What to do on December 31st with that special someone? Celebrate the New Year in New York aboard a luxury yacht. Right around this time of year I receive dozens of inquiries about what sort of special dining experience can be combined with an unusually memorable event, and this assuredly is my top choice.
Thus, why not ring in 2009 with an absolutely unforgettable experience? Enjoy fantastic views of the New York skyline as you cruise the harbor, and front-row seats to the World Famous Grucci Fireworks display at the Statue of Liberty. This elegant three-hour cruise around New York harbor features a sumptuous five-course dinner, hors d'oeuvres, champagne toast, premium open bar, party favors and great music from the DJ to dance the night away.
Board at 9pm from the West 41st Street Marina, set sail at 10pm, and you'll return in 2009 around 1 am—a dockside party continues until 1:30am.
Remember to book now as this cruise is extremely popular and has limited space.
Do take note: Jeans, shorts and sneakers are not permitted at any time. Gentlemen: jackets are required for dinner.
Tags:
cruise, holiday pick, new years eve
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Posted on 12/4/2008
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Another intriguing Thanksgiving option would be Chef David Bouley's three-course prix fixe menu for $75 at Secession:
Appetizers
Wild Mushroom Terrine with Mascarpone Dressing
or
Chatham Calamari a la Plancha with Ocean Herbal Broth
or
Hass Avocado, Princess Crab, Tomato Coulis and Tarragon Dressing
Entrees
Organic Pennsylvania Turkey, Pumpkin and Squash Purée, Cranberry Chutney and Roasted Brussels Sprouts
or
Organic Rack of Lamb, Fingerling Potato Purée and Glazed Turnips
Desserts
Hot Granny Smith Apple Tart with Homemade Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream
or
Banana-Chocolate Brioche with Prune Armagnac Ice Cream
For reservations, please call Secession at 212 791 3771 or click here.
Tags:
david bouley, secession, thanksgiving
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Posted on 11/24/2008
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You might consider something ambitious and intriguing this Thanksgiving, an Italian feast at Alloro. The background: Gina Corea, lured her husband and business partner Chef Salvatore Corea from his hometown in Italy to her hometown in New York. While Chef Salvatore has opened other New York City restaurants and currently owns Cacio e Pepe, he recently opened Alloro with Gina, thus fulfilling his dream of opening an old-fashioned, family-run restaurant.
On this Thanksgiving, Gina and Salvatore will be serving an Italian inspired feast from 1:30pm - 9:30pm.
Prix Fixe Menu - $40 per person
Polpettine di tacchino con salsa di vitello e salvia fritta
Turkey meat balls in veal sauce with fried sage
* * *
Ravioli di zucca con fonduta di parmigiano e caramello al vino rosso
Pumpkin ravioli over a Parmesan fondue and red wine caramel
* * *
Tacchino ripieno alle prugne con salsa di zucca,
tortino di melanzane e cioccolato e polvere di liquirizia
Turkey stuffed with prunes in a pumpkin sauce
served with an eggplant and chocolate tart and licorice powder
* * *
Tiramisùdi zucca con salsa di pesca
Pumpkin tiramisu in peach sauce
Chef Salvatore has graciously shared his pumpkin ravioli recipe with us, and it is a wonderful autumn dish—whether served as a side dish at your Thanksgiving table or as a main course:
PUMPKIN RAVIOLI IN A PARMESEAN FONDUE WITH A RED WINE REDUCTION
Serves: 4
1 lb. pumpkin ravioli—can be purchased at specialty food shops or made at home.
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 lb. grated Parmesan cheese
1 bottle dry red wine (not cooking wine)
3/4 cup white sugar
Put 4 quarts of water in a pot on high heat, cover, and bring to a boil.
For the Parmesan Fondue:
Over medium heat, melt cheese and whipping cream together into a creamy mixture, stirring continually for about 5 minutes. While still hot, using a wire strainer, drain mixture into a sauté pan and set aside.
For the Red Wine Reduction:
In large sauté pan, reduce wine and sugar over medium heat until it becomes syrupy, stirring continually for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place ravioli in boiling water until they float to top of water; do not overcook. Drain. Coat the ravioli in Parmesan Fondue. Plate ravioli and top with a splash of the red wine reduction.
photograph: Pumpkin Ravioli à la Chef Salvatore Corea
Tags:
alloro, pumpkin ravioli, salvatore corea, thanksgiving
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Posted on 11/18/2008
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One of the thrills of this business—particularly in times of recession—is returning to an old favorite to see how a business fares. Some months ago, we rejoiced in the news that Picholine was offering $50 gift cards in honor of its 15th anniversary. This seemed to be yet another of Terrance Brennan's clever marketing strategies; rather than announce what effectively becomes a 10% off dinner for two, Brennan instead gains valuable marketing insights into his clientele by issuing such cards. The diners, convinced of receiving a great value—and it is—happily return to the restaurant. As we had recently given too much attention to Brennan's other signature restaurant, Artisanal, we were thus pleasantly surprised to discover a nearly-full Picholine last night, and proceeded apace to order the Tasting Menu, a superb seven-course meal with wine pairings.
For those who haven't visited Picholine since 2006, Brennan's renovations feature a modern design to match the Mediterranean cuisine. The wine and cheese bar, while nearly deserted last night, has a stripped-down menu that offers excellent values and clever pairings. The two main dining rooms, with 84 seats, offer intimacy and tranquility. In fact, it was more than two hours into our three-hour dinner that we for the first time espied a mobile phone; we cannot recall any experiencing in any other top-ranked restaurant in recent years so much edenic respite from the ever-trilling cell.
