AlwaysInformed: Where to Eat the 10-Most Googled Recipes

January 19, 2010

Yesterday, Serious Eats posted a link to Restaurant & Institution’s Top 10 Most-Googled Recipes of 2009. Cooking at home for yourself or for friends can be a lot of fun, but you can also participate in the trend by tasting these popular dishes at these great New York restaurants.

1) Chili

From Wildwood Barbecue: Jailhouse Chili.

Click here to view pictures of the 10 most-Googled dishes >>

AlwaysInformed: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

The Hungry Goat — September 17, 2009

The popular children’s book-turned 3-D animated feature, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, (official site) opens in theaters tomorrow. You can watch the trailer here (did you know MR. T, Al Roker and Neil Patrick Harris did voices for it?). To celebrate, we have compiled pictures of some of AlwaysHungryNY.com’s favorite meatball dishes around New York City.

Enjoy.

Grilled Quail Meatball Skewers from barMasa.

Meatballs with Pine Nuts and Raisins from Frankies 457.

Meatball Hero from Defonte’s of Brooklyn.

Click here for more great AlwaysHungryNY.com meatball pictures >>

SEARCH: Fashionably Feasting

The Gluttoness — September 16, 2009

If you’re anything like me, watching those models walk the runway at Bryant Park just makes you hungry. Wearing high heels means that a lunch destination needs to be within a short walking distance from the tents. For the sake of planning ahead, it’s best to know which restaurants are close by: the perfect mission for AlwaysHungryNY.com.

Using our Create-A-Neighborhood search, I simply drew a box around Bryant Park and instantly got a glimpse of the area’s best eateries. And, in keeping with our site’s mission, I’ve also included some recommended lunch dishes to help make the decision process even easier.

Brasserie 44 (American) Seared Scallops, Classic BLT, Lobster Penne

Colbeh (Persian) Babaganoush, Grape Leaves, Beef Kebab

DB Bistro Moderne (French Bistro) Lobster Salad, DB Burger, Morrocan Tuna Tartare

Esca (Seafood/Italian) Oysters, Hamachi and Big Eye Tuna Crudos (above), Corn Salad, Spaghetti w/Mint & Lobster, Crispy Skate

Koi (Japanese/Asian) Spinach Salad, Crispy Rice, Kobe Potstickers, Miso Cod

Margon (Cuban) Cubano, Roast Chicken, Daily Specials

Sushi Zen (Japanese) Sushi & Sashimi

Triomphe (French) Duck Confit, Lemon Sole Francese, Watermelon & Feta Salad

Virgil’s (Southern BBQ) Savannah Salad, Pulled Pork, Brisket Melt, Ribs, Mac & Cheese

‘wichcraft (Sandwiches) Tomato Soup, Slow Roasted Pork, Roast Turkey, Beet & Goat Cheese Salad

Lobster Roll Wars: A Blind Taste Test

The Hungry Goat — March 25, 2009

The story should be familiar by now. Chef opens restaurant with partner. Partner leaves to open similar restaurant. Chef gets upset. Chef hires new sous-chef. Sous-chef leaves to open similar restaurant. Chef gets angry and sues.

When Chef Rebecca Charles opened Pearl Oyster Bar in 1997, the “clam shack” concept became the ultimate in casual-chic dining, and Pearl’s signature Lobster Roll became the new upscale comfort food darling. Three years later Mary’s Fish Camp, another lobster roll-serving seafood haven debuted, this one from former Pearl partner Mary Redding. Similarities between the two did not go unnoticed. Then, in 2007, déjà vu struck twice when Charles’ longtime sous-chef Ed McFarland opened Ed’s Lobster Bar, a restaurant so much like Pearl in almost every way—from the décor to the menu—it had Charles crying plagiarism. Her intellectual property lawsuit was the first of its kind in the restaurant industry (considering the striking resemblances in design between newcomer Harbour and Lure Fishbar it may not be the last) but was eventually resolved out of court.

