Piquant

Winging it or what to eat for Super Bowl Sunday

www.the gothamist.com

Buffalo wings and other edibles are the real reason for Super Bowl parties.

Sure, there are a few diehard sports fans who are in it for the game, but the real action is not on the grid iron.  It's on the plate.

No, a bucket of party mix and a six-pack is not going to make the cut.

Ordinarily, a party of Super Bowl proportions requires a huge, cart stuffing shop, followed by hours of chopping, mincing, stirring, and what not.

By the time the party rolls around, the host or hosess is too tired to enjoy the event and just wants to crawl into the cave with a beer.

Cheerfully, I bring you the ultimate Super Bowl Party solution from Barrio and Playa. The Park Slope Nuevo Latin restaurants have created a menu (no minimum) where you pick the plates and they do the rest. 

Purchase $50 or more and they'll toss a coupon for a free cocktail into the bag to use later too.

For more info: Barrio 210 7th Avenue | Brooklyn | New York | 11215 | 718.965.4000 Playa 230 Fifth Avenue | Brooklyn | New York | 11215 | 718-399-2161

Tomato Caprese gets a French twist

Chef Jean Stephane PoinardFew

 Few food pairings are as familiar as Tomato Caprese -- ripe juicy tomato, milky fresh mozarella and sweet basil leaf.

Enter Chef Jean Stephane Poinard. Poinard, a member of the elite Les Toques Blances Lyonnaises, gives this classic Italian insalata a distinct French twist.

Retaining the salad's simple and  fresh flavors, the Paul Bocuse-trained chef, uses the whole tomato to present this elegantly easy and nuanced recipe re-invention.  A fresh mozzarella mousse is stuffed into the tomato shell and flash fried basil leaves and a basil oil finish the plate.

Chiffonading the basil

Poinard and his wife, Valerie, a winemaker from the Domaine de la Fond Moiroux, re-create the experience of eating and dining in authentic French tradition at their Bistro de Leon in St. Augustine.  His Tomato Stuffed with Escargots in a Garlic Cream Reduction is a bistro favorite (recipe below) and demonstrates his dedication to good, uncomplicated food prepared with premium, fresh ingredients. Poinard is generous and genial, happy to invite guests into his immaculate kitchen for a quick cooking lesson.

Contemporary take on Tomato Caprese

Tomato Stuffed with Escargots

To prepare the tomato:

4 large, vine-ripened tomatoes

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Cut a cross into the bud end of each tomato. Plunge the tomatoes into the water for 15 seconds. Remove and plunge directly into ice water. Peel the tomatoes, pulling the skin back from the cut cross. Cut the stem end of the tomato off, carefully scoop out the seeds with a spoon or melon baller. Set aside the tomatoes and the tops.


For the garlic cream:

6 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the garlic, cream, salt and pepper in a saucepan.

Reduce slowly over low heat, stirring until thickened.


For the escargot:

2 tbsp. butter

1/2 cup carrot, peeled and julienne cut

1/2 cup turnip, peeled and julienne cut

3 cloves garlic, finely diced

4 dozen snails

3 tbsp. Grande Absente

Slowly saute the carrot, turnip, garlic and snails in butter over low heat until the vegetables have caramelized. Quickly deglaze the pan with the Grande Absente. Flame the Grande Absente by touching a lit match to the edge of the pan.

To serve:

Sprinkle salt and pepper into the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in a 250 F oven for several minutes. The tomatoes should be just warm, not cooked. Place each tomato on an individual plate. Fill each tomato with one quarter of the snail mixture. Place the tops on the tomatoes.

Garnish with 2 or 3 tablespoons garlic cream sauce around each tomato.

For more info:

Bistro de Leon
12 Cathedral Place
St Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 810-2100

 

WHERE TO STAY IN ST. AUGUSTINE

Inn on Charlotte

Casablanca Inn

Casa de Solana

 

 

Family recipes make the meal at Lolita's Mexican Restaurant

the sweet little dining room at Lolita's on Lenox Avenue

Sitting down to a meal at Lolita's is a little like pulling up to Mama's table - if your Mama is Mexican and knows her way around the kitchen.

Named after co-owner Vincente Barrera's late mother, the tiny restaurant at the outskirts of Morningside Heights fills a gap in an area that is slowly revitalizing. His late mother dreamed of opening a restaurant, but died tragically after being hit by a vehicle in 2004 while crossing the street. Barerra is helping keep his mother's dream alive.

