H is for Humble Pie

Strawberry Napoleon - handmade puff pastry and
orange scented pastry cream. 

Tomorrow is my last and final day in the kitchens at FCI on Grand and Broadway.
Its bittersweet. I'm thrilled to be leaving for Italy in 5 days but I will miss New York.
This has been such a dream. I have gotten to see the seasons change, I have gotten to see the trees outside my lovely window grow green and light up the room with thier florescent bright color of spring each morning (minus a few rainy ones, but even those were music to my ears). It has been a delight, a pleasure and a total joy to know every day I am in the city of my dreams. My choosing.
Not only that but to be here to do something that is in my bones my blood my sweat. It couldn't be better. Accomplishing this much in 10 weeks, coming this far, having gained so much knowledge in such a short period of time, one might think it would be overkill, but I want more.
In a previous post I spoke possibly prematurely about the food culture here, having only experienced the tip of the ice burg. Because there is an enormous ever evolving culture of food here that has to be experienced to be able to even being to explain.  Although I still have yet to even crack this egg fully wide open, I definitely made a dent.

A friend and I were talking in class about this life we are leading now. We both questioned to each other, "...is this our lives right now? Seriously? How did we get so lucky" as we ate delicious morsels of food we had prepared that day in class. Spooning freshly made Almond Gelato in to our coffee cups, debating the consistency of a strawberry crystalized ginger sauce, rubbing sore shoulders post 30 minutes of zabione whisking, commenting on plating execution, development of flavor in a fig sauce reduction, topping tuna curdo with delicately crunchy Maldon sea salt, getting the correct crispiness on salmon skin, all the while learning and growing, becoming better and stronger forces in the kitchen.

This last week has been one of the best weeks so far. Not only because of what we made, which all the dishes, when executed to perfection, were sublime. But because it really pushed me to a level that, without this environment, I would never have been able to achieve on my own. So, I send an incredibly humble and special thanks to the Chefs that have given all of their knowledge and selves to us for the last 10 weeks. Chef Guido, Chef Haley and Chef Jessica, without whom I can assure you I wouldn't be in the mind set I am today. Thank you for everything.

Pere in Vino Rosso with Hand whipped Moscato Zabione

Speaking about determination, drive and dedication is a bit of a  habit of mine, but to be honest its more a means of me reminding myself to keep it up and stay positive. Even with forces out of your control. But those three chefs really kept me positive. The constructive criticism that each of them had for every single thing I presented, every single element on the plate; for each individual flavor, they let you know what to  tweek,  how to present a specific element on a dish, what to brighten more, what to develop longer and all and all serve up a big slice of humble pie for each of us, because everything can be refined. We are students, everything can get better.

3 Citrus Cannoli - Lime, Lemon and Orange with toasted Pistachios

There is a love and passion that goes into food knowledge and culture. I mean, we all need to eat, and some of us like to more than others. Some of us respect the art of cooking more than others, and others just can't hack it. For those who came to class everyday, ill prepared and for those who straight up didn't come to class at all, I don't know why they are here. There are a handful of us in our class that are truly excited about food, about becoming better, who actually CARE. To those of you I salute you, and you know who you are. The others, they know who they are too.

Sardines with Tagallini pine nuts, rasins and fennel 

Being a student in culinary school is more than just showing up, more than paying the tuition, it's about effort. It's about putting your best foot forward, and really pushing yourself to a different place and mind space. Reading everything you can, diving into a foreign ingredient head first. Asking smart questions of those who will give you smart answers. Going back to being able to take constructive criticism, and I say this humbly, I never received criticism I didn't agree with or couldn't learn from, and I also made an effort to learn from it. Others, well, they sulked, were angry, would pout and argue a point that was mute, because ultimately, they were wrong. That to me is just plain foolish. This whole experience is to learn from mistakes, so you don't make them in the future, thats what the Chef's are there for. They are not to be dismissed or mistreated.

My rant ends here, and I hope for those in my class who need and attitude adjustment that they find it in the next week, because I'm expecting a completely different world in Italy. A tougher world, in which we will be held to an even higher standard, so get ready for that kids.

