Featured Dessert: Treats from Blue Smoke Bake Shop
Arthur Bovino — August 31, 2010
Left, Blue Smoke Bakery Shop’s Chocolate Layer Cake. Right: Banana Cream Pie and Key Lime Pie.
It may not be fair to new cupcake shops opening nationally in the wake of the New York trend, say Georgetown Cupcake, or Crave Cupcakes in Houston, but after several years it’s difficult to get excited about dry cake and buttercream. Still, when new shops open there’s the matter of due diligence. Case in point, Blue Smoke Bake Shop, a little booth by the entrance to Danny Meyer’s Flatiron barbeque joint.
But, even the most devout cupcake-trend hater has to give it up to pastry chef Jenn Giblin. The display may not be as big as the one at the other Flatiron BBQ joint, Hill Country, and the staple flavors aren’t as creative, but all in all, they may be better— at least the double chocolate. And there’s other good stuff. As Grub Street reported, the Bake Shop sells cookies, breads, cakes and pies from 11:30am till 9pm.
Featured Restaurant: ilili
Maryse Chevrière — August 25, 2010
Lamb Chops, seared with Za’atar Salsa Verde and Herb Roasted Tomatoes.
With the impending opening of game-changing, market-restaurant hybrid, Eataly, at the end of this month, a lot of attention has been devoted to the great things being planned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. But the focus on the neighborhood’s dining options reminded us of another Flatiron joint that deserves mention: ilili, Phillippe Massoud’s still-swank Mediterranean venture.
To start, there’s Hommus, of course, and Labne, a tangy strained yogurt— textbook examples of whipped and silky smooth, respectively. Tear a piece of the thin, warm puffed pita and attack unabashedly between sips of the signature Not-So Bloody Martini (or for something more floral, the From Manhattan to Beirut). The Mouhamara, a vibrant, nutty-textured mixture made from sun-dried pepper, walnuts, and pomegranate molasses comes highly recommended. With it you should order the leafy, parsley-heavy burghul Tabbouleh to add to the mix. All together it makes for wonderful grazing.
Featured Dessert: Tabla Cart’s Kulfi Pop
Maryse Chevrière — August 24, 2010
Milk Chocolate and Almond Kulfi Pop from Tabla’s seasonal cart.
Here’s a Flatiron dessert option that not only hits the popsicle trend, but also presents a nearby ice cream alternative for those who have already cycled through Shake Shack’s custard calendar: Tabla cart’s Milk Chocolate and Almond Kulfi Pop.
For those unfamiliar with it, kulfi is a type of flavored, milk-based frozen dessert originally from India. At Tabla’s seasonal cart you can have it sandwiched between chocolate chip cookies ($3), or on a stick as a “pop” ($3) that has been dipped in milk chocolate and covered with slivers of raw almond.
Featured Cocktail: Drinks and Snacks at Nuela
Maryse Chevrière — August 12, 2010
From left: Summer Wind, Devil’s Sweat, and Abaci Batida cocktails at Nuela.
According to staff at the pan-Latin Flatiron newcomer, Nuela, the Summer Wind and Devil’s Sweat have come out of the gate as early customer favorites.
The Devil’s Sweat, made with chili-infused Pisco, Cio Ciaro, citrus, and beer, is sweeter than you might expect. But it still delivers on its promise of heat— even more so if you brave the thick slice of jalapeño garnish. Keep in mind that it sinks, so if you’re going to eat it, better fish it out at the beginning while there’s still some cocktail left. If the tingle from the spice lingers, as it surely will, the Summer Wind is a smart bet, a refreshing blend of Farmers gin, cilantro, and Verjus, with a heavy dose of ginger beer. Equally cool is the Abacai Batida, a mountain of crushed ice doused with Leblon Cachaça, and garnished with crushed pineapple— an adults-only slushie.
These are sneak-up-on-you-strong cocktails, the kind that make even cautious drinkers order more rounds than they should. A good reason to pair them with a few of the Nuela’s small plates.
Featured Dessert: For the Love of Salted Caramel
Arthur Bovino — August 10, 2010
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Sundae: Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Candied Popcorn, Whipped Crème Fraiche & Chocolate Sauce at ABC Kitchen.
It’s not news that Salted Caramel is taking over the world. But the path to world domination must go straight through New York. There’s currently a trio of salted caramel high-flyers for the City’s dessert-lovers to check off their lists. Take the salted caramel quiz:
- Have you had Shake Shack’s Salted Caramel Custard? Yes? Good.
- How about Cake and Shake’s Salted Caramel Shake? Yes? Excellent.
- Lastly, the Salted Caramel Sundae at ABC Kitchen. Yes? Wow. You’re good, and excused.
Everyone else, read on…
Featured Cocktail: San Rocco Lemon Shot
Arthur Bovino — July 22, 2010
San Rocco’s Lemon Shot.
Sucker for shots? Sucker for kitschy shots? Come on, get over your big bad old self. You know you are.
