Manhattan: Financial District
Posted by Carey Jones, October 23, 2009 at 1:15 PM
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
The New Amsterdam Market is now convening monthly at the South Street Seaport, and there's a lot to look forward to this Sunday—namely, pigs and beer.
Master butchers Josh Applestone (Fleisher's) and Tom Mylan (Marlow and Daughters, Meat Hook) will be taking apart a whole side of pig at 3:30 pm; all market-goers can take a look, or you can buy ringside tickets for $35. Justin Philips of Beer Table will lead a tasting of three cask-conditioned ales.
And as always, some of the region's most interesting food purveyors will be on hand. This week's market includes Liddabit Sweets, Saltie Brooklyn, The Bent Spoon, Bklyn Larder, Porchetta, Luke's Lobster, and the folks from Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture—along with many more.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 14, 2009 at 3:15 PM
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
The exemplary folks fighting the good fight for the permanent installation of the New Amsterdam Market brought together some terrific artisanal food purveyors at their site in the shadow of the South Street Seaport.
Caroline Fidanza, the former Marlowe & Sons chef, was there selling an array of baked goods and sandwiches from her new Williamsburg bakery/sandwich shop Saltie, which she says will open this Friday at 378 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn (map; 718-387-4777).
I really liked everything she sold, some of which unsurprisingly had a salty tinge. According to Fidanza, "We want the (Saltie) menu of both baked and savory food to read as a whole." Fidanza had a moist olive oil cake that featured a little bit of anise; killer light and moist (not an easy combination to pull off) plum scones that had a refreshing tartness; a fine, buttery lavender shortbread; ricotta pound cake that had me thinking good things; an open-faced aioli and roasted pepper foccacia that also pushed the salt envelope; and something called Eton Mess, a delicious swirling mess of fresh berries, whipped cream, and crunchy meringues.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Solares, July 30, 2009 at 10:30 AM
At SHO Shaun Hergatt, the menu understates things a bit. It refers to one of chef Shaun Hergatt's signature dishes simply as a "slow poached egg with cauliflower purée." But Hergatt has a more regal name for it: The Golden Egg, a far more appropriate title for such a luxurious dish incorporating a poached egg with caviar and a gold leaf, all ensconced in a velvety purée. After the jump, see how Hergatt brings this exquisite and whimsical dish to the table.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Statue of Liberty photograph from morrissey on Flickr
Urban Lobster Shack
15 Stone Street, New York NY 10004 (Financial Dist., b/n Broadway/Broad Street; map); 212-809-2626; urbanlobstershack.com
The Skinny: Not the best lobster roll in the city, but as part of a Staten Island Ferry boating picnic, it's a pleasant maritime-themed date
What You'll Spend: $17 to $22 a person
Not that I want to turn this site into a dating column (really, I'm the last person you'd want to take romantical advice from), but I think I've hit upon a fun (and somewhat cheapish) little date idea centered on the Financial District. (Note: This would also work for any tourists reading this or for residents in need of an activity for out-of-town guests.)
Here it is: Grab an early take-out dinner at the Urban Lobster Shack (about $18 a person), walk a couple blocks down to the Staten Island Ferry (free), grab a beer from the boat's concession stand ($3.50 for a Budweiser tall boy*), and take a seat on the upper deck of the starboard side for a great sunset view of the Statue of Liberty. Total for two: $43.50 (cheaper, if the Urban Lobster dude charges you $15 for the combo, as he did the night we went).
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, November 30, 2008 at 9:00 AM
If you could play Jenga with cans, and make something cool with it that didn't topple, that would describe the Canstruction 2008 exhibit at the World Financial Center. Since the artists were from top architectural and engineering firms across North America, though, the results actually were pretty cool. To magnify the coolness, all food will be donated to City Harvest after the exhibit closes on December 2.
The one above is called "DunCAN Donut," and was made from 3,241 cans, including sardines and tuna. Mmm, a sardine donut!
More photos of can art, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, October 23, 2009 at 1:15 PM
[Photo: Robyn Lee]
The New Amsterdam Market is now convening monthly at the South Street Seaport, and there's a lot to look forward to this Sunday—namely, pigs and beer.
Master butchers Josh Applestone (Fleisher's) and Tom Mylan (Marlow and Daughters, Meat Hook) will be taking apart a whole side of pig at 3:30 pm; all market-goers can take a look, or you can buy ringside tickets for $35. Justin Philips of Beer Table will lead a tasting of three cask-conditioned ales.
And as always, some of the region's most interesting food purveyors will be on hand. This week's market includes Liddabit Sweets, Saltie Brooklyn, The Bent Spoon, Bklyn Larder, Porchetta, Luke's Lobster, and the folks from Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture—along with many more.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 14, 2009 at 3:15 PM
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
The exemplary folks fighting the good fight for the permanent installation of the New Amsterdam Market brought together some terrific artisanal food purveyors at their site in the shadow of the South Street Seaport.
