NYT Articles on Food, Drink, Cooking, and Culinary Culture (2005–2011)

[SobaAddict70]

So when the Vietnamese started peddling catfish from the Mekong Delta in this country under brand names like Delta Select (a moniker mighty close to the popular Mississippi brand Delta Pride), the farmers got very upset. One of the first things the Americans challenged was the right of the Vietnamese farmers to use the word itself. They maintain that the Vietnamese fish is really basa fish, whatever that is, and that labeling it as catfish is, in the words of Hugh Warren, executive vice president of the C.F.A., the equivalent of ''selling kangaroo meat as sirloin.'' Last year the C.F.A. persuaded Congress to bar the Vietnamese from calling their fish catfish and to require them to stamp their packages with the country of origin so there wouldn't be any more confusion about which delta had been the fish's birthplace.

Vietnamese catfish and the Mississippi Delta by Julia Reed

Recipes:

1. Laotian Catfish Soup

2. Catfish Courtbouillon

Cheers,

Soba

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Note from Soba:

This week's Voice of Sietsema will feature the review from last week's Village Voice, along with this week's article. Last week was the week from hell -- I didn't have time to do anything outside of work. 13+ hour work days from Friday to Thursday will do that to you. Thank god its over....for now.

Edited May 19, 2003 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[SobaAddict70]

Fish is the star here. Yujin offers only one meat dish, and it's not even red meat. There is a pan-roasted chicken served with a ginger-accented purée of Japanese sweet potato, but that's it. The rest of the menu is devoted to the likes of miso-marinated salmon in yuzu miso sauce with broccoli rabe, and fried whole snapper with scallions, hot sesame oil and soy.

The Japanese version of Oceana, by William Grimes

Soba

[Suzanne F]

Once again, I shill:

Taka was the sushi chef at Match Uptown when I worked there. I didn't have much experience with eating sushi then, but I loved his stuff. I also loved his stuff when he was with Sushi Samba (much better than the "samba" part of the menu). So I'm inclined to expect great stuff from him at this place. (Plus it's across the street from my beloved Aunt Bette, so I expect to go there a lot -- fish, she'll eat. )

[SobaAddict70]

A splash of Madeira adds its distinctive smoky sweetness to a chowder of spring mushrooms with tiny bits of smoked bacon. Foie gras with pistachio and golden raisins is iced with a layer of gewürtztraminer gelée. Daily specials include chicken in riesling, seafood soup with sauvignon blanc, boneless rib-eye steak with cabernet syrup and osso bucco braised in Chianti.

William Grimes gives us his personal spin on Morrells, including a flight of three wine ice creams

Talk about a restaurant in a public space, eh?

Soba

[Pan]

The place sounds interesting, and I'm in that hood fairly often (and can walk there in about 20-25 minutes, anyway). Grimes mentions "dinner entrees." Does anyone know if the place is open for lunch (and perhaps cheaper then)?

[SobaAddict70]

Because potatoes are so adaptable, chefs are always experimenting with them. David Bouley offers pureed potatoes with chives, tarragon and parsley juice; Didier Virot at Aix makes a truffled baked potato layered with duck rillette; and John Villa at Patroon concocts a wonderfully crisped version by placing vertically sliced potatoes with some thyme and garlic under his rotisserieing duck and allowing the fats and juices to drip on them. You can do this at home by placing potatoes on the bottom of a roasting pan and putting your chicken, duck or pig on a rack above them.

Jonathan Reynolds and one of the most utilitarian of vegetables

Recipes:

1. Crispy Potato Cake (Adapted from Bill Telepan, Judson Grill)

2. Gremolata Potatoes (Adapted from Tim Kelley, Zoe)

3. Salt-Baked Potatoes

4. Eggs on Potatoes (Adapted from Cyrus Todiwala, Cafe Spice Namaste)

Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

PHILADELPHIA'S greatest food export is the cheese steak, which is built around beef sliced paper thin and sizzled very briefly on a griddle. Although not in the same food-as-fuel league as the hamburger, the hot dog and the pizza, it has made a national name for itself in the last quarter-century, and its hold on the city of its birth seems unshakable. Which raises an eschatological question: why should pepper pot soup die out while the cheese steak and its cousin, the hoagie, thrive?