Now, the dust has settled. And while all three lobster rolls are left standing, the question remains: whose is truly the best? We’ve heard from customers and critics, but what about an insider’s perspective? How would a chef who has worked at one of these restaurants, who has made hundreds of lobster rolls every day, rank them? AlwaysHungryNY sought out an honest answer. We found a chef who agreed to do a blind taste evaluation of each lobster roll on the condition of anonymity.

To conduct our experiment, the lobster rolls were placed on identical plates without their usual accompaniments. Fries, garnish, pickles, lemon wedges, they were all removed to eliminate any potential clues. Would our chef be able to distinguish the rolls by sight? By taste? Would the recipe, made time after time, be immediately recognizable or would the difference be so negligible that it made telling apart Pearl’s, Ed’s and Mary’s impossible?

Click here to see whose roll reigned supreme >>

Bread for the Business: Jay Shaffer

Arthur Bovino — March 16, 2009

When you interview Jay Shaffer, chef and owner of Shaffer City Oyster Bar & Grill, you never know what to expect. One moment he tells you which of his female bartenders you’re likely to get lucky with, the next he asks you if you’re going to misquote him. Then he drops a bigger surprise:

“I don’t eat oysters,” he explained. “I hate ‘em.”

Aware of his garrulous reputation, I sat down with Jay (who was late and seemed “tired”) to dispel rumors and hear tall tales.

“95% of what I tell you is true,” he said.

Click Here For More of Jay... >>

Always Traveling: Boston’s Best Chowdah

Spencer Gellman — March 12, 2009

It started with one of those ridiculous Yahoo! Homepage teaser articles. You know the ones that usually talk about a dog who can bark the alphabet or an Icelandic woman who gave birth to her fifth set of octuplets. And while those articles are typically easily hurdled roadblocks between me and my fantasy football team, this one actually reached right through my heart strings and went straight for the decision making epicenter of my being…my stomach.

The article, entitled “It’s the Best Burger in America!,” described how the (read: horribly overrated) Shake Shack was dethroned at the 2008 South Beach Wine & Food Festival by some gourmet monstrosity hailing from Beantown known only as the Radius Burger. Intrigued and mildly aroused by the findings, I had no choice but to pile into my parent’s Toyota hybrid and go see for myself if this French Bistro known for their Duck Egg atop leeks could really bring the ruckus to the American classic.

Of course, to go all the way up to Boston just for a burger would be a perfectly good waste of time, effort and potential calories. If I was going to do this trip the AlwaysHungry way, which is pretty much how I do everything from brushing my teeth to petting my dog, I was going to make sure I checked a few more boxes off my culinary bucket list. Being in Boston, I figured there was no better objective than to figure out once and for all which local eatery yielded the best New England Clam Chowder.

After a solid 3 minutes of Googling, I compiled a list of 5 establishments in Paul Revere’s hometown that were said to have the crème de la crème of this creamy soup: The Union Oyster House, Legal Sea Foods, The Barking Crab, McCormick & Schmick’s, The Salty Dog Seafood Grill & Bar and Houston’s (yes, that Houston’s). With my food itinerary in hand, and a fresh domestic beer induced hangover in my head, I set out, determined to try at least a cup of clam chowder from each of the celebrated establishments.

Click Here to Read the Results >>

Interview: Leyla Marchetto of Scuderia

Arthur Bovino — March 10, 2009

There’s a new Italian trattoria in the West Village, Scuderia, right across from Da Silvano. This chic, but casual, bar/restaurant is the creation of Team Scuderia: famed restaurateur, Silvano Marchetto; his daughter, Leyla; his long-time manager, Alessandro Bandini; and friend and musician, Fabrizio Sotti. In anticipation of last night’s opening, AlwaysHungry stopped in to talk with Leyla about her new place.

AHNY: How would you define Scuderia’s concept?

