Trendspotting: Lamb Belly
Maryse Chevrière — April 23, 2010
Clockwise from top: Crispy Colorado Lamb Belly at Perilla, Kleftiko of Lamb Belly with Tzatziki at August, Duo of Lamb: Loin, Belly, Carrot Purée, Ramps, Morels at 5 & Diamond.
We had a feeling that lamb belly was going to take off, and now the proof is rolling in.
An early player in the trend, August’s Kleftiko of Lamb Belly, was profiled back in January. Then lamb belly showed up again at the SoBe Wine and Food Festival event, BubbleQ, in a form of a BLT from Lonesome Dove Western Bistro’s chef Tim Love. And even more recently in New York at chef Ryan Skeen’s new restaurant, 5 & Diamond.
And now, Harold Dieterle too has hopped on the lamb belly bandwagon. Perilla’s Crispy Colorado Lamb Belly has only been on the menu for two or three weeks, but this rendition might just be the trendiest of all, considering it is served over a bed of— you guessed it— black Beluga lentils.
Here, the shreds of meat have been fashioned into a meatball— seared and crispy on the outside, tender inside. Not as fatty as you might expect, not as gamy either. Lentils add a toothsome bite, a more assertive texture. They’re mixed with pickled rhubarb, and small slices of pink muscat grapes for a citrusy-sour tang effect. You’ll find Banyuls-vanilla caramel in there too, unexpectedly, for a sweet note.
Trendspotting: Beluga Lentils
Jeff Zalaznick — April 20, 2010
Aromatica Organics’ Black Beluga Lentils, available at Whole Foods.
A Whole Foods employee said they’ve been selling Black Beluga Lentils for years, (a bag of turmeric-smelling dry Black Beluga Lentils goes for $5.39), so they’re not exactly a secret, but they there is no doubt that they are having a moment on the New York restaurant scene.
Vinegar Hill House makes a Beluga Lentil and Foie Gras Presse, Recette is serving them with Branzino and Roasted Parsnip Purée, and they’re at the very top of the menu at Anita Lo’s newly-reopened Annisa. Beluga Lentils have also been showing up regularly in recent restaurant reviews, recipes, and at events. Be on the look out and you too will find the path of Beluga Lentils.
Best of 2009: Trends and 2010 Predictions
Jeff Zalaznick — December 23, 2009
It’s that time of year again. Time for reflection and prediction. As we leave the aughts behind, we look back at the trends that changed New York City’s food landscape in 2009 and ponder what’s in store for 2010. We are going to take a positive spin: those that we hope will remain and those we eagerly anticipate.
TRENDS 2009
1. Best Steaks, Not From a Steakhouse New York has always been known for our steakhouses, but this year the best meat was ripped from the house’s hands and put into the control of some of the city’s best restaurants. Much of this loosened grip has to do with the all-star quality and distribution ability of Pat LaFrieda (watch video). Though I love me a Porterhouse at Peter Luger’s, a Rib-eye at Strip House and a Double Eagle Strip at Del Frisco’s, they have been surpassed by the Côte de Boeuf at Minetta Tavern, the Rib-eye for Two at Locanda Verde, the Strip at Marea. The list goes on and on. It was also the year that the bone in rib-eye finally rose up to overtake the porterhouse as King of all Steaks. It was only a matter of time. This is a major advancement across the board.
2. Haute Dogs The hot dog went gourmet and I am not complaining. Crif Dogs has been doing impressive things with the genre for a while now (though their new usage of “everything bagel spice” is very exciting), but restaurants like DBGB, Fatty Crab UWS and Cabrito are jumping into the mix with some seriously delicious contenders. This is one that I think will continue to grow in the next year.
3. Omnipresent Octopus Seriously, think about every restaurant you’ve visited lately and ask yourself if there was octopus on the menu. I guarantee that more often than not, no matter the cuisine or price-range, this cephalopod was probably present. And why not? It’s economical to serve, and recently, the average rendition is fabulous. I am so happy that chefs have finally learned how to prepare it so well, leaving the chewy childhood memories behind. Also, keep an eye out for sweetbreads, I think that they are starting to fall into the same category.
PREDICTIONS 2010
1. Artisanal Italian beer everywhere.
2. Large-format alternative (not steak or chicken) proteins for two.
3. Lamb belly becomes the new pork belly.
4. Italian Small Plate (aka “Stuzzichini”) Restaurants
5. Brain is the hot new Offal
6. Mexican Infusion: Fusion Cuisine and Sandwich Revolution.
AlwaysInvestigating: Trifle-Spotting
The Gluttoness — November 04, 2009
Left to right, The Standard Grill’s ‘Deal Closer,’ Yerba Buena Perry’s Tres Leches Parfait and Gansevoort 69’s Banana Cream Pie.
During my fall tour of new restaurants, I’ve noticed three desserts that use the trifle composition to reinvigorate familiar dishes. You may recall one, The Deal Closer. It was recently a Featured Dessert.