Hoagieland, Pennsylvania -- by R.W. Apple, Jr.

Farned salmon's legal battles, by Marian Burros

The counters were covered with platters of food from the new book: chicken with black-eyed peas and yellow rice, barbecued pork chops, shrimp scampi with angel-hair pasta, Luther Vandross's chicken soup, grilled chicken with mango salsa and chocolate mousse. Although six shelves were filled with different hot sauces, she wanted only one, Chili Willy, that she recently discovered in a Cuban restaurant in the Miami airport. It went wonderfully with the chicken and black-eyed peas, less so with the shrimp, though she poured it on freely. There was also a watercress salad with balsamic vinaigrette, but she wasn't interested. "I'm not a salad girl," she said. "I'm a real eater."

In Patti LaBelle's Kitchen -- by Alex Witchel

Recipe:

1. Chicken with Black-Eyed Peas and Yellow Rice

Wine Times -- by Frank Prial

I come from the country of strawberries and cream, England, and am addressing readers who live in a nation devoted to strawberry shortcake. It takes some nerve to suggest a deviation from either dish. But trust me: deep red, perfectly ripe berries, given a shiny slick from being left to macerate for five minutes with a teaspoon of sugar, sing a persuasive song when placed on top of a thick yellow oozing layer of crème pâtissière, itself spread on top of what is, in effect, a jellyroll sponge that has been left unrolled.

At My Table -- by Nigella Lawson

Recipes:

1. Peach Melba

2. Mango Cheesecake

3. Strawberry Cream Slice

Mr. Becker is a Greenmarket shopper. His nose for fresh produce is reflected in his "shoots and roots" salad, a crowded minifestival of pea shoots, popcorn shoots, sunflower sprouts and their ilk in an almond and peppercorn vinaigrette. Even better is a dense three-beet borscht, enriched with a dollop of ginger crème fraîche and slices of grilled asparagus. Chocolate oil is a shrewd selling point for Mr. Becker's thick slab of bison. But the real payoff comes with a velvety purée of celery root and parsnip, sweet and aromatic, and spicy mustard greens.

William Grimes gives us a bird's eye view at Capitale

Demetris -- by Eric Asimov

Craft prepares sea beans simply: after an ice bath, they're pickled briefly in slightly diluted white wine vinegar, then set aside to use on the salmon belly, where they're sprinkled with fleur de sel and black pepper and drizzled with olive oil.

Of Sea Beans and Craft -- by Alexandra Zissu

Spanish Flavors, Rice Snacks, Korean Lemonade, Organic Chicken and Post-Contemporary Hollandaise

Savory Pineapple Dishes -- by Mark Bittman

Recipe:

1. Sauteed Swordfish or Halibut Steaks with Pineapple Salsa

Bits and Pieces -- by Florence Fabricant

I also like to make a red-wine risotto, which I first had in Tuscany, served with lamb that was cooked on a hot stone. It is nothing more than a traditional risotto recipe, with wine replacing some of the broth. Red wine does wonderful things to risotto. It adds acidity, which pleasantly challenges the richness. And it turns the rice pink.

Pity that Mr. Plotnicki isn't on hand to comment, eh?

Pairings -- by Amanda Hesser

Recipe:

1. Red Wine Risotto

The final touch in producing a great Époisses is the periodic washing of the rind of each cheese, eight or nine times during the ripening period, which lasts at least 28 days but can go as long as eight weeks. The bath starts off as a salt brine. Then a little marc de Bourgogne, the high-octane distillate of Burgundy wine residues, is added, the proportion of marc increasing each time the cheese is dipped until, finally, the liquid is almost entirely marc.

Raw-milk Époisses -- by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

He has created a special seasonal category of a half-dozen dishes made with morels, including roasted asparagus with morel sauce, and morels in a tiny casserole in cream sauce sweetened with pineau des charentes, a Cognac-based aperitif. The reorganized menu also includes a roster of daily specials, gutsy fare like calf's liver lyonnaise, pot-au-feu, rabbit in mustard sauce and the chunky fish stew known as chaudrée saintongeaise, a specialty of France's Atlantic coast.

