NYC Tastes

The last weekend in January is always nice and slow.  The holidays are completely over, the weather's freezing; there's really no reason to accomplish much of anything.  It's the perfect time to just chill out and enjoy a long relaxing beer brunch at Cooper's Craft & Kitchen.  There are two Cooper's in NYC one in the East Village and this one in Chelsea which just celebrated its one year anniversary.  The food is classic pub fare with breakfast specials like the BSE&C; one fried egg with bacon, sausage and American cheese on an English muffin and the Brewers Breakfast of two eggs any style, bacon or sausage, hash-browns and toast.  Both dishes are a delicious and a solid base for all the wonderful beers on tap. On our last visit we enjoyed Vietnamese Speedway Stout, Project Pam, Plead The 5th and Hop Hands.  This weekend the list look like another winner with Hill Farmstead George, Other Half Suparillo and Rushing Duck Gimme Somoa That o...

Mr. T and I took a trip up to the Bronx over MLK weekend for some Italian eats. We had a LOT to fit into one day...we may have overdone it a little bit. We started at Cafe el Mercato for a couple slices.  All the pies here are done Sicilian style with a thin, buttery crust cooked to a crisp golden brown and fresh tomato pomodoro. We could have gone crazier with the toppings like broccoli rabe and pesto, spinach and peppers or even a prosciutto with green fig but we stuck to the basics. There was something so simple and pure about this pizza.  I've honestly never enjoyed a Sicilian slice so much. After the pizza we walked around the Arthur Avenue Retail Market a bit scoping out all the wonderful displays then stopped into the The Bronx Beer Hall, located in the center of the market for a flight of beers. Everything's a little bigger in the Bronx right?  Well even the beer flights fall into this category where the usual 4 oz pours were rep...

Winter Restaurant Week kicked off on Monday and I went straight to lunch at one of my old favorites,Charlie Palmer's flagship Aureole. It's hard to believe this place has been open for 27 years.  I love everything about it; the gorgeous zinc topped bar, the enormous glass windows overlooking the hustle and bustle of 42nd Street and the warm comfortable service that always makes me feel right at home.  I began with the Yellowfin Tuna Tartare topped with jicama, cucumber and bonito cream in a citrus broth.  The acid from the fruit gave the dish a gentle delicious "pop" without overtaking the fresh flavor of the fish. Braised Short Rib with pearl barley, horseradish and watercress was an absolute monster of an entree. There was easily enough food here for three people and while the meat was falling off the bone tender I was hoping for a little more flavor from the pearl barley.  It tasted more like an afterthought than a true component to the dish. ...

Is this storm actually going to hit us this weekend?!  Being a big fan of all things winter I certainly hope so.  I love seeing the city cloaked in a blanket of shimmering white snow while sipping a hot drink like this Matcha Latte from the newest location of Matcha Bar in Chelsea. What could be better than soaking up all the rich health benefits from this powdered green tea along with one of their insanely perfect cannele's.  These are some of the best in the city; crisp,caramelized exterior with a soft, eggy middle studded with flecks of vanilla bean.  It's the perfect winter treat. Matcha Bar 256 15th Street @8th Avenue New York, NY 10011

There's nothing fun about working over on the far west side of 34th Street.  The wind whips off the water creating a frozen wind tunnel in the winter, the sidewalks are constantly jammed with tourists trying to find Macy's and the food scene is virtually nonexistent. Enter The Pennsy; a brand new food hall hoping to change the landscape of this awful zone. I didn't have high hopes when two of the six lights were already burned out when I walked up  opening day.  However once inside the big airy space that used to hold Borders was actually quite clean and welcoming with tons of exciting new lunch options. Pat LaFrieda was churning out all kinds of sandwiches; Meatball, Turkey and Steak to name a few along with more veggie friendly items like warm Polenta Fries with Parmesan cheese and Romaine Cesar Salad. Marc Forgione had the corner on seafood with his stall featuring everything lobster including mac and cheese, salad and bisque while Little Beet...

Most people start off the New Year with resolution to get into shape, eat healthier and become a better person.  Mr. T and I did not go that route.  Instead we decided to kick off the new year by drinking some fantastic beers and gorging on Spare Ribs at Nancy Lee's Pig Heaven. I've never been a big fan of spare ribs...the ones that usually arrive from our neighborhood delivery joints are always tough, overcooked slabs of meat.  Here at Nancy Lee's they were a completely different story. This meat was soooooo tender with a caramelized BBQ shell on the outside that was both sweet and spicy.  These were completely unlike any spare ribs I've had before and I will never enjoy anything different going forward. Another big surprise hit were the Shumai with a paper thin outer casing and big white pieces of chicken inside and some delicious dumpling sauce for dipping.   One would assume this place could be found down in Chinatown but it's a...

Time to kick off the three day weekend with one of my favorite beers of all time Cantillon Kriek from Cantillon Brewery in Brussels. Cantillon produces their Kriek by filling barrels of one and half year old lambic with a ton of tart Morello cherries, about 2 lbs per gallon; then allowing them to ferment first in the barrel and then in the bottle.  The result is a gorgeous deep ruby red beer with a big fluffy head, soft funky aromas of cherry pie, cherry juice, hay and oak with flavors of tart sour cherry, funk, lots of bubbly carbonation and a crisp dry finish.  Cantillon bottles pop up once in a great while around the city but it's best to stock up if you ever find yourself in Belgium as Mr. T and I did  last year.  Cheers to the long weekend! Cantillon Brewery Rue Gheude 56 1070 Anderlecht Belgiu