Pan Seared Red Mullet with Pane Fritto scented with lavender
Asparagus, fava, strawberry panzanella with tarragon and champagne
vinaigrette 

Last night I catered with Nobu 57 at a charity event  for 750 people held at the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art in NYC). First of all, that was exciting in and of itself, but to top it off, Robert Di Nero and Bruce Springsteen quite possible ate food that I plated, among other "celebrities" which were just a wall away seated in the pristinely decorated lobby of the MOMA.

It is nights like that which remind me why I love to cook. People thrive on getting to eat the food of chefs who they respect. People pay great dividends of hard earned money to sample just a little bite of something that has been manipulated by that chef. We are an instrumental part of this world, of parties, of gatherings , of small tables, of dim lighting and ambience. Each day I see a dish or ingredient I have never seen of thought about before I get excited, I learned something new.

Each day I am humbled to know that I have so much more to learn, and I cannot wait to do so.

I also can't wait for you to taste my food.

PS - All of the dishes featured here are what I have made in the past few weeks in class (just one or two of a succession of over 30 different dishes probably. ) Wish you could have tasted them, they were all unbelievably delicious.

G is for Good Grief Girl and Greatness.

Its been a while. I know you're thinking "Good Grief Girl". It's been a while because I have been in school. A school that not only demands greatness, but demands great food and a quality in excellence that can only be described as demanding. In the best way. It is something I have always demanded for myself.

If one is thinking of joining the ranks of my fellow culinary students, you had best be ready for a wake up call. This is no walk in the park. However, for me at least, it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I wake up everyday alive with ideas and raring to go. Get my notes together, throw the most weather appropriate outfit on and head for the train. Upon arrival change as quickly as possible into "the uniform" (which are rather cute) and hurry to my food fate for the day.

   It sounds like a lot of rushing here and there, but the pace is what keeps me going. This lifestyle is not for everyone, which is why culinary school is a career choice, not typical as in college. You can choose if you want to major in pastry, lets say, but you can't choose your schedule. 

I for one, personally recall not taking some classes because they were late at night or really early. So,believe you me, those who haven't gone to college, or for that matter didn't finish, have been struggling with the timetable. Not to say that having gone to college is a measuring stick for everyone who walks in the door, but it is a formidable growth period in which respect is learned as well as organizational skills. 

As for greatness, there are few who achieve it. Artistically speaking you have your Monet, Gauguin, David, Chagall and  then of course Rodin, Picasso, Renoir and DaVinci (tip of the ice burg really). But to achieve greatness in the food world, well, it can be as if one is living up to the ranks of these great artists.I find myself recalling names of chefs like they painted the Mona Lisa. Instead of a brush stroke on a canvas, is a drizzle of some kind of reduction that just ever so delicately beads up on the plate. 

   I may sound silly, but a true chef has to be an artist to some degree. There is balance and harmony in food that is achieved through a very thorough searching of the senses. I am currently reading, among many other things, The Marchesi Co de. Gualtiero Marchesi, the founder of the school I will be attending in Italy, ALMA (and in less than a month!) writes about food the way that I want my inner dialogue to sound. As I am reading it I find myself  agreeing and even wondering if I was channeling him all along. 

For example.  While sitting at the Delancy/Essex JMZ stop over the weekend, sweating profusely, for the first time hating the subway and wishing that humidity was something God left off his list of things to do, I read this passage: 

      "The first duty of a cook is in any case to cook healthy foods, thus satisfying the physical demands of those who eat his food. The purpose of technique in the transformation of a given raw material in the kitchen is to reconcile artistic intention with the maximum digestibility....

       Technique must remain an instrument: when it becomes ostentation, it gets the upper hand and interferes in cuisine...technique must not prevail over art, which is a quest for emotion and beauty."

- Gualtiero Marchesi

 The book is thus far astounding. I devour each word. This man, who I can say in the very near future, I will have some kind of distant connection to, is a genius. I am so proud to have read this book. So, once again, a huge thanks to Chef Haley Stevens. 

