If you live in New York and you like sweets, you owe it to yourself to try Levain Bakery's famous chocolate chip cookie. But what about their other, less well known dessert products? Is Levain a one trick pony? To find out, I bought a slice of their Sour Cream Pound Cake ($3.50). More
Santa Cruz bakes its pan dulce throughout the day. It does fresher, tastier versions of the Mexican pastries than pretty much anywhere in the borough, and it does so for a dollar a pop. More
During the darkest days following Hurricane Sandy's impact on the East Coast, there was no greater sight than watching help pour in from unlikely places. One was New York's food truck community, and now we have a chance to honor their work. More
The newly minted Sen occupies an ambitiously large space on 21st street in Manhattan. The menu is a congruous blend of traditional and modern: classically prepared sushi and a broader, more eclectic kitchen menu with pan-Asian focus. If the concept sounds less than original, it's worth mentioning that Sen is an offshoot of the nearly two-decades-old Sag Harbor restaurant renowned for their sushi. More
Bamonte's is a red sauce joint so old and distinctive that it is older than many of the dishes on its menu. It still holds up today. More
When Leah Cohen isn't plating dishes of crispy pata or grilling pork jowl, she's often not far from her restaurant Pig and Khao on the Lower East Side. She lives around the corner from her restaurant, after all, but if she's not eating in her own kitchen, there are endless options around the neighborhood. Here are some of her favorites. More
Intelligentsia Coffee, no longer content with strongholds on the West and Middle coasts, opened its eighth coffee bar this week in New York City's High Line Hotel, finally heralding a flagship NYC location for the Chicago-based specialty roaster, along with new pourover methods and a custom built espresso machine. More
Nightingale 9, Rob Newton's new effort at Vietnamese cooking in Carroll Gardens, seems poised to bridge all sorts of gaps, such as the false one between traditional Asian cooking versus modern and the more real one between casual eating and studied cuisine. Though his food veers towards traditional Vietnamese forms, there's something about his cooking that reminds me of Tien Ho's tenure at the then-Vietnamese-esque (and damn good) Ma Peche. It's thoughtful, precise, and pretty original.
As a casual neighborhood with greater ambitions, the restaurant doesn't fail. But it doesn't fully succeed either.
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In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Team Rubicon, a group of military veterans with first response training, was one of many civilian organizations that made an immediate and instrumental impact on New York's recovery. Now they're heading to Oklahoma to lend a hand, They're seeking funding, and New York food businesses are doing their part. More
One day the pastry chef at Crave Fishbar had a stroke of brilliance: why not top their cupcakes with sprinkles made from scratch? More
Slathering pimento cheese on a sandwich is such a brilliant idea. At Van Horn Sandwich Shop on Court Street in Cobble Hill, it makes an appearance on the "BLP." More
The Lobster Place is back in Chelsea Market with a full sandwich lineup—some new, some improved. More
Sarah Simmons runs a culinary salon out of a space that's an antique store by day. Some nights she's executing a themed menu of her own. Others she's on the line cooking with chefs from all over the country, giving them an opportunity to stand in the spotlight for New York's hungriest eaters and media personnel. But with six years of supper club hosting at her back and a huge boost from Food and Wine magazine, this consultant-turned-chef is more than able to take it all on. Here she tells us how she does it, and why. More
Last Friday, couscous stars NY Shuk taught a class on how to make hand-rolled couscous. Follow along, try it for yourself, and see if you can go back to the boxed stuff afterward. More
While Porter House NY is on its face a steakhouse, Lomonaco sees it as a direct descendant to Windows as a quintessentially New York restaurant with a strong focus on hospitality. After the jump: a close look at the three of the menu's top steaks. More
Pichet Ong's cookie starts off with a sweet base and adds an even sweeter vanilla custard to the middle—and it works. More
As a Bushwick resident, it's exciting to find any new restaurant in the neighborhood, let alone one that serves a burger as meticulously crafted as Fritzl's. At only $8 ($9 with cheese), it's a bargain. Patties are close to six 6 ounces; a combination of chuck and cheek, which chef Dan Ross-Leutwyler estimates to be about 75/25 meat to fat. Ross-Leutwyler grinds it himself, throwing slightly more chuck in the mix. More
When it comes to brisket, I've found that Queens barbecue falls behind its Manhattan and Brooklyn colleagues. But if my sample from the new Alchemy, Texas in Jackson Heights is an indication of future success, the scales are starting to level out. More
This week, we're chatting about two group dinner questions: a birthday party with guests who are vegan or gluten-free, and a book club dinner with guests of variously adventurous tastes. More
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