LM: The concept is a casual, modern day New York version of an Italian trattoria and bar. You know, it’s not the old world kind of Mom and Pop looking trattoria but it’s casual, we have some of these stools that are more enoteca style. I call them our East Village shout out because they remind me of East Village wine bars. So it’s more casual, more moderately priced, and I think we’re reaching out to some of the clientele that doesn’t actually go to Da Silvano, you know, younger people, or people who can’t afford it. So then we’re able to, in the vicinity of two hundred feet, attract customers, you know, in addition to some overlap that I’m sure we will have. Hopefully we’ll get customers for breakfast and then they’ll take their clients there for lunch or dinner. There’s some overlap, but the menu is very different.

We’re calling it casual Italian comfort food with some American twists. There’s a brioche grilled cheese that has speck and rosemary in it and there’s the Scuderia Hamburger, a luscious, yummy burger with Tuscan fries…

AHNY: Tell me more about the Hamburger della Scuderia…

LM: It is a beef brisket burger, so it’s like heavenly, the right salty juiciness from the brisket. It comes with caramelized onions that are cooked with cilantro and jalapeño. And then it has Monterrey Jack cheese, and it’s served on a toasted sesame bun. It’s really good. It’s very juicy. It’s not a little burger.

AHNY: So what would you consider Scuderia’s signature dishes?

LM: I would say, the Pizza Scuderia. It’s strong. I would recommend that as a sharing item. I mean you can have entire pizza but it’s fig jam, blue cheese and speck, so it’s kind of strong. I would recommend that for sharing. The other one that’s really good, pizza-wise, the Occhio di Bue, translates to Bull’s-eye, in Italian and it’s pizza that has mozzarella and pecorino and then there is pancetta and spinach and then an egg is cooked in the middle of it. And when you cut it…it’s everyone’s favorite.

And then Claudio Cristofoli, the chef, is from Venice, and then Fabrizio is from Padova, so there’s kind of influences from different areas of Italy. The Arancini di Riso, It’s two fried rice balls with pecorino inside, that come in this terracotta kind of thing with tomato sauce underneath it and they have a bit of the braised beef cheeks in them so there’s meat and cheese and they’re warm…I’ve probably had six rice balls in the last four days.

I would also say pasta-wise, I’m kind of partial to the beef cheek ragù. I should kind of switch to another one shouldn’t I? Oh, the squid ink noodles with the seafood is amazing. So there’s black squid ink, a teeny bit spicy, tomatoes, seafood, like there’s mussels and different types of fish…amazing…To go away from the carbs, Claudio makes this skirt steak with three different dipping sauces…The skirt steak is marinated, so soft, ahead the night before and then it comes with these three little sauces. One’s green, one’s red, and one’s yellow. You dip it in and it’s amazing and it’s so tender.

And you could get some of the sides—grilled polenta, I really like. Kind of crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Dessert-wise I can give you one really good dessert that’s fabulous. Everyone has had a good response. Instead of tiramisu it’s called a “Tiramelosu”. And it’s a deconstructed tiramisu. So it comes on a cutting board and there are a couple of ladyfingers. There’s an espresso and there’s the zabaglione. So you dip it in and kind of do your own thing. And, it’s really, really good. And I’ve never seen that anywhere. I don’t know if it comes from somewhere in Italy or if he invented it but it’s amazing…[Also,] I would have the Pizza with Nutella and mascarpone for dessert. It’s like a mini 6-inch pizza with a thin layer of Nutella, a little bit of melted mascarpone dusted with sugar and it’s heavenly. Also, good for breakfast with coffee, cause I just had a piece.

Read Full Interview >>

Always Traveling: Paul Bocuse (Lyon, France)

Jeff Zalaznick — March 09, 2009

Paul Bocuse is not the easiest restaurant to find, but once you get it in your sights there is no way to miss this garish edifice. Bocuse has consistently maintained a prestigious 3-star Michelin rating since it opened in 1965, and as one of the first prominent public culinary icons, this chef’s legendary restaurant seemed like a logical starting point for our journey.

