Featured Restaurant: Le Gigot
GutterGourmet — August 30, 2010
Gigot d’Agneau aux Flageolet and Crème Brûlée at Le Gigot.
Enter Le Gigot. Içi Paris. The only things missing are the French accordion music and the mimes. Pick one of the 10 tiny bistro tables and you’ve abandoned Cornelia Street for the Left Bank
Featured Dish: Cervelles au Beurre Noir
GutterGourmet — June 02, 2010
Cervelles au Beurre Noir at La Lunchonette.
I’m probably the only person who watches Return of the Living Dead and wonders whether I’m missing out on some good eats. The zombie predilection for brains over other parts of the human anatomy is not easily explainable. However, if done with a classic beurre noir sauce with cepes, those zombies may be on to something. Returning to an old favorite on 10th Avenue, La Lunchonette, I was delighted to see the cervelles— calves’ brains— listed as one of the chalkboard specials.
The beurre noir is not really black, but a brown butter sauce. The brains are not dissimilar in taste or texture to sweetbreads, though creamier. Naturally, they’re wrinkled and folded, but they’re also delicious enough to satisfy any monstrous craving. If brains seem a bit much to swallow, try watching Michael Jackson’s Thriller video to stimulate your appetite— works for me.
AlwaysPartying: National Escargot Day
Maryse Chevrière — May 24, 2010
May 24th, is National Escargot Day, and to celebrate the love-it-or-hate-it French delicacy we’re featuring three great renditions that can be found in the City:
La Lunchonette is an obvious, wise choice, if you’re looking for real-deal French bistro fare in Chelsea. The unmarked door on 18th Street looks like the entrance to a street-level apartment, which is confirmed when you practically walk in to the cubicle of a kitchen as you’re warmed by the flames of the burners. There is an excellent Cassoulet on the menu, and Cervelles au Beurre Noire for the more adventurous. But no meal at La Luncheonette should begin without the Escargot Au Cognac. It’s a generous portion, perfectly cooked, covered in butter sauce, and mixed with mushrooms.
Chef Petiteau of Bistro Vendôme is known for his facility with mussels— and they don’t disappoint— among other styles, he serves them au Basilic, à la Normande, and, our favorite, Provençale. But Petiteau’s Escargot with Garlic and Parsley are excellent too. At this restaurant in East Midtown, the snails also get the butter treatment, with a heavy hand of both parsley and garlic. They are baked in classic escargot dishes in which each tasty morsel is given its own individual slot. Perfect for concentrating flavor and sauce into convenient dipping holes for your bread.
The sautéed snails at Gascogne is a dish that recalls Wayne Nish’s lobster, crème fraîche, and caviar beggar’s purses made famous at the now, sadly closed, restaurant, March. Gascogne’s Aumôniéres d’Escargots are little beggar’s purses of phillo dough twisted around snails, sealed with a chive, and served in a garlic beurre blanc sauce. Dining on this rendition at a candlelit table amidst the whitewashed walls while looking out onto the multi-level garden is sure to transport you, in spirit at least, to southwestern France.
Featured Dish: Triomphe’s Scallops in Foie Gras Butter
GutterGourmet — May 12, 2010
Scallops with Porcini Mushroom and Foie Gras Butter.
Though overshadowed by its neighbor, DB Bistro Moderne and its infamous $32.00, foie gras-stuffed Original db Burger, Triomphe, the French restaurant tucked into the Iroquois Hotel, has a similarly luxe signature dish: Chef Steven Zobel’s Scallops with Porcini Mushrooms and Foie Gras Butter.
Featured Restaurant: Allegretti
Arthur Bovino — May 04, 2010
Panko Crusted Frogs Legs with Coco Beans and Gorgonzola.
When a restaurant is so nearby in your neighborhood, you sometimes forget it’s there. So it is in the Flatiron with chef Alain Allegretti’s restaurant. There’s little to prepare you for the white tablecloth propriety that greets you immediately upon stepping inside, but for the formality of Allegretti, you’re reminded that there are a few French bites that can quickly make you feel quite cozy. Among several dishes sampled during a recent invitation, this winning trio did exactly that.
