Of all the posts I’ve written, the most popular have consistently been about where chefs eat in NYC. Since it’s been so long since the original list was posted, I’ve got too many additions to cover at once. The following is Part 1 of (at least) a two-part series – this list is for serious eating (you might call this the Downtown Edition), the next will be the Drinking Edition.

Without further ado - here it goes… Where the chefs (aka Me & My Friends – yes, we are “real” chefs) eat in NYC. Enjoy!

1. Salt: (58 Macdougal btw Prince & Houston) The space is comfy and inviting. The food is exceptionally flavorful, well-made, and satisfying. Chef Melissa O’Donnell (FCI Alum) is as gracious as she is talented. Seating is mostly communal, but still intimate. Share appetizers like the bacon-wrapped dates in warm honey or the chicken liver mousse with crostini and caramelized onion compote. I recently reviewed the restaurant for Eat Something Sexy, so click here for the full review.

2. Ed’s Lobster Bar: (222 Lafayette btw Broome and Spring) I think I eat here more than any other restaurant. Ed’s can’t be beat for grabbing a quick bite and a beer on the way home from work (even on the late nights), or for a luxurious meal – whatever your pleasure. We recently celebrated Zak Pelaccio (Fatty Crab, etc.) winning the FCI Outstanding Alumni Award with a blowout comfort food-fest at Ed’s. Only thing missing was Ed himself, who is also an FCI alumni. Some personal favorites: oyster & bacon sliders, any of John’s Specials on Wednesday nights, and of course the lobster roll (with Ed’s vinegary pickles & fries).

3. Emporio: (231 Mott Street btw Spring and Prince) Like visiting the real Italy in (what used to be) Little Italy. The food here is so good and the service is so gracious that even the extremely persnickity Swedish Chef loves it here! Snack on the breaded olives and wild mushroom risotto croquettes with a glass of Prosecco before digging into crisp aromatic pizzas, fluffy gnocchi with mushroom ragu, juicy chicken cooked under a brick… Chef/owner Ricardo Buittoni can do no wrong!

4. Kin Shop: (469 6th Avenue btw 11 & 12 Streets) Chef Harold Dieterle takes on a second restaurant. We ate here last night for the first time. I have a feeling this is going to be a regular part of our rotation… the food is that addictive. Especially the spicy duck laab salad – so spicy it comes with multiple warnings. If you can’t stand the heat, stay away. If you like to play with fire, you will be rewarded with bursts of flavor from the rich duck, bright acidity, cool fresh cilantro, and the most exquisite burn of the chiles – you will have no doubt of the aphrodisiac properties of a good chile after experiencing this dish! Have an order of crispy roti and chile jam to keep things cool (a nice bottle of Vouvray helped as well!) The fried pork and crispy oyster salad is a fantastic choice for the chile-averse. So far, I’ve only tried two entrees - the pan-fried crab noodles were great but the Massaman braised goat stole the show! I’m planning a few more trips to taste my way through all the other dishes I had to pass up this time – can’t wait!

Photo of cranberries by Jill Matsuyama on Flickr -

Cranberry-Almond Tart

 Serves 6-8

 1 – 9 inch Pie Crust:

 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) butter, cold, cut in cubes

1 egg mixed with 1/2 tablespoon water

Iced water, if needed

 Egg wash (one egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

 Combine all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until sandy in texture (do not run at full speed). Add the egg and water mixture; pulse until moist clumps form. If the mixture is still dry, add very small amounts of iced water, pulsing between additions, until most of the flour is absorbed.

 Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Form a disk; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Can be made in advance.

 Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to a diameter approximately 2 inches larger than your tart (or pie) pan; approximately 1/4 inch thick. Press into pan, careful not to tear; trim excess dough. Flute edges if desired. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

 Preheat oven to 350. Prick bottom of tart shell, line with parchment paper, fill with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, egg wash the bottom of the shell and return to oven for 10 more minutes, or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool. (Reserve remaining egg wash)

 Topping:

 1 bag of fresh cranberries, picked over and cleaned

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup red jam or jelly (any berry)

1 cinnamon stick

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon of liquid (orange juice, port wine, or water)

4 sheets of Gelatin, softened in cold water (or 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin bloomed in ¼ cup cold water)

 Combine all ingredients except the gelatin in a heavy-bottom sauce pan; cook over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes until thick and syrupy. Remove from heat, stir in softened/bloomed gelatin until dissolved, then cool. Should be a jam-like consistency when finished.

