I Ate Manhattan And Lived to Tell

[Malawry]

I came to New York with my partner Erin for the weekend of August 23-25 for the purposes of eating and meeting some eGullet folks. I accomplished both missions beautifully.

We started out Friday with a visit to Gramercy Tavern. I had spoken with eGullet’s own Christopher about who to ask for as a server and how to get a peek at the kitchen. He PMd me some advice which helped our experience to be almost as good as when Christopher himself waited on Edemuth and I late last winter. We arrived before our reservation time and waited for our table at the bar. I ordered a Campari cocktail on their summer cocktail menu: Campari, grapefruit juice, a sweet (moscato?) wine, and sparkling water with a pickly slice of grapefruit confit. It was the perfect tart-bitter combination to refresh me after my train trip. The bar at GT is just as lovely as the main dining room and the tavern area. The bartenders are just as passionate about food as the captains are, and their friendly banter makes for a pleasant environment. I spoke about my Campari obsession with the couple to my right; the woman was disappointed that she had not noticed the cocktail herself.

Once we were shown to our seats, our captain Steven Solomon came over and introduced himself. We checked out the menus and placed our orders. I ordered a crabmeat ragout with spring peas as my starter, and pancetta-wrapped monkfish for my entrée. Erin chose the tuna tartare with horseradish gelee that I had on my last visit, plus some striped bass as his main course. I also ordered a half-glass of a vouvray sec off of the wine list after Stephen convinced me that I needed wine with my meal. (I considered not ordering wine because I already felt loosened up from the Campari drink and wasn’t sure I wanted more alcohol.)

The kitchen sent an amuse-bouche of orreichette with heirloom tomatoes to begin; the pasta was delicate and cool, and the tomatoes tasted of sweetness and the sun as they should in August. The ragout was not particularly stew-like, but it was warm and the crabmeat was appropriately sweet and rich. I enjoyed chasing the peas around the sauce with my spoon and lightly crunching down on them with my teeth. Erin liked the tuna, but the gelee didn’t do much for him. I tasted some of the gelee and decided that it really needs the tuna with it to be tasty; on its own it’s just slightly bitter gelatin of little distinction. Our entrees were, of course, terrific. The monkfish was plated with some red and gold beets and halved grapes. The pancetta wrapping around the fish added a delicious salty-smoky quality to the fish without overwhelming it; monkfish is strong enough to stand up to such an encasement.

After our entrees, Steven took me into the kitchen to meet sous chef Bill. (Executive Chef Tom Collicchio was not around.) Bill chatted with me and told me about the new equipment the kitchen will be getting when it closes in the next few weeks, and explained the kitchen’s layout. The GT kitchen is large and easy to see across; it was fairly neat and busy but not hectic. I did not get a chance to check out the pastry work area, which is downstairs from the main kitchen. There’s a small public cooking station near the back of the tavern, which serves for the tavern menu only. The rest of it will totally change in a few weeks, with a new salamander and new French ovens with doors that Bill expects will work better than the current ovens. I asked how often Chef Tom is around, given his role in newer restaurants. “Tom should be around more for a while after the new kitchen goes in. He’ll want to play with the new toys.”

After my peek in the kitchen, I rejoined Erin for dessert. Our predessert was the GT classic buttermilk panna cotta, with a strawberry glaze and a scoop of strawberry sorbet on the top. It was just as luscious as the last time, although I would have preferred the lemon sorbet I’d had on top of it last time. The strawberry was good, but it didn’t pack the same wallop of flavor as the lemon had. We then received our desserts; I ordered the cannoli, which were delicate tuile cookies rolled into tubes and piped with a softly sweet mascarpone filling, lemon thyme sorbet, very fresh whole raspberries, and a raspberry coulis. Stephen brought me a glass of a sparkling dessert wine on the house with my dessert; it was the perfect complement to the sweet/creamy/acidic flavors. I’m sorry I can’t remember what it was.

We managed to trundle back to our hotel with GT coffee cakes in our hands, and we crawled into bed and slept hard until the next morning. I woke up and left the hotel around 8am to meet Wingding for a tour of the Greenmarket. Wingding had suggested that I go through the market with her on Saturday morning since she couldn’t make the planned afternoon get-together. She talked to me about some of the vendors she likes and what products she’s used their produce in. One farmer sold a spicy-smelling black mint that she uses for a mint ice cream at Esca, where she is the pastry chef. I stuck my nose into a bunch and smelled pepper, heat, mint, and a little anise all at once. She pointed out giant heirloom garlic bulbs from another farmer, and encouraged me to check out the amazing chile selection sold by another stall. (Just what is the difference between fiery hot and extremely hot, anyway?) I purchased two of the garlic bulbs, some maple candy from the maple producer, and a low-sugar raspberry jam from Beth’s. After our walk around the market, we found an empty bench and sat and chatted about culinary students, pastry work, restaurant kitchens, and so on.