Caroline Fidanza, the former Marlowe & Sons chef, was there selling an array of baked goods and sandwiches from her new Williamsburg bakery/sandwich shop Saltie, which she says will open this Friday at 378 Metropolitan Avenue in Brooklyn (map; 718-387-4777).
I really liked everything she sold, some of which unsurprisingly had a salty tinge. According to Fidanza, "We want the (Saltie) menu of both baked and savory food to read as a whole." Fidanza had a moist olive oil cake that featured a little bit of anise; killer light and moist (not an easy combination to pull off) plum scones that had a refreshing tartness; a fine, buttery lavender shortbread; ricotta pound cake that had me thinking good things; an open-faced aioli and roasted pepper foccacia that also pushed the salt envelope; and something called Eton Mess, a delicious swirling mess of fresh berries, whipped cream, and crunchy meringues.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Solares, July 30, 2009 at 10:30 AM
At SHO Shaun Hergatt, the menu understates things a bit. It refers to one of chef Shaun Hergatt's signature dishes simply as a "slow poached egg with cauliflower purée." But Hergatt has a more regal name for it: The Golden Egg, a far more appropriate title for such a luxurious dish incorporating a poached egg with caviar and a gold leaf, all ensconced in a velvety purée. After the jump, see how Hergatt brings this exquisite and whimsical dish to the table.
Continue reading »
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 11, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Statue of Liberty photograph from morrissey on Flickr
Urban Lobster Shack
15 Stone Street, New York NY 10004 (Financial Dist., b/n Broadway/Broad Street; map); 212-809-2626; urbanlobstershack.com
The Skinny: Not the best lobster roll in the city, but as part of a Staten Island Ferry boating picnic, it's a pleasant maritime-themed date
What You'll Spend: $17 to $22 a person
Not that I want to turn this site into a dating column (really, I'm the last person you'd want to take romantical advice from), but I think I've hit upon a fun (and somewhat cheapish) little date idea centered on the Financial District. (Note: This would also work for any tourists reading this or for residents in need of an activity for out-of-town guests.)
Here it is: Grab an early take-out dinner at the Urban Lobster Shack (about $18 a person), walk a couple blocks down to the Staten Island Ferry (free), grab a beer from the boat's concession stand ($3.50 for a Budweiser tall boy*), and take a seat on the upper deck of the starboard side for a great sunset view of the Statue of Liberty. Total for two: $43.50 (cheaper, if the Urban Lobster dude charges you $15 for the combo, as he did the night we went).
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, November 30, 2008 at 9:00 AM
If you could play Jenga with cans, and make something cool with it that didn't topple, that would describe the Canstruction 2008 exhibit at the World Financial Center. Since the artists were from top architectural and engineering firms across North America, though, the results actually were pretty cool. To magnify the coolness, all food will be donated to City Harvest after the exhibit closes on December 2.
The one above is called "DunCAN Donut," and was made from 3,241 cans, including sardines and tuna. Mmm, a sardine donut!
More photos of can art, after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Erin Zimmer, June 30, 2008 at 11:15 AM
At the New Amsterdam Market: pistachio rhubarb bread from Bouchon Bakery, sweet basil ice cream from The Bent Spoon, and a blueberry and yogurt popsicle from The People's Popsicle.
If you didn't substitute lunch in New York yesterday with bites of artisan breads and broken hunks of 80% cocoa dark chocolate, you missed out. Here are some of the tasty things we sampled at New Amsterdam Market on the South Street Seaport and the much more cramped Unfancy Food Show in Williamsburg. (A few things, we did pay for however, and they were totally worth it.)
Besides the gourmet flavors at these temporarily rained-on events, each had a grassroots community spirit. At the New Amsterdam Market, long pieces of butcher paper, or the market's "petition," filled up with signatures in an effort to persuade the city that these stalls should be permanently moved into the empty Fulton Fish Market behind them. Across the river at the second-annual Unfancy Food Show, organizer Tom Mylan of Diner and Marlow & Sons said yesterday's attendance doubled last year's, and he expects the third annual to easily double that. Peruse photos after the jump.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, January 4, 2008 at 8:00 AM
Our lady in Paris (at least half the time), Dorie Greenspan, posted on Serious Eats yesterday about the French seasonal cake galette de rois. Magically (well, not quite magically, in fact I ordered one) a galette des rois (pictured above) appeared on the Serious Eats doorstep yesterday from the SoHo French pastry shop Ceci Cela. I don't know if Ceci Cela's version is as good as one made from Dorie's recipe, but I can tell you that this is one delicious cake.
Dorie's description is right on: "The galette is really very simple—it’s an almond and pastry-cream filling sandwiched by two rounds of (all-butter) puff pastry dough—but so, so good."
I thought the almond part of the filling would make it taste marzipany, but in fact it was simply ground almonds.
Ed Levine diet watchers should note that I took two bites. Email the Serious Eaters for corroboration.