William Grimes reports on Dumonet, the restaurant at the Carlyle

Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

For dessert I have served, guiltlessly, chilled pears poached in port-wine syrup with crumbled walnuts and mountain Gorgonzola, or Stilton and a tarte tatin of pears, even though a medium pear has more than three times as many carbohydrates as a tangerine, almost as many as a sweet potato. I have seamlessly reverted to chocolate souffles, ricotta cheesecake, fresh orange juice (16.3 grams of carbs per orange!) and guacamole with blue-corn tortilla chips.

Recipes:

1. Codfish Fillet With Parsnip Puree

2. Steamed Halibut With Rosemary Served With Parsnip Puree -- (Adapted from ''Cooking With Daniel Boulud'')

3. Matchstick Potatoes

Jason Epstein's fall from Atkins grace

Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

Back in China, the family would have made chicken wings or a whole Peking duck. The Chows have adapted this recipe into a simple but delicious whole roasted chicken caramelized with the hoisin. Instead of displaying it whole on the table, like most of their neighbors would do with a roast bird, they cut it into pieces.

Mississippi Chinese fusion in the American South (Joan Nathan)

"We travel a lot for vacation and work, and we go to them wherever we are. It's usually cheap, just not cheap in the city. There are a thousand different places that have better steak. When I take out clients I go to Peter Luger's. Here you know how it's going to be."

Sons of Wal-Mart: Chain Restaurants in New York City (Marian Burros)

You may own one or all of them: the Microplane zester, the OXO vegetable peeler and the Silpat mat. None is particularly attractive. All are simple yet exceptional workhorses, and deserve to be regarded as new classics of the modern kitchen — less flashy than the Cuisinart, perhaps, but just as impossible to live without.

Kitchen gadgets that Inspector Gadget would be proud of (Amanda Hesser)

FreshDirect vs. Fairway (Florence Fabricant)

The Chef: Suzanne Goin (Amanda Hesser)

Mr. Flay has managed to develop distinctive dishes that draw on Spanish flavors and spices in a disciplined way. A fruity Rioja glaze makes perfect sense for grilled tuna, as does the aged sherry that infuses a morel vinaigrette with a deep, nutty flavor. Characteristically, Mr. Flay pairs a polenta cake with green peas and mint, a way of freshening the dish with spring garden flavors wrapped in a bland, soothing package. The humble fig in Mr. Flay's hands becomes an opulent sauce that doubles the richness of the walnut romesco stuffing in an entree of pork tenderloin.

Restaurant Review: Bolo (William Grimes)

Squid salad...will not overpower anybody, yet the thoroughly tender, flavorful rings of squid, tossed in lime juice, chili paste and lemon grass, and served with pickled red onions, is a subtle delight. So is the larb..., essentially a ground pork salad. Just as you're thinking how refreshing its lime juice and mint flavors are, the chili spicing sneaks up on you.

Restaurant Review: Khao Sarn (Eric Asimov)

Wine Talk (Frank J. Prial)

The Minimalist (Mark Bittman)

Bits and Pieces: Middle Eastern Dips, Bulgarian Beluga, Slow Food, Wine Carriers and The Mixing Bowl

Off the Menu (Florence Fabricant)

Letters

Recipes:

1. Hoisin Roasted Chicken

2. Stir-Fried Collard Greens

3. Crayfish Cantonese

4. Grilled or Pan-Grilled Steak with Chipotle, Bacon and Tomatoes

5. Orechiette Carbonara with Peas

6. Lemon Cake

7. Potato Salad with Shaved Ricotta and Green Sauce

8. Anise Cookies

Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

The menu offers a square deal, a fixed-price dinner of appetizer and filet mignon, rib-eye or New York strip steak for $35, with portions ranging from substantial to huge. A big handful of good, crisp Belgian-style fries and tangy mayonnaise come with the steaks, which are offered with a choice of four sauces: béarnaise, bordelaise, shallot butter and Peter Luger.

William Grimes goes to town at The Steakhouse at Fairway

Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

Ripert brings out bottles of Sauternes, but a new challenge arises: Darroze had planned to make an unsweetened foie-gras ice cream to accompany her hare, but the foie gras here is fattier than what she is used to, and it turned granular. She and Ripert consult; she quickly adds whipped cream and Parmesan to the Jerusalem artichoke puree as he ladles hare blood into the sauce.

