Food-inspired holiday windows at Barneys

Some Food Network personalities and top chefs made their way into Barneys holiday windows this year. I wonder how Mario Batali felt about his depiction.

Location: 660 Madison Avenue (nr 61st)

Photos from Refinery29 and VandM.com's DesigninTell

Introducing a new series: Pizza Fridays

About a year ago Gus and I started a little tradition called "Pizza Fridays." The concept is simple, if not self-explanatory: Basically, every Friday night we set out to try a different pizza in NYC.  We keep track of where we went, what slices we sampled, the overall experience, and a mental rating scale of our favorites, which we continually need to reevaluate after each new visit.

A few forces prompted this. First and foremost, Gus is a pizza fanatic (and I a zealous convert).  Secondly, New York Magazine had excellent pizza coverage in their 2009 Cheap Eats issue, which served as inspiration and a fantastic guide.  But perhaps the strongest factor was our first visit to one pizza place in particular that made us realize that pizza in New York City could literally rival what you would find in Italy.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I initially set out to do a basic "best of" list on my blog to recount our experiences, but I've now realized that a simplistic 1-10 rating scale wouldn't really be the most suitable format. For more than anything, our quest has taught me that, despite its few ingredients, pizza is actually quite multifaceted; and one must take into consideration other factors - the environment and energy of the establishment, and one's own tastes and preferences - to properly evaluate the overall experience. 

Instead I will devote an individual post to each pizza place we try, describing the ingredients and tastes to the best of my ability, and making comparisons where appropriate.  Because in addition to having an excuse to record our tradition, I'd like this to serve as a way for others to find their favorite NYC pizza.

Please stay tuned for the first post. And in the meantime, some items that might be of interest:

The NYC Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene lists 1,186 restaurants that contain the word "pizza" in their name. MenuPages lists 385 restaurants - 165 of which are in Brooklyn.

Slice, an affiliate of Serious Eats, is comprehensive pizza blog that offers "pizza maps," recipes, and reviews of notable pizzerias in NYC and all over the country.

New York Magazine's pizza coverage includes, among others:

• An entertaining timeline covering 104 years of pizza in NYC 
• A great slideshow on the evolution of New York pizza styles, 1905 to 2009
• A taxonomy of pizza ovens  
• The 100-Pizza-Eaters Poll on NYC's best slice (though I like it more for the literal pie chart than the results, which actually include Pizza Hut and Little Caesars)

* “Angelo’s. I like my crust crispy.” “Joe and Pat’s on Staten Island. I’ve been going there since I was little.” “Papa John’s. It’s inexpensive!” “Liberty Pizza.” “Nick’s. The crust-cheese-sauce ratio is ideal.” “Two Boots.” “Little Caesars.” “Pizza Hut.” “Little Italy Pizza—43rd and Madison.” “Fornino in Brooklyn.” “Rosa’s.” “John’s in Astoria.”

Tartinery, Je'taime

Tartinery (downstairs) Photo from the Hungry Roach

It's been described both as the best spot for a solo diner to lunch and an awesome place for a date.

Its philosophy seeks to capture the best of the past and merge it with the best of the modern.

Its aesthetic is New York City sleek and Parisian charm.

Tartinery is a place where paradox results in wonderfully unique dining experience.  I recently checked out the newly opened "modern bistro" on a weeknight for my friend Alex's birthday.  Its name represents the restaurant's primary specialty: the tartine.

Having spent much of my education studying the French language (with a special eye for food, of course), I was surprised to have never heard of this authentic Parisian treat, which can can be described as a classic and gourmet open-faced sandwich served on a razor-thin slice of toasted bread. Think of it as the French version of bruschetta  - though it's more of a main course than an appetizer.

Tartinery serves an array of classic French combinations.  There's the Croque Monsieur: cooked ham chiffonade, gruyere, bechamel; the Rosbif: cold roast beef, herb mayo, and oven baked potatoes; the Steak Minute: filet steak, caramelized onions, and old style mustard; and, for the more daring, the Tartare: finely chopped raw beef, onions, capers, egg yolk, Dijon mustard, Worchestire sauce, parsley, and ships.

Tartine Tartare, Photo from Serious Eats

In other words, Tartinery is a place where the menu begs to be read in its entirety.  And a perfect place to go with a group and sample more than one.

Though the menu caters to lovers of pork and beef, the quality of the vegetarian options more than make up for the lack of choice.  I ordered the butternut squash soup to start ($8); its creamy, rich consistency perfect for a brisk fall night.  I then shared a "Crottin" tartine, which had goat cheese, frizée, fresh thyme, honey and olive oil.  It was excellent.  The bread was perfectly crisped.  The ingredients were exquisite and fresh. I was surprised to actually enjoy the frizée - what I usually consider a finicky lettuce.  But drizzled in the olive oil and honey, its flavor and texture was the perfect complement to the creamy goat cheese.  For $11.50 it was a steal. It should also be noted that Tartinery offers an array of dessert tartines (I simply must go back to try the banana and nutella.)

