September 29, 2006
For those of you who like to be informed, here's a great event from the AIWF's Professional Series
WORKSHOP #5 – Future Trends
What does the future culinary map look like? Will foie gras and veal disappear from menus? How about trans fats? Will coffee and tea sommeliers become the norm in fine dining restaurants? What is the fate of the traditional white tablecloth? Will automation in the kitchen and the front of the house bring about changes in how restaurants are staffed?From menus to merchandising, join our panel of experts as they discuss what drives trends and how new trends are incorporated into the mainstream. Find out why some trends thrive and others never really take off.
Date:Thursday, October 12, 2006
Time:6:30 to 8:30PM
Where:New YorkUniversity
Address:35 West 4th Street, 10th Fl, NYC
Transportation:A, C, E, F & V Trains to West 4th
size="3">Panelists:
Antoinette Bruno, Editor-in-chief, StarChefs.com Fred Kaufmann, Professor, CityUniversity of New York Steve Zagor, Professor, Institute of Culinary Education & New YorkUniversity Jocelyn Zuckerman, Articles editor, Gourmet magazine
Tickets:FREE! AIWF-Student members & students who join at registration time.$15 per person AIWF members & guests
Reservations:Tel: 718-229-6565Visit: www.aiwf.org Nerrisa Charles, AIWF-New York Chapter Office
Tags:
AIWF, Antoinette Bruno, foodie event, Fred Kaufman, Jocelyn Zuckerman, Stave Zagor
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September 26, 2006
Women On Top Sunday, October 1st, 6:00PM Night
& Day Restaurant 718-399-2162 http://www.nightanddayrestaurant.com/
230
5th Avenue,
Brooklyn
Readings
by: Patricia Grossman, Yona Zeldis McDonough and Susan Miller
Men have long penned poetry and prose
about women; they have imagined the female mind and have defined her role in
both life and literature. Centuries of her desires, hopes and dreams have been
recorded for the most part by men.But,
we like to believe, times have changed, and there is more opportunity for the
female to explore her own voice, to celebrate her successes and to define her
role in the world. Join as for an evening of women not as the passenger but as
the driver of the buggy. Women on top of the word.
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Patricia
Grossman is the author of
four novels, her most recent, Brian in Three Seasons, won the 2006 Ferro
Grumley award for fiction. She has also published short works in the journal
Calyx.
A
short Patricia Grossman reading list: Brian in Three Seasons by Patricia Grossman (Hardcover - Nov 5,
2005) Unexpected Child by Patricia Grossman (Paperback - Dec 1,
2000) Four Figures in Time by Patricia Grossman (Paperback - Nov 1,
1995) Inventions in a Grieving House: A Novella by Patricia Grossman (Paperback - Mar
1991)
Yona
Zeldis McDonough is the
author of two novels and is the editor of two essay collections.Her articles and short fiction have been
published in a number of literary and national publications, including Redbook, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan,
Family Circle, O, The Oprah Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Metropolitan
Home And Bride’s.She lives in Park
Slope, Brooklyn with her husband and their two
children.
A
short Yona Zeldis McDonough reading list: In Dahlia’s Wake The Four Temperaments The Barbie Chronicles: A Living Doll Turns
Forty All The Available Light: A Marilyn Monroe
Reader
Susan L. Miller teaches creative writing at RutgersUniversity and composition at New York
City College of Technology.She has
taught creative writing at both New YorkHospital and GoldwaterHospital
and has also taught at FIT.Her poems
have been published in the Iowa Review, Black Warrior Review, Meridian, Calyx, and elsewhere.
Tags:
Brian in Three Seasons, feminism, In Dahlias Wake, Night and Day Restaurant, Patricia Grossman, poetry, Susan Miller, Women on top, Yona McDonough
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September 18, 2006
BREAD TriBeCa
301 Church St. (btwn. West Broadway and Church St.)
Manhattan
Phone: 212-334-0200
Fax: 212-334-3272
www.breadtribeca.com
When looking for more than just great bread to dip into a ramekin of superb olive oil, stop by BREAD Tribeca, cousin to Bread on Spring Street, and now an upscale-bohemian palace of Italian delights.
A sprinkling of neatly appointed terrace tables in front beckons diners, and tucks BREAD neatly into the neighborhood, giving the outward appearance of a place that has been there for a number of years. Step through the portal and inhale the wondrous Mediterranean aromas that envelope the dining room, then stop at the bar to your right and have a glass of Prosecco while you take in the sights and sounds. But ignore the distracting big screen TV with its repeating movie loop; it adds nothing to the experience. Focus instead on the action taking place in the semi-open kitchen. This is the epicenter of Chef Sarah Jenkins’ magic. If possible, get a table away from the front door and closer to the front window.
While BREAD is the namesake and some say the star of this corner eatery, there are plenty of other culinary morsels that make this a more robust dining experience. Start with the fritto misto, a mixture of fried seafood (calamari and mussels, among others) and vegetables or the Octopus Carpaccio. Many of the entrees are standards expected at any Italian eatery (like penne), but there are a few surprises, such as the homemade Pappardelle with rabbit ragu. The pizza choices are solid and satisfying, so it is best to go with the flavors you like most. The wood-fired brick oven gives a great smoky flavor to everything that goes inside, so enjoy! Also good are the panini and the crostini, especially the Sardines, Tomatoes and Peperonciano on a baguette.