The Standard Grill’s (view), “The Deal Closer” ($12.00) is fun to eat just because you get to do it with a spatula. Putting that aside, this ginormous dessert actually features trifle-like layers of bittersweet chocolate mousse and moist chocolate cake.
Yerba Buena Perry’s (view) three-layered Tres Leches Parfait ($9.00) features traditional Tres Leches Cake at the bottom of the glass topped with Pisco Panna Cotta and a slightly spiced Mexican chocolate mousse. Tres leches is fantastic alone, but even better topped with two complementary, sinful sweets.
Gansevoort 69 (view) also re-imagines a classic with a trifle composition: Banana Cream Pie ($10.00) built for two. A fudge brownie serves as the “black bottom crust” and a gooey coating of chocolate ganache makes for additional decadence. The rest is true-blue banana cream pie—thick banana pastry cream and bananas, topped with whipped cream that spills over the edges of the ceramic dish.
AlwaysInvestigating: Doing the Japanese Boogie
The Gluttoness — September 22, 2009
There will always be trends in menu writing. It has been popular for a while to source ingredients, like with Eleven Madison Park’s citing Four Story Hill Farm’s suckling pig and Momofuku Noodle Bar highlighting Bev Eggleston’s pork belly. Then there’s the trend of using quotation marks for kitschy effects, most notably overused by David Burke, take for example, Fishtail’s Swordfish “Steak Frites” or davidburke townhouse’s Lobster “Pot Pie.”
Recently, I’ve noticed a trend of anthropomorphism on Japanese menus, in particular the use of the term “dancing” to describe dishes. And while I wasn’t expecting anything to waltz across the table, one of the three examples of these dishes I found did come close to performing the Japanese boogie.
Spicy Dancing Shrimp at barMasa.
The fried prawns in barMasa’s, “Spicy Dancing Shrimp” ($26) have an unbelievably delicate coating. The airy, accompanying shells (edible elements) were fanned away from the flesh of the shrimp, whose gradual spice builds to a culinary crescendo. Best eaten alone, their heavenly crispness melts on the tongue like shrimp chips. Creamy, spicy mayonnaise made for a rich accoutrement. A sprinkle of shiso pepper enhanced the fiery flavor, but fresh lemon juice assuaged the flames with a bright, citrus tang.
AlwaysPartying: Poutine Tasting (Park Slope, Brooklyn)
Josh Kaplan — June 26, 2009
Wednesday night at the Australian Park Slope gastropub, Sheep Station, Chef Martine Lafond (a Quebec transplant) held a Poutine tasting in honor of “La St. Jean Baptiste,” (Saint Jean Baptiste Day, June 24th), a national holiday of Quebec that celebrates French Canadian culture.
Poutine has been on the rise around the city. Draft Barn threw a disco fry tasting this week. TPoutine is supposed to open on Ludlow soon. Even the swanky Hotel Griffou makes poutine with duck confit. This Canadian junk food classic, (French fries cheese curds and gravy) is said to have its etymological roots in the Quebecois slang, “une maudite poutine,” which describes what it resembles, “an unholy mess.”
Of the three poutines at the tasting —Classic, Chicken and Peas, and Italian— the first (above) was the best. Fries were bathed in a straightforward pan gravy and topped with five curds— salty, chewy bites reminiscent of mozzarella balls. There just weren’t enough curds.
Click for AlwaysHungryNY.com's poutine pictures and descriptions >>
AlwaysQuestioning: Terrance Brennan & Bradford Thompson of Bar Artisanal
The Gluttoness — May 26, 2009
Together, Executive Chef, Terrance Brennan (of Artisanal and Picholine) and Consulting Chef, Bradford Thompson (formerly of Lever House) are delighting diners with their ““French”:http://www.alwayshungryny.com/thought-for-food/tag/French/ inspired” interpretation of Mediterranean small plates in an extension of the Artisanal brand, Bar Artisanal. AlwaysHungryNY recently sat down with these two chefs who have turned the failed Trigo space into a grand bistro in TriBeCa. When the kitchen at Bar Artisanal has settled into a routine, Brad hopes to open a restaurant with French and West Indian themes. In the meantime, the two are perfecting dishes, and eating plenty along the way.
AHNY: Are you Always Hungry?
BT: I’d say so, yeah…for adventure.
TB: No, because I nosh all day, especially with the new restaurant.
AHNY: So, what did you eat today?
BT: Two espressos and a cappuccino. We had a photo shoot all day. Oh, and granola.
TB: We had the photo shoot, so I tasted the Pizza, Chutney, Steak Tartare}thought-for-food/tag/Steak-Tartare/, Roquefort Parfait, Chickpea Frites, Oysters and Hangar Steak.
Brennan & Thompson on trends, snack foods and 'must-have' ingredients >>
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