 Many tests have come and gone, many a weekend of frolic has flitted away into a distant past. My birthday even went by in the blink of an eye. The city stirs with energy and life everyday, and I'm in it. Corny? Yep. Great. Yep.
But greatness, not quite there yet. Maybe someday.

F is for Focaccia and Freakish amounts of Carbohydrates.

This week marks the end of the week in which I have eaten, tasted, re-tasted and devoured the most ridiculous amount of carbohydrates imaginable. We began with pasta fresca, moved into more pasta like pasta asciuta and pasta ripiena (dried and filled), then gnocchi with potatoes, with ricotta, with bread. The next day was risotto, as many times as we could make it in an attempt to master it (all'onda - like a wave so to speak). Tasting and tasting. Tweaking and re-tweaking, all the way through, each dish, each time, over and over. Mind you, I am NOT complaining about this. I have been given this magical license to do so. So, I will eat, as my waistline now shows. Damn you delicious food and your protocol for more butter and salt. The following day was a slight break, working with eggs.  However these little uovo's couldn't stop us from dipping crusty fresh, warm baguettes from the downstairs bread kitchens, into a luxurious poached yolk, which melted out onto a plate like paint escaping from a bucket.
Then of course, the mecca of all carb days, Pizza day, to end the week.
Why no pictures you ask? Well, first of all, my hands were perpetually greased with di olio extraverrgine d'oliva for one. Two, the pizza's were either devoured instantly, or shipped off to other floors of the school (in hopes of a trade for pastries, cakes, breads and the like) faster then I could whip my camera out to snap a shot. Our hot pizza stone oven cranked out about 30 pies that day, all of which were gorgeous. But all this pizza talk aside, I will say a certain pizza purist in Southern California still makes the best pies I ever had. I'm looking at you M and M.  

My favorite fun fact of the week came from our Chef Jessica stating, "Pizza is a triumph of imagination over a scarcity of ingredients." I couldn't agree more.
So my week of self loathing for eating all of these deliciously carbo-loaded fantasies came to  a close over a nice drink with some school friends, and a few fantastic slices of Focaccia with Sea Salt and Rosemary from a fellow student who really nailed their dough. Mine was more like a cardboard flavored version of his, which was donated to the compost.
So, this dream of making and eating all these starchy items for weeks on end. Mastering the Art of Fullness.  This, a craft or design of the gods. A fantastically bright beacon of light which has decided, fate and good fortune,  will shine on me? I get to eat Carbs? Loads of them?! Non-stop! And HAVE TO for quality control purposes?! (Sounds incredibly ideal right?)
Not such a dream for my jeans or personal satisfaction with myself. It has sent me straight to the gym in a full sprint.
So if you see me running down Lafayette to get to my destination of sweaty glory and hopefully back to a size 27, don't be alarmed, I probably just ate a mountain of Pasta Fresca alla saliva de burro or a new favorite Risotto con Fungi e Pomodoro. 


If you don't desire to make your pizza or focaccia at home, no judgements. There are loads, hundreds, millions of places where they serve up the best of the best. Here is a link to an article from the lovely and wonderful Magazine La Cucina Italiana all about where to go to get the best pizza imaginable across the globe. Brooklyn's own Motorino made the list!

The Perfect Pie - From La Cucina Italiana

E is for Eventually, it will all come together.

The last few days at school were pasta days! 
Hard to beat good pasta. Really, who doesn't like pasta? It's addicting in its chewiness, salinity, sauce accompaniments, aroma and taste. It was also particularly exciting to learn the basics because now, I can practice without feeling like I'm lost in the dough. 
Lost in it "not coming together" properly. So, get ready for a pasta frenzy. You need it? I'll come make it. I wanna be the best. Which is a good thing considering, to master the art of it is quite a challenge and on top of that a coveted position at restaurants around the globe. But, I haven't been making it my whole life like most of those people have, so I have a lot to work on. 


Our Chef Haley Stevens whipped up a bunch of different little shapes to show us, and man was that a sight. Seriously, a total motivator.  