Open breakfast, lunch and dinner, Lolita's menu is anchored by family recipes -- most notably a homemade mole of more than 31 ingredients, secret of course, prepared by Barrera's sister, Luz Maria. The chorizo used in their recipes -- try the quesadilla de chorizo con queso -- is made from scratch also.  Even the vinegar is made from tuba, an alcoholic beverage made from palm flower sap. 

Lolita

"It's the closest you can get to a Mexican kitchen," Barrera said recently over a family style meal.  Truly a family affair, his daughter and son help out in the dining room and wife, Joselyn, an Allstate insurance agent, drops in after a day at the office.

We tried the Camarones ala Diabla, made with four chiles -- guajillo, chile de arbol, ancho and chipotle -- and not for the faint of heart, as well as the Carne Enchilada, and Enchiladas Poblana (prepared with Mole Poblano). Ask for the Camarones ala Diabla. It's not on the menu.  And don't miss the Nopal, grilled cactus.

 

Camarones ala diabla (Spicy shrimp)

While the menu is one that is sure to please carnivores, chef and co-owner Fiacro Moran is happy to prepare vegetarian versions of his dishes for non-meat eaters.

Dinner for two is easily under $25.

Alejandro Astudillo is the restaurant's very amiable and accommodating manager and catering director.  Lolita's seats about 30, but handles outside catering for more than 200 and will arrange entertainment such as mariachis.

 

For more info: Lolita's 57 Lenox Avenue at 113th Street, 212-222-6969  BYOB, near the 2/3 at 110th St

Obama + Art + Dancing + Food & Drink = History & General Merriment

Explore French wines and terroirs with sommelier Raj Vaidya

Tastes and Terroirs

Full body, big nose?

No, they're not talking about yours truly.

It's wine speak.  And you can learn more by attending A Wine Tour de France: Taste and Terroirs, a series of classes led by sommelier Raj Vaidya of Restaurant Cru.  The six-part series is sponsored by the French institute Alliance Francise at Le Skyroom, 22 East 60th Street.

Burgundy is the first region this intelligent and entertaining series explores January 26, at 7 pm.  Individual tastings are $95 for members, $115 for non-members. Any three tastings, $250 & $300. Full series, $500 & $600.

To reserve, visit FIAF's website.

Monday night's tasting features Burgundy: Côte de Nuits
 

Unlike Bordeaux, Burgundy is an un-blended wine, made from the grapes of thousands of small-scale growers and composed exclusively from Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. These wines produce great differences in taste, color, and longevity, although their grapes often come from adjoining fields. Join Mr. Vaidya as he presents a selection of some of the most esteemed and top-rated Burgundy reds from the Côte de Nuits appellations.

Seat us in Nick's section at Ben & Jack's Steakhouse

Dry aged prime beef for meat lovers photos by Mary MacRae Warren

Ssssssshhhh.  I’m getting ready to tell all.

Last night I had a memorable meal at Ben and Jack’s Steakhouse, the Peter Luger spin-off started in 2005 by the two former Luger waiters of the same names. 

We started with the chilled Seafood Platter – baby lobster, sweet lump crab meat, truly huge jumbo shrimp .  And really I could have stopped there. 

But I’m so glad I didn’t because I would have missed the most savory, meaty and melt-in-your mouth lamb chops ever.  My friend had the filet mignon.  There’s only one phrase to describe this richly marbled prime beef – like butter.

 

Succulent and sweet chilled seafood platter for seafood lovers

 

But that’s not the secret.  Nor is the fact that the entrepreneurs lured away the iconic Brooklyn steakhouse’s chef Burim Barjami and the rest is prime beef history. 

The real nugget is this: maitre d’ Jeff Sinanaj and waiter Avni (Nick) Gocaj.  Sinanaj -- a feast for the eyes, ladies  -- is super smooth and uber-fantastic at making sure your meal is magnificent from start to finish.  Gocaj is incredibly attentive without overdoing it and knows his menu.  If that isn’t enough, they’re both charming.

Toast your good fortune with a pomegranate martini!

 
Potent pomegranate martini

 

For more info: Ben and Jack's Steakhouse 219 E 44th St 212.682.5678 All major credit cards www.benandjacks steakhouse.com

The Tao of chocolate

www.oliverkita.com

For the Tao in cacao, look no further than Rhinebeck chocolaterie Oliver Kita Fine Confections.

Kita, a chef for 20 years, turned his obsession "for cooking and baking with the perfumes and flavors of chocolate, flowers, herbs, citrus, exotic fruits, berries, nuts, and spices" into a second passion  -- the hand-crafting of fine chocolates.

Using the best organic and fair trade products sourced in France and Switzerland, Kita makes magic in his upstate confectionery. 