Restaurant: Paul Bocuse
Rating: *** (Michelin), #71 (World’s Best Restaurants List)
AlwaysHungry Grade: B-
Signature Dishes: Soupe aux Truffes Noires V.G.E (Black Truffle Soup), Volaille de Bresse en Vessie “Mére Fillioux” (Bresse Chicken cooked inside a Pig’s Bladder)
AlwaysHungry Recommends: Salade de Homard du Maine a la Parisienne (Parisian Lobster Salad) & Turbot au Champagne (Turbot in a Champagne Sauce)

Click to read the Dish By Dish >>

AlwaysInformed: Sometimes I Dream

Jeff Zalaznick — March 04, 2009

There are few things in life that I like more than steak, but Michael Jordan happens to be one of them. When he opened his eponymous steakhouse in Grand Central Station in August 1998, I was so excited that I celebrated my 14th birthday there a few days after they opened the doors. But, after all of the excitement, I quickly learned that they served surprisingly good steak (Michael does everything like a champion), but that there was not much inherent MJ to be found there. I gave up on this “Best of Both Worlds” scenario and moved on with my life.

Enter Michael Jordan Steaks, launched over a month ago, I feel like my prayers have been answered. MJ Steaks not only can potentially bring me good eating, but, much more importantly, have given my computer a new homepage. A place that I can go to look at pictures of Michael Jordan, pictures of steak, and pictures of Michael Jordan with steak. In short, heaven on earth. Talk about food porn!

More MJ >>

The Round-Up: NY Magazine’s Best of ‘09

Jeff Zalaznick — March 03, 2009

New York Magazine has compiled their annual “Best of” list to help New Yorkers avoid a harrowing internal struggle when searching for which restaurant has the the tastiest “Cutting-Edge Chinese food” or most delicious “Newfangled Dessert”. While I can live with most of NY Mag’s ’09 pics, there are a few things that I have to say. Either way, here is a round-up of their single picks as well as some commentary for your enjoyment.

Bar Snack: Buttermilk Channel

Maple and Bacon Roasted Almonds

Jeff: “This could still go to the Bacon Peanut Brittle at The Redhead.

Biscuits and Gravy: Momofuku Ssam Bar

Jeff: “Fine, but why don’t we just save everyone time and just call it the ‘Momofuku Award’?”

Chicken Wings: Tailor

Tailor Made Hot Wings

Jeff: “AlwaysHungry sides with Cercle Rouge on this one.”

Cutting-Edge Chinese: Shang

Turnip Cake
Singapore Slaw

Jeff: “I am so happy that they created a category to applaud Lee’s genius.”

Traditional Chinese: Grand Sichuan

Sichuan Wonton Soup
Smoked Tea Duck

Jeff: “I could not agree more.”

Neighborhood Bistro: The New French

Chicken Liver and Date Crostini
Pulled Pork on Brioche Roll

Chocolate-Chip Cookie: Downtown Cookie Co.

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Jeff: “Honestly, the one that I had at Hill Country today could give it a run, and at the end of the day, how could this not go to Momofuku Milk Bar, but I am very happy that they did not give two awards to Momofuku.”

Click Here for the Full List >>

AlwaysHungryOlympics: Shinji Nohara Hits the Big Apple

Jeff Zalaznick — February 19, 2009

The AlwaysHungry Olympics is a feature dedicated to gastronomic feats that defy normal human boundaries. These expeditions are a true test of strength, endurance and concentration that can only be achieved through practice and dedication of the mind, body and soul. The AlwaysHungry Olympics demonstrates how some can turn eating into a sport, and on that rare occasion, into an art form.

Shinji Nohara embodies the spirit of AlwaysHungry. As GastroGuide to any American food dignitary who arrives in Tokyo, Shinji is the man to call when you arrive in Japan hungry. Thus, it is no surprise that when I landed in Tokyo last October, he was there to greet me. A ten day Tour de Gluttony ensued, which took us from Tokyo to Kyoto. I left with not only an incredible understanding of the best food Japan has to offer, but also with a great friend who quickly earned the honor of being called AlwaysHungryTokyo. When Shinji emailed me last month and told me he was coming to NY for a night, I knew things had to get serious. Let the games begin:

7 p.m. – Hors D’oeuvres
We met in the Meatpacking District, and walked over to Morimoto as I thought that true Japanese American fusion would be a good warm up for Shinji.