When we parted ways, Wingding pointed me towards Kalustyan’s, a sort of middle eastern grocer not too far from the Greenmarket. I found the shop fairly easily and poked around. There’s a beautiful array of dried and glaceed fruits; I selected several of the glaceed apricots, which I may use for some fruit tarts later on if I can keep from eating them all. I also picked up some Valencia rice for a bout of paella, some black salt (which is actually dark red and which came in cubelike rocks I will have to break apart to use), and some of the Lebanese baklava. I also picked up ginger candies and a jar of anchovies.

After Kalustyan’s, I went over to 18th and 8th to join Erin and an old friend of his for brunch. 18th and 8th is a nice little neighborhood Chelsea brunch place that Erin’s friend recommended. I had a spinach salad with warm chevre, bacon, almonds and mushrooms. It wasn’t outstanding but the food was decent and the service was quite good for the type of environment and food offered.

I left brunch around 12:30 and walked over to City Bakery to meet whoever wanted to show up from eGullet. Liza, Cakewalk, Nina Wugmeister, Mark Stevens, Cabrales, and StefanyB all came out to meet me and hang out. We went through the food line in small teams; I picked up some ancho-grilled pineapple, some of the broccoli, and some sauteed long beans for sampling. I also ordered a mug of hot chocolate specifically so I could sample the house-made marshmallows. The vegetables were quite tasty and well prepared. The hot chocolate was good, but the marshmallow was way way way too sweet. Liza ordered hot chocolate and pain au chocolat (I think she referred to this as a “chocolate pairing”) and had to stop after a while because she was going into sugar shock. Yowza.

We chatted about all types of things: other eGulleteers we have known. What I ate for dinner last night. Adam Balic (everybody was way more interested in him than in me, and several women asked me if he was cute). What Nina was planning to make for brunch tomorrow. The tomato dinner at Blue Hill. Being Jewish in North Carolina (StefanyB has relatives who live down there). Scrapple. Geekiness. We stuck around chatting until around 2:30pm, and then we went to the Greenmarket together so Nina could pick up some berries for the brunch she was making. There was a Spanish wine tasting at a wine shop nearby, so we went over there and sampled a few wines. Liza purchased a whole case of wine from the shop and hopped into a cab to get it home, and it was getting towards time to get ready for dinner, so we started drifting off and I said my goodbyes.

I went back to the hotel, showered, changed, and walked through the light rain to Yvonne and G Johnson’s apartment. They had invited me and Sandra Levine and my partner Erin round to their place for drinks and snacks before heading to dinner. (Erin chose to spend the afternoon with his friend, so he simply join us at dinner.) We drank some cava and nibbled on spicy olives and talked. They share a beautiful apartment with big windows, and I hoped to meet their kitty, but she was too shy to make an appearance. The conversation flowed easily and covered some of the same topics as addressed over the City Bakery gathering. Sandy talked about her bird-watching hobby, and we discussed historical preservation and recent British history by way of explaining to one another who we are and what we do. A friend of the Johnsons from London had spontaneously decided to visit while traveling through the US last week, so he joined us right as we were about to leave for dinner. We walked down to Blue Hill together and met up with Erin.

Once we were seated and settled, our server told us that the chef wanted to prepare a meal just for us rather than serving us from the menu. She also offered to pair wines to each course for us. We quickly agreed that a chef’s tasting menu sounded fun, and almost everybody had wines paired to their courses as well. After the requisite disclosure of food sensitivities, the wines were poured and courses started to appear. Here is what we ate and drank:

Chilled cucumber soup with yogurt sorbet and dill, which we were instructed to chug in one swallow (it was served in a vodka shot-type glass)

Tomato terrine with Maine crab and tomato sorbet, Casa de la Ermita, Jumilla, Spain, 2001

The terrine was cold and layered with sharp basil; it was topped with some delicate fronds of dill and came with a small scoop of savory, smooth frozen tomato sorbet. The tomato was rich and sweet, as full flavored and non-watery as you could hope for.

