November 10, 2009
Posted by Carey Jones, November 9, 2009 at 5:00 PM
[Photo: Carey Jones]
Chef Ana Sortun is no stranger to spice. Chef and owner of Boston's Oleana and the James Beard 2005 Best Chef: Northeast, she has won numerous accolades for her daring Mediterranean-inspired cooking, drawing in spices and flavors both traditional and experimental.
And in a dinner of pairings, there may be no better pair than Chef Sortun and Lior Lev Sercarz, himself a seasoned chef and owner of La Boîte à Epice. Sercarz provides custom spice blends for numerous chefs, sourcing from across the globe and crafting his own flavors to complement their work. Armed with a selection of Sercarz's spices, Sortun along with Oleana's chef de cuisine Cassie Kyriakides Piuma and pastry chef Maura Kilpatrick created a truly memorable seven course meal at New York's James Beard House.
Our photo gallery, after the jump.
Interested in more James Beard dinners? Become a JBF friend for $29, and a fellow, gaining discounted access to dinners and events, for $250. Check the website for more information.
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Posted by Carey Jones, November 9, 2009 at 1:30 PM
[Photos: Robyn Lee]
Moving Onto The Next Round:
Levain
Yura on Madison
Bouchon Bakery
In our first round of tastings for the Serious Eats Chocolate Chip Cookie Championship, we're headed uptown, to the Upper East and Upper West Sides. After combing the bakeries, asking our commenters, and doing a few preliminary nibbles, we've settled on eight: Levain, Bouchon Bakery, Two Little Red Hens, Hampton Chutney Company, Citarella, Fairway, Yura on Madison, and Silver Moon Bakery.
The blind taste test, and our favorite chocolate chip cookies uptown, after the jump.
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Posted by Carey Jones, November 9, 2009 at 1:15 PM
Who is the tastiest cookie of them all? [Photo: Robyn Lee]
Let's be honest: it's hard to make a bad chocolate chip cookie. Anytime you've got something sweet, warm, and chocolatey emerging from the oven, odds are, it's going to taste great.
And yet there's that perfect cookie we all dream about. A precise balance of buttery, sweet, and salty. Fine chocolate that plays a big part but doesn't overwhelm. And perhaps most importantly, it's crisp around the edges, but soft and melty in the middle.
At Serious Eats, we're on a constant quest for that Platonic ideal of a cookie. So we decided to formalize our efforts to find New York's best. Much as we'd love to pit forty or fifty cookies against each other in a blind tasting, we didn't think even our professional sweet teeth could take it. Thus we've broken it into rounds, playoff-style. The result? The Serious Eats New York Chocolate Chip Cookie Championships.
Our methodology and the first installation, after the jump.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 9, 2009 at 1:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy Chan]
Hands down, one of my favorite breakfast pastries in the city. I've had many, and I mean, many, morning pastries in the city, and Caffe Falai's Chocolate-Pear Turnover ($3) remains at the top of my list. This turnover is always flawlessly executed, with half a sweet pear smothered in dark chocolate, and nestled between the flaky, buttery sheets. Dusted in cocoa powder and powdered sugar, it's not too small and not too big, a fine way to start the morning with a cup of coffee. The turnover dough is crisp and light—it's a messy affair, but worthwhile.
Caffe Falai
265 Lafayette Street, New York NY 10012 (map)
212-274-8615
falainyc.com/caffe
Posted by Kathy YL Chan, November 9, 2009 at 11:30 AM
[Photos: Kathy Chan]
It's always around this time of year, just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, that my fatty greasy cravings intensify to alarming degrees. Fries are constantly on my mind, along with milkshakes and doughnuts and buttery pastas. It's no wonder, then, that I've found myself at the recently opened T-Poutine on the Lower East Side on far too many occasions. Gourmet? No. Satisfies those greasy hankerings? Oh yes.
I'll tell you first, this is a meal to split if you know what's good for your health. Your heart and cholesterol will forever thank you. T-Poutine is packed on weekend evenings, but during the weekdays, it's frequently empty. Those are the times when I like this place —quiet and with plenty of seating.
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Posted by Joe DiStefano, November 9, 2009 at 10:00 AM
"Nothing screams glamour more than a gargantuan kimchi-filled bun marked with furrows deeper than a Klingon's forehead."
[Photos: Joe DiStefano]
The awning reads "Oriental Glamour," but the Korean name of this spot is Ming Chan Dong. After a chat with Paulie Sunhine, my dry cleaner to whom I regularly turn for advice on all matters Korean, I'm pretty sure the name roughly translates to many bright appetizers from the East. Indeed, as this Chowhound post shows, there are tons of appetizers and entrees both Northern Chinese and Korean. I stopped by the other day with my heart and stomach set on trying just one: kimchi jjin bbang. After all, nothing screams glamour more than a gargantuan kimchi-filled bun marked with furrows deeper than a Klingon's forehead.
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[Photo: Robyn Lee]
- Cuban sandwich from El Castillo de Jagua [TGWAE]
- Street quiche from Street Sweets [Eating in Translation]
- Croquetas, "spinach, pinenut and raisin in oblongs and shrimp in balls, were the highlight" at Mercat Negre [Goodies FIrst]
- Best dessert at Ed's Chowder House: a "nearly crust-less and flavorful lemon meringue pie." [Dessert Buzz]
Posted by Carey Jones, November 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM
Over at her own blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything, Serious Eats and AHT editor Robyn Lee (the eye that brings you 95% of the prettier photos on this site) has an incredible guide to sandwiches—from grilled cheese to Cubans to banh mi and more. While it's largely New York-centric, she forays into Paris, Chile, Norway, and beyond. Not a recommended read on an empty stomach.
Posted by Carey Jones, November 8, 2009 at 3:00 PM
There are still a few hours before tonight's Mad Men season finale, but take heart—we've got the "season preview" of Milk Men, a 1960s-set show of sex, secrets, and, well, milk, right here.
Highlights of this season? An eager young girl joins the team. ("A female milkman? That's rich. What could a woman know about milk?") President Kennedy passes the "Safe Milk Act," imperiling the entire operation. Kisses stolen. Bottles smashed. Cigarettes lit. And through it all, your dark, handsome hero sings the praises of his product. "This is breakfast in bed. It's hot cocoa after an evening spent ice skating. This isn't milk. It's innocence."
The video, after the jump.
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Posted by tressa eaton, November 8, 2009 at 11:00 AM
Sesame Street's Gone Foodie: On the anniversary episode of this 40-year-old show Michelle Obama extols garden-fresh vegetables.
Recipe Redux: Try bagna cauda, a dip of warm olive oil infused with anchovies and garlic.
Toxic BPA: Nicholas D. Kristof's Op-Ed on Bisphenol A, or BPA, a common chemical found in water bottles and the lining of cans of food that has been linked to cancer, obesity, attention deficit disorder, and genital abnormalities. Also, his blog post on the same topic.
Local Stop: A look at sights around Wall Street this week, including places for a power lunch. Slideshow here.
The New Ruby Tuesday: An article in the business section about the transformation of this chain, which now includes wine pairing suggestions on its menus.
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