NYC Tastes

It was another crazy and amazing year that seemed to go by way too quickly as always.  Things got off to a great start with the return of  Founders CBS  one of my favorite beers of all time.  I really didn't think this would ever be brewed again so I spent the first two months drinking it as much as humanly possible.  Fried Chicken Sandwiches became all the rage; Fuku , Delaney BBQ and the Brooklyn Shake Shack continue to have epic lines for these crispy creations.  The Blue Hill pop up WastED  was also a huge highlight of the year.  It was amazing to see the community of chefs, farmers and retailers come together to shine light on the extreme waste of food in the industry and celebrate these "leftovers" by incorporating them into incredible new dishes.  And as a personal success it only took me two full years but I finally got a  Cronut !   Of course as time passes the culinary landscape must change and...

Today is the final day of the amazing pop up inside Blue Hill- WastED.   Which means only one more night to taste the phenomenal Dumpster Dive Salad.    I truly didn't believe leftover fruits and veggies could be this good but there's something  incredible about the combination of apple, carrot, pistachio and creamy whipped chickpea water . I'm just sad I missed this salad on my first visit.  Luckily Mr. T was by my side this time around so we were able to try out more of the menu. My only repeat dish was the Pasta Trimmings.  I really wanted Mr. T to try that briny, rich smoked fish head sauce.  He was on the fence when we ordered but after just one bite he was hooked.  Apparently we both love monkfish tripe and fish head- who knew?  Philippe Bertineau and Alain Ducasse were the Guest Chefs that night.  They put together an insane platter of Head Cheese, Pig Trotters, Tongue and Offal Stew. ...

I'm so back logged with posts from our trip to Philadelphia, Florida and even the hot new Javelina but I'm pushing them all back because the one place you must go now  is WastED, the pop up inside Blue Hill.  This is a collaboration with local farmers, fishermen, plant breeders, restaurants and retailers all about food waste and reuse.  The idea is to create something delicious from ignored or uncoveted food items.   A perfect example is this wondrous nutty bread baked with leftover grain mash (spent grain)  from Kelso Brewing.  It arrived in a simple scrap of burlap with whipped lardo and pork cracklings on the side.  I was instructed to enjoy it on its own or add a dash of beef tallow from the very candle I had just used to peruse the menu.  It turns out beef fat has incredible use both as a light source and garnish. WastED hosts a different guest chef each night and I was lucky enough to have the great Alex Stupak when I dined. His...