Food and Things

The Hamptons: Alec Baldwin and Neighbors Feast at Peconic Land Trust Quail Hill Farm Event

Laura Weiss — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:56:05 +0000

Alec Baldwin with Scott Chaskey, the director of Quail Hill Farm. Photo: Peter Cobb

Alec Baldwin, looking a bit ruddier and beefier than the suave Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock, sat amidst friends and neighbors at an event Saturday night to support Quail Hill Farm, the Peconic Land Trust’s 30-acre tract in Amagansett. Baldwin is a major supporter of the event.

East End dining hot spots like Nick and Toni’s got to strut their stuff at the annual fundraiser August 23. The Grill and Foody’s were among five Hamptons eateries showing off locavore dishes like Pork Loins with Open Minded Organic’s Mushrooms and Quail Hill Potato Gratin. All together, 180 people gathered at 22 tables, stacked end to end to create a 176 foot long “Common” table that snaked for about eight feet through an Amagansett farm field lit by lanterns on a glorious summer night.

Quail Hill Farm Common Table. Photo: Peter Cobb.

“It was tough to get the tables set up in a straight line,” said Peter Cobb, one of the volunteers who helped stage the event.

Quail Hill, in addition to being one of the nation’s oldest CSAs, gives Hamptonites a chance to dabble at farming. You can harvest tomatoes or arugula a couple of times a week and take your pickings home with you.

When I mentioned to a couple of folks that I hailed from the North Fork, I got a bunch of quizzical looks, as if to say, “Why would you choose to live there?” Clearly, that quieter agricultural area just on the other side of Peconic Bay is off the radar screen for the group of Hamptonites who showed up for the event.

Next week, the Peconic Land Trust is hosting a tomato taste-off. Given how fabulous this year’s tomatoes have been, it sounds like it’s worth the trip—-unless of course you live on the North Fork. In that case, you can stop by the dozens of farm stands peddling tomatoes. Sang Lee’s? or KK’s? Or the ladies who put a few tomatoes out on card tables in the hopes that passersby will purchase some?

Upper West Side: Super Tacos Truck is Back on 96th Street

Laura Weiss — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 18:37:03 +0000

Super Tacos is Back.

Super Tacos, the truck with the to-die-for mole poblamo, is back on its home turf at 96th Street just west of Broadway. While the new subway station was being built, the truck was banished to Amsterdam Ave., but now it’s been restored to its rightful home.

Bueno!

Upper West Side: Whole Foods’ First Birthday Party at Columbus and 97th St. Store

Laura Weiss — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 21:42:31 +0000

Whole Foods fans—the store’s celebrating its first birthday Friday. There’s cake too. And “local” Upper West Side foods, whatever that means.

Here’s the announcement:

This Friday marks the 1-year anniversary for the opening of Whole Foods Market on the Upper West Side. To celebrate our birthday, we’re inviting the neighborhood to come commemorate with a slice of cake and a toast to the community. Enjoy a complimentary evening of delicious wining and dining with live jazz performances by the Sugar Hill Quartet.

From African Peanut Soup and Dominican Rice and Beans to beer and wine, all of the food served will be as local as it gets – honoring the history of the neighborhood.

Here are all of the details:

WHERE: Whole Foods Market Upper West Side

808 Columbus Ave at 97th Street

WHEN: Friday August 27th

Hot Dog Recipes: Three For Labor Day or Any Time

Laura Weiss — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 17:16:18 +0000

Corn Dogs via flickr by By marymactavish.

These recipes for hot dogs have a twist, drawing special flavors and ingredients from other food cultures, like Vietnam and Portugal. There’s also one for a good old American corn dog. All three are perfect for Labor Day—or any time.

The Banh Mi Dog, the Cataplana Dog and the Iowa State Fair Corn Dog were developed by Chef Renee Marton:

Each recipe serves eight, one hot dog per person.

1. The Banh Mi Dog

This dog draws inspiration from the popular Vietnamese sandwich.

INGREDIENTS

Eight 8 inch baguettes—split, toasted and buttered

8 hot dogs split lengthwise and grilled, flat side down

8 pieces country style pate—same length as the dog, and the same “height” (you can use two pieces, if necessary), not ice cold.

6 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, sliced into half moons and “pickled” in 1½ cups vinegar (light colored), 2 tablespoons white sugar, 1 tablespoon salt for 30 minutes. Drain cucumbers and squeeze dry.

6 sprigs of cilantro leaves.

4 shallots, peeled, thinly sliced and rinsed briefly under cold water, then dried.

½ cup mayonnaise (Hellman’s regular, or homemade) mixed with 3 teaspoons of hot sauce, ½ teaspoon hot pepper flakes and 3 teaspoons Dijon mustard.

Salt and pepper to taste.