Jonathan Reynolds' view of ''Les Nouvelles Meres Cuisinieres" at Le Bernardin

Recipes:

1. Ariane Daguin's French Kisses and Gascogne Sushi

2. Classic Duck Foie Terrine

3. Caroline Rostang's Warm Truffle Sandwich

Cheers,

Soba

[nerissa]

Did anyone else see irony in the fact that this was published in the Recession issue?

[SobaAddict70]

Post-Modernist Wedding Cakes (Julia Moskin)

As a topping for desserts — apple pie, for instance, or the steamed ginger and rhubarb pudding at the delightful Arundell Arms Hotel in Lifton, Devon, or a simple bowl of fresh, downy berries — clotted cream is nonpareil. As an ingredient in cooked dishes, sweet or savory, it adds an unmistakable lushness.

White Gold in Devon and Cornwall (R.W. Apple, Jr.)

If you have developed, over time, an ability and an inclination to coax flavor and texture out of the nasty bits, chances are you really know how to cook a chicken or a steak.

Pig's Feet, Sweetbreads and Kidneys in Oregon (Anthony Bourdain)

Cool Food on a Warm Day (Nigella Lawson)

Bibimbap, which looks like an undifferentiated mass of steamed rice with bits of meat or fish and vegetables worked in, plays off soft rice against shards of rice that have turned crusty and clustered together.

William Grimes takes a trip to Seoul while spending time at 36 Bar and Barbecue

The most complicated dish, scallops cured in verjus, wrapped in prosciutto and served with pear...was also one of my favorites. At first bite, the scallops had a pungent, clamlike flavor, but the more I ate, the more the scallop, salty ham and sweet fruit revealed themselves.

One of WD-50's competitors...think of Crudo as an opening movement to an extended sonata (Eric Asimov)

Bits and Pieces: Gourmet Ice Cream, Chocolate Museum, Greenmarket Watercress, Spanish Aioli and Cocktail Lore (Florence Fabricant)

The Minimalist: A Marriage of Sesame and Miso (Mark Bittman)

Off the Menu (Florence Fabricant)

The Case Against Wedding Cake (Jodi Kantor)

Valpolicella is just the wine to serve with a plate of charcuterie.

Pairings (Amanda Hesser)

Recipe: Warm Chicken Salad

The panel, consisting of three regulars — Amanda Hesser, Eric Asimov and me — and a guest, Howard Horvath, wine director at Esca, a Manhattan seafood restaurant, found some old-style, washed-out wines, but more often than not we sipped surprisingly good ones, and at attractive prices.

Wines of the Times (Frank J. Prial)

Letters

Recipes in today's section:

1. Tarragon Turkey

2. Dressing for turkey

3. Pasta Primavera Salad

4. Sauteed Veal Kidneys with Roasted Shallots, Madeira and Cream

5. Sweetbreads with Morels and Fava Bean Risotto

6. Broiled Cod with Sesame-Miso Sauce

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Much speculation remains as to when Grimes will post a review of WD-50...

Cheers,

Soba

[Jinmyo]

Soba, I liked how Grimes summed up:

at heart Korean food is homey. It has rituals, but is not rule-bound. It tastes Asian, but feels Italian.

[Fat Guy]

I think Grimes and Asimov got their roles reversed again today.

[ballast_regime]

Has anybody been to Crudo? The food is the kind that I want to eat every single day.

Much peace,

IML

ballast/regime

[SobaAddict70]

Sorry for the late-comer post folks, I had a busy weekend attending to personal stuff.

Soba

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But fish is the theme at Pampano, which does indeed feature pompano, sautéed with plantain, black rice and guajillo sauce. This is one dish the kitchen cannot afford to flub, and it doesn't. The fish is firm and moist, the flavors a heady mix of hot chili, sweet plantain and aromatic roasted garlic.

A look at Pampano, by William Grimes

Lee McGrath at Po on Cornelia Street serves a delectable leg of lamb sandwich with shaved Parmesan, eggplant and onion sprinkled with balsamic and saba, an exotic, sweet vinegar, on a ciabatta and a fabulous sloppy Joe made with duck ragout.