Featured Restaurant: La Lunchonette
GutterGourmet — April 06, 2010
Escargots au Cognac.
Before Del Posto, Morimoto, or Pastis, when the Meatpacking District was home to, well, meatpacking (not to mention dealers and prostitutes), there was a restaurant on 10th Avenue that would transport you to the southwest of France. La Lunchonette still exists 20 years later, a testament to its greatness.
The unmarked door on 18th Street looks like the entrance to someone’s street-level apartment, which is confirmed when you practically walk in to the cubicle of a kitchen as you’re warmed by the flames of the burners. There are two separate rooms, and closely positioned tables. A long bar which is not used as a bar (save two stools), but rather to hold vases of flowers, and to store wine.
First Look: Bistro Vendôme
Arthur Bovino — February 19, 2010
Clockwise from top: Australian Rack of Lamb with Potato Gratin and Rosemary Jus, Mussels Provençale, Exterior.
In a city plush with new menus touting the trendiest ingredients and applications, the opening of a French bistro that serves classics like moules frites and escargots could be easily overlooked. After being invited to Pascal Petiteau’s newly-opened Bistro Vendôme, we can report that that would be a shame. Bistro Vendôme smells of new restaurant. The wood floors shine and the paint is fresh, but it’s filled with warm lighting and once you sit down, the sop-it-up scent of butter and garlic.
More About Bistro Vendôme with the Full Slideshow >>
Featured Restaurant: Gascogne
GutterGourmet — January 28, 2010
Clockwise from top: Gascogne’s Cassoulet, Sautéed Snails in Phillo Dough, Crèpes Suzette, Foie Gras Dégustation.
An evening or lunch at Gascogne transports you to southwestern France, the land of charcuterie, foie gras, duck, cassoulet and Armagnac. I recently had the pleasure of co-hosting a dinner there with a fellow cassoulet-lover, where the whitewashed walls and candlelit tables looking out onto the multi-level garden was the perfect setting.
We started with the Aumôniéres d’Escargots—little beggar’s purses of phillo dough twisted around snails in a garlic beurre blanc sauce, and sealed with a chive. It reminded me of Wayne Nish’s lobster, crème fraîche and caviar beggar’s purses made famous at the now, sadly closed, March. Next up was an incredible degustation of foie gras terrines, black truffle, prune, and Armagnac and apricot-flavored. The cold terrine of rabbit, truffle and sauternes foreshadowed my incredible leg of rabbit served with black and green olives, and buttery noodles.
The rack of lamb (eight chops!) was so ginormous that it looked more like a rack of dinosaur, and it was cooked exactly to specification. The filet mignon was topped with, what else, more foie gras, and the cassoulet was picture perfect in its clay casserole vessel, the beans not quite covering the duck confit and garlic sausage.
For dessert, the Mélodie de Chocolats (black and white layered chocolate mousse), Profiteroles with Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce, and the dramatic finish: Crêpes Suzette doused in flaming Grand Marnier and covered in orange zest. Stuffed, drunk and happy we more than slightly overweight group of men walked out into the cold night air feeling more like Gascony’s native sons- the original musketeers. “All for one and one for all!”
AlwaysInvestigating: Lamazou
GutterGourmet — December 02, 2009
Top, Lamazou’s “Smart Duck” Sandwich. Bottom left, “The Butterfly” Sandwich. Right, Lamazou Specialty Sandwich.
The area between 21st and 33rd Streets and Lexington and 3rd Avenues is home to three of my favorite sandwich shops: Defonte’s, Baoguette and, of course, the new 2nd Avenue Deli (now on Toidy Toid and Toid as Bugs Bunny would say). So while the Italians are credited with the hero, the Vietnamese with the banh mi and the Jews with the overstuffed deli sandwich, I’d like to recommend a fourth place in the same zone which may rival them all.
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.
SEARCH: French Onion Soup
November 02, 2009
Bar Americain’s Vidalia Onion Soup w/Parker House Crouton & Blistered Vermont Cheddar, $11.00.
