Posted by Carey Jones, January 13, 2012 at 2:30 PM
Editor's note: January is Vegetable Month on Serious Eats: New York! Every day this month we'll introduce you to a different vegetable dish we love. Do you have a veg dish to nominate? Let us know!
[Photo: Alice Gao]
A common complaint about the food of another nation, when cooked in America, is that it's not gutsy enough. Not as spicy or fish-sauce-y or buttery or Sichuan peppercorn-ed or smoky or sour as in its home country. Luckily, that's not a malady that afflicts the Wok-Fried Kangkong ($12) at Fatty Crab. Kangkong—also known as water convolvulus, also known as water spinach, but come on, isn't that first name the best?—is a green you'll see in East and Southeast Asia, and it's very popular in Malaysia, whence chef Zak Pelaccio draws much of his inspiration. There, as here, it's wok'd up with sambal belacan, a pounded paste of lime, chili, and fermented shrimp paste; Fatty Crab finishes with a splash of rice wine shaoxing.
The resulting greens are powerfully funky and genuinely spicy, enough to leave a burning on the tongue even after a few gulps of water (which is fine with us). They don't skimp on the belacan, which I love. And kangkong are some of my favorite greens to eat (not to mention say the name of). They're long and almost noodle-like, fun to twirl up with chopsticks, even if they get a little messy. It's just part of the fun.
Fatty Crab
643 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-352-3590
fattycrab.com
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, December 12, 2011 at 10:30 AM
[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]
The holiday season brings with it all sorts of rich tastes and smells: eggnog and warm apple cider; the scent of baking cookies and gingerbread; cozy spices of cinnamon and nutmeg. But then there's peppermint, and the million different ways restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops in this city incorporate it into desserts. From housemade peppermint patties to candy cane ice cream, deciding where to start is the hardest part. Check our ten of our favorites.
About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan blogs at Kathy YL Chan, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, July 20, 2011 at 4:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]
There's not many places in the city where you can casually drop by for Crepes Suzette in the afternoon, but Pastis is one to remember. It's a classic done well, with a rich, buttery caramelized sauce spooned over the duo of crepes folded into quarters. The flambé action doesn't happen tableside, unfortunately, but you still get the results—a touch boozy with Grand Marnier. A single scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side is just a bonus.
Pastis
9 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10014 (map)
212-929-4844
pastisny.com
About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, June 24, 2011 at 3:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]
Buddakan might not be the first destination that comes to mind when you crave dessert, but loyal fans of pastry chef Vera Tong (previously at Dovetail on the Upper West Side) will attest to the sheer indulgence known as her Peanut Butter Bar. Peanut butter cream, something like a luxuriously light semifreddo, is coated in a crackle-thin shell of chocolate and smokey honey-caramel. It comes fairly close to the dream peanut butter-chocolate bar in both texture and flavor, with chilled creamy spoonfuls of peanut butter, rich but not overwhelming, and a lighter finish of chocolate. Lest you think the bar alone isn't peanut butter-y enough, it's accompanied by a quenelle of peanut butter ice cream with just enough of a salty kick. Take a bit of that peanut powder, sprinkle it on your tongue; it melts so nicely!
Buddakan
75 9th Avenue, New York NY 10011 (map)
212-989-6699
buddakannyc.com
About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, June 8, 2011 at 12:00 PM
In this great city of ours, one could eat a different sandwich every day of the year—so that's what we'll do. Here's A Sandwich a Day, our daily look at sandwiches around New York. Got a sandwich we should check out? Let us know. —The Mgmt.
[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]
The Croque Monsieur at Pastis is both a classic and a monster. At $13, it is the complete opposite from the delicate version at Buvette and big enough for two meals (don't even think about trying to finish this). Bechamel bubbles over the entire surface of the sandwich, a crunchy golden brown at spots, but primarily warm and oozing into the surface pores of the sliced ham and gruyere-filled sandwich. A fine balance of salt and fat. The bread is of the crusty sort, thickly sliced; it holds up well to the pour of bechamel. Perhaps the most shamelessly indulgent sandwich I've had this year. I find that a little mustard on the side cuts the richness, but if you're going to go for it, might as well go all the way, right?