The Earl of Sandwich in Post-Modern Times (Jonathan Reynolds)

Recipes:

1. Po's Lamb Paillard Sandwich (Adapted from Chef Lee Mc Grath)

2. 'Ino's Roasted-Garlic-and-Arugula-Oil Panini

3. 'Ino's Tuna With Black-Olive-Pesto Panini

[SobaAddict70]

It happened recently in Paris. Or after Paris, I should say, when it eventually sank in that most of what I had enjoyed on the trip were old-fashioned dishes, like île flottante, frisée aux lardons, asperges vinaigrette and oeuf en gelée....what makes each of these creations so good, and what quietly links them, is one simple, elemental ingredient: the egg.

An article that Cabrales would find pleasure in reading (Amanda Hesser)

Hot Dog Wars in NYC (Alex Wichtel)

Summer Cookbook Review (Florence Fabricant)

If you were forced to choose between the best raw peach and the best raw apricot, the decision would be difficult. But in the cooked category, apricots have an edge. The contrast between their skin and flesh is not as marked, so peeling is optional. Their color remains breathtaking and their flavor intensifies in a way that is true to the fruit.

All About Apricots (Kay Rentschler)

It begins with neither. Ms. Goin first chopped some chocolate and placed it in the bottom of a deep casserole. Then she buttered five thick slices of brioche and layered them over the chocolate. Next, she mixed up a simple custard with extra egg yolks and cinnamon. The yolks make the custard richer and the cinnamon gives it the feel of Mexican hot chocolate.

Chocolate Bread Pudding -- Suzanne Goin (Amanda Hesser)

Even more startling than the perfectly square oyster slick is Mr. Dufresne's substitute for dressing: a scattering of dried olives and tiny diced Granny Smith apples, with pistachio purée on the side. The arrangement of flavors is well thought out, precise and completely unexpected.

Wylie Dufresne's second act at WD-50 (William Grimes)

For that, I can think of nothing better than another soup on the menu, gom tang..., a long-simmered, milky, bone-marrow broth. The waitress arrives, using the same steel tongs to carry the cauldron. Before ladling the soup out, she breaks an egg into it. The yellow yolk slowly dissolves into the beige of the broth. She adds some yam noodles and stirs in black pepper. The result is both comforting and delicious, as if prepared by a grandmother rather than by a witch.

Korean Hangover Remedies (Eric Asimov)

Summer Wines (Frank J. Prial)

Bits and Pieces: Uruguayan Olive Oil, Ice Cream Chocolate Cups, Cheese Steak Fusion, and Plastic Tableware

The Minimalist (Mark Bittman)

The federal ban on Canadian cattle since the discovery of mad cow disease in a cow in Alberta about a month ago has had little impact on the availability of beef in the United States. But many wholesalers, retailers and restaurants are faced with a shortage of veal, because many of them relied on imports from up north

Veal Mark-ups (Florence Fabricant)

Dining at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Tadashi Ono's new Chelsea spot (Florence Fabricant)

Letters to the Editor

Recipes:

1. Fluffy Hollandaise

2. Oeufs en Gelée

3. Îles Flottantes

4. Pan-Roasted Cod

5. Rhode Island Stuffies

6. Caramelized Chocolate Bread Pudding

7. Apricot Jam on a Whim

8. Chilled Braised Apricots With Yogurt, Honey and Pistachios

9. Grilled Meat Skewers With Bay Leaves

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Cheers,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

Red-blooded diners should opt for an Argentine charcuterie plate, piled high with sliced serrano ham, mortadella, salchichon and matambre, an Argentine steak roulade. For the full-flavored voyage, there's a choice of blood sausage, two kinds of chorizo, sweetbreads or pork sausage.

Got a hankering for steak? Do as William Grimes did....go to Hacienda de Argentina

Cheerio,

Soba

[SobaAddict70]

I've decided to bundle the Sunday magazine report along with any travel related information regarding dining out overseas and within the U.S., as reported by the Times. Also appearing in this section will be the Diner's Journal report (but not until next week since I've already posted on Hacienda de Argentina).

Soba

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Ms. Kano calls her style of food na kaiseki, literally a vegetarian banquet. Far from the rigid, painstakingly formal cuisine usually conjured up by the word kaiseki, her version is creative, eclectic fare that uses no meat, fish or eggs, no chemical seasonings like monosodium glutamate, not even natural sugar or honey. The only sweeteners Ms. Kano uses are a few drops of mirin (syrupy rice wine) and occasionally a spoonful of mizu ame (barley malt).

