New York City : Video

Family Face-Off: The Vongerichtens

BuzzEditor — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:08:00 GMT

Jean-Georges Vongerichten recently appointed his son and former Jean Georges sous-chef, Cedric Vongerichten, to take over as chef de cuisine at Perry St. Given the great deal of trust that implies, in the video below we test the two on exactly how much they know about each other. Does father know best? Watch and find out!

The Modnaya Life

BuzzEditor — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:58:00 GMT

As promised, here is the second part of our vodka mixology lesson with Jeremy James Thompson at NYC's Raines Law Room. Today, he demonstrates the proper way to make a Staraya Modnaya, the Russian version of an Old Fashioned. And for those of you looking to play along at home, here's the full recipe:

Staraya Modnaya (Old Fashioned) (Jeremy James Thompson, 2009)
In a mixing glass:
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 small sprig of fresh dill
1 sugar cube
1 dash seltzer
Muddle the above ingredients into a paste

Add:
2 1/2 oz. Russian Standard Platinum Vodka
Fill with cracked ice
Stir until "Siberian chill" is reached (20 seconds should do)
Strain into a chilled Kummel-rinsed rocks glass
Add 1 large block of ice
Garnish with a spray of oil from the zest of a lemon and a small sprig of fresh dill on top

Improving the Moscow Mule

BuzzEditor — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:39:00 GMT

Tequila and rum, your season is up. As the air picks up a chill, there’s nothing better to warm your gut than a stiff vodka cocktail, and the Moscow Mule (invented in Hollywood in 1941) is one of the most enduring. In this video, mixologist Jeremy James Thompson demonstrates his updated, more spice-laden version at Raines Law Room in the Flatiron District. Stay tuned for more with Thompson tomorrow, when he’ll show how to make his Staraya Modnaya, the Russian version of an Old Fashioned.

Improved Moscow Mule (Jeremy James Thompson, 2009)
1 1/2 oz. Russian Standard Platinum Vodka
1 oz. Canton Ginger Liqueur
3/4 oz. lime juice
2 dashes Fee Brother's Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

Shake and strain into a copper mug containing a large block of ice
Add 3–5 oz. seltzer
Dust with freshly grated nutmeg and mint sprig

How'd They Do That: Corton's Corn Sponge

BuzzEditor — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:36:00 GMT

It may look like some kind of underwater sea creature, but the side that accompanies Paul Liebrandt’s duck leg in his “Flavors of Summer” dish at Corton is actually a “corn sponge.”

Liebrandt wanted to pair his duck leg with corn, but didn’t want a heaping pile of kernels or clumsy cob dominating the plate. So he came up with an intriguing way to shape it: “The idea was to make something like a cornbread but extremely light,” he says. Here he explains how he prepares the dish, and you can watch him in action in the video above.

“To make the sponge I take fresh sweet corn, freeze-dried corn, milk, egg yolk with corn stock (which I make from the cob), whole eggs, flour, salt, sugar, pepper and a little touch of extra virgin olive oil. I blend it all together on high speed to make a génoise mix. I work that mix through a sieve, to strain out any un-emulsified corn, into a bowl. I pour that into a siphon canister, and gas it up with four canisters of nitrous dioxide, which aerates the mix to give it a soufflé like texture. I shake the siphon, then shoot that into a little plastic cup, which has been sprayed with a touch of cooking oil, and am careful not to fill it to the top so that there’s room for the sponge to expand. I cook those sponge-filled cups in the microwave for about 30 seconds, turn it upside down to let the steam rise to the top, then let it rest for a while before I pull it out. What emerges is a light, bubbly corn sponge, made à la minute, and ready to serve.”

– Kathleen Squires

Making Mendiants at Aureole

BuzzEditor — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:38:00 GMT

Charlie Palmer's new Aureole at One Bryant Park offers its chefs a number of amenities, including a kitchen that's dramatically larger than the one at its old Upper East Side digs. On a recent tour of the space, we caught up with head pastry chef Jennifer Yee in her chocolate room, where she offered us a quick tutorial in making mendiants.

Want to see more of the new Aureole? Check out our video tour.

Burger Kings

BuzzEditor — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:12:00 GMT

Add Ray’s Hell Burgers to the growing list of places where one or both of the Obamas have been spotted dining since arriving in Washington in early January.

Yesterday the president and Vice President Biden paid a surprise visit to the Arlington, VA, burger joint, waiting in line like everyone else and refusing the offer of free grub. Here’s a tidbit from Ray’s owner Michael Landrum on his encounter with POTUS. The momentous meal was also captured on the video seen above.