Butternut Squash soup, Photo from Serious Eats

 Something that took me by surprise - the tartines are served on sourdough. Yes, what's often thought of as a West Coast thing is actually a traditional French bread; and Tartinery gets theirs flown in from the renowned Poilâne Bakery in the famous Parisian district of Saint- Germain des Prés. Poilâne has been churning out sourdough loaves since 1932; In the 1970s, Salvador Dali would apparently order objects and sculptures from the bakery made of bread. (Disclosure: I'm actually not a huge fan of sourdough, though I've admittedly never had the French kind.  But thankfully, you can substitute it for multigrain.)

Tartine Choco, Photo from Tartinery

Tartinery is bound to be a hit.  (In fact, just a few days after I went they were filming an episode of The Real Housewives of NYC at the same table we were sitting at.)  And the space, like the sandwiches, suits different tastes and purposes.  The counter on the ground floor, which looks into the kitchen, is perfect for lunch diners, while the downstairs area is more cozy and intimate, with exposed brick walls, a fireplace, and a live tree growing out of the center of a table. Plus all of the waiters are young Frenchmen.  What's not to love?

Tartinery, 209 Mulberry St. (Nolita)
Open daily, 12PM-Midnight
Tartine & Wine Hour: 5-7 PM
$13 prix-fix lunch (tartine + soup/dessert)

Eataly!

Eataly's new location at 200 Fifth Ave (near 23rd st.)

Despite all the fantastic publicity it's been receiving since February, I just realized I didn't dedicate a post yet to Eataly, the "50,000 square-foot Slow Food–inspired Italian-food temple" that's aiming to be New York City's premier culinary mecca.  The mammoth grocery store/restaurant/center of enlightenment will be opening its doors to the public in mere days, on August 31st.  And it's going to be a mad-house.

And while this may sound so only-in-New-York, Eataly in fact, originated in Italy.

The Original, Photo from Eataly.it

The original Eataly- which will have been the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world post 8/31, opened just two years ago in Turin (or Torino), Italy and has since launched locations in Milan, Bologna, and Tokyo, among others.  The unstoppable founder and creator Oscar Farinetti teamed up with Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich of B&B Hospitality Group to open the NYC location in the Flatiron district - which will be nearly twice the size of the original.

B&B, Image from  Babble.com

So what exactly is Eataly? In a nutshell, "an extravaganza that will include a premier retail center for Italian delicacies and wine, a culinary educational center, and a diverse slate of boutique eateries." The philosophy is a democratizing one: Farinetti’s aim (according to his press release) is to make high-quality Italian foods available to everyone, at fair prices and in an environment where people can shop, taste and learn. Slow Food, defender of such things as "food biodiversity" and "taste education," is the strategic consultant.

There is an exhaustive amount of information out there on what undoubtedly will be an exhausting (though exciting!) place to visit; so I've sifted through various articles and blog posts to offer you some highlights:

- There will be seven "restaurants," 14 food stations, and a full "piazza" with a raw bar, fresh-cut prosciutto, and marble-topped tables. (Gothamist)

Integrated dining areas

- The only named restaurant (and the only dining area that will take reservations), is Manzo, a full-scale white-tablecloth Italian steakhouse with 80 (or 60?) seats. Michael Toscano, formerly of Babbo, is the chef. (Times) Mario says it will contain a beef bar, "akin to a sushi bar, that will have five or six different daily-changing preparations of raw Piedmontese beef" (only 5 or 6? pff)

Bread in Eataly.

- While the packaged goods are mostly imported from Italy (and most are at import prices), the meat and produce is all local. Vegetables come straight from rooftop farm Brooklyn Grange in Queens. (Gothamist) 

Hm, I'm not so sure this is a fair price

- Beer will be brewed right on the 300-seat rooftop microbrewery, which will be run by Dogfish Head. (Gothamist) The aim is to pair artisanal rustic, homemade beers with the artisanal, rustic cooking of Chef Mario Batali. (Dogfish Head)

- A wine shop has an entrance on 23rd Street, and access to a counter for takeout pizza will be on 24th Street. (Times)

- Next to the espresso bar is a wall of five iPads, each programmed to display news from Italian newspaper La Stampa. (Gothamist)

- Artist Jennifer Rubell (niece of Studio 54 owner Steve Rubell) is the designated "vegetable butcher" - she will clean and cut any produce you purchase, free of charge. (Post) Scraps will be gathered in a separate plastic baggie to be weighed at the front and of course, composted. (NYMag)

- Alex Pilas, who ran private events at Del Posto, is the executive chef of the entire operation. (Times)

- Eataly will contain a small school headed by dean Lidia Bastianich.  There will be seminars with artisans, chefs, and winemakers that culminate in special dinners, as well as those that focus on nutrition, sociology, and the chemistry of food. (Post)

Mmmm! Pizza will be made by guys from Naples called Rossopomodoro, similar to Keste style.

