raw bars? You know what they say about oysters! Here’s what’s AlwaysHungry Approved:
1. Avra Estiatorio 141 E. 48th Street
Recommended Dishes: Stuffed Squid, Whole Fish
2. BLT Fish 21 W. 17th Street
Recommended Dishes: Rock Shrimp Risotto, Dover Sole, Red Snapper “Cantonese Style”
3. Blue Fin 1567 Broadway
Recommended Dishes: Spicy Tuna Roll
4. Lure Fishbar 142 Mercer Street
Recommended Dishes: Shellfish Platter (pictured), Lobster Roll
5. Esca 402 W. 43rd Street
Recommended Dishes: Crudo, Maccheroni alla Chitarra, Branzino For Two
6. Fishtail 135 E. 62nd Street
Recommended Dishes: Taquito Trio, Rice Crispy Crabcake, Dover Sole, “Can ‘o Cake”
7. Mercer Kitchen 99 Prince Street
Recommended Dishes: Oysters, Peekytoe Crab Cake, Tuna Pizza, Niman Ranch Cheeseburger
8. Oyster Bar 89 E. 42nd Street
Recommended Dishes: Oysters, Fried Oysters, New England Clam Chowder, Pan Roasts
9. Sea Grill 19 W. 49th Street
Recommended Dishes: Oysters & Raw Bar, Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes, A La Plancha Specialties
10. Thalassa 179 Franklin Street
Recommended Dishes: Horiatiki, Kataifi-Wrapped Diver Scallops, Pan-Seared Dover Sole
AlwaysInformed: FCI Debuts Hot Dog Eating Contest
August 27, 2008
The French Culinary Institute and the Friends of the FCI are throwing a fierce Hot Dog Eating Contest and Condiment Recipe Throwdown at 3:30 tomorrow in the school’s ampitheater at Broadway & Grand Streets. The impressive panel of judges includes Neil Ferguson-“Allen & Delancey”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/reviews/allen-delancey/, Josh Eden-“Shortys.32”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/reviews/shortys32/, Dave Pasternack-“Esca”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/reviews/esca/, Johnny Iuzzini-“Jean Georges”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/reviews/jean-georges/, Lawrence Knapp-“Quality Meats”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/reviews/quality-meats/ & Craig Koketsu-“Park Avenue Summer”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/reviews/park-avenue-summer/. With chefs like these and the possibility of projectile vomiting, what’s a better way to spend your Thursday afternoon?
The Round-Up: NY Magazine’s Cheap Eats ‘08
July 22, 2008
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to shell out the big bucks in order to have a great meal in this city. To prove it, New York Magazine has put together its annual Cheap Eats guide so that gourmets know where to go to keep both their stomachs and their wallets full. (7/28-8/4)
The Burger Correction: Wall Street Burger Shoppe, The Smith, Zaitzeff, The General Greene, Dram Shop Bar, Burgers, Shakes & Fries
Cut-Rate Locavore: Hundred Acres, Back Forty, Community Food & Juice, A Casa Fox, Habitat, Shachis, Arepas Cafe
Pizza Renaissance: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Brewery, Zero Otto Nove, South Brooklyn Pizza}reviews/south-brooklyn-pizza/, Toby’s Public House, Dean’s Family Style Restaurant & Pizzeria, Campo, Fiore
Rising Thai: Rhong-Tiam, Dee Thai Restaurant, Pa’Oun, Poodam’s
Tacos Nuevos: Hecho en Dumbo, Pinche Taqueria, Taco Santana, Taco Bite, Endless Summer Tacos, Patty’s Tacos
Budget Bistros: The New French , Pomme de Terre, Cafe Katja, Nizza
City Full O’Noodles: Ippudo NY, Naruto, Soba Totto, Food Sing 88 Corp.
Cheap and Sort-of-healthy Chinese: Grand Sichuan, Noodle Village, Grand Sichuan House
The Italian-Latino Connection: Miranda, Capri Caffe
Bar (Food) Crawl: Terroir, El Quinto Pino, Rusty Knot, PDT, Gottino, Bridge Urban Winery, Huckleberry Bar, Eurotrip, Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Cheap Sweets: Momofuku Noodle Bar, Dessert Club, ChikaLicious, Kyotofu, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, Odeon (ice cream cart), NYC Icy, Blue Marble, Brooklyn Flea, Salvatore Bklyn, Calmer Sutra Tea, Nunu Chocolates, Almondine Bakery, Sullivan St Bakery, Batch, Berrywild
Click here to find out where some of the city's top cooks' go for cheap eats >>
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