August 22, 2008
Nobody, and we mean nobody, makes a better open-faced sandwich than Ida Davidsen does. No surprise, given that her family has been making the world’s best smørrebrød and serving them from their family restaurant in Copenhagen for more than a century. When HungryMan and I visited her in Denmark this past week, we ate ourselves into a smoked salmon coma, drank more than our share of Red Aalborg, and discovered an unexpected connection between Ida and NYC–and not just the fact that her lengthy menus remind us of Shopsin’s, another family-run business we hope makes it to the century mark. Even if an overseas visit isn’t on the horizon, you prepare many of Ida’s recipes at home, as we have been doing for a few years now, after tracking down a copy of her wonderful cookbook on eBay. Once you taste a few of her sandwiches, you might even be tempted to ignore the weak dollar and head across the Atlantic for a little liver paté and fried onion delight. In the meantime, you can view a slideshow of pictures of our visit on our Flickr photostream as you listen to our podcast. As with all of our podcasts, you have the option either to download the audio file (just right-click that link to save the file to disk) in order to listen on your mp3 device, or if you have a speedy Internet connection, you can stream the podcast by clicking the ‘play’ button on the audio player below. Skål!
November 12, 2007
We’ll let you in on a little secret– the great divide between Nosher and HungryMan is not a red state/blue state cleavage, nor even an uptown/dowtown schism. No, the real source of disagreement between us is over chocolate: Nosher likes dark and I like milk. To me, there’s nothing better than a ganache made with lots of heavy cream or even the most simple melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate bar. To Nosher, the slightly bitter, fruity, and arguably more complex flavors of dark chocolate, particularly those with higher percentages of cocoa solids and cocoa butter , send him over the moon. Happily, minor disputes like ours find their ideal resolution at events like this weekend’s 10th Annual Chocolate Show, a gathering of over 50 of the finest chocolatiers and artisanal chocolate producers, all in one location at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 18th Street. Visitors to the yearly choco-fest can find everything from classic French truffles to fudge brownies to nouvelle cuisine concoctions filled with wasabi cream and curry. And in true Project Runway, style, the launch of the Chocolate Show included an over-the-top chocolate fashion show where models strutted up and down the runway covered in garments made from a minimum of 40% chocolate. Take that, Tim Gunn. You can view a slideshow of pictures of the event on our Flickr photostream as you listen to our podcast from the show. As with all of our podcasts, you have the option either to download the audio file (just right-click that link to save the file to disk) in order to listen on your mp3 device, or if you have a speedy Internet connection, you can stream the podcast by clicking the ‘play’ button on the audio player below. And whether it’s milk, dark, or even white chocolate that turns you on, you’re sure to find something here to drool over.
July 19, 2007
All it takes is a sip or two of Bracco Wines’ Brunello di Montalcino and it becomes clear that Lorraine Bracco is not messing around. Started just three years ago with her business partner Vincent Viola, Bracco’s brand produces a short list of wines that include seven reds and a white (and very soon, a rosé), all produced from Italian grapes Bracco selects herself. We got a chance to try out all of the Bracco wine offerings at a tasting event held in Midtown’s Divine Bar West last night, and we came away with an even greater admiration for Lorraine…and her palate. During the evening, we recorded a short interview with Lorraine about her first foray into the wine business, her taste in wine (and Dr. Melfi’s), as well as her very watchable on-screen chemistry with Martha Stewart. As with all of our podcasts, you have the option either to download the audio file (just right-click that link to save the file to disk) to listen on your mp3 device, or, if you have a speedy Internet connection, you can stream the podcast by clicking the “play” button on the audio player below. As you listen, you may also want to have a look at our Flickr slideshow. Salute!