We began small, with simple fresh egg pasta or pasta all'uovo, then moved into colored pastas like pasta verde which gets is brilliant green from spinach, and of course the mystical black pasta, pasta al nero di seppia, which is colored with squid ink. Thirdly, was a pasta with just water and semolina flour, used to make a variety of shapes and sizes of pasta, but we practiced our Oreccchiette (little ears).  I personally like this one best because of the ease of mailability as well as it's "coming together" properties. 


Really, these have been great days to be in the kitchen. Flurries of activity, smiles and it puts everyone in a good mood when we get to work with our hands. However, the best was yet to come for some of us on Wednesday.


Jacques Pépin the Dean of Special Programs at our school, master French chef, friend of Julia Child, author of a few culinary bibles and absolute-all-around-genius held a demonstration at the International Culinary Center this afternoon. 
We rushed downstairs to get seats, but alas, we were forced to stand on stools in the back of the auditorium. He lectured, reminisced and regaled us with old tales and lovely fragrances from the stove at the helm of the room. Walking into the room as he removed the skin, deboned and essentially used every part of a duck, was actually quite amazing. Not only that, there were samples for everyone. 
The smell of the duck skin roasting in the oven, well, it was sublime. Excitement enveloped the room as he handed out tastes of duck breast ladled from a saute pan. Food made with his own hands. Once in a lifetime, you might say. 

It has been all around extremely educational. Waking up at the crack of dawn to learn Italiano, rushing to the kitchens upstairs to begin pasta class, then hurrying down to watch a master chef prepare amazingly wonderful food. I've got to say, just like the pasta, "its all coming together" slowly, but surely. 


Thursday was Lasagna day, which also caused a buzz around the school. People were coming in with Tupperware for leftovers, and delivering the personal sizes to different departments cause some to nearly faint. Needless to say, it was pretty damn good. We used our fresh made Spinach Pasta, Bacemmella, Ragu di Carne and grated Parmigiano. Delicious, and really pretty color contrast. 


Here is a simple recipe for you to try! Making pasta can be easy, fun and fast, but practice will definitely make perfect. I'll be right along side you, believe me. 




Pasta Verde (Green Pasta)
Y. 1 pound of dough
By: The Italian Culinary Academy 
Ingredienti:
225 g (8 oz) 00 Flour - very low gluten flour from Italy
2 fresh eggs
70 g (2 1/2 oz)  blanched, chilled, drained fresh Spinach
Salt
10 g (1/3 oz) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Semolina flour, for kneading and rolling

Procedura:
1. Food Processor method - yields a speckled pasta. 
    Place Eggs, spinach, salt and Olive oil in food processor bowl. Blend until smooth. Add Flour. 
    The dough should just be coming together in a ball. 


2. Knead on cold surface for 4 to 6 minutes until smooth. (like a baby's bottom, a term actually used in class today.)


3. Divide in half and wrap with plastic wrap immediately (or it will dry out) and refrigerate for 30 minutes, if not using right away. You can leave it out of the fridge if you will roll it out within the hour. Just let it rest of 30 minutes. 


4. If you have a pasta roller, roll it out starting on the highest setting, folding over 2 to 4 times, then moving down a setting, one at a time until you have reached the desired thickness. After which point, cut into desired sizes, shapes, etc. 


5. If you roll it out with a rolling pin, just make sure to have enough bench flour so it doesn't stick and rip.


6. Pot of boiling salted water, drop in for 1 to 2 minutes. 


7. Remove from water and put directly into sauce of your choice. Preferably a light in flavor sauce. We used butter and sage with a little pepper. But really, it's a personal thing. 






Eventually, it will all come together. I promise. (But here's hoping!)

D is for Developing Flavor that is "Divine" and "Delicate".

Ahh, Culinary School.

Are there finer words? Yes there are, and they come in the form of a compliment from your chef instructors.