Ruby red shriump with Blue Hill cucumber and chives, Costa del Vento-Vigna di Timorasso Monleate, Italy, 2000

Sandy and I would both have been just as happy to have eaten a big plate of the shrimp and cucumbers and called it dinner. The shrimp were sweet and tender, not at all rubbery, and had clearly been carefully watched and removed from heat just as they turned pink. The cucumbers were sweet and crisp and had none of that bitterness that cucumbers sometimes get.

Steamed Spanish mackerel wrapped in shiso leaf with roasted corn and mushroom consomme, Rosa del Golfo Alezia, Italy, 2001

I have to admit that steaming the mackerel didn’t do much to infuse it with flavor, and the shiso looked pretty but didnn’t taste like very much. The mushroom consomme was appropriately rich and clear, and I always enjoy corn but I’m not sure it went all that well with the other flavors on the plate.

Most people got Skate Creek leg of pork with summer beans and squash salad for their next course, but Erin and I were served braised cod with bok choy and coriander infused bouillabaise. The wine was Abadja Retuerda Sardonde Duerro, Spain, 1997. Sandy traded me a medallion of pork and a couple pieces of green bean for a chunk of cod and some bok choy, a trade which thrilled both of us. I’m pleased to report that pork leg is far more flavorful than pork tenderloin, and the beans were tender with just the right amount of squeak left to them. The cod took on wonderful flavors from its fishy sauce, and the bok choy was my favorite vegetable in a vegetable-intensive meal: sweet, deep green, with crunchy stems.

After the main courses were cleared, the sweets started to arrive. First was macerated peaches in a rose wine syrup with peach granita. I wasn’t able to eat much of this dessert due to my allergy to stone fruits (the tomato terrine had already caused enough of a reaction to make it harder for me to enjoy the next few courses) but I had a hard time resisting slurping up the syrup. It’s hard to describe; it tasted like red wine and cassis and rose pollen, but it tasted sweet and syrupy without being cloying or sickly.

Our main dessert course was either a blueberry financier with blueberry sorbet and vanilla ice cream, or macerated strawberries with lemon cake and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. This was served with Dr. Parce “Rimage mise Tardine” Banyuls, France, 1993. I liked the strawberry dessert, but was much more inclined towards the financier. The cake was satisfying and not overdone, and seemed to occupy a sort of zone between New England and France.

Finally, we enjoyed some petits fours: chewy caramels, squares of chocolate chip cake with a sauterne glaze, and chocolate covered almonds. I think the caramels had bits of pistachio in them, which I particularly enjoyed.

We bid our new friends adieu after the petits fours and went back to our hotel to crash. Sunday morning, Erin departed very early for Washington (he has a standing Sunday evening engagement) and I set out to cover some serious food territory on my own.

First I took the train up to the Upper West Side and visited Sarabeth’s for breakfast. I was familiar with the Sarabeth’s line of jams, and had heard it was a good place for breakfast food, so I’d wanted to check it out for some time. (My jam obsession is well-documented.) I ordered the farmer’s omelet (filled with leeks, bacon, and gruyere) with a corn muffin and a side of potatoes. I should have known better than to order an omelet now that I’m a culinary student, because I found my eggs to be entirely overcooked and underseasoned. The bacon was barely detectable beyond its telltale red color, and the cheese was a gluey mass in the middle of the egg. The potatoes fared better, with bits of red, green and yellow pepper plus onions and some nicely crisped edges. I liked my soft, sweet corn muffin the best, and slathered it with strawberry-apple and peach-apricot jams. Both jams tasted good, but they weren’t as sharp as I like, and they were so runny they were more like dessert sauces than jams. (I have never purchased Sarabeth’s jams in markets, though I have of course seen them at various gourmet shops along the east coast.) Perhaps the sweeter dessert items on the menu are better. I like sweet breakfast foods but cannot make a breakfast out of them without feeling sick all day, and since I was alone, I couldn’t split something sweet with a friend. Oh well. I did like the homey atmosphere in the restaurant, complete with china displays on the wall and buttery yellow walls.

After Sarabeth’s, I went back to Zabar’s and stocked up on jams, Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup, rugalach, and Cluizel chocolate bars. I’ve been to Zabar’s several times now, and I’ve always wished I could try some of their prepared foods and especially their smoked fish. It’s just not possible to carry those things around all day, alas. I did pick up some bagels from H&H next door, and then I headed back to the hotel to drop off my heavy items before continuing on my food geek vision quest.