For seekers of chocolate Nirvana, he created the Woodstock Buddha, 65% Valrhona Madagascar Solid Dark chocolate shimmering with edible gold dust ($22.75) and the Eight-fold Path of Chocolate Awareness, eight miniature solid dark chocolate Buddhas with a cacao pod blossom in the center ($22.00)

The devout chocolate worshipper of the Christian persuasion, can choose from the pearlized Virgin Mary, Holy Queen of the Universe manifested in chocolate and empowerin prayers for peace ($19.95) or the 12-piece Cloister Clusters, a rapturous experience of chocolate faith with six each of Trois Nonnes and six each of Trois Prêtes ($30).

Kita's trademark slogan is Mind, Body, Body, Chocolate, Everyday. We couldn't agree more. Praise Buddha and pass the truffles!

A Culinary Institute of America gradiuate, the chef turned chocolatier studied his sweet craft at L’Ecole Lenotre, Paris, L’Ecole du Grand Chocolat Valrhona, and Academy du Chocolat, Barry-Callebaut, Montreal.

His line of artisan fine chocolates is defined by "a remarkable quality using superlative French organic and Swiss sources complemented by traditional French methods and the finest ingredients.  Kita's handcrafted designs meld, "heavy satin cream, award-winning sweet butter, the finest fruits, low sugar, and carefully selected and roasted nuts."

And for the person who puts in a special performance in  your life: the edible Oscar, a solid chocolate Oscar statuette decorated with edible gold luster dust ($32.00).

Oliver Kita Fine Confections
6815 Route 9
Astor Square No. 8
Rhinebeck, New York 12572
To order by telephone:
(845) 876-2665

Email: okita@hvc.rr.com

Frozen yogurt dreams

http://newyork.metromix.com  credit: Sam Horine

If your teeth aren't chattering from the freezing cold and the fleeting snow flurries, hoof it over to Daydream Frozen Yogurt for a sweet -- if cold -- treat.

MetroMIx NY reports the recently opened frozen yogurt shop with its cloud-filled walls and ceiling is the perfect backdrop for its ciustom flavors.  Owner Gwen Butler rotates flavors —green tea, pomegranate—or plain versions in  “creamy” and “icy.”

The online restaurant source had this to say about Daydream: "In fact, it’s the toppings, largely whipped up by chef Greg Pena, that fly you to the Moon. Try the raspberry, strawberry and mango dust or butter rum crunch, which sports the cheekiest handwritten sign (“does contain alcohol”) this side of Prohibition. There’s even dehydrated espresso, counterproductive as that seems. Delicate white chairs and marble tables let you imagine an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, but modernity rules. Wolf down a “moffle”—a mochi waffle—to see what we mean."

For More Information:
Daydream Frozen Yogurt
110 Third Ave at 13th St.
212-228-4288

Eat mor chikin

When Truett Cathy opened the doors of the Dwarf Grill in the tiny rural town of Hapeville, GA in 1946, he probably didn't envision how one fried, secretly seasoned, and boneless chicken filet would change the course of his life.

Today, the cows (the stars of his humorous marketing campaign) love Cathy because the restaurateur's 1,340 quick-service chicken restaurant locations in 37 states and Washington, DC mean fewer people are asking, "Where's the beef?"

It's a simple sandwich, toasted bun, dill pickle and that delicious boneless fried chicken breast filet. Like another more visible Southern gentleman, the Chic-fil-A is cooked with a secret blend of herbs and  spices. Whatever the secret is (and I suspect it's deep-fried), I always have a Chic-fil-A when I'm back home because, sadly enough, you can't get them where I live.

And recently I had the thrill of leaving the flagship Chic-fil-A store in its Georgia hometown through the Dwarf Door (better suited for kindergarteners than a nearly 50-year-old woman, but you're as young as you feel, eh).

While I am not a  huge fan of fast food (and you'll note Cathy says "quick-service"), I love me a Chic-fil-A. 

Low brow is the new high brow when you can save the life of a party cow.

Foodie Facebook-ing

Savor the flavor and socialize too.

Food Buzz is to foodies what Facebook is to social networking.  It's a great place to meet and talk about what you love best -- food, fabulous food.

Food Buzz lets readers link to their food blogs, submit photos, review restaurants internationally and in your home locale, to eat, swap recipes, ogle gorgeous food photos, enter contests, post videos and tip food news.

It is all food at all hours, 

The people who use Food Buzz are pretty amazing too.  From professional chocolatiers to soccer Moms who know their way around the kitchen to food entrepreneurs, this site has an eclectic and interesting group of friendly and fun food fanatics.

Food Buzz is one of the best niche social networking sites around.  Get buzzing.