AlwaysPartying: Help Fight Hunger!
February 16, 2010
We may be, Always Hungry, but, in reality, we are lucky enough to have no idea what Hunger really means. Hunger, particularly in America, is a real and serious issue, and this weekend we ask you to join us in the fight against Hunger by supporting the kickoff of The Hungry in America Project, a multimedia outreach campaign to end hunger in the U.S. The project is anchored by a feature-length documentary, “Hungry in America,” which is directed by award-winning filmmakers, Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson, and executive-produced by chef-activists Tom Colicchio and Mario Batali. The film shines a light on the history and causes of this country’s hunger crisis. It asks why a nation that could provide access to inexpensive and healthful food for all has failed to do so.
The event is this Sunday, February 21st at Colicchio & Sons. Presented in conjunction with Vanity Fair and the FEED Foundation, and co-hosted by Tom Colicchio and Natalie Portman, the event will feature a great sampling of the food from Colicchio & Sons, as well as scenes from the film. There will be a VIP reception where Tom Colicchio will be cooking in person.
AlwaysInvestigating: Native Tongues
The Gluttoness — August 03, 2009
Growing up Jewish, tongue was often part of my deli experience (especially when Nanny ordered it). But not until I moved to New York did I realize it was an globally respected ingredient. Recently, I tried four international preparations, starting at Katz’s Deli, which specializes in my native tongue.
Featured Restaurant: Otto
July 21, 2009
Pepperoni Pizza with Spicy Salami, Cacio and Mozzarella
We recently enjoyed a great meal at Joe Bastianich and Mario Batali’s pizza and pasta joint, Otto. One of the best ways to dine at Otto is to sit at the bar at the front Enoteca and start with a cheese tasting accompanied by grissini and brandy-soaked cherries.
Especially during the summer, it’s nice to follow a light cheese course with Otto’s fresh vegetables and salads—take for example, the Cucumber and Radish Salad or the Summer Corn and Fregola. On a side note, it’s not on the menu, but if you ask, they’re happy to make a spot-on Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe. They will also make a gluten-free pasta on request.
Check out the pictures from a recent meal at Otto on its restaurant page here.
AlwaysInformed: Claremont Cooking Academy, Cooking Camp for Kids
The Gluttoness — July 02, 2009
What most people don’t know about Scott Conant, the acclaimed Executive Chef of Scarpetta, is that he took his first cooking class when he was eleven years old. It’s often during these formative years that children can focus their passions, especially when given the chance to explore different avenues. If your child is interested in cooking, there’s a kid-friendly cooking camp that could be perfect for them: Claremont Prep’s Claremont Cooking Academy (view site).
Aimed at children 8-13 years old, the academy includes trips to the Union Square Market, Chinatown and The French Culinary Institute. The curriculum includes instruction in: bread baking; making sauces; soups and salads; the preparation of meats, poultry and fish; menu planning; food safety; knife skills; and the art of presentation. Claremont Cooking Academy runs from July 6-10 and July 20-24 and costs $675 per week. Aside from individualized instruction, the fee covers materials, daily meals, off-site excursions, and necessary tools and toque—a requisite for any budding chef. On the final day, campers demonstrate their new skills by cooking lunch for the proud parents.
Who knows, given the chance to flex his or her culinary muscles, your child could be the next Mario Batali, just look where Scott Conant ended up. For enrollment, contact Claremont’s Camp Director Steve Levin at 212-232-0266 (ex. 254).
AlwaysTraveling: Cal Pep (Barcelona, Spain)
Jeff Zalaznick — June 03, 2009
Cal Pep is synonymous with the great Tapas and seafood of Barcelona, and has been nestled in a small square just north of the Plaça de Palau since 1977. There is no question that its chef and owner, Josep “Pep” Manubens Figueras (now approaching 60), serves Barcelona’s best tapas. Pep is known for his seafood, specifically, Razor Clams and Frito Misto, (one taste will inform you why) and in a way, his prowess is partially responsible for the abundance of those clams that we currently find being served around New York. Yes, I am giving him credit for Razor Clams. The trick to Cal Pep is go for lunch (if you’re a tourist, it’s near the Picasso Museum, which makes for a nice morning), and show up 15 minutes before they open their doors. It’s important to play close attention to the time, because if you show up ten minutes before they open, you’ll be waiting for more than a full turn to be seated. This has now been proven three times— take it for what it is.
The restaurant itself is tiny—you sit at the 20-stool bar and eat what they give you from the open kitchen. It’s also well known for its frying prowess and some fixtures of the seasonal menu not to be missed include the Fried Artichokes and the plate of fried-egg topped, deep-fried, inch-long fish, called Llengeta. In my mind, what they should be most famous for is their Tortilla Tempana. I can say with great confidence that it is the best that I have ever had in my life. It is served warm, which seems obvious but is so rarely done, and is truly a slice of Spanish heaven. When they are done with their work, they encourage you to request more. I was applauded for my last minute addition of Steak and Butifarra, and received a departing hug from Pep himself.
You can go to Cal Pep for dinner, and you can even make a reservation for large parties in the back, but the place you want to be is at the bar for lunch. To continue the seafood extravaganza into dinner, you should try their more formal restaurant nearby, Passadis del Pep, which serves one of the finest seafood meals I have ever ingested.
This is the Mecca. This is where Mario and Joe went to get inspiration for Casa Mono. This is where the tortilla at Mercat is copied from. This is the place.
Restaurant: Cal Pep
Address: Plaça Olles 8, 08003 Barcelona, Spain (view map)
AlwaysHungry Grade: A+
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Tortilla, Butifarra con Foie a l’Oporto, Almejas con Jamón, Fritto Misto
Razor Clams
Foie Gras Butifarra Sausage with White Beans & Port Reduction
AlwaysInformed: Contraband Culatello di Zibello (Breakin’ the Law! Breakin’ the Law!)