I headed up the east side of town next with the intention of visiting Dylan’s Candy Bar and the Fouchon French foods shop. I expected to enjoy Dylan’s, but I admit it didn’t seem all that different from FAO Schweetz, which I visited a location of in Chicago once. I didn’t see any novelty confections that I hadn’t seen elsewhere, with the possible exception of Trix Treets (a Trix version of Rice Krispie Treats)…and those just seemed too disgusting to brave consumption. They were out of many of the colors of M&Ms, and Skittles and spin pops hold minimal interest for me. Jhlurie may enjoy the novelty gum and candy boxes, and I thought of him as I poked around. I saw very little “serious” candy, candy that might suit an adult palate and adult sensibility. This got me wondering if there is a single place that sells grown-up candies. Not just chocolate type candies. I’d try herb-flavored suckers, and I think candy-coated fruit gels could be quite tasty if done right. How about candy bars filled with really good nut and fruit pastes, that aren’t super-sweet and are coated with good chocolate? Is anybody making these things?

I walked from Dylan’s to Fouchon and nosed around for a little while. I picked up some mustard with Sauterne wine, a box of assorted caramels, and of course a jar of jam (four black fruits variety). I wanted to try several of the funkier jams, but everything was super expensive and there weren’t any samples of any products available. For all I know, Fouchon jams suck, and I just got ripped off. I’ll report back once I crack the jar.

I went down to the Lower East Side next. I went directly to Katz’s and got in line to check out the pastrami. Once my turn arrived, I asked for a pastrami sandwich on rye. The guy behind the counter asked me, “Regular?” “Yeah, however YOU like it.” I got a smile out of him for that, and he cut two slices of pastrami and put them on a plate for me to sample. “You like?” I chewed the sweet, rich meat. “Oh yeah. My first pastrami in about a decade.” He zipped off a bunch of slices and waved the rye bread at me. “Yeah, rye.” “Mustard?” “Yeah, thanks.” “Pickles?” “Definitely.” He put a big pile of pickles on the plate where he’d put the pastrami sample. I tipped him and worked my way down the counter to pick up some slaw, then went and found a seat. I managed to eat half of my sandwich amazingly easily, and oh boy was it good. I munched on the pickles (which were barely salty-pickly and which complemented the sandwich beautifully) and ate about half of the sweet, creamy slaw. I had the rest of my sandwich wrapped up; Edemuth will be the lucky recipient.

After visiting Katz’s, I needed to work some of the food off, so I decided to stroll around the neighborhood. Almost immediately I found myself on Orchard Street, which had been blocked off for a pickle festival sponsored by the New York Food Museum. I chatted with the representative from the museum briefly about the work they do (there’s no physical building, but they do public displays and they host information on the Internet). Then I wandered around, talked to a Polish woman about how to make sauerkraut, sampled half-sours and garlic dills from Guss Pickles, and snacked on kimchi and pickled ginger.

I wound my way over to DiPalo’s Italian cheese shop from there, which was small and very crowded. They sold beautiful looking cheeses and meats, but I had no way to get those things home safely, so I didn’t stick around long. I found Pearl River Emporium and checked out the gorgeous porcelain plates and bowls and dishes. I considered buying a Japanese cleaver, but didn’t think I’d get enough use out of it to justify schlepping it home.

Eventually, the afternoon started to fade. I decided to get a small meal before heading back to DC, so I went back to F&B for a veggie dog. I asked the guy behind the counter where their veggie dogs come from and he said he didn’t know, but he knows they are based on smoked tofu. I’ve eaten a lot of smoked tofu and these dogs are way better than any tofu pup that’s ever crossed my lips. I ordered it Great Dane style and managed to eat it all despite still having most of the pastrami sandwich in my tummy.

I still wasn’t hungry when I woke up this morning after all that eating, but it was a great time plus I really enjoyed having the opportunity to meet so many of the wonderful New York eGullet folks. I’ll definitely come back when I can, and hope to hang out and meet more of you when I do.

[bigbear]

Another enjoyable read, Rochelle. Thanks.

[jaybee]

Rochelle Rochelle. A young girl's journey from Minsk to Pinsk.

I wish I couda joined you. You did it right with the exception of Sarabeth's, which is a continual disappointment to visitors I talk to. Good Enough to Eat, just up the block has way better food. next time!

Katz'...oh boy.

[stefanyb]

Rochelle Rochelle.  A young girl's journey from Minsk to Pinsk.