Our group has been together in the kitchen for 10 sessions now. Slicing, dicing, drizzling, gobbling, straining, draining and stirring our way though lesson upon lesson; mixing and blending our way through the lovely cuisine of Italia. After many days of antipasti and 

perfecting our knife skills, or taillage (the practice of cutting vegetables into uniform size and shape) we have begun to pick up the pace, or at least some of us have.

I now have an enlightened respect for all those tiny little uniform pieces of vegetables I have found on my plate over my years of eating out. Making a perfect brunoise, jardinière, julienne, or dadi piccoli is not as easy as it looks. TRUST ME. This take A LOT of practice. I’m an amateur at best, but one day I will be able to chop with the best of them. It’s my holy grail so to speak. 

So today was soup/bean day. Perfect day for it, considering the weather here in New York is dreadful, rainy and cold.

So soups’ on? Yeah, I’m there.

The day before was stock day, which, I also have a new found respect for because making the perfect stock, is seriously a work of art. Anyway, the kitchen was lively today. Happy little culinary students, working to create inspired dishes, but mostly working to please the boss. (Both of whom, by the way, are awesome and absolute inspirations whom you will hear about more in the future.) 

However, the ultimate result is usually something not quite near the standard of the dish we are to most resemble in the end result. But I listened intently today to the words of our teachers and “developing flavor” was definitely key.

 The Development of Flavor should be a manual. You could go out and buy all the expensive ingredients in the world, and still not know how to develop flavor. The one thing I must stress, if you too desire to develop this skill of deepening the flavor of a dish, I recommend getting really comfortable with carmelization. It is a technique that is 

learned by practice, so go out there and try it.

Today we made Minestrone as well as another dish called Zuppa di Farro (Farro Soup). Both were beautiful to look at, but more so to eat.  The deliciousness of them was because of developing flavor. Both, however, called for different development of flavor, but used almost identical ingredients to do so. The minestrone was lighter in flavor and brighter in contrast, while the zuppa di farro was richer, deeper and more complex and earthy. Its always so interesting how the same vegetables, when prepared in a different manner, can come out tasting dramatically polar opposite.

Farro, incidentally is absolutely amazing for you! It is an ancient grain packed with protein, fiber and lots of  vitamins which are heart healthy, and it’s an environmentally conscious choice because a little goes a long way.

Although I loved both, I will only feature Minestrone, because, not only is it Veggie friendly, it was absolutely superb with a dollop of our fresh made pesto from the day prior. I recommend making your own pesto, but if you have to buy the jarred stuff, the Trader Joes brand is pretty good. Also you could get some excellent stuff from Dean and Deluca.

Minestrone con Pasta (Vegetable Soup with Pasta)

Recipe : International Culinary Academy – Italian

Yield : 6 to 8 servings

Ingredienti:

25 g. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, peeled, diced

¼ fennel bulb, diced

½ leek, light green and white parts, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch of red chili flakes

1 L Water. Or Vegetable Stock, warm

1 medium Russet Potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

½ zucchini, seeds removed, diced

2 asparagus stalks, peeled, chopped into ½ inch pieces

¼ cup frozen peas

6 Green Beans or Haricot Vert, trimmed, and chopped into ½ pieces

2 plum tomatoes, remove skins and seeds, diced

10 g chopped fresh parsley leaves, no stems

2 large leave of Swiss Chard, stems removed, julienne leaves

70 g cooked white cannelloni beans, drained

100 g cooked pasta, preferably shells or Orecchiette

Fresh grated Grana Padano or Parmigianino cheese

Pesto (adding Pesto to the top makes it a Genoa preparation of the dish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedura:

1. In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat Olive Oil on medium heat, add onions, celery, carrots, fennel, leeks, garlic and chili flakes and cook for about 4 – 5 minutes. Make sure not to brown vegetables.

2. Add Water, or stock, if using, and increase heat to medium high, add potato. Bring boil. Add Salt 

(about 1 tablespoon) and pepper (about 1 teaspoon.)

3. Lower heat to simmer and add zucchini, asparagus, peas and green beans. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, parsley, swiss chard, beans and pasta.

5. Let simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

6. Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle with pesto, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve to those you love!  