Good-bye to Liguria: When BREAD first opened, the cuisine promised was Ligurian, a fresh “blue & green” cuisine that features seafood, greens, nuts & berries. Now, the menu is all over the place: Genoan, Tuscan, South Italian, Bolognese. It has great points and mediocre points; you can choose what you know, or you can go out on a limb and order something you weren’t expecting, such as the poached chicken.
The only downsides are the acoustic imperfections of the room, which allow conversation to ricochet in rapid fire, the weak dessert offerings, and of course the change of direction from Liguria to pan-Italy. Liguria was a rarity, whereas Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli Bolognese sauce can be found all over town. Also, the website is perhaps the least helpful/interesting/informative of those out there.
Tags:
BREAD Tribeca, Chef Sara Jenkins, olive oil, Tribeca
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September 14, 2006
Madison Bistro 238 Madison Ave @ 37th Street New York, NY 10016 (212) 447-1919
This quiet and quaint bistro evokes those neighborhood haunts that make Paris the cuisine scene that it is. Far from the glam and glitter that marks so many eateries in this town, Madison Bistro evokes Parisian culinary tradition, comfort food and the joy of sitting down to a fine glass of wine and a bite to eat.
Enter a room that feels as if it has been suspended in time, the kind of place writers and artists would frequent for a drink and a little conversation. A few tiny tables inhabit the front window area, just in front of the bar, where most of the action takes place. Here, Happy Hour features $5 cocktails and peek at the dining room on the lower, split level.
The menu is inspired by traditional French plates, such as foie gras and charcuterie) with Mediterranean touches (taboule and grilled sardines). Try the sliced tomatoes with red wine reduction sauce and basil sorbet, or the grilled asparagus with sliced parmesan. The best items are those that appeal to the comfort-food lover, such as the rack of lamb, the braised short ribs, the bouillabaisse and the steak tartar. Desserts are not are as exciting as they could be. Better quality chocolate might help.
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The service is just what it needs to be for the place that it is; the staff do no aspire to be 3-star attentive. The best thing is that they let you talk and enjoy your meal without interrupting you to ask if you want more Pelligrino or other such thing. In short, you almost feel as though you are in your own home or among friends.
Great date place, great place to meet dear friends or to pop in for a glass of wine after shopping in the neighborhood. The food is a little expensive for what it is, but that goes with the neighborhood.
Tags:
French comfort food, glam, glitter, Madison Bistro, rack of lamb
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September 12, 2006
Now that Fashion Week is over and the pencil-thin skeletoids parading around as “models” (please, do not aspire to be them, little girls) have been returned to their pencil boxes, the rest of us can return to eating and not feel gorge-zillas.
What’s on the menu? What is “hot” in the world of culinary fashion?
Florida Shrimp – this semi-branded crustacean is appearing on many menus; with the Gulf still recovering from the horrors of Kartina, look for a rise in regional branding from what was once a very generic market. When will be see “Louisiana Shrimp” on the mindful menu?
Organic or specialty eggs – quail, duck or artisanal to the point that we know the hen who laid the egg, look for eggs as the star or as the exclamation point of many dishes. I’d like to see Peacock eggs, as well.
Squab & squab foie gras – great for those worried about portion control
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Tamarind for dessert – in a variety of contexts
Branded products – Look for lots of locally or near-locally produced specialty items
Sunchokes – back from an earlier and brief craze – take your Gas-X before committing to this root.
Lavender – Look for it with honey & other sweet flavors but in a savory dish
Beets – not those disgusting canned beets from your school days, but roasted beets, appearing everywhere from salads to sides to purees
A peek at Daniel: – quail eggs & squab foie-gras. Enjoy the foie-gras while you can. Get some before the ban!
A peek at Bouley – Lots of branded items such as Indian Nations wild rice, New York state foie gras, Chatham cod.
A squeak at the Spotted Pig – Duck eggs as appetizer
Le Bernadin – Squab & black truffle
Le Cirque – the Chatham cod returns, as well as the Blue Fin – two virtually endangered species.
For the Babettes: Here are a few tips for dining out as we careen towards the holidays.
Please do not wear fur, but if you must, please do not bring it out before it is really COLD outside (unless you are trying to warm up the blood in your extremities). Do not ask for a house salad as your main course. If you are on a diet, just don’t go out to a top-rated restaurant and munch on leaves like a bovine while your dinner date enjoys his Peekytoe crab. Please, do not hold your plate up and, while chewing, shout to your friends, “Hey! This is really good. Want to try some?” If you must be seen, and you must, do not expect to sit at the most conspicuous table at the most exclusive restaurant – unless you are 20 years old, rail thin and with a mogul of some kind or the other. Otherwise, feel lucky you got that reservation. Do not try to guess the name of the hostess because you think you can score a better table that way. Just slip her the bribe like everyone else does. Please, if you must flirt with a man on your way to the ladies room, make sure his wife is not standing right next to him. Please do not speak loudly and in cryptic tones on your cell phone, like “I can’t talk right now. You wouldn’t understand. This time, I know what I’m doing.” If your skin is visibly orange, change tanning products. Otherwise, you will clash with virtually every décor in the city. Even though you are a princess, do not expect any of the 500,000 or so other princesses in NYC to treat you like one at the coat check. Please, for the love of God, stop mentioning how many pairs of Prada you own every time you are in public.
Tags:
Babette, Bouley, Daniel, duck eggs, fashion week, Florida shrimp, foie gras, food fashion, lavender, quail eggs, squab, sunchokes, trends
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