Holding true to a promise that he’d get out in the community, the president has sampled various eateries, both high-brow and, well, not so high-brow. On May 2, he and the First Lady had a date night in Georgetown at Michel Richard’s acclaimed Citronelle, where a special meal was prepared for the First Couple. Shortly before the inauguration, the president-elect popped into Bobby Van’s Steakhouse on 15th Street Downtown for a cocktail reception, and caused a stir during a meal with DC Mayor Adrian Fenty at the landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl in the U Street Corridor. Several days later, he and a group of friends gathered to celebrate Michelle Obama’s 45th birthday at Equinox, Todd and Ellen Gray’s New American steps from the White House.

For her part, Michelle Obama has been sighted noshing at the Dupont Circle Five Guys with her staff and, more recently, at Capitol Hill’s Art and Soul, Art Smith’s midpriced American.

Streep Gets Childish

BuzzEditor — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:48:00 GMT

The trailer for the much anticipated (by foodies at least) Nora Ephron movie Julie & Julia – an adaptation of Julie Powell's book and blog, which chart her year-long attempt to cook all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking – has hit the Internets. Check it out here. It's worth a watch, if just for a look at Meryl Streep's impersonation of Mrs. Child.

But since the film doesn't come out until August 7, what is the hungry Child fan to do in the meantime? For the real deal herself, well, look no further than the PBS website, which has begun streaming some of Child's classic television programs here. Or, for a humorous spin, you can't go wrong with Dan Aykroyd's infamous Saturday Night Live impersonation (which actually makes an appearance in the film).

DeChellis Does Suckling Pig

BuzzEditor — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:30:00 GMT

Slow-cooked suckling pigs are everywhere these days, and Midtown newcomer La Fonda del Sol is no exception. In his second video in an ongoing series, La Fonda executive chef Josh DeChellis demonstrates his spin on the classic dish served with smoked dates and almonds, walking curious diners through the process from butchering to plating. Squeamish diners beware: a half pig carcass does get some screen time (212-867-6767; reserve online).

Vintage Wrap: A Sweet Finale

BuzzEditor — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:24:00 GMT

Meryle Evans, a culinary historian and contributing editor at Food Arts magazine, proved an invaluable resource for Zagat’s Vintage Dinner series, providing 19th-century menus and historical insight to some of the chefs as they prepared their meals. Here she reflects on some of the more memorable moments, including the 72-cake "caravan" that capped off the night at Jean Georges. For a behind-the-scenes look at the dessert extravaganza, watch the video below.

A night to remember? How about 16 nights of dazzling dinners? As a culinary historian tracking the Zagat Vintage Dinners series for an article in Food Arts, I was blown away by the enthusiasm, imagination and extraordinary amount of research that New York’s top toques devoted to the planning and execution of these remarkable repasts.

Poring through old cookbooks, reviving recipes from apprenticeship days and enlisting equally enthusiastic staffs to create distinctive period decor, entertainment and beverage pairings, the chefs choreographed dinners that captured the essence of a bygone era, but still remained perfectly attuned to the ambiance of their own 21st-century establishments: Del Posto’s bella Italia cucina based on the seminal cookbook by Pellegrino Artusi; the robust 75-lb. steamship roast Terrance Brennan carved tableside at Picholine; Le Bernardin’s fish-focused menu featuring a whole striped sea bass with champagne sauce; the re-creation of 19th-century fine hotel dining at Alain Ducasse’s Adour at the St. Regis.

That sense of place was vividly evoked at two recent, totally different, dinners: Mike Anthony’s intimate, convivial Colonial American feast for 20 guests in the private dining room at Gramercy Tavern and the sumptuous caviar-and-truffle extravaganza for 70 in the main dining room at Jean Georges.

At Gramercy Tavern, Anthony composed a locavore bill of fare that also managed to stay true to an era two centuries before that word entered our vocabulary. “The idea was not to reproduce a meal, but prepare something delicious in [that] style,” Anthony explained. “I was aiming for the warmth of a dish that looks back in time but also has delicacy and contrasting textures.” Oysters were a given – during the 19th century, oysters were so abundant in New York that they were hard to sell, and so large that the writer William M. Thackeray remarked that eating one was “like swallowing a baby.” Fortunately, our crisp fried Fisher Island bivalves were small and succulent, perched atop a pool of light fish stock with onion and spinach purée, mixed chopped herbs, garlic, oil and lemon juice.

House-smoked ham and a medley of green market beans in a wine vinegar and pork sauce were a tribute to the all-purpose pig – smoked, cured, pickled head-to-trotters – in an era of no refrigeration. And later there were bravos for a pig encore, a whole suckling roast that recalled an early traveler’s description of a Fourth of July celebration when booths lined Broadway for miles “and in every booth there was a roast pig, large or small as the center of attraction. Six miles of roast pig!”