If you’ve been reading the weekly Featured Cocktail posts, then you know that whether the shots are set on fire, dropped in pints, served in glasses made of ice, or even better, some combination of all three, they get us every time. We’re not scared to go maverick and create them ourselves (a Leche de Tigre at Bar Paya for one), but it’s great when they’re house specialties, like Mad for Chicken’s Coooool Shot, and 8st Kitchen’s Korean Bomber. Even better when they’re eponymous; then you can’t really leave the place without trying it— that kind of oversight would just be unprofessional. Here’s a new one we recently discovered: San Rocco’s Lemon Shot.
No, it’s not set on fire, but the shot involves presentation and two stages, and it’s very easy to drink. And really, what else do you need? Stoli, Triple Sec, and Lemon— it’s a Kamikaze-Lemon Drop mash-up. There’s half a hollowed-out lemon filled with vodka, perched on top a shot glass filled with Triple Sec. You throw back the vodka from the lemon half, squeeze the little bit of lemony vodka remaining in it into the Triple Sec, and then down that too. In the words of the owner, Rocco Arena, with whom we shared one last week by invitation, “Salute a noi.”
AlwaysPartying: Celebrate Flatiron Chefs
Maryse Chevrière — July 14, 2010
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Clockwise from top: Taste of Summer Melons from Eleven Madison Park, slicing porchetta from SD26, the scene at Celebrate Flatiron Chefs in Madison Square Park.
Last night, just a month after the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, tents were in place and grills were once again fired up in Madison Square Park— this time for Celebrate Flatiron Chefs.
The annual event, which benefited the Madison Square Park Conservancy, was just as much a reminder of how good the neighborhood has it on the food front, as it was a preview of great things to come. A table of salume was there to represent the game-changing, Italian mega market-restaurant concept Eataly (scheduled to open August 31st), and a rum cocktail in a lime cup from The Hurricane Club built anticipation for an after-work, tiki-themed happy hour.
The highlight (for those who arrived early), was a preview from Hill Country Chicken. Last night it was a Mini Texas Hand Roll. They joined offerings from more than twenty of the Flatiron District’s top restaurants. There was pork, of course, burgers too, and plenty of other summer-inspired fare.
More photographs of the food at Celebrate Flatiron Chefs >>
Featured Cocktail: Infusions at A Voce
Arthur Bovino — July 01, 2010
From left: Margarita in Fuoco, Platino, and Melone infusion cocktails at A Voce.
Vodka fruit infusions are nothing new, but when it comes to summer, they make for refreshing cocktails. They can be colorful with flavors as varied as your imagination is creative, they’re easy to make, and they give a sense of participation in the cocktail-making process.
A great spot to enjoy infusions is in the shade in a chair outside A Voce Madison, where they make three seasonal drinks designed by Olivier Flosse, their wine and beverage director: Melone, Margarita in Fuoco, and the Platino. Sharing Cassoncini con Prosciutto de Parma, sipping a cocktail, the dying light cast down 26th Street, you get that “it’s summer in New York” feeling.
The Margarita in Fuoco has bite, but not too much, a salted rim, and pepperoncini garnish to bring home the heat. The second, the Platino, may be the one that’s just right. It definitely hits the tiki trend— fruity, sweet, and punchy, with an impressive centimeter of foam that supposedly comes not from egg whites, but from the pulp of the fruit. The Melone is refreshing and not too sweet— a light-handed, melon-infused vodka drink that’s an obvious summer go-to.
As nice as it is to sit on the terrazza outside the restaurant enjoying these drinks, recreating them in your own special spot in the City may be even better so we’ve included the recipes below.
AlwaysInformed: Shake Shack’s Beat the Buzzer Game
Arthur Bovino — June 30, 2010
The Shake Shack’s online line game, “Beat the Buzzer.”
Are we the only ones who didn’t know about the Shake Shack game? If so, we haven’t been diligent enough about checking the Shack Cam before we leave the office for lunch. If waiting on line at Shake Shack doesn’t already slurp up enough of your day, you can wait on it in the office too. If you haven’t seen it, the online game on the Shack’s site, “Beat the Buzzer,” which launched a few weeks ago puts you on the line, virtually. You still get buzzers and burgers here, but it’s in exchange for points.
To play, you click on the Atari-looking joystick on the upper right corner. You get 30 seconds per level, and you need a certain number of points to proceed to the next level. You get points by clicking the buzzers when they vibrate— they’re each worth 50 points. “You’ll have to be quick, the Shake Shack line is always moving!” explains the site. Indeed, that’s the hope.
Shack icons (burgers, concretes, fries, etc.) equal bonuses. Funny enough, burgers only get you 75 points. Higher bonuses are reserved for the wine glasses (200), bottles (225), and dog bones (250).
There’s already a Shack HQ App out there for line updates and custard flavor info, but no Beat the Buzzer App as far as we can tell. Now that’s an app they really need to make so you can play the line game, on the line. Whoah, meta, dude.
How To: Alain Allegretti’s Provençale Fish Soup
Arthur Bovino — June 28, 2010
Above from left: Provençale Fish Soup (before water), Chef Alain Allegretti using the food mill, the finished soup. Below, the chef on the line.