 Filling:

 4 ounces (1 stick) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

1 cup finely ground almonds

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

  Heat oven to 350. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time. Fold in the ground almonds, flour and salt with a sturdy whisk.

 Pour into tart shell (may be more than you’ll need). Bake in center of oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown and set (like firm Jell-O when tapped). Remove from oven, egg wash the top and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from oven, cool for 15 minutes.

 Less than 1 hour before serving, spread cranberry topping evenly over the top – not too thick, you may have more than you need.

 Can be served warm or cool. Store covered in the refrigerator.

Upon entering, my first reaction was “what does this have to do with Levi’s? And what does it have to do with food?”, my next was that it seemed incomplete and maybe we had arrived on the wrong day… Or the curator called in sick that week.

The exhibit consisted of two small areas of two very large white walls, one displaying less than a dozen blurry out-of-focus photos of what I learned later was a berry farm. One photo was recognizably Bloomfield, the others either had only a blurred silhouette of a hooded-raincoat-wearing figure or only blurred farm shots. No tags, labels, photo credits, or anyway to know who was in the photo if you were not already familiar with the chef.

The other wall was far more engaging and lively. Trouble was, it wasn’t even Chef Bloomfield, but Chefs David Chang & Christine Tosi of Momofuku. Still, only about a dozen shots and one illustration of a series of line drawings of a woman masturbating – not sure what it had to do with the chefs, or the farm to table movement. I can’t say it surprised me though. I’m familiar with Chang’s appreciation for the shock value of something along the lines of out-of-place pornography. It made me smile.

So, back to the food… there wasn’t any. What there was was a bar in the back serving Coca-Cola products in plastic cups by a pair of obliviously dancing banquet servers. Again, I wondered about this “Farm to Table” concept.

A couple pictures of a nondescript blurred out farm, no food, no tables for that matter, and a bar full of big-money commercial high-fructose corn syrup laden non-alcoholic beverages. Break out the Ritz crackers and Cheez Wiz and it could have been a Mormon wedding in a suburb of St. George, Utah.

If you are interested in the real “meat” of the collaboration between April Bloomfield, photographer Marcelo Gomez, farmer Franca Tantillo of Berried Treasures in upstate NY, and Levi’s watch the video below or see the event website (click here). It’s the real thing.

When pairing any foods and beverages, there are basic principles that apply. Acidity balances acidity, salt and acidity balance each other, salt enhances subtle back notes, salty and sweet love each other, tannins (in tea as in wine) whisk away animal fat (including dairy) leaving a clean palate and enhancing subtle  back notes as well.

I am now more convinced than ever that tea is more versatile than wine when enjoying cheese. Tea has the complex aromas and flavors of wine, only more subtle. Many teas also have the tannins and fermented characteristics of wine as well. What tea doesn’t have is the high acid of wine or, of course, the alcohol (which is significant, especially when considering new world wines).

Here are a few favorites from the evening’s pairings:

1. Japanese Sencha with Ardith Mae Chevre: the tea had a seaweed forest aroma and seemed to have a touch of salinity. The cheese was tart/tangy and bright. Together the cheese developed more sweet-cream flavors and the tea’s greenness provided a pleasant accent.

2. Dong Ding (oolong) “Twelve Trees” with Cabot Clothbound Cheddar from Jasper Hill Farm: The aroma of the tea reminded me of a lilac bush in full bloom – floral and woody, a hint of smokiness from charcoal roasting of the leaves. The forward tannins also probably helped it along. This tea was, hands-down, my favorite and it paired with several cheeses beautifully. First, the cheddar – nutty, salty, yummy crystals of flavor (pure umami). Together, the lilac aromas popped and my mouth watered from the fruitiness of the cheese. The touch of smokiness accentuated a bacon-like aroma (the cheese is rubbed with lard as it ages). Other cheeses that went well with this tea: Goat Tomme (an earthy-foresty natural rind raw milk cheese from Twig Farm in VT) and Humble Pie (washed rind oozy-soft cheese from Woodcock Farm in VT).