Vegetables: It's Not Just Oshinko Anymore! (Elizabeth Andoh)

The great Joel Robuchon has interesting things to say about lobsters, some of which may be taken with a grain of sel, for example his preference for Brittany lobsters, especially those from Finistere, over the American variety.

Shell Games (Jason Epstein)

Recipes:

1. Joel Robuchon's Lobster in Sauternes (Adapted from ''Les Dimanches de Joel Robuchon'')

2. Pan-Roasted Lobsters (Adapted from Jasper White)

Edited June 21, 2003 by SobaAddict70 (log)

[torakris]

Soba, Thanks for the Elizabeth Andoh article!

I just discovered a new restaurant to try, the place called Natural Harmony-Coa at Eda station is just two stations away from me on the Denentoshi line, less then a 10 minute drive!

I'll be going there this week.

[Jinmyo]

Soba, thanks.

Kristin, I've posted that barticle on the Japan board.

[SobaAddict70]

Sidebar:

Whether motivated by marketing concerns or social conscience, McDonald's has stepped to the forefront of the animal welfare movement, at least among corporations.

Corporate Conscience Comes To The Pig Farms Of America

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The food looks beautiful on the plate and tastes just as good. A heap of silky scallop tartare nestled inside the hole in a foie gras "doughnut," providing an intriguing if unexpected contrast. A bowl of crab soup, better than any I have ever eaten in Baltimore or Charleston, came with a series of adornments — a disk of sautéed crab and scallop, chopped chives, powdered trumpet mushrooms and rouille given a sumptuous smoothness by adding potato purée.

Scotland's Chefs Present Their Best Plate Forward (R.W. Apple, Jr.)

Such green-skinned varieties, including Fuerte and Pinkerton (a long-necked late-winter fruit), are often the best choices in season, but are increasingly rare because they lack the Hass's shelf life.

Avocado Expose (David Karp)

The menu lists barbouni, a small, intensely flavored red fish also known as rouget or red mullet; lavraki, a sleek, mild-tasting flaky bass sometimes called branzino or loup de mer; and tsipoura or dorado, a popular dish in Italian restaurants, where it is known as orata and is a favorite for grilling.

Foreign Fish on Domestic Menus (Florence Fabricant)

It's the best thing to happen to a hamburger since Daniel Boulud worked foie gras and short ribs into an all-beef patty.

Bitter orange, one of the great Niçoise flavors, shows up in an impressive daube of beef short ribs, a glistening, black monolith of meat whose richness is nicely offset by orange and sage.

William Grimes reviews Nice Matin

What could be wrong with a dish called the Topsy "coddler"..., an Alsatian-style mass of mellow sauerkraut topped with a huge slab of pork belly, hunks of assertive garlic sausage and potatoes?

Cafe Topsy: Where English Food Sheds Its Comedic Image (Eric Asimov)

Summer Plates For Light Eating (Nigella Lawson)

The Minimalist: Fruit Soups (Mark Bittman)

Bits and Pieces: Clinton Hill Ice Cream, A Towel For Glenn's Bacon Problem, Hudson Valley Foodies, Wild Arugula, and Raisins On The Vine (Florence Fabricant)

This dessert, a simple summer pudding with raspberries, blackberries and nectarines mingling with brioche, would be just the thing with prosecco.

Pairings (Amanda Hesser)

Recipe: Summer Pudding

Off The Menu: Thomas Keller In NYC x2, Maxim's Comes To London, and Short Orders (Florence Fabricant)

Letters to the Editor

Correction

Recipes:

1. Crab Tartlets

2. Belgian Endive and Watercress Salad

3. Peach Chewies

4. Savory Cold Mango Soup

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Enjoy,

Soba

[Fat Guy]

I love how they'll correct the most insignificant factual misstatement -- "Correction: listing of mail-order sources last Wednesday with an article about apricots misstated the shipping cost for a three-pound box from Eden Garden in Tracy, Calif. The $30 price includes shipping." -- but when it comes to giving a restaurant two stars when it deserves three . . .

We really need to get this David Karp guy on for a Q&A.