FirstLook: Aamchi Pao

Arthur Bovino — June 17, 2009

“There’s always a right time to reinvent yourself,” Chef Surbhi Sahni, told us recently at Aamchi Pao.

No, Chef Sahni isn’t leaving her post as Devi’s pastry chef. But she has joined Nandini Mukherjee as co-owner at the reincarnation of Mukherjee’s West Village restaurant of almost six years, the Indian Bread Co. As previously reported, the Stuffed Parathas and Naanwhichs (grilled Indian “panini”) are gone. There are still Kathi Rolls, but the Naan sandwiches have been replaced by “Pao,” renditions of Pav Bhaji, a Mumbai street food that is essentially an Indian Slider. The word “Pav,” in Marathi (the language of southwestern India), is said to come from Pão, the Portuguese word for bread.

Click here to read more about Aamchi Pao's Mumbai Sliders >>

FirstLook: SHO Shaun Hergatt

The Gluttoness — June 08, 2009

It’s rare that I’m speechless, but last Thursday night’s preview dinner at SHO Shaun Hergatt stunned me into my first satisfied oblivion of 2009. Executive Chef Sean Hergatt has spent two years turning the concrete canvas within The Setai New York into a modern Asian masterpiece with simple elegance and ruby red accents. An expansive glass wall separates diners from the theatrics of the grand kitchen and many of the tables face Hergatt’s “stage” where he commands his dutiful “players.” You witness meticulousness then taste it.

The striking décor is matched by the drama of SHO’s impeccable food, which the chef described as “Asian-accented, modern French cuisine.” Hergatt is a brawny Australian with a sweet smile—the unexpected artist behind brilliantly feminine dishes that are as artistically inclined as they are sophisticated in flavor. There’s a continual dance between delicacy and decadence. Riveting taste always wins, but it’s the manner in which it’s achieved that is so interesting.

Duo of Canapes: Crêpe w/ Tobiko & Sour Cream over Lime & Sesame Seed Tuille w/ Whitefish Tartare

Two velvety crêpes were filled with tobiko and sour cream, then tied in purses, served over thin slices of lime and topped with gold leaf. Two sesame seed tuilles were rolled like cigars and stuffed with whitefish tartare. There was an impressive equilibrium between the rich insides and the subtle exteriors.

Click here for AlwaysHungry's full First Look at Sho Shaun Hergatt >>

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

Click here for the Cal Pep Dish by Dish >>

First Look: Mesa Coyoacan

Arthur Bovino — June 01, 2009

Finally, somewhere to take visiting Californians who lord Mexican food over you as New York’s missing culinary experience. Mesa Coyoacan, officially opens today in Williamsburg, steps from the L’s third stop into Brooklyn. And it isn’t shy—372 Graham is the metal and glass building with rectangles that yank your view up from the neighborhood’s weary vinyl siding.

The restaurant is chef and owner, Ivan Garcia’s (right) first solo venture. Full disclosure, I know Ivan through another of Mesa’s owners, Gerardo Zabaleta, with whom I worked in a restaurant several years ago. If you love Mexican food, you’ve likely tasted his—he designed the original menu for Barrio Chino and was chef de cuisine at Mercadito Cantina (of which he is also part owner). His focus is the traditional Mexican cuisine he first learned from his grandmother. The name, Mesa Coycocan, is an homage to Mexico City’s trendy but historically rich neighborhood, where Chef Garcia was born.

Continue reading for the full Mesa Coyoacan Dish by Dish >>