Pastis
9 9th Avenue, New York, NY 10014 (map)
212-929-4844
pastisny.com
About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.
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Posted by Kathy YL Chan, May 26, 2011 at 3:00 PM
[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]
At Spice Market, keep your eye out for the Warm Rice Pudding ($7), a new and worthy addition to the dessert menu. Here rice pudding meets creme brulee with a crackly caramelized surface and spoonful of sweet basil seeds. Crack through the top then make your way deep into the pudding bowl, luxurious and comforting. The creamy pudding is studded with golden and black raisins, fruity pops with each mouthful. To complete, an accompaniment of puckery-sweet passionfruit sorbet neatly tucked into the fresh fruit shell. Thumbs up all around.
Note: also new to the dessert menu are moist and petite Mango Upside-Down Cakes with a scoop each of complementing basil and mango sorbets.
Spice Market
403 W 13th Street, New York, NY 10014 (map)
212-675-2322
spicemarketnewyork.com
About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.
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Posted by Carey Jones, May 23, 2011 at 11:45 AM
Since it first opened in June of 2009, the High Line has become a Manhattan destination. The miles-long park, built on elevated train tracks long out of use, stretches from Gansevoort Street north to 20th Street, with a second section to 30th Street opening by June. Equally suited to strolling and people-watching, picnicking and sunbathing, it's both raised above the city and part of it.
While the High Line extends through several Manhattan neighborhoods, dining options this far west in the city can be a bit limited; we've rounded up some of our favorite eats for a grab-and-go picnic, a quick coffee before a long walk, or a sit-down dinner after.
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Posted by Zachary Feldman, March 4, 2011 at 2:00 PM
[Photos: Zachary Feldman]
Open Late...
Open Until: 1:00 am, Sun-Wed; 2:00am, Thu; 3:00am, Fri-Sat
Drinking Until: close, 7 days
Food Until: half-hour before close, 7 days
Pastis is one of New York's legendary mob scenes (the crowded kind, not the Mafia kind). The restaurant, Keith McNally's follow-up to Soho's iconic Balthazar, is a legend in its own right—the kind of eatery that seems to anchor a neighborhood. Were it not for McNally (and of course Florent), the Meatpacking District would not be what it is today. Breakfasts and brunches command lengthy waits, and on weekends, you're lucky to get a seat at the bar after midnight.
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Posted by Maggie Hoffman, September 13, 2010 at 10:00 AM
[Photographs: Maggie Hoffman]
Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York NY 10014 (at 9th Avenue; map); 212-691-0555; website warning: music plays
Cuisine: Italian
Veggie Options: 8 appetizers, 8 entrées
Cost: Appetizers $12-15, veg entrées $18-24
Finding a place to take my parents on their yearly visit to New York is challenging. Each dinner needs to be special; we don't get to eat together that often, since we live on opposite coasts. It needs to be delicious, but not exorbitantly expensive. Most importantly, each meal should feel like a New York experience, something they can't get at home in Oregon. Extra points are awarded for good people-watching, a young crowd, and a location convenient for a pleasant postprandial stroll. But: the restaurant must be comfortable, it must take reservations, and it musn't be too loud.
My biggest parent-dinner success to date was a trip to Scott Conant's Scarpetta last year. They oohed and ahhed at the bread basket (you've probably heard about the decadent salami-and-smoked-mozzarella-stuffed stromboli) and praised and praised the pasta. Desserts were fresh and unusual and the room was downtown-chic. A visit to the High Line nearby put the evening over the top; it was the kind of night that sparks a discussion of selling the house out West and moving to the city.
Scarpetta just upped their game by adding a vegetarian menu to the mix; now there are eight meat-free appetizer options and eight vegetarian main courses, making this an even better spot for family gatherings. Although not all the dishes we tried this week were amazing, exactly, there's plenty on the new menu to make a memorable vegetarian dinner.
