AlwaysFresh: Union Square Greenmarket (11/25/09)

Arthur Bovino — November 25, 2009

Bluepoint Oysters from Westport Aquaculture.

The AlwaysHungryNY.com Crew is hitting the streets and visiting the city’s farmers’ markets, seeking the seasonal ingredients, which inspire the culinary genius of locavore chefs and amateur gourmets alike.

This week, we were at the Union Square Greenmarket. The booths for the holiday market were going up, there was a chill in the air, and the light was beautiful. It was an all-around great day for perusing produce and people watching. One bit of news we overheard came from Capt. Jeff Northrop and crew at the Westport Aquaculture booth. Apparently, they’re trying to get approved to shuck oysters and clams at the market. Open-air raw bar at Union Square? Now that would be an interesting development.

Click on the thumbnails below for pictures from our farmers’ market tour in Union Square. Remember, you can use AlwaysHungryNY.com’s Seasonal Calendar Page to find out what is currently in season.

FirstLook: Ed’s Chowder House

The Gluttoness — October 05, 2009

The exterior of Ed’s Chowder House, and the raw bar, inside.

When news broke about Center Cut’s transformation into Ed’s Chowder House (view), I instantly had confidence in Jeffrey Chodorow’s new direction with Eighty-One’s Chef Ed Brown. After City Harvest’s Street & Savory Event in June, I named Brown’s Crispy Fried Clam Roll the evening’s best savory bite. Considering that Center Cut was bad and remarkably over-priced, a sophisticated clam shack seemed worth a shot (though said Clam Roll is nowhere to be found). The stately decor and older crowd hasn’t changed much, but both the bar (with it’s own menu) and dining room are crowded with diners now that buttery Lobster Rolls are flying out of the kitchen a la Pearl Oyster Bar.

Click here for more about Ed's Chowder House >>

AlwaysPartying: National Oyster Day

Arthur Bovino — August 05, 2009

It’s National Oyster Day and if there’s one thing we’re AlwaysHungry for it’s oysters. They’re tasty, great with drinks and they’re aphrodisiacs—what’s not to like? New York has had a connection with oysters that precedes colonialism (Mark Kurlansky’s book, The Big Oyster is a great account going back to the Hudson shell-middens of the Lenape Indians) and it continues to be a great place to eat oysters to this day. To celebrate, we compiled the ultimate oyster post so you can take an AlwaysHungryNY.com Olympics approach to this food holiday.

Below is a round-up of good restaurants with raw bars, a fried oyster round-up and a list of oyster happy hours. If you’re interested in some of the city’s notable oyster preparations check out AHNY’s Oyster Odyssey, a checklist of some of the city’s most significant oyster dishes.

Oysters on the Half Shell and Long Island Little Necks at The John Dory.

If you’re Downtown and want oysters with dinner, use the Very Advanced Search to generate a list of good restaurants with raw bars by selecting B+/A- and above, and Downtown from the “By Grade” and “Neighborhood” drop down menus, and Raw Bar in the expanded “By Features” blue box. Of course, you can do this for any neighborhood.

Before venturing out, a few words. First, we can be grateful the Kumomoto craze is over and every Tom, Dick and Harry has stopped saddling up to the bar wielding this word to impress dates. Second, Rowan Jacobsen’s The Oyster Guide is a great resource for learning about oysters in the States. Generally, East Coast oysters are more mild than West Coast ones. There are five categories of edible oysters.

Belons Salty with mineral finish. Indigenous to Europe. In US: Maine, California and Washington.
Eastern Salt, taste, texture vary. Canadian Maritime to Gulf of Mexico. Same type, regional names.
Pacific (Gigas) Sweet, slightly fruity and mineral. Available around the world.
Kumamoto Small, sweet, citrusy, often creamy. Originally from Japan. Also grown along West Coast.
Olympia Small, assertive flavor. Native to the Pacific Northwest.

CLICK HERE for AHNY’s list of GOOD DOWNTOWN RESTAURANTS WITH RAW BAR.

Pearl Oyster Bar’s fried oysters.

Fried Oysters. Crunchy. Juicy. Salty. Goodness with tartar sauce. Enter, “Fried Oysters” into AHNY’s Very Advanced Search to generate a round-up of some of the city’s best renditions.

CLICK HERE for AHNY’s FRIED OYSTER LIST.

OYSTER SPECIALS & HAPPY HOURS

Aquagrill:
Daily Happy Hour: 4pm-6pm, $1/Blue Point Oyster.
Cercle Rouge:
Sun-Thur: 4pm-7pm, $1.50/Oyster.
Ed’s Lobster Bar:
Tues: 5pm – Close, Sunday: 12pm-6pm, $2/Oyster.
Fishtail:
After 10pm, $1/Oyster.
Lure Fish Bar:
Mon-Fri: 5pm-7pm, $1/Oyster.
Shaffer City:
Daily Happy Hour: 4pm-8pm, $1.50/Oyster. Includes one type from each coast.
The John Dory:
Daily, 3pm—5pm $25/Dozen Oysters and Glass of Cava or a Half-Pint.

SEARCH: Stuffed Clams in the City

June 10, 2009

When summer comes around we go crazy for clams. We like them every which way, but especially when they’re stuffed with extra goodness, like with Baked Clams and Clams Casino.

For some of the best baked clams in the city, we recommend:

Spark’s Steak House 210 E 46th St

Don Peppe 135-58 Lefferts Boulevard

Porter House New York 10 Columbus Circle

For Clams Casino, try one of the following places:

Pietro’s 232 E 43rd Street

Porter House New York 10 Columbus Circle

The Palm Tribeca 206 West Street

Il Mulino 86 W. 3rd Street

Of course, if you’re a purist and you want to test out the theory that clams, like oysters and scallops, are an aphrodisiac, there are tons of great places we’d recommend. Just enter Tasting Bar, Raw Bar and Date Place into our Very Advanced Search to discover them.

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