Posts tagged ‘new york’

A friend of mine just moved to New York City (Queens) from Chicago. While he likes the city, he really misses Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. We’ve been forbidden to even talk about pizza around him! Is there a pocket of Chicago natives anywhere in New York where a man can get a slice of pizza like they make back home?

You may not want to hear this, but no. As crazy as it might seem, there is no truly authentic Chicago deep-dish in New York. Even the pizza completists at Slice say there’s no real comparison (and of course, we all are pretending that the Pizzeria Uno on 6th Avenue in the Village doesn’t exist.) If you’re looking for an overwhelming load of cheese underneath a layer of sauce on a quiche-like crust, it’s just not going to happen. However, if you are willing to play fast and loose with New York’s options, you might be able to find something that satisfies the deep dish need until your next trip to Lou Malnati’s.

There are two slice styles found in New York that may help: the Sicilian, better known as the “square slice” in many local pizza joints, and a little something called the “grandma slice.” Less doughy than its Sicilian cousin, the grandma usually features a square, pan-baked crust with the mozzarella cheese residing underneath a diced tomato sauce. The cheese-under-sauce falls more into the deep-dish category, but you’re still not going to get it an inch thick like you would in Chicago. Here are the two best slices I found:

Maffei (686 Sixth Ave. at 22nd St., 212-929-0949) has the best grandma slice in the city, according to Ed Levine (a man who knows —he wrote an entire book on the subject, <Pizza: A Slice of Heaven). The tomatoes on the grandma are freshly crushed, which is an excellent touch, and the crust is thin and crisp. But the Sicilian comes closer to a deep-dish; it’s a little more substantial, with a thicker, more buttery crust and rounds of fresh mozzarella. If you like Giordano’s, these could be the slices for you.

It’s hard to do a pizza roundup in this city without including Di Fara (1424 Avenue J, Midwood, Brooklyn; 718-258-1367), the undisputed champion of New York artisanal pizza. The square slice comes with the same cheese mix as the round, thin-crust pies (two kinds of mozzarella and Grana Padano), but with a bouncier, chewier crust and nicely burnt edges. There’s no real one-on-one Chicago comparison, but it’s outstanding. Maybe you should just give up the idea of approximating deep-dish and just join the hordes of followers. Note that DiFara is only open Wednesday-Sunday, and even then only from noon to 4:30 pm and 6:00-9:00 pm. When you’re as critically lauded as owner Dom DeMarco, you get to make those kind of rules.

Finally, though I haven’t sampled it myself, word from the Chowhound contingent is that Nino’s (9110 3rd Avenue, Bay Ridge, Brooklyn) also makes a mean grandma slice. Plus, Tony Sirico apparently lives in the neighborhood, so if you see him, please ask what kind of ‘za he prefers. It would be a public service!

Readers, I now turn to you. Ignore the Neapolitan blistered thin-crust pizza for a second! Forget your Motorinos, your Lucalis, your Gruppos, and tell me: what’s your favorite pizza out of a pan?

Freaking out about holiday baking? Unlike my co-editor, I have never set a stand mixer on fire and am more than happy to help. (Sorry, D!) Send your irrational questions to Ask Casey at caseyATgoodfoodstoriesDOTcom.

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Today we’re happy to put Chef Kerry Heffernan on the hot seat. A CIA graduate, lifelong Northeasterner and proponent of modern American cuisine, Kerry has been exploring all things culinary since age 14. He’s done everything from baking croissants in the South of France to working alongside chefs Alfred Portale, Tom Colicchio, David Bouley, and Daniel Boulud along the way. Kerry was the opening Executive Chef at Eleven Madison Park and former partner at Union Square Hospitality Group, and he is currently Executive Chef at South Gate at the Jumeirah Essex House in New York.

Kerry, you grew up in Connecticut, but you also spent a lot of time in Maine, correct? — so how would YOU make a lobster roll? (Butter? Mayo? Some unholy hybrid?)

I did grow up in Connecticut, but spent more time on the Cape and Marblehead MA, than in Maine, and would only go very traditional on things for a lobster roll: simple homemade mayo, little celery, perhaps a whisper of tarragon and a warm, buttered, griddled hot dog bun.