A clever amuse of tempura oyster mushrooms on skewers inserted into a vase of wheatgrass and pink rock salt set the mood. Served with a green-hued dipping sauce and a cauliflower panna cotta and paired with a glass of Champagne, this starter evoked the end of summer, reminding us of the spectacular Columbus Day weekend weather. We quickly moved to a Hudson Valley Farms Foie Gras Torchon with pistachio crust accompanied by sweet and sour heirloom beets. There followed some exquisite Sheep Milk Ricotta Gnocchi with artichoke barigoule, bottarga and parsley pistou. Part of the joy of this modest portion was gazing upon the various colors, which of course changed as the pistou was stirred into the gnocchi and ultra-thin shavings of vegetables. There followed a succulent portion of Nantucket Sea Scallops with cauliflower silk, crumble and grapefruit grenobloise, an intriguing blend of textures of flavors. Having up to this point consumed solely white wines—including an impressively splendid Quarts de Chaume, a charming Loire, and a crisp Alsatian from Marcel Deiss—we politely balked at being served a Chardonnay with the next course, and instead received a solid and refreshing Italian pinot noir from Piemonte to accompany the Roasted John Dory with salsify textures and mushroom "cappuccino". The foam into which we dipped bites of the John Dory was truly memorable. How to describe the next course? Jamison Farm Lamb with tomato tarte tatin, fennel and arugula pesto was truly divine, small bites of tender lamb matched to an impressive Zinfandel. Though a modestly effervescent dessert wine did not stand up to the various cheeses we selected that ranged from the hard Swiss mountain Hoch-Ybrig to the sheep's milk Berkswell from England to the blissfully unctuous Stanser Fladä, we were pleased with the accompanying chutney and medjool dates. While the fabled cheese service seems no longer as elegant nor innovative as we jaded folk remember, we do take great pleasure that each diner still receives The Cheeses of Picholine brochure to take home and admire, with his/her selections marked as an aide-memoire. The Warm Caramel Apple Brioche with apple salad and salted caramel ice cream matched both mood and season whereas the outstanding Liquid Chocolate “Tart” with Earl Grey Meringue and Confiture de Lait Sorbet was out of this world. We were surprised by an additional dessert that arrived with a marzipan tablet engraved "congratulations"; our ever-alert captain "thought I had overheard something was being celebrated" and accordingly took action. While the congratulatory remark concerned a modest bi-weekly foreign-language quiz at Columbia University, we were of course reminded at how Picholine continuously manages to dazzle the clientele through gracious gestures, by allowing substitutions and by meeting the discerning guest's every need.
Tags:
artisanal, picholine, terrance brennan
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Posted on 10/15/2008
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Mayor Bloomberg welcomed hundreds of invited guests and JetBlue staff to the new Terminal 5 at JFK this afternoon, and our primary interest was to examine all these new restaurants and innovative dining options that make Terminal 5 the United States' most advanced airline terminal for dining:
We wanted to have a quick chat with the star chefs prior to the hundreds of people arriving for tastings, and we first caught up with Alexandra Raij of Piquillo; Lee Hanson of Brasserie La Vie; and Roberto Santibañez of Revolucion:
Prior to showing you photographs of these forthcoming restaurants, we want to underscore the properties are not yet completed. Thus, you will see additional tweaks and furnishings when the terminal opens in October. Now on to the food. Obviously you would expect a superior Spanish ham from Piquillo:
Chef Hanson of La Vie has a really attractive Brasserie:
Chef Santibañez of Revolucion had Mexican specialties prepared:
JetBlue fans already know Deep Blue Sushi from Terminal 6. Deep Blue also has a number of packaged grab-and-go sushi and noodle dishes for sale adjacent to the restaurant:
Don't miss the innovative trattoria Aeronuova from well-known Del Posto chef Mark Ladner:
We were impressed with the 51 tv screens and 48 beers on tap at New York Sports Grill:
At this point, we know you really want to see how the Re:Vive experience works—ordering food right at your gate. You'll find a number of terminals and pleasant countertops with seating for your delivery meal:
Sandwich, anyone? Are you additionally drooling over all those power outlets at your countertop? 
Here's how it works—just touch what interests you:
Let's try the Artisanal Cheese Plate:
Seems we'll be getting gorgonzola, aged cheddar, Danish brie with spice nuts and grilled flat bread. Also the beer suggestion seems quite appropriate:
Though we would prefer a Sam Adams to the Heineken Light, and it's no problem to order it:
And it seems our order will be delivered in just 12 minutes:
Do we want to tip 15% for that delivery or 20%?
There's our total—and we'll just swipe our test credit card into the terminal:
The terminal offers other food options in smaller stores such as the Cibo Express:
Not to mention numerous shopping possibilities, including one of our favorites, Muji:
Finally the hundreds of eager guests and JetBlue employees were admitted:
So it was time for us to depart via antique TWA aircraft:
Just kidding—we wanted you to see the completely brand-new baggage claim prior to our departure:
We had a Leo DeCaprio moment on our way out, staring as we did at the old TWA Terminal:
Our thanks to OTG Management, JetBlue, Dan Klores Communications—and the all participating star chefs who await you in October.
All photographs copyright © NYC.com.
Tags:
aeronuova, alexandra raij, brasserie la vie, deep blue sushi, jetblue, lee hanson, mark ladner, mayor bloomberg, muji, new york sports grill, piquillo, revive, revolucion, roberto santibanez, terminal 5, twa
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Posted on 9/22/2008
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