- Eataly will have an in-house travel agency to organize trips to visit Italian food and wine producers. (Post)

- About 1,000 individuals applied for managerial and salaried (as opposed to hourly wage) positions,  including many career changers and individuals from finance and other fields who have been laid off or just wanted a different job. (WSJ)

- Eataly NY is a $20 million project. (WSJ)

And finally, click here for an amazingly confusing layout from the NY Post.

I'm very excited (and a bit scared) to see what this place is all about, and whether it lives up to its founding principles.  Lucky for me, it's only a few blocks from work. I know where I'll be spending my lunch breaks!

All photos from Gothamist unless otherwise noted.

Shake Shack

I finally hit up Shake Shack, the "modern day 'roadside' burger stand" that is the cause of a persistent line of people snaking around Madison Square Park. 

Photo from Gothamist

Unlike Danny Meyer's other establishments, Shake Shack is an unassuming venue that celebrates middle-American favorites like burgers, hot dogs, shakes, and fries - but fast food it is not. Customers must wait in a 20 to 30-minute line to order, then wait still until the food is freshly prepared; the burgers are made of "whole-muscle, no-trimmings, fresh-ground, antibiotic-and-hormone-free, source-verified-to-ranch-of-birth, choice-or-higher-grade Black Angus beef";  and meals are consumed in a spacious outdoor setting instead of a plastic booth.  A gourmet, environmentally friendly, health-conscious (sort of) McDonald's if you will.  Meyers told the Times he hopes his nouveau approach brings back the communal, human experience that fast food places have successfully stripped away.

Photo from Gothamist; Click here for the Shack Cam

And sure, waiting in line on a beautiful sunny day in Madison Square Park with my coworkers was a lot nicer than it would have been in a dingy McDonald's. But now, on to the food.  The Shake Shack menu is very small, limited mainly to the four foods aforementioned.  You'll have to bear with me because I don't eat hamburgers or hot dogs, so this really won't be a fair judging.  But Shake Shack does offer two vegetarian options, which happen to lie on complete opposite ends of the spectrum: the 'Shroom burger and the Garden dog.

I dont' think I could come up with a better description for option #1 than The Girl Who Ate Everything:

"...in theory [the 'Shroom burger] is a breaded and deep fried portobello mushroom 'patty' filled with muenster and cheddar cheese, but in reality is a giant slab of cheese wrapped in a barely perceptible layer of portobello mushroom, breaded and deep fried to a molten goo. If they got rid of the mushroom and just make a deep fried cheese slab burger it probably wouldn't taste that different, unless the mushroom provides crucial structural integrity."

The 'Shroom Burger (Doesn't it look like a giant falafel?) Photo from Foodspotting.com

The hot dog on the other hand, which doesn't even make it into their online menu, is literally a bun full of condiments. (um, why bother?)

So the 'Shroom burger it was.  And indeed, a solid bite through the hard, crunchy exterior of the "patty" unleashed a lava flow of hot gooey cheese.  Now, I love cheese. Love it. But the combination of muenster and cheddar was too dense and mild (think of a giant mozzarella stick with a higher cheese-to-breading ratio). About three-quarters of the way-through I felt it coagulating into a hard waxy lump in my stomach. I guess eating in the hot sun didn't help.

Photo from CayDigestNY,com (I should also mention another menu offering called the Shack Stack - a cheeseburger AND 'Shroom burger combo; not for the faint of heart)

I like the idea of having a creative, not-so-healthy vegetarian option for once.  After all, it is a burger stand.  But I think this creation would be more palatable if injected with something lighter and more flavorful, like a blue cheese or goat cheese; or mmm boursin.  And in a smaller quantity.

As for the shakes, Shake Shack only uses custard in their frozen creations (I swear Manhattan has something against ice cream); and try as I might to enjoy it, the hand-spun chocolate shake was much too sweet.  But if you love frozen custard this is the place for you: They also do sundaes, floats, and "concretes" a fitting name for the frozen custard equivalent of a blizzard or McFlurry. 

The whole shebang! (These pictures are just too good) Photo from umami

The fries and cheese fries are of the crinkle cut variety, with a very nice crunch.  All in all, it's a fun experience, and I admire the slow food, "democratizing" approach Danny Meyer has taken (I should mention the prices are very reasonable) And if you find your mouth is now watering for some burgers and fries, you soon may not have to make the trek to NYC to try it out.  In addition to its four locations in NYC (with more to come), S.S. has recently popped up in Miami, Saratoga Springs, and soon: Kuwait of all places.