TO ASSEMBLE

Place each hot dog half on each half of baguette. Then place a strip of pate on each piece of hot dog. Layer the cucumbers, shallots and cilantro over the meats, and spoon on the mayo/mustard/ hot sauce mixture as evenly as you can covering the entire hot dog.

Press the whole sandwich together and wrap tightly in plastic and foil for 20 minutes. Put a weight on it like a heavy book for the twenty minutes.

TO DRINK: Cold beer or champagne.

2. The Cataplana Dog

Clams and pork go together in classic Portuguese cooking—here’s a hot dog tribute to that tradition.

INGREDIENTS

Eight traditional hot dog buns (the squared off kind, if possible), split, toasted and brushed with olive oil.

8 hot dogs, each wrapped in a strip of bacon, grilled or broiled until bacon is crisp.

48 small clams, cleaned, steamed open and removed from shells

3 small onions, 3 ribs of celery and 3 small carrots- all peeled, cut into small pieces and sautéed in olive oil with 3 large cloves of diced garlic and 1 sprig of rosemary. Vegetables should be cooked until soft; remove rosemary.

Sauce: roasted red peppers bottled in oil, drained (and any black skin removed) and mixed in the food processor with 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 2 cloves garlic and enough olive oil to make a paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ASSEMBLY

Into each bun, place some onion mixture, 6 clams, the bacon wrapped dog, and then the sauce. Press together, wrap in plastic and foil, and leave for 20 minutes before unwrapping. Put a weight on this for 20 minutes.

TO DRINK: Vinho Verde, or a Gin Fizz

3. Iowa State Fair Corn Dogs

Adapted by Renee Marton from Andrea Albin

When John Willoughby, former Gourmet magazine editor, caught sight of these freshly fried corn dogs, he exclaimed, “Just like the Iowa State Fair!” When he bit into one, he acknowledged that it was even better. Grilling the hot dogs first lends them a deeper, smokier flavor, and the buttermilk-cornmeal coating fries up to a thick, fluffy shell—delicious with mustard or ketchup and a frosty root beer on the side.

INGREDIENTS

8 wooden or metal skewers

8 hot dogs

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

About 8 cups vegetable oil, divided

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

2 large eggs

1 1/4 cups well-shaken buttermilk

ASSEMBLY

Oil grill pan, heat until smoking and grill hot dogs, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and cool slightly, then insert a wooden stick into each hot dog, lengthwise.

Put 3 tablespoons flour on another plate and roll hot dogs in flour to coat, shaking off excess.

Heat enough oil in a tall pot (narrow rather than wide) so that the hot dogs can be submerged in the oil, with room to spare for bubbling over, while you hold the stick. The temperature should be 350°F all the time. (Use a thermometer.) So fry one hot dog at a time. If you immerse several at the same time, the oil temperature will decrease, and greasy hot dogs will result.

Meanwhile, whisk together cornmeal, remaining 1/2 cup flour, 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, cayenne, and 3/4 tsp salt in a medium bowl. Add eggs 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in buttermilk.

Transfer some of batter to a tall glass, filling it almost to the top.

Working in batches of 2 or 3, dip hot dogs, one at a time, into glass of batter, to coat them (add more batter to glass when necessary). When oil reaches 350F, fry the battered hot dogs, turning occasionally, until batter is cooked through and golden-brown all over, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer corn dogs to a rack with paper towels underneath to drain.

Return the oil to 350°F; refill glass with batter between batches. Continue as above.

Serve with ketchup and yellow mustard.

These hot dogs should be eaten right away, and not wrapped tightly, or they will get soggy.

TO DRINK: Beer.

Upper West Side Restaurants: Falafel, Druze Restaurants Turn Neighborhood Into a Middle Eastern Mecca

Laura Weiss — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:43:40 +0000

Soom Soom. Photo: Laura B. Weiss

If you want falafel or maybe something more exotic from the Middle East, the Upper West Side is sprouting an array of joints to help you sample cuisines from around the region.

Soom Soom, which opened recently on 72nd Street just east of Broadway is a falafel lovers delight. The golden orbs are perfectly fried, then tucked into loaves of pillowy pita. Best of all is the salad bar-like set up which allows you to pile your falafel high with all the veggies and sauces—not to mention endless tahini—that make a falafel a meal in itself.

I went wild at the salad bar—to the point that my sandwich was really a tower of toppings with the falafel shoved into the bottom of the pita almost as an afterthought.

Also new to the neighborhood is a restaurant serving up Druze cuisine. Another Gazala Place, which already has an eatery in Hell’s Kitchen, is to be situated at 380 Columbus Avenue, near 78th Street, Grub Street reports. Druze dishes are similar to those found in other Middle Eastern countries, but instead of pita, the Druze use a thin crepe called sagg.

Not on the Upper West Side, but yearning for a great falafel?