Seinfeld

Bette Midler

J.- Was that also the episode with Kramer making dry pasta figurines?

[SobaAddict70]

Apologies again for missing out on the Blue Hill dinner.

I took a nap and like Rip Van Winkle, woke up way past the appointed time.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I have gum surgery so I'll be out of commission for a couple of days.

yay

Hope you do well on your midterms and such...

SA

[Jinmyo]

I came to New York with my partner Erin for the weekend of August 23-25 for the purposes of eating and meeting some eGullet folks. I accomplished both missions beautifully.

You ate them?

edit:

Okay. I've finished reading the whole thing. You didn't eat them. Which is good because I like these people.

[CathyL]

Rochelle, terrific report - thanks!

By the way, Zabar's prepared foods are mostly mediocre so you didn't miss anything.

Next time you're in the neighborhood, you might want to hit Barney Greengrass on 89th & Amsterdam for a brunch of lox and eggs and onions - divinely salty/greasy.

[Suzanne F]

Thanks for a great report! The next time you come up to visit, check out Chelsea Market (9th ave, 15th - 16th streets), the Fairway/Citarella block (Broadway, 74th to 75th), and the Polish/Ukranian places in the East Village. And if you're REALLY adventurous, there are wonderful parts of the "outer boroughs" that have fascinating ethnic markets and restaurants, like Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (Italian) and 74th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens (South Asian, South American, you name it), and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn (Russian and other former SSRs).

Y'all come back again soon!

[Rail Paul]

Thanks for a great report!  The next time you come up to visit, check out Chelsea Market (9th ave, 15th - 16th streets), the Fairway/Citarella block (Broadway, 74th to 75th), and the Polish/Ukranian places in the East Village.  And if you're REALLY adventurous, there are wonderful parts of the "outer boroughs" that have fascinating ethnic markets and restaurants, like Arthur Avenue in the Bronx (Italian) and 74th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens (South Asian, South American, you name it), and Brighton Beach, Brooklyn (Russian and other former SSRs).

Y'all come back again soon!

Suzanne -

thank YOU for highlighting several interesting neighborhood food locations which don't get nearly enough play on eGullet.

Might I prevail on you to open a thread on the areas of Brighton Beach which are especially interesting to you? Are there food providers who are a "must visit"? With the more clement Fall season almost upon us, market going is much more enjoyable

Thanks

Paul

[Malawry]

Jaybee, I'm sorry I missed you too. And I don't watch Seinfeld but of course I have heard of Rochelle Rochelle.

Jinmyo, what would eGulleteers taste like?

CathyL, I hit the Stoijun King on my last visit to NY, when I came up with Edemuth in February. It's mentioned in the writeup I posted way long back in the NY board. I considered going back for more but thought I should go to Sarabeth's instead because of the jam reputation.

Suzanne F, I will hit Citarella and Fairway next time, and if there's enough time perhaps some of the Brooklyn zones you mentioned.

[SobaAddict70]

R --

Don't forget to try Sahadi's. It's the Brooklyn version of Kalustyan's (sp), and specializes in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean foodstuffs. Its located somewhere on Atlantic Avenue...can't remember the address. I'm sure someone can give it to you tho.

SA

[LaNiña]

R --

Don't forget to try Sahadi's.  It's the Brooklyn version of Kalustyan's (sp), and specializes in Middle Eastern/Mediterranean foodstuffs.  Its located somewhere on Atlantic Avenue...can't remember the address.  I'm sure someone can give it to you tho.

SA

Sahadi's is great....but Oriental Grocery, a block away on Atlantic, is better.

[Jinmyo]

Jinmyo, what would eGulleteers taste like? 

From what I'm told, like ortolan. But with big bones.

[yvonne johnson]

I enjoyed dinner at Blue Hill very much. The highlights for me were the pork (described by our servers as leg, but, as Sandy quickly noted, it looked very much like loin) that had a pig (surprise) flavor (most pork is pretty bland in this city); the cool peach amuse desert--not too sweet, with juices that smelled of roses, and the "strawberries and cream" that came in a tall glass. The last resembled a very good trifle and went really well with the Banyuls. The meal, leaving aside the bread, had very little starch and meant we could comfortably go the distance. Our waitress, a beautiful woman with Spanish-looking features, was courteous and attentive. It was a pleasure to meet Rochelle and Erin, and to see Sandy once again.

The meal was much more interesting and of a higher calibre than the two earlier meals (from regular menu) I've had at BH. I will definitely return for the tasting menu.