3. Pu’erh (5 year aged black leaves-not pressed) with Vaquero Blue: Pu’erhs are a tough sell, even with some tea enthusiasts. Their very distinct barnyard aromas can be off-putting. I prefer to think of them as the old world Pinot Noirs of the tea world. This one was horse-y with the smell of rich hay and campfire smoke. The cheese had an equally barnyard-y aroma, firmer texture than I expected, and a savory saltiness. Together they were heavenly – hay, roasted nuts, and a pleasant gaminess. Wine could have never had the same effect with a cheese this full-bodied. The Pu’erh was also lovely with the Goat Tomme.

I’ll definitely be playing with this new knowledge through out the holidays!

From a different tea tasting

My friend Melanie, a tea specialist and chef, is working with Sebastian Beckwith from Pursuit of Tea and Benoit Breal from Saxelby Cheese to conduct a tea and cheese pairing.
Teas ranging from whites to pu-erhs will be paired with local seasonal cheeses.

I’ve participated in a tea pairing Melanie conducted in the past and was blown away by how beautifully tea and cheese go together – better than wine in some cases (blasphemous, I know!). I’ll let you know how tonight goes.

Coincidentally, Serious Eats just ran a piece  today about the new shop and Melanie’s involvement – she is supplying them with tea-centric baked goods including a Macha Loaf that is exceptionally moist and delicious.

Despite the ongoing trend of specialized lattes, high-tech espresso, and myriad of other complicated (and expensive) coffee drinks, I still prefer the old-school NYC diner coffee – the kind that comes in the blue and white Greek-motif paper cups. Preferably with a glazed donut! Perfect for wandering.

First, Chef Pascal Beric (one of our instructors at French Culinary Institute)  he is the master butcher and charcutier I mentioned yesterday. I had the honor of joining him in the kitchen at last night’s JBF Gala Auction. It was wonderfully exhausting and exciting to work side by side with such a humble and passionate chef. The charcuterie course was beautiful and thrilled not only the guests, but the constellation of Michelin stars we shared the kitchen with – Joël Robuchon and Guy Savoy were particularly charming and gracious in a manner that only French men can pull off! I didn’t have time to take any decent photos, so I’m (im)patiently waiting for a friend to send his… will post as soon as they are in.

The other friend I would like to mention this evening is Amanda Cramer, the wine maker at Niner Wine in Paso Robles. She was my housemate way-back-when in Napa when she was assistant winemaker at Paradigm. As I was scanning the blogs, I found this post about her on Squid Ink: the LA Weekly blogs, complete with gorgeous pictures. Friendship aside, Amanda has integrity and a mind of her own – her wines demonstrate this by putting the true character of both the varietal and the terroir at the forefront without compromise.  In her words, “I think wines picked ripe, but not too ripe, are more accessible…. I like to say my wines are not stick-a-fork-in-it-and-call-it-diner wines. I want them to go well with dinner, not be dinner.” (quoted from the Squid Ink post linked above). The Niner Syrah, Merlot, Barbera and Sangiovese are my current favorites, but I haven’t opened the Fog Catcher or Cabernet yet… I’m sure I’ll love them too!

From a previous event

I will be joining Chef Pascal Beric (master butcher and charcutier) and a few other chefs and students from FCI in serving the charcuterie course. We will be joining some living legends in the kitchen tonight: Alain Ducasse, Joël Robuchon, Guy Savoy, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and François Payard. I’m more than a little nervous (although I won’t be doing any cooking).

Chef Pascal’s Charcuterie Menu:

Saucisson Sec (dry cured sausage)

Lonzo (Corsican-style salted dried pork loin)

Smoked Garlic Sausage

Fresh Ham

Country Pate

Smoked Andouille de Campagne

 Condiments: housemade pickled vegetables & mustard

Housemade Breads: Baguette, bordelaise, et al

Will try to post photos later or tomorrow.

Today, as I scanned my Google Reader, I came across two posts by Market Man author of Market Manila (www.marketmanila.com) – you may have seen him on Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” episode in the Philippines (see below).

In the first post he writes of experimenting with a mashed black truffle rub in his latest lechon feast - how can an experiment like this possibly go wrong?

From the looks of the following post, the outcome was breathtaking! I know this man is a friend of my family there and I would do just about anything to get him to teach me to make this on my next visit!

The photos in both the linked posts are worth a thousand words, and the words that accompany them are equally as good – for anyone interested in learning more about Filippino culture, Market Manila is a good place to start.