Click here for Serious Eats’ Best Falafel list.

Soom Soom

166 West 72nd Street
New York, NY
212 712 2525

Great Pupusas, North Fork, Long Island at Restaurante La Cascada

Laura Weiss — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 22:43:34 +0000

Great Pupusas at La Cascada, Southold, NY. Photo: Laura B. Weiss

Great pupusas in North Fork wine country? Yes, the Salvadoran street food has migrated east, specifically to Southold. As Edible East End reported recently,Restaurante La Cascada boasts the luscious vegetable- and meat-filled snacks at a restaurant in a strip mall in Southold.

Finding pupusas on the North Fork isn’t all that surprising. After all, the area farms and vineyards attract a fair number of Hispanic farm workers.

On two separate trips, I tried most of the six different pupusas on the menu. I liked the one with the loroco flower, a teardrop shaped Salvadoran plant. My friend Meryl favored the spinach and my husband loved the squash, mushroom, and pork ones.

Each pupusa, buttery and satisfying, is topped with a type of tangy slaw that plays well off the richness of the pupusas.

Both days we visited Restaurante La Cascada we were practically the only gringos in the place. There’s a full menu of standard South American fare–ranging from burritos to quesadillas.

But stick with the pupusas; they’re as large as a small dinner plate.

A single one filled me up. But who can stop at just one, especially at $1.50 apiece?

Not going out to the North Fork? Here are the pupusas in the city that Yelpsters like.

La Cascada
46455 County Road 48
Southold, NY 11971-5043
631 765 8708

Vendy Awards Winners for 2010 Announced: Do They Ever Appear on the Upper West Side?

Laura Weiss — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:26:08 +0000

Yassir Z. Raouli, Bistro Truck owner. Photo: Vendy Awards.

The 2010 Vendy Awards have been announced. Click here to see the winners.

Have any of these trucks ever made an appearance on the truck-starved Upper West Side? Let me know where and when you’ve spotted one.

The awards ceremony is Saturday Sept. 25 and will take place on Governors Island from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Trader Joe’s Upper West Side Taking Job Applications

Laura Weiss — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:11:23 +0000

Here’s a photo that offers living proof that Trader Joe’s will almost certainly be opening soon. Want a job? They’re taking employment applications in a loading area on 72nd Street, or at least they were a couple of days ago.

For more Trader Joe’s Coverage, click here.

Photo: Laura B. Weiss

Upper West Side Restaurants: Cafe des Artistes To Reopen; Smoke Jazz Club Features Corn Chowder

Laura Weiss — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 20:38:06 +0000

Cafe-des-Artistes. Photo by sjmcdonough via flickr.

Recent Upper West Side restaurant news:

The venerable Cafe des Artistes will reopen around February or March as an Italian restaurant; the interior will remain mostly untouched, says the new owner Gianfranco Sorentino (WSJ)

Smoke Jazz Club’s chef Patricia Williams has been preparing some fine corn chowder, reports The Times.

Upper West Side: Truffle Store Comes to the Neighborhood

Laura Weiss — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:43:02 +0000

Fresh Truffles. Photo: Urbani Truffles.

Truffles? What ever happened to lox as the delicacy of choice on the Upper West Side?

The neighborhood is going ever more upscale with the opening of Urbani Truffles on West End Avenue at 60th Street. The shop is slated to open sometime in September, says Vittorio Giordano, Urbani’s VP.

Truffles, of course, come from the Piedmont section of Italy. And the site of the new store couldn’t be more different than that lush area, which is marked by rolling vineyards and quaint hilltop towns. (I just spent a week there, dining on truffle accented dishes and drinking lots of Barolo.) In fact, the shop, a glittering glass boutique, is situated directly across from a grungy parking lot, the hulking Con-Ed plant, and Western Beef.

Why the less-than-scenic locale? “Because it’s Manhattan and West End Avenue,” explains Giordano. The area is “improving,” predicts the truffle seller, with Trump and other towers springing up along the western side of the street.

Ubrbani mostly sells wholesale but you can buy their products online and eventually at the new store.

By the way, Urbani Truffles “are certified kosher,” says Giordano.

The day I was there, the place was still under construction. But already cans of truffle pate, and packages of truffle oil and black and white truffles were on display like precious jewels.

Want a truffle fix? Of course, it’s not cheap

In Piedmont, I was able to buy various truffle pates for about 5 Euros or $8 at the exchange rate in early July. At Urbani, four ounces of fresh summer truffles are $59.90. More affordable is a jar of mushroom and truffle sauce for $8.26.

You can have fresh white and black truffles delivered right to your doorstep within 24 hours as well. And you can find Urbani truffle products at Citarella’s and at Agata and Valentina’sl.

Urbani Truffles
10 West End Avenue (60th Street)
212 2478800
www.urbanitrufflesonline.com.