GutterGourmet — May 29, 2009
I had just returned from a wonderful meal at Gusto when a mysterious email arrived from an unknown person identified only as, ‘Salumi Monger Extraordinaire.’ It read: “The legendary meat has arrived. Don’t ask how! Don’t ask why! Just bring your wallet, an empty stomach and a love of fine swine.”
About 6 months ago, I had left my business card with a certain purveyor of salumi who had recently opened and to celebrate, offered Culatello di Zibello DOP (Protected Designation of Origin). For the uninitiated, Culatello is the heart and soul of the Prosciutto, made in a tiny area within Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, including a small town named Zibello. Of course, when I arrived it was gone.
Culatello literally means “little ass.” It is cut and cured from the rear-end portion of the pig instead of from the entire leg as is done with the more commonly known prosciutto. The precise conditions under which culatello is cured are closely guarded secrets, but they result in a pear-shaped, beautifully fat-marbled product that rivals the intensity of Jamón Ibérico de Bellota in terms of pure, porcine perfection. Generally, the traditional preparation involves tightly tying it in a pig’s bladder, hanging it in a dank cellar and exposing it to air and moisture (but never refrigeration). Naturally, this isn’t FDA approved. I immediately called the mysterious monger, “Is it the real stuff?”
“Guaranteed,” he said with a thick Italian accent.
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.
AlwaysPartying: High Line Chefs Dinner
September 17, 2008
The High Line is one of the great causes out there right now, as it is renovating and building a site that will one day be a crown jewel of New York. On Sunday night, in conjunction with Friends of the High Line, Chef Tom Colicchio hosted a dinner at Craftsteak to raise money for this wonderful cause. Each course was cooked by a different neighborhood chef, which in this case included: Morimoto, Batali, Marc Meyer, Sue Torres, Ralf Kuettel (Testle on Tenth) and, of course Tom himself. We were lucky enough to be invited to this AlwaysHungry-type occasion and have brought back some pictures for you to taste!
Click here for the Dish by Dish >>
AlwaysPartying: Taste of the Village
The Hungry Goat — September 11, 2008
Last night’s Taste of the Village event was a block party perfectly befitting Greenwich Village as it celebrated both the neighborhood’s flavor and its spirit. Held in a large tent amid the construction site that is Washington Square Park, the 20-plus tasting stations attracted an impressive crowd of hungry Village locals, NYU students, and general food enthusiasts. Mario Batali even made a brief cameo— staying just long enough to stand for pictures and support the fabulous gelato kart provided by his restaurant Otto. Elettaria head chef Akhtar Nawab showed up as well, manning his own station in an impressive demonstration of pride and humility. But this event wasn’t about glitz and glam or which restaurant had a better reputation; for one night, high and low seamlessly integrated for the sake of celebrating cuisine. The station from the famed Blue Hill (which served a glorified tomato soup that was beyond disappointing) was right at home next the less-decorated La Palapa table (which offered a mean vegetarian tostada), while the 8th Street Winecellar hit it out of the park with its fiery Mac & Cheese and swine-tastic P.L.T slider (as in Prosciutto, Lettuce & Tomato).
Here is a list of the event’s palate-pleasing highlights:
• 8th Street Winecellar: P.L.T. (Pancetta, Lettuce, & Tomato); Baked Macdougal and Cheese
• North Square: Corn Chowder with Peppers, Red Chili Oil, and Parmesan Cheese; Heirloom Tomato Bruschetta
• Village Restaurant: Prosciutto with Arugula, Peaches, Hazelnuts & Balsamic
• Le Pain Quotidien: Crostini with Ricotta, Mission Figs & Honey drizzle; Mini Belgian Chocolate Muffin
• SushiSamba 7: Kampachi Tiradito; Chocolate Mousse Duo
• Café Spice: Chicken Achari Kebab
• Gizzi’s Coffee: Mini Red Velvet Cupcake; Chocolate Brownie
Dish of the Week: Del Posto’s Orrechiette
The Gluttoness — August 22, 2008
Orrechiette with Lamb’s Neck Sausage
It’s not very often that one gets the opportunity to feast on the neck of an animal. The meat is sensationally succulent, and for good reason too. It’s understood that meat often tastes better when cooked on the bone (a bone-in filet is a rare and delicious find), since the bone’s natural gelatin imparts tremendous flavor to the surrounding protein. So the neck, with all its minuscule bones and tendons, often houses the best bites.
The last time that I nibbled on neck was at Chris Consentino’s offal-themed dinner at The Astor Center. The Spring Lamb Neck had the appearance of your average Osso Bucco but a flavor unparalleled to any ordinary shank. It was devoured accordingly, down to the bone, which was rendered useless once the luscious lamb had gone to a better place: my stomach.
A recent dinner at Del Posto allowed me to revisit this hallowed appendage, but in a more deconstructed presentation. Foremost, the meat from the lamb’s neck was ground into a delicious sausage, complete with all the fennel seed trimmings. The orecchiette, perfectly al dente because this is Del Posto after-all, was riddled with chunky amalgamations of sausage; the only sauce being the oily rendered fat that had escaped from the sausage during cooking. This is easily the most uniquely flavored pasta dish I’ve ever tasted, both here and abroad, and annual trips to Italy are a staple in my traveling regimen.
Sure I’m on Team Babbo as a whole, but never has a singular pasta dish wowed my palate like Del Posto’s Orecchiette with Lamb’s Neck Sausage. For the most part I find Italian dishes to be better or worse variations of things I’ve tasted before. But this dish encapsulated a flavor profile of its own—and if you’ve ever enjoyed lambs neck, lambs neck sausage is a whole new, mouth-watering world.
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