Drinks: Morimototini & Signature Hibiscus cocktail

• Crispy Rock Shrimp Tempura with Spicy ‘Kochujan’ sauce & Wasabi Aioli
• Tuna Pizza with Olives, Anchovy Aïoli & Jalapeño

The Tuna Pizza is a great example of Japanese, Italian and American fusion anywhere, but Morimoto’s culinary genius is best seen in the Rock Shrimp Tempura; a dish that he first invented at Nobu years ago. This one is special because it is an Asian play on American Buffalo Wings, the spicy red sauce is a replica of traditional buffalo wing sauce while the heat of the green wasabi evokes honey mustard.

7:30 p.m. – Appetizer
For the next course, we walked across the street to Del Posto to indulge in some of New York’s best Italian.

Drinks: Prosecco, Dirty Vodka Martinis & Neroni

• Asaggi: Caviar Canapes, Shot of Honey-Wheat Soup, Fried Parmesan Balls, Chicken Tramezzino
• Bread Basket with Homemade Lardo & Butter (arguably the best bread basket in New York)
• Tris of Pasta: Gnocchi al Pesto, Orecchiette with Rabbit, Penne Pacchu-Picchu

Click to go on to the Main Course >>

Dish by Dish: Del Posto

The Hungry Goat — February 17, 2009

Mario Batali & Joe Bastianich’s much-decorated temple of Italian fine dining is the kind of grand place that just makes a diner feel special. The combination of Chef Mark Ladner’s refined, comforting fare and outstanding service is what consistently makes Del Posto an A+ dining experience, and one of AlwaysHungry’s favorite restaurants.

Click Here for the Dish by Dish >>

What’s In A Name?: Soffocone di Vincigliata

Jeff Zalaznick — February 17, 2009

Whenever I go to Dell’Anima, I know that my buddy Joe Campanale (unless he is too busy over at L’Artusi that is) will always pair the delicious homestyle Italian food with a great and interesting bottle of Italian wine. Joe really outdid himself though, when he brought a bottle of the 2006 “Soffocone di Vincigliata” to my table. I was already sold when he told me that the wine had arrived just before it became illegal to import to the US, but it was the liquor authority’s reasoning for this decision that really blew me away.

In order to truly understand this, it is important to examine two incredibly charming aspects of Italian culture:

1) Small Tuscan towns each have their own distinctive character, which is one of the things that makes them so charming. The small town of Vincigliata exemplifies this notion. Located on the outskirts of Florence, Vincigliata is situated right next to the more famous town of Fiesole. Overlooking the beautiful Florentine skyline, tourists mostly know Vincigliata for its views, and, on occasion, for making some decent wines. For locals though, Vincigliata bears a totally different meaning. For Florentines, Vincigliata is the equivalent of “make out point”. Its vineyards are a place for lovers, and the perfect place to play a little game of Nasconda la Salsiccia, known in America as, “Hide The Salami”. In Italy, men live with their mothers until the day they are married (re: the term Mamino), so you can imagine that Vincigliata plays an incredibly significant role as Florentine men come of age.

2) Another charming aspect of Italian culture is the many terms they use for what we here in America call: a “blowjob”. Pompino, or the verb form Spompinare, Trombare or Bofilo all are used frequently. But, in all languages, there is always that term that takes slang to the next level of dirty, and when it comes to a blowjob in Italian, that word is: Suffocone.

After years of watching Florentine coeds roll around in his vineyards, one of the local Vincigliata winemakers decided to make a wine that celebrated this often overlooked part of Florentine life.

Thus, behold, the 2006 Soffocone di Vincgliata ….