You had an early appreciation for French cuisine and culture through your apprenticeship at Le Perigord Park, and you were lucky enough to take a bike trip through France at age 17. Tell us a little bit about that trip — was that the turning point for your career?

It was amazing — in 1979, I was literally on my own seeing France, from Normandy to Paris all the way down the Rhone to the Cote D’Azur where I worked for two months. I was camping by myself on farm fields and the edges of vineyards, staying at hostels with quite a cast of characters in urban areas, absolutely amazing. It was the seminal moment in my career as far as broadening my horizons and getting a sense of what tasting things in their environs really meant.

What is your favorite food destination (could be a city, like New York or Seoul, or a specific restaurant/roadside food stand). Why?

LOVE NYC. I’ve been here the last 30 years of my career, and have seen so many amazing talents and trends take off. I am a huge fan of cuisines both high and low, from street food to linen-draped luxury restaurants, Where else can you get a Shackburger, Kim Chi Jigae, and a three-star meal within eight blocks of one another?

What is your go-to meal when you’re cooking for yourself?

Chicken Parm. It is so comforting to me, always a nice simple place for me to go after taking literally dozens of bites throughout the day from any number of dishes and components from dressings to sweet, savory and on and on, Besides my wife loves to bread and help me fry it so it is a breeze… and lots of fun.

Your philosophy is to cook based on the availability and quality of ingredients available at the market on a particular day. What is the one ingredient you would be lost without?

Marjoram… well, and the “ingredient” of my own two feet in some kind of marketplace!

Finally, a seasonal question: What are you making for Thanksgiving this year? Do you go traditional or do you incorporate new preparations?

I have what I would call a “Modern Traditional” approach. For example, I’ll make creamed onions by cooking just a little rice in with the onions, removing the perfectly cooked onions, cooking the mixture a bit till soft, then pureeing in the blender with a bit of crème fraiche as opposed to using roux and heavy cream and cooking for an hour.

Find Chef Kerry Heffernan in action at South Gate, 154 Central Park South, New York. 212-484-4715 or reservations on OpenTable.

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I admit, I have an addiction. If conditions are favorable, I will eat Mexican food every single day for a week. Nachos, tacos, I’ll eat all the cheap stuff (though not from Taco Bell, thank you), but my favorite is a big old burrito.

And I’m a big fan of rice in my burritos; I love how it absorbs the liquid from the beans, the salsa, and the sour cream to make a “special sauce” all its own, which drips down your hands ever so persistently as you unwrap each successive layer of foil.

So when I heard two brothers from Cali had opened Dos Toros Taqueria off Union Square with the intention of gracing our fair city with real San Francisco Mission-style burritos, I had to taste. And I had to bring Natalie, who loves burritos dearly from her years spent in San Diego and who often seems more of a West Coaster than a girl from Chappaqua, for a test drive.

In the interest of science, we should have each tried a different meat, but neither of us could resist the carnitas. For those who are not tempted by the slow-cooked pork, you can fill your burrito with grilled steak and chicken, or do it Vegetarian Whopper-style without the meat.

The usual Mission burrito preparation was served — steamed tortilla, slice o’ melty cheese, choice of pinto or black beans, rice, pico de gallo, guac (and everyone in the shop, including customers, calls it guac — no need to add the -amole to the end), meat, sour cream and super spicy green hot sauce, if you dare. I always dare.

We were able to snap one expository picture in the middle of wolfing down our West Coast classics. The foil-wrapped burrito was in fact large enough to be two meals if you had the willpower. I don’t, however, and neither does Natalie. There were no leftovers; everything was absolutely satisfying.

The atmosphere was a little haute boho, sitting at our reclaimed barnwood tables and benches with woven leather stools. But this is no overrated La Esquina, it’s laid-back and unpretentious — as we ordered, lthe guys on the line talked about how they want to get a guitar shaped like a burrito — and the prices are right for the quality being offered.

Two slightly messy thumbs-up for more burrito options in this town. I’m sure they’ll make a killing with the NYU crowd, and next time I’ll be back to try the tacos.

Dos Toros, 137 4th Ave. at 13th St., New York. 212-677-7300; delivery available.