Ceci Cela Patisserie
55 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 (b/n Mulberry and Lafayette); 212-274-9179
166 Chambers Street, New York NY 10017 (b/n West Broadway and Greenwich); 212-566-8933
Website: ceci-celapatisserie.com
Posted by Ed Levine, October 6, 2007 at 9:09 AM
Saturday is always my day for catching up on food media, and this morning I read Frank Bruni's spot-on piece in last Sunday's New York Times Week in Review section on the inexplicable popularity of al fresco dining in New York. Invariably, curbside (not garden or terrace) dining in New York is an unpleasant inexperience, unless you like your meal accompanied by sirens, bus exhaust and noise, and bad smells of every variety imaginable. There are just a few places in New York I look forward to eating outside:
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, September 30, 2007 at 9:15 AM
I judged the Vendy Awards last night, and I'm still full. It was a beautiful early fall evening, and there was a great vibe in New York's Tompkins Square Park. All five finalists clearly put a lot of heart and soul into their food, and for the most part it showed. The Super Taco Truck from 96th Street and Broadway didn't bring its "A" game or even its best dishes, but I have had great food at that truck on several occasions. The Dosa Man from Washington Square Park won the judges' vote, and I liked his food a lot, though I gave higher scores to Kwik Meal (45th Street and Sixth Avenue), which won the people's choice voting. The other finalists, Veronica's Kitchen, which serves West Indian food in the Financial District and King Falafel and Schwarma from Astoria also served food I would happily eat on a regular basis if I lived or worked near either of them.
Next year the Vendys should go national. Anyone want to nominate anybody?
Posted by Ed Levine, May 16, 2007 at 5:50 PM
Nothing arouses a New Yorker's ire like a seemingly outlandish pizza claim, so I'll take Robert Sietsema's bait. In Today's Voice he writes:
"In fact, the margherita ($10) is the city's most perfect evocation of the true Naples style (even surpassing top sots like Una Pizza Napoletana and La Pizza Fresca).
I'm skeptical for any number of reasons. Are you? Stay tuned.
Posted by Ed Levine, May 11, 2007 at 5:39 PM
Here's your assignment for this weekend. Head down to the financial district. It's really cool to walk around there on the weekend. But you're not there for the sightseeing. You're there for the food:
Start with the thinnish Sicilian-style pizza at Adrienne's. Serious Eater Adam Kuban, Sliceny's founder. was on the case when Adrienne's opened, and it's still as good as ever. The crust is baked in a pan with plenty of olive oil, and I could eat it without any toppings. Adrienne's is on Old Stone Street, which is impossible to find. You'll probably have to ask ten people before you find someone who knows where it is. Come to think of it, the Wall Street area is not exactly buzzing on the weekend, so you may not find ten people to ask. So make sure you take your cell phone. Have one of the great cannolis there for dessert (they make them to order in a waffle-iron) or wander down the street to Financier Patisserie and have one of the fancy-pants French pastries. I wasn't that impressed with the ice cream they make on the premises.
Adrienne's Pizza
54 Old Stone Street (nr. Hanover Square)
New York, NY 10004
Ph: 212-248-3838
Financier Patisserie
62 Old Stone Street
New York, NY 10004
Ph.: 212-344-5600
Posted by Ed Levine, August 1, 2006 at 3:29 PM
By popular demand, here's a list of my top ten pizza slices in NYC:
1) DiFara (you all know where it is)
2) Adrienne's (Old Stone St., Wall Street)
3) Patsy's (117th and First Avenue)
4) Joe and Pat's (Staten Island)
5) Nunzio's (Staten Island)
6) Sullivan Street Bakery
7) Sal and Carmine's (102nd and Broadway)
8) Joe's (Carmine Street and Park Slope)
9) Grandma Slices at Maffei (22nd and Sixth)
10) Louie and Ernie's (Bronx)
Anybody beg to differ?
Posted by Ed Levine, October 31, 2005 at 1:59 PM
I am a huge fan of what is called Grandma pizza, a thin-crusted Sicilian-style pan pizza that's really popular on Long Island.
In Manhattan, Grandma pizza has been very hard to come by.
Maffei on sixth avenue and 22nd Street makes a good Grandma slice, and Adrienne's , a new place in on Stone St. in the Wall Street area (I'm warning you right now. Stone St. is one of those downtown NY streets that's impossible to find), makes a superb Grandma slice.
And now, New Pizza Town (2196 Broadway (corner of 78th St.), 212-769-2323, a mere three blocks from my Upper West Side apartment, has started making creditable Grandma pies. They're certainly not as good as Adrienne's, which are made with really good mozzarella and high quality tomatoes. But they are pretty damn fine, fine enough that I've been eating Grandma slices at New Pizza Town three times a week for the last month.
For a definitive look at Grandma pizza, check out Erica Marcus' piece in my book, Pizza: Slice of Heaven
. She not only tells you its origins, she also tells you where to get it on Long Island.