AMAZING.

By the way - the chef's compliment's so far have been "delicate" and "divine". Which,

I mean, were sooooo exciting to hear. I know, it may not be that big of a deal, but hey, I'll take what I can get. So thank goodness for the D entry!

C is for Coffee. What else?

An ongoing study following some 126,000 American's has been percolating for some 22 years now, and with some rather pleasing results. The Harvard analysts' data shows moderate coffee consumption may lower the risk for Parkinson's, Type II Diabetes and Colon Cancer. Quite remarkably, the more coffee the participants in the study drank the less risk for diabetes there was! In fact even some Parkinson's drugs have caffeine added.  The healthful benefits are plentiful. Other studies have shown it reduces the risk for gall stones by half and has been shown to cause an 80% drop in chances for cirrhosis of the liver.

Millions of people wake up to the steaming roasted bean beverage (actually, it's a seed from the coffee berries) daily. Now, we have something else to grin about, besides out morning energy boost. Other research shows that a cup of good java can help control asthma, reduce incidence of cavities (although this one I find difficult to believe considering so many of us add sugar to our cup) as well as stop a headache and boost your cranky-pants mood. 

Since there are many ways to get that caffeine fix, I will not discriminate, nor elaborate on the benefits, or difference in types or flavors. In fact I should really leave that to someone who knows whats what in the coffee world. There are people out there who really take quite a bit of serious time to understand all the subtle nuances of the delicious beverage. Just like a sommelier, but bats for the perky team, its called cupping (which sounds odd to me, but hey, no judgements). Also, since my access to the many devices one can use to brew a mug is limited, I will elaborate briefly about my obsession with the French Press. Incidentally invented by an Italian, the French Press is an excellent way to incapsulate the flavor of coffee most accurately and efficiently. Usually producing a stronger, richer, thicker cup of coffee, it is made by adding the coffee grounds of a thicker grind and nearly-boiling water together. Letting it sit for a few minutes to extract the essence of the roast and then, by use of the plunger, the grounds are forced down to the bottom of the cylinder. A delicious and creamy cup of coffee awaits you. I like the Italian Roast, and I always try to buy Organic, Fair Trade and Sustainable. Not only is this good for the planet, it usually tastes better too

So wether you are a grande-double-half-caf-non-fat-cappuchino with one sugar, a large coffee black or a soy-iced-latte, remember these words, not all coffee is created equal. Even though there are health benefits, this doesn't mean you need to drink more of it. So don't go running to your nearest deli/Starbucks/coffee house etc. In fact, and of course, other studies show rather contradictory conclusions as far as health is concerned. For example, a study has shown it can increase your low density lipoproteins (LDL's) or in laymen's terms the "bad" cholesterol in some people. 

A rule of thumb, try to keep the caffeine consumption under 250 mg's a day (2 - 3 cups). And for those who don't know, 1 cup is 8 oz. So If you get a daily "grande" fix, thats 2 cups, fyi. Those who reach an upwards of 500 to 600 mg's (7 to 8 cups) are susceptible to insomnia, irritability, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems as well as increased heart rate. I too, should probably heed this advice, but alas, I forget to measure out the amount every time pour my intoxicatingly delicious wake up call in to my over sized mug. 

Contradictions never have steered me off course from what I love though. But, I do like a nice hot yerba matte every more than once in a while. 

There are so many more wonderful things I could say about coffee, but you know, I'll leave that up to the comments section, and you, my dear reader. 

Click on the links above to check out some great Washington Coffee roasters! I was enamored with the Raven's Brew Organic Deadman's Reach.

My current favorite place to buy a cup on the go : Ninth Street Espresso at Tompkins Square, 341 East 10th St. (Between Ave A & B). 

My current favorite addition to coffee : low fat vanilla soy milk with a dash of cinnamon.

My favorite "caffeinated" beverage that isn't just cafe au lait : triple non-fat cappuccino from Whole Foods market on Houston. 