In the US, wine labels are not allowed to have any sort of sexual imagery on them, and so, when they finally figured out what was painted on the bottle, that was the end. The wine itself was pretty good, but that being said, I poured half of it out and took the bottle.

Menus Made Simple: Anthos

February 08, 2009

Kakavia: “Greek Bouillabaisse”; fisherman’s stew made from fresh white fish and seafood; similar in style and conception to French bouillabaisse
Seafood Kakavia with Saffron Consomme, Red Crab, Razor Clam, Anchovy & Crouton

Kefalotori Cheese: “Greek Parmesan”; well-flavored sheep’s milk creates a hard cheese much like Italian Parmesan; it has a mild, salty flavor and is marked by scattered little holes
Macaronia: Greek Pasta with Braised Endive, Arugula & Kefalotori Cheese

Pastitsio: “Greek Lasagna”; baked dish consisting of layers of tubular pasta (bucatini or ziti is best) bound with egg and/or cheese, and ground meat flavored with tomato, cinnamon, nutmeg, and/or all-spice, topped with a creamy Bechamel or Mornay sauce
Pastitsio with Feta Macaroni, Garlic Bechamel & Veal Croquette

Spetsofai: “Sausage and Peppers”; a stew that is a typical country dish from Mount Pelion, Greece, where it’s popular in “hanis” or taverns that serve hearty, long-simmered dishes
Grilled Swordfish Spetsofai with Greek Sausage, Pepper & Chanterelle Mushroom

Hilopita: Grecian flat, wide egg noodle
Hilopita: Egg Noodle with Prawn, Grape & Pepperoncini

Kaseri Cheese: “Greek Mozzarella”; buttery soft cheese made from 80% goat’s milk that ranges from mild to sharp, always with an underlying sweetness
Autumn Salad with Cabbage, Kaseri Cheese Tuile, Pear & Radish

Click Here to Decipher More Menu Items >>

Menus Made Simple: Bouley

February 05, 2009

Crosnes: (aka Chinese/Japanese Artichokes or Chorogi) small, white potato-like tubers with marble-sized sections that increase in size towards the middle; they grow like potatoes but resemble sunchokes; named after a town in France where they were first raised; most of the flavor resides in the skin
Wild King Salmon with Morels, Crosnes, Morel Purée, Fava Beans A la Plancha, Naval Orange Powder & Clementine Glaze

Yellowfoot Chantarelles: grown along the coasts of Oregon and California because of their love of moisture; they have yellow stems and are considered winter mushrooms; pairs great with wild game because of its fruity, plum aroma
Pennsylvania All-Natural Chicken with a Ravioli of Chicken Confit, Yellow Foot Chanterelles & Chicken Hazelnut Sauce

Pruneaux D’agen: name-protected by the European Union, Agen prunes are the dried fruit of the Ente plum tree that grows in the Aquitaine region of France.
Seared New York State Foie Gras with Pruneaux D’agen & Apple-Rosemary Purée

Cavaillon Melon: named from the town in France they originated and now being grown worldwide, the best ones come from France and are smaller than a grapefruit with bright orange flesh and smooth pale yellowish skin with green rinds; the melons are grown from seeds and must be inspected to be labeled “Cavaillon”; increased heaviness and a sweet, intoxicating aroma are indications of ripeness; best enjoyed in July & August
Braised Hawaiian Yellowtail with Cavaillon Melon, Hon-Shimeji Mushrooms and an Aromatic Ginger Sauce

Hon-Shimeji Mushroom: edible mushrooms native to East Asia that are difficult to cultivate so cultivation methods have been patented by several groups and the resulting mushrooms are available through manufacturers; similar to porcini and truffles, these type of mushrooms are bitter when raw but upon cooking become firm with a slight nutty-flavor
Braised Hawaiian Yellowtail with Cavaillon Melon, Hon-Shimeji Mushrooms and an Aromatic Ginger Sauce

Click Here to Decipher Dinner Entrees & Desserts >>