The rivers, bays and seashore surrounding the city also swarmed with fish and shellfish during that time, so Anthony salted his own cod and added it to individually poached lobster, scallops and mussels served in a light tomato-based chowder. A bounty of birds – wild turkeys, geese, doves, grouse, quail – inspired a dish of guinea hen accompanied by fritters made with sweet potato purée and pâte à choux, the latter a nod to the culinary influence of Gallic refugees (including the great gourmet Brillat-Savarin) who found a haven in New York during the French Revolution.

Finally, early travelers also remarked on Americans' penchant for sweets, and what could be more appropriate than the apple pudding with clotted cream that pastry chef Nancy Olsen selected for a Tavern dessert.

From a simple pudding, fast-forward to the mid-20th century for the astonishing cavalcade of 72 cakes that were paraded around the dining room as the grand finale to Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s homage to Fernand Point – considered the father of modern French cuisine – and Point’s protégé, Louis Outhier, in turn Vongerichten’s revered mentor. “I don’t usually do this kind of dessert,” admitted executive pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini, “but Jean-Georges was so enthusiastic, going back to his book of handwritten recipes from his apprenticeship, that it was infectious.” Even after swooning over seven savory courses like lemon gelée with caviar and crème fraîche, sea bass en croûte, lobster à la nage and truffled chicken, guests were still hungry enough to tuck into the trademark Outhier array of classic pastries, among them chocolate and vanilla charlotte Cecile, glazed black-currant mousse, and almond sponge, hazelnut and Pernod noisette.

“I feel like bringing everything back, having a caravan of desserts every night,” Vongerichten sighed, a reminder of Point’s philosophy that the duty of a good cuisinier is to transmit to the next generation everything he has learned and experienced. The Vintage Dinners certainly proved the point.

– Meryle Evans

Vintage Video Wrap: Aureole

BuzzEditor — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 21:33:00 GMT

Last week we cleared our plates and waved goodbye to the Zagat Vintage Dinner series, which ended triumphantly at Charlie Palmer's Aureole. With the space, staff and guests decked out in their finest, we thought we'd commemorate the last major event in the restaurant – the legendary New American soon moves to One Bryant Park – with a behind-the-scenes video.

Cocktail College With David Wondrich

BuzzEditor — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:23:00 GMT

Meet David Wondrich, author of Imbibe! and leader of our second and final course at cocktail college. Today we'll be learning how to make the Improved Holland Gin Cocktail, which the mixologist poured for attendees at our recent Vintage Drinks event at Keens Steakhouse.

For those who want to shake up their drinking regimen at home, we've included the recipe below, and all the recipes from the event can be found here.

Improved Holland Gin Cocktail
Shake well with plenty of ice:
2 oz. Bols Genever
1 tsp. rich simple syrup (made with 2 parts sugar to 1 part water)
½ teaspoon Luxardo maraschino
2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 dash absinthe
Strain into small, chilled cocktail glass and twist a swatch of thin-cut lemon peel over the top.

Cocktail College With Dale DeGroff

BuzzEditor — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 21:46:00 GMT

At last week's Vintage Drinks event at Keens Steakhouse we learned a fair amount about vintage drinking. Worried that we might not retain it all – what with the drinking – we persuaded the King of Cocktails himself, Dale DeGroff, to show us how to make the Morning Glory Fizz.

Want to try it at home? Here's the recipe. And come back tomorrow for David Wondrich's lesson on how to make a Holland Gin Cocktail.

Morning Glory Fizz
from Modern Bartenders Guide, O.H. Byron, 1884
Ingredients:
mixing glass 3/4 full with fine ice
3 to 4 dashes absinthe mixed in a little water
3 dashes lime juice
1 tbsp. sugar
egg white
1 wine glass of Scotch
Shake well in a shaker and strain. Balance off glass with seltzer.
Drink immediately, or the effect will be lost. It's a morning beverage, a tonic and a nerve quieter.

Vintage Cocktails at Keens

BuzzEditor — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 22:21:00 GMT

Last Friday night, Zagat Presents hosted an evening of vintage drinking at Keens Steakhouse, and if you weren't able to make it, no worries – we put together a video. Top drink doctors Dale DeGroff, Steve Olson, Paul Pacult, Andy Seymour and David Wondrich of B.A.R. (Beverage Alcohol Resource) mixed 19th century–inspired libations, while Keens provided grub like mutton and prime rib. Stay tuned, because later in the week, we'll have video of the master mixologists showing you how make some of these drinks at home.