You may recall a recent meal featured at Allegretti in early May that highlighted three dishes. The first two, the Panko Crusted Frogs Legs, and a Tripe á la Niçoise, were strong, but the dish that had me on the verge of a Proustian paean was Chef Alain Allegretti’s Provençale Fish Soup.
This soup was one of the best I’ve ever had. So I asked Chef Allegretti if I could join him early one morning in his kitchen as he prepared it. Below, he takes us through the way he makes the soup at his restaurant, step-by-step. His suggested recipe for making it at home follows.
First Look: Breakfast at No. 7 Sub
Arthur Bovino — June 24, 2010
Broccoli, Egg, and Cheeese sandwich at No. 7 Sub.
Egg and cheese. Peanut butter. Corned beef hash. They’re all standard breakfast ingredients. But at No. 7 Sub there’s nothing run-of-the-mill— even early in the morning. So it’s not shocking that the three new breakfast sandwiches they’re making Monday through Saturday (8am to 10:30am), feature these staples paired with broccoli, pickled bananas, and scallion cream cheese.
AlwaysPartying: Big Apple Barbecue Block Party 2010
GutterGourmet — June 14, 2010
Left, BBQ Pork Steak Sandwich from Wildwood Barbecue. Right, top down, whole hog from Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que’s Pork Shoulder, Smoked Sausage from Jim ‘N Nick’s Bar-B-Q.
When I got my Fast Pass for the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, I became as giddy as a six-year old cutting the line to ride Dumbo at Disneyland. The first ride at the Block Party is always Ed Mitchell’s The Pit. Fire, brimstone, smoke, chopping blades, decapitated whole hogs, and gluttons. If this is hell, I’ve died and gone to heaven.
More Photographs of the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party 2010 >>
Always Hungry: Big Apple Barbecue Block Party 2010
Arthur Bovino — June 11, 2010
St. Louis Style Ribs and Beans from Pappy’s Smokehouse.
It’s here. The 8th annual Big Apple BBQ Block Party happens this weekend.
The crowds, lines, and fast passes. The mess, the barbecue pits, the smell of slow-cooked meat in Madison Square Park, it’s all back in the City for two glorious days. As such, it’s time to cram— to prepare for all the glories that come with one of New York’s best food events. So we’ve put together a Big Apple BBQ Block Party Primer. Everything you need to know before you go.
BABBQ 2009: THE VIDEO: Three pitmasters. Two days. One epic event. We interviewed three renowned pitmasters, Pat Martin of Martin’s Bar-B-Que, Chris Lilly of Big Bob Gibson’s, and BABBP’s co-founder, Ken Callaghan of Blue Smoke as they showcased three regional preparations of meats.
CLICK HERE for The Glories of BBQ: Three Styles of an American Tradition
BABBQ 2009: THE FOOD: Among our favorite tastes from last year’s event were Big Bob Gibson’s Pulled Pork Shoulder with White Sauce, the St. Louis Style Ribs and Beans from Pappy’s Smokehouse, and The Salt Lick BBQ’s Beef Brisket and Sausage. But there was so much more.
CLICK HERE for BBQ photographs and GutterGourmet’s write-up
BABBQ: BBQ PRIMER: From Alabama to Virginia, information about the varied types of BBQ found across the country— cuts and traits, typical sauces, sides, serving styles, and cooking methods. There’s even information about New York restaurants where you can find many of these different styles.
CLICK HERE for a Regional BBQ Primer
Always Informed: Tabla’s Frankie Cart is Back
Arthur Bovino — May 25, 2010
A Frankie being made at Tabla’s Frankie Cart.
Good news for Flatiron frankies fanatics: Tabla’s Frankie Cart is back. The folks at the cart said they started up again last Thursday. If you haven’t had a frankie, it’s an Indian wrap whose construction is similar to a Kati Roll, save for the thin, egg-washed wrap. You can read more about frankies, and their origin in last year’s announcement of the cart’s arrival.
There are apparently a few menu changes this year. The Pao are gone, so too the Sprouted Bean Chaat, but the Chicken Tikka Frankie has been joined by an excellent version with lamb. The Pombupani (Sparkling Limeade with Pomegranate Juice) are still on the offer— they’re refreshing and not-too-sweet. It looks like the cart’s Kulfi Pops have been joined by another Indian dessert: the Chocolate Chip Cookie Kulfi Sandwich.
Location: Outside Tabla at 11 Madison Park.
Notes: Takeaway only.
DishDoppelgänger: Barbounia and Maialino
Maryse Chevrière — May 13, 2010
In the occasional feature, Dish Doppelgänger, Always Hungry notes well-known dishes, and fare that resembles or pays homage to them.
From left: Amatriciana al Forno at Maialino, Moroccan Eggs at Barbounia.
As previously noted, Amatriciana al Forno is one of the stars of Maialino’s breakfast menu. Baked eggs in a great, not-too-spicy sauce dotted with pieces of guanciale. It proves why eggs and tomato sauce belong together, and inspired a hunt for similar dishes featuring the same combination. As it turns out, one favorite can be found practically around the corner at Barbounia.
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