My current favorite coffee past time : a big big hot cup, accompanied by gi-normous bowl of organic oatmeal mixed with juicy blueberries, KCRW on a sunday morning and some hand holding. 

 OR the smell of coffee brewing when camping in El Captain, I always was more partial to the hot chocolate at the time, but I remember the coffee smell vividly. 

B is for the Best? Well, Perhaps.

There is one thing about New York that I cannot get over : the food culture.
People eat and drink to their utmost desires without care but with a lot of conviction. The choices for dinner are astronomical, the choices for lunch are astounding. As for breakfast, well, it is usually a coffee accompanied by a handheld pastry of sorts. Most opt for brunch nowadays.

This plethora of choices makes for a mecca of foodies. The discerning clientele isn't picky necessarily but they demand really good food. No wonder some of the best restaurants in America can be found on a strip of land a few miles long and wide. It's because of the people. New Yorkers' are trend setters for fashion of course. And these fashion forward, walking gastronomes obviously are setting the trends for food, the best food. The people have voted, and the votes are : New York has, quite arguably, the best food in the world.

Let me elaborate. Reading food magazines, I always tend to come across ad's for Las Vegas. Gigantic restaurants, in over-worked over-ari conditioned, over amped hotels in the desert. The chefs are great, the food is probably amazing, but 8 out of 10 of those places started in New York City. Obviously, there is a reason these hotels want these chef's restaurants there. Destination eating is becoming a huge market. But, typically, the food is so much better from the original location. It has the real soul. It worked the hardest and  these new "celebrity" chef empires were born out of them. Where would Mario be without Babbo in Greenwich Village? Do you think Wylie Dufresne's wd-50 could have made it anywhere else besides the Lower East Side?  I mean, come on Daniel Boulud, Nobu Matsuhisa the list is endless really. From off the top of my head those are some stars that began in the "apple". Now even super stars from the west coast have come to stake a claim, eh-hem Thomas Keller. 


However, press and adoration aside, restaurants in New York have a definitive style. Because the city is cramped, lack of space between tables isn't burdensome to the diner. We understand. Because the city has so many options, the food you serve has got to be better than the other choices we could have made that evening. That is why there are people like Keith McNally who take restauranteur-ing to a new art here in the city. Go to any major area in Manhattan and your bound to spot one of his places (among them, Balthazar, Moradni, Pastis, yeah, he's good). It is people like him who know and understand the food culture here, and finesse it to the point of absolute perfection. 


If you have never worked in a restaurant before, front of house or back of house, you really cannot fully appreciate the astounding amount of food that is produced here in New York. Not to mention the attention to using locally produced/grown products. Among all of the menus I have seen, the bold faced type on most is: LOCAL, ORGANIC, and RELATIONSHIP. Relationship being with the farmers and producers themselves, a hand shake and a safety in the knowledge that if these farms keep producing top quality ingredients the chefs and their chef friends alike will come a' flocking. 


So, best food in the world? Well, the attention to detail, the care taken to make a dining experience in the city a true experience, the overwhelming amount of choices, the cramped quarters, little elbow room, all the sounds and smells, and the excitement one finds in the atmosphere of a restaurant, big or small, reputable or not, when dining, is magic. 


After a week here I already feel like I have so much to learn, try and taste. The experience of the city will not be lost on me, I guarantee it. My vote is in, and New York, you are number one, so far. B is for BEST EVER. 

One Best Ever moment I had, was last Friday night at a small kinda doggy place in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Roberta's, a pizza place with family style seating, loud great music, good service, campfire in the back patio, elbows on the table kind of place. However, amazing oyster's from New Brunswick fancied it up a bit. My favorite though, the Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, which were cooked until just tender and crispy with a slight hint of garlic and thyme, lighty salted and a finish of sweetness from a touch of excellent olive oil. Out of control. Least not I forget their pizza crust, which managed to achieve the soft fluffy texture we all like in a dough, with a crunch and a wood fire oven tinge of charcoal that really takes the whole pie to a new place. 

Oh did I also mention, they do Brunch? Expect to see me there on a regular basis, the of course the gym to follow.