NYC Tastes

The third and final day of Star Chef's Congress is always the calmest.  Most everyone is tired from the Cocktail Classic the night before and it's a good time to soak in all of the things learned over the past three days with some incredible food. I was thrilled to see Chef Erik Ramirez on hand doling out a delicious Quinoa-Banana Salad.  I think his Peruvian spot   The Llama Inn  is one of the best new restaurants to open in NYC this year. Another local legend Sam Mason was on hand at Oddfellows  with a trio of tea flavored ice creams he created using the Rishi Tea Leaves. The theme for Eat@ICC Tuesday was Alternative Proteins like this playful Vegan Merguez Sausage with butternut squash rillettes, crumbled "Feta" red sorrel and crispy Papadam from David Kuzma from Yale Hospitality  in New Haven... ...and this fluffy Wood Fired Sourdough Pita with lentils, coconut sumac, pumpkin and sunflower seeds from Jason Bond of ...

The theme for day two Eat@ICC focused on food made with freshly milled grains.  My first bite was a traditional take on the grain theme from local duo Jake Novick Finder and Maria Espina of Gristmill in Brooklyn with these warm flaky Garlic Knots topped with Everything Butter or Cacio e Pepe.   Steve Santana from Taquiza in Miami Beach took a different spin on the theme creating Tamal en Cazuela. This was wonderful. The texture was surprisingly soft with the spicy, rich flavor of blood sausage and white olotillo offset by the fresh herbs. My favorite of  the Mill Master theme had to be these amazing Buckwheat Crullers with goat milk custard, blackberry compote and honey miso butterscotch from Melissa Denmark of Gracie's in Providence, Rhode Island. The inside was eggy like a cannale perfect for soaking in the miso butterscotch with a caramelized outer shell. This was so incredible I went back for seconds then thirds...quite possibly the best dessert I'v...

It was another great kickoff to Star Chef's International Congress with Day I at the Brooklyn Expo Center.  The conference now in its 11th year always focuses on the future of food and drink but with a specific theme this year "What Is Progress" which would be threaded throughout seminars over the three days. The  main floor is always reserved for the Products Fair where sponsors team up with chef's to showcase their brands.  I began at the Rishi booth for a soothing cup of green tea paired with Lemon Verbena Tea Smoked Scallops from Brandt Bishop of Mbar in Seattle, Washington... ...followed by an amazing Charcoal Roasted Foie Gras with cold smoked Thomcord grapes, scorched honey gelato and cardamom charcoal bread from Jeff O'Neil of Barton G .  I don't think I've ever eaten foie gras for breakfast before but this was the perfect start to the morning with a sweet, creamy blend of fruit, bread and foie.   Since I was already on the rich and...