Sure, soup is the perfect meal on a cold night, but some soups are better than others. Case in point: French Onion Soup. Any soup smothered in bubbling, burnt cheese is going to have an advantage over an unadorned bowl. However, not all French Onion Soups are executed equally, and no amount of melted cheese is going to save a poorly seasoned soup.
French Onion Soup is actually relatively easy to make—-sweet onions are slowly caramelized then simmered in beef stock. The purpose of the crouton, aside from being juicy and soaked with deliciousness, is to help the cheesy overlay stay afloat. As for cheese, Gruyère is the most commonly used, although Fontina, Cheddar, Parmesan, or a combination of them, are all valid choices. As long as the cheese is properly blistered and gooey it will most likely taste great.
Bar Americain’s (view) rich Vidalia Onion Soup (above) is one of Manhattan’s best. The thick broth is full of sweet, soft onions, and the coating of Vermont white Cheddar is sharp and distinctive.
But Bobby Flay isn’t the only chef serving a fantastic crock of French Onion Soup in Manhattan. By typing “French Onion Soup” in quotes into the search field of AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Advanced Search Engine we compiled a list of some of our other favorites.
Featured Dish: SHO’s Three Day Short Rib
The Gluttoness — October 27, 2009
Three Day Short Rib with Hazelnut and Cranberry Crust and Parsnip Purée. Left, short rib, about to be plated. Right, Shaun Hergatt at work.
It has been a while since I checked in with Chef Shaun Hergatt. Since I first waxed-poetic about SHO (view) it gained a star in the 2010 Michelin guide, was cited in Esquire’s 20 Best New Restaurants of 2009 and received an unofficial 29 rating in the 2010 Zagat guide. High time to visit the chef.
Click Here for More About Shaun Hergatt's Three Day Short Rib >>
AlwaysLearning: Old School Lobster Dishes
The Gluttoness — October 22, 2009
Left, Hotel Griffou’s Lobster Thermidor Fondue. Right, Delmonico’s Lobster Newberg.
Even just steamed and dipped in butter, lobster is supremely delicious. But some classic preparations, often overlooked, really up the ante. And with the decadence of these dishes, comes the rich history of their beginnings. Here’s a look at two old school lobster dishes at Hotel Griffou and Delmonico’s.
AlwaysTraveling: Le Bec-Fin (Philadelphia, PA)
The Gluttoness — October 08, 2009
Exterior and interior of Le Bec-Fin on Walnut Street across from “Georges Perrier Place.”
Restaurant: Le Bec-Fin (view)
Address: 1523 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA (map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: B+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Spanish Octopus, Chilled Maine Lobster Salad, Escargots, Veal Chop, Diver Sea Scallops, Chocolate Banana Tart, Grand Marnier Soufflé
It was a long twenty-five years before I got to enjoy my first meal at Georges Perrier’s famed five-star eatery. Growing up in Philadelphia, there was no finer dining destination. Yet the aura of stuffiness and pretension shrouded behind the wrought iron awning turned out to be merely a figment of fanciful imagination. Of course Le Bec-Fin is impeccably high class, but along with the dramatic chandeliers and gilded crown molding awaits a truly comfortable, effortless, dare-I-say, “fun” dining experience.
Japanese Black Bass with Baby Vegetables “a la Grecque,” Kohlrabi and Yellow Tomato Consommé.
I expected fancy French food, like you’d find at Per Se or Daniel, where the chef de cuisine, Nicholas Elmi honed his craft before moving to Philadelphia, but the plating was as relaxed as the warm, ambient environment. Decorative adornments, like a messy stroke of red onion aigre-doux aside Spanish Octopus, weren’t exemplary of French finesse. Yet the dish, with its chorizo and charred melon accompaniments was one of the meal’s standouts. The surprising departure from that which is inherently French was balanced by the “Le Bec-Fin Classics” portion of the menu, which features traditional items like Escargots poached in hazelnut garlic butter, Sautéed Foie Gras and the Gallette de Crabe, one of the dishes you could have eaten at Le Bec-Fin during its early heyday.
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.
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