My wife and I are looking for a couple of somewhat upscale restaurants for lunch and dinner as we have tickets for a matinee performance of “The Lion King” on a Saturday. However, she’s pregnant so we can’t get too crazy with the fare—no unpasteurized cheeses, no rare fish or steak, etc. Any ideas?

My suggestion is to get out of the theatre district. It’s a tough place, as I’ve mentioned, so your options open up exponentially if you’re willing to take a 5-10 minute cab ride. (Also, I’m sure your pregnant wife would agree that walking too much around Times Square and the vicinity is not the preferred option.) Because there’s a common thread of “approved” items throughout their menus, I’m trending Italian or new American in these restaurants.

It’s on my mind this week, but Gramercy Tavern (42 E. 20th St. between Broadway and Park Ave. South) is absolutely perfect for this — then again, it’s also Michelle Obama’s choice, so it’s a tough table to secure. However, the front Tavern Room is walk-in only, a la carte, and open noon-midnight, so you might get lucky by stopping by for an early lunch or dinner. I’ve gone on at length about the restaurant so I won’t belabor the point. However, I will make one more plug for pastry chef Nancy Olson’s desserts, like a chocolate pudding with salted caramel and brioche croutons…. Now that sounds like something I could swim in, like Scrooge McDuck and his piles of money.

Telepan (72 W. 69th Street off Columbus Ave.) serves a $28 prix fixe brunch on weekends that runs the gamut — smoked brook trout for the adventurous eater, pear French toast for the sweet tooth, or a ginormous burger with a side of thick onion rings. Dinner can either be a la carte or you have the option of multi-course tastings, depending on how the appetites are faring. The lobster bolognese is out. standing. I’m sure you love your wife, but you may not be able to spare a bite for her.

Barbuto (775 Washington St. at W. 12th St.) is a bit more casual than the rest but has such a great atmosphere — huge windows, open kitchen with the roaring oven — that it makes every meal there seem like a treat. Jonathan Waxman has made his reputation on his roast chicken, and I really can’t argue with the voice of the masses there. Pretty much anything involving the open oven is fantastic, as are the ever-changing combinations of bruschetta. Note that Barbuto is dinner-only on Saturdays.

Finally, if you want to sneak in some verboten raw fish and still leave your wife happy — and not go too far out of the way — Esca (402 W. 43nd St. at 9th Ave.) will take care of you. Helmed by Dave Pasternack, one of the foremost seafood experts in the city, the restaurant has an unparalleled selection of crudo for lunch and dinner (if you’ve never had it, go for the tasting of six bites). The rest of the Southern Italian menu is largely fish-centric, as you would expect, but won’t disappoint with vegetables or other carnivorous options if pesce is completely out of the question. We’ve had everything from spaghetti with crabmeat and uni to grilled anchovies to roasted rabbit here, and all have been off the charts.

Like a squirrel hoarding its acorns, I’m collecting questions for the long, cold months ahead. Help me fill my inbox and Ask Casey at caseyATgoodfoodstories.com.

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As with most parts of our relationship, my husband and I ended up with a much better anniversary tradition than we would have if we planned it from the start. See, I unintentionally started this little game with our anniversary dinners when I started thinking about how we would celebrate our first one back in 2006.

That first year, Dan and I went to Hearth for the simple and selfish reason that I had never been and really wanted to sit in the pass. We had such a rocking time that for our second, we decided to keep the Marco Canora theme going and tried Insieme, which had opened a few months earlier. Terroir, Marco and Paul Grieco’s wine outpost in the East Village, seemed a bit too casual for the third anniversary dinner, so we ended up at Craft, Tom Colicchio’s flagship and the spot where Marco won his James Beard award. And where we completely overordered, but that’s another story.

So to keep the lineage going, what to do for the fourth anniversary? Craftsteak, Craftbar… reduced to dinner at ‘wichcraft? Or how about taking it all back to the beginning, to the granddaddy of New York greenmarket cuisine: Gramercy Tavern, where Tom made his name starting way back in 1994 and Marco got his original start.

>> The Gramercy Tavern experience is nothing to sneeze at >>