March 28, 2007
Go to bed before 5:00 in the morning and you miss a backstage New York City, one that operates in plain view, but yet still remains utterly invisible to most Gothamites. Two weeks ago, we stayed up all night with the graveyard shift bakers at Amy’s Bread, the ones responsible for most of the artisanal bread sold at Amy’s shops. Along the way, we learned some fascinating things about Amy’s Bread (it does most of its business to restaurants, not retail), breadmaking (overproofing French white bread dough can yield Italian white bread, if done right), and the people who work the overnight shift (they listen to a truly bizarre mix of music as they work: Rammstein and Barbra Streisand). Musical taste aside, they’re also some of the most generous and gracious people we have met in the food world to date. During our all-nighter with the Amy’s crew, we recorded more than five hours of audio, which we have managed to edit down to 51 minutes, and as with all of our podcasts, you have the option either to download the file (right-click that link to save the file to disk) to listen on your mp3 device, or , if you have a speedy Internet connection, you can just stream the podcast by clicking the ‘play’ button on the audio player below. This time, we not only have an Amy’s Bread photoset on Flickr, but we have three YouTube videos (posted here yesterday). So have a look at both as you listen to the podcast. We are also holding a contest with a fantastic food-related (non-perishable) prize to the first person who e-mails us the correct answer to this question: What third-party shop sells more Amy’s Bread baguettes than all three of Amy’s own retail stores combined? Send answers to nycnosh at gmail.
February 20, 2007
Uncle Heraclitus came up with a brilliant idea for a nightclub last year at around this time. The concept, as he explained it, was a sedate venue where Boomers could go, eat a meal, perhaps dance a little, and then be home in bed by eight at night–hence the name: Home By Eight. Little did he know that Bruno Jamais had a similar audience in mind when he created his eponymous restaurant. But Bruno’s Place (as it is called by those in the know) gives mid-century babies a bit more credit for endurance; his supper club stays open until 4:00 a.m. and serves dinner until 2:00 a.m.. So when Bruno–former maitre d’ at Restaurant Daniel and Alain Ducasse–invited us to visit and chat with him and the restaurant’s young chef, John Keller, we thought we should see what they’re doing to keep patrons lingering long past midnight. As with all of our podcasts, you have the option either to download the podcast (right-click that link to save the file to disk) to listen on your mp3 device, or , if you have a speedy Internet connection, you can just stream the podcast by clicking the ‘play’ button on the audio player below. As you listen, browse through our Bruno Jamais photoset on Flickr to see photos of the chef, the space, and more than half a dozen items we tasted on our visit.
February 8, 2007
Whether or not you’re sold on the idea that shabu shabu is the next sushi, you have to admire the way Koca Lounge (formerly the Outlet Koca Lounge) chef Shawn Collins has thrown himself into his work–the man is so busy preparing small plates and simmering pots of broth on the Lower East Side that he hasn’t restocked his own fridge since Labor Day. Collins, along with the restaurant’s two Chinese-American owners, have made it their business to make hotpots as big of a sensation here as they are in Taiwan–which is to say, huge. HungryMan, the Noshingtonienne, and I took Collins up on his invitation to come down and visit Koca Lounge and to see what the restaurant’s small but knowledgeable staff is doing with pan-Asian cooking. As always, you have the option either to download the podcast (right-click that link to save the file to disk) to listen on your mp3 device, or , if you have a speedy Internet connection, you can just stream the podcast by clicking the ‘play’ button on the audio player below. As you listen, browse through our Koca Lounge photoset on Flickr to see photos of pretty much everything we ate and drank during our visit.
November 7, 2006
The one where Nosher talks with more chefs than you can shake a wooden spoon at: Morimoto, Lidia Bastianich, Jonathan Benno, Bill Telepan, and the list keeps going… . Hear what the chefs had to say about the dishes and drinks they served in support of City Harvest at New York Magazine’s 2006 Taste of New York event.
September 27, 2006
We interview Joanne Hendricks and chat with her about cookbooks, Maalox, fishing, smoking, and Tribeca. If you’re the sort of person who enjoys bookstores, you will be charmed by Joanne and her eclectic-yet-soothing collections. We certainly were.
September 13, 2006
Our visit with Manish Chadha of the new Manhattan branch of Singas Famous Pizza. See the full post at NYCnosh.
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