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Posted by Nick Solares, July 29, 2010 at 1:00 PM
Colicchio & Sons
85 Tenth Avenue, New York NY 10011 (at West 15th; map); 212-400-6699; colicchioandsons.com
Service: Friendly, professional and glacial—a three course lunch took almost two hours
Setting: The bar room has wonderful natural light but the decor is a bit more austere than the casual mood the menu might imply
Compare to: Gramercy Tavern, Craft, Craft Bar
Cost: Three courses, $25
Before Tom Colicchio shuttered Craftsteak in the wake of a flagging economy, reinventing the space as Colicchio & Sons, there was an attempt to broaden the appeal of his high-end steakhouse by featuring a comfort food bar menu dubbed Half Steak. As Ed Levine noted in his review, it was half good. The namesake dish, a $15 steak frites was excellent—but a lot of the menu was the sort of stoner-comfort food (fried mac and cheese? Wagyu nachos?) best handled by young cooks in Williamsburg, not distinguished chefs like Colicchio. In any case the move was not enough to keep Craftsteak viable.
Rather than giving up the space or opening a comfort food salon Colicchio doubled down opening Colicchio & Sons, a high-end restaurant inspired by his pop up dinners called Tom's Tuesday Diner over at Craft. It was a gamble that has apparently paid off—Colicchio and Sons garnered three stars in New York Times and Colicchio himself won a James Beard award for Outstanding Chef this year. Fortunately the half steak tradition of value dining has been carried over—but instead of the American comfort foods of yore, the focus is now on a more rustic, Mediterranean-inspired menu.
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Posted by Nikki Goldstein, March 26, 2010 at 1:00 PM
[Photos: Nikki Goldstein]
I certainly can't elaborate on what's already been said about Colicchio & Sons's dinner offerings, but I have no reservations in calling it one of the more interesting brunch menus to crop up as of late. Made up of riffs on lesser-explored American classics, it's full of unexpected comfort, and everything I had on my recent visit was beautifully done.
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Posted by Ed Levine, February 2, 2010 at 11:00 PM
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Colicchio & Sons Tap Room
85 Tenth Avenue, New York NY 10011 (at 15th Street; map); 212-400-6699; colicchioandsons.com
Service: Friendly, remarkably efficient given its recent opening
Setting: Comfortable, well-spaced tables in the former Halfsteak space
Compare It To: Gramercy Tavern, Craft, Craft Bar
Must-Haves: Pizzette, fresh ricotta with roasted root vegetables, baked rigatoni, braised rabbit, skirt steak, porchetta...
Cost: $40 for two courses, before drinks, tax, or tip. Much more in the adjoining dining room
Grade: A
Foodie pop quiz: At which restaurant was Tom Colicchio head chef, before Top Chef, and even before Craft?
The answer—Gramercy Tavern—provides us with the best clue as to what the chef is doing at the brand-new Colicchio & Sons. Just like Gramercy, it's two restaurants in one. The back room of this lofty Meatpacking District space is the equivalent of the fine dining back room at Gramercy Tavern. There Colicchio, at least temporarily aided by Craft executive chef Damon Wise, is serving carefully crafted (pun intended) seasonal New American food in a refined, elegant setting. We'll leave Sam Sifton of the Times and Adam Platt of New York to weigh in the food being served there. Prediction, even without tasting it: three stars from Sifton, three from Platt.
But come along with me, to the casual, less expensive front Tap Room of C&S. There Colicchio, aided by former Craftsteak executive chef Shane McBride, is making full use of a Woodstone Gas and Wood combo oven—just about every dish on the menu is cooked inside. Diners are confronted with that oven, and the stacks of wood to feed it, when they walk in the door.
We wanted to find out if Colicchio was, indeed, returning to his roots—coming full circle, back to the kitchen, right where he was at Gramercy Tavern. And most of all, we wanted to see if the emotional investment he's making in Colicchio & Sons was paying off.
A chat with Tom, after the jump.
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Posted by Ed Levine, January 26, 2010 at 11:00 PM
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Corsino Cantina
637 Hudson Street, New York NY 10014 (at Horatio Street; map); 212-242-3093; corsinocantina.com
Service: Friendly, low-key, competent
Setting: Spacious, sparsely furnished
Compare It To: 'ino, 'inoteca
Must-Haves: Brussels sprouts and mushroom crostini, prosciutto panini, pork osso buco
Cost: $25-$30 for two courses and a glass of wine, tax and tip
Grade: B+
If I were to draw up plans for my ideal neighborhood restaurant, it would probably look suspiciously like either 'ino or 'inoteca, Italian wine bars with a seemingly infinite variety of tasty Italian sandwiches and snacks, along with extensive, well-curated Italian wine lists. So when I saw that the 'ino boys, brothers Jason and Joe Denton, had expanded into the far west village with Corsino, I cursed them for not heading up to my neighborhood.
But I got over it—what's the use of being a sore eater?—and headed down there for two lengthy lunches to see what if any difference there was between Corsino and their other immensely appealing spots. The Dentons did bring in a non-'ino chef, Shaunna Sargent, who had been working for years at Del Posto, so maybe she would bring in some fresh thinking.
In fact, we had markedly different experiences each time we went—one meal was more satisfying than not; another was in fact mighty satisfying, with few, if any missteps. I'm hoping that upward trend is one that continues.
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Posted by Nick Solares, January 19, 2010 at 12:30 PM
[Photos: Nick Solares]
Is it fair to judge a restaurant on opening night? Of course not, even if it belongs to celebrity chef Tom Colicchio. (I bet he hates that term.) So I present, without comment—save to say that I was impressed—some menu food porn from my meal on the opening night of Colicchio & Sons.
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Posted by Ed Levine, December 8, 2009 at 11:00 PM
"They rolled the olive oil-loaded dice, and won."
[Photographs: Robyn Lee]
Del Posto
85 10th Avenue, New York NY 10011 (b/n 15th and 16th; map); 212-497-8090; delposto.com
Service: Formal, proper, but a little more relaxed these days
Setting: Cavernous, elegant, still a little cruise-shippy
Compare It To: Marea, Alto
Must-Haves: Bread basket, roasted vegetables, carne cruda, agnolotti, orecchiete, roasted lamb rack, tartufo, butterscotch semifreddo
Cost: $29 for three courses, amuses, extra dessert bites, and the best bread basket in town
Available: Weds-Fri, may expand in the future
Grade: A
When Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and chef Mark Ladner opened Del Posto three years ago, Batali and Bastianich did not try to hide their ambition. They wanted Del Posto to be the first four-star Italian restaurant in New York, and they weren't shy about telling the world that.
Which was all well and good, except for the fact that I'm not sure that they really know what that meant—and I'm fairly certain the dining public didn't, either. Del Posto had all the trappings of a four-star restaurant: lots of pomp, fancy plates and cutlery, slabs of marble, people in white coats to replace your napkin if it happened to fall off your lap, footstools for women's purses, and mostly excellent Italian food that Ladner produced using lots and lots of terrific, high-end ingredients.
There was only one problem: the Del Posto braintrust never presented to the dining public a coherent vision of just what a four star Italian dining experience consisted of. As a result serious eaters didn't understand, either. The result: a restaurant that never quite coalesced into a recognizable whole.
Now three years later, much has changed on the New York foodscape. A number of Italian restaurants serving haute cuisine with a side order of multi-star aspirations have opened: Marea, Alto, and Scarpetta immediately come to mind. Meanwhile, Batali, Bastianich, and Ladner are doubling down on their dream. They are throwing down the gauntlet at Del Posto. They have pulled the plug on the less expensive inoteca menu (which was my favorite part of the old Del Posto), taken out some tables, and introduced a $29 prix fixe lunch in the newfound four star tradition of Jean-Georges and Eleven Madison Park. And, in fact, Batali told the Times's Sam Sifton that they have done all this to get the fourth star from the Times and the third star from Michelin.
Never ones to pass up a bargain, the serious eaters have paid a number of lunchtime visits to Del Posto. What we found and tasted was stunning: Ladner has somehow managed to reconcile the earthy and the elegant, just what a four-star Italian restaurant has to do. In so doing he has taken complete charge of the mammoth kitchen, and serious eaters are in good—no, great hands. The food at Del Posto is now grounded, focused, and crazy good. Ladner is not a household name, but he should be.
And that $29 lunch deal? It's a steal. Here's why.
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