Cotogna & Quince

The culinary power couple.

Before I had made my way to San Francisco there was but one recommendation I could not get out of my head.  Chef Floyd Cardoz told me I need to visit Cotogna.  From what I have realized from our own similar tastes in the past, when he recommends a restaurant, I must listen.

Cotogna is a small, rustic Italian restaurant owned and operated by Michael and Lindsay Tusk.  The two chefs first opened their fine-dining flagship Quince in 2003.  A hit right from the start, their passion lead them to move Quince into a more luxurious and grander space taking over Myth in San Francisco's Jackson Square in 2009.  The space included a small corner cafe, and after about a year and a half, and Lindsay Tusk doing much of the design work herself, transformed that cafe into Cotogna, which actually means "quince" in Italian.

Cotogna is centered around the pastas that Michael Tusk became famous for at Quince, having removed all of them from the now four-star establishment, making them more readily available in a more casual atmosphere.  There is not much to the decor of this 50-seat restaurant, with windows looking out to Jackson Square and wooden panels flowing throughout.  But what makes this space stand out is the small open kitchen showcasing a wood-fire pizza oven and a stand-alone grill with rotating spits.  Two cooks man these stations in the front while three more work behind the scenes.  The rest of the kitchen can be seen on a visit to the restrooms.

Getting a reservation here is hard.  Very hard actually.  I was trying for up to one month to see if I could make a reservation here before actually being in the Bay Area.  On a Tuesday night I decided to press my luck and visit the restaurant, and thankfully I got lucky.  I walked in and starting talking to the hostesses about my chances of dining that night.  They told me they accept walk-ins at the dining counters which were full at the moment.  They then took down my number and offered to call me if a space opened up.  Jumping at the chance I was put on the waitlist, and 20 minutes later received a call saying I could dine.  I thanked them profusely for the kindness.

Jardiniere

View of Jardiniere from across the street

Whenever I travel I make it a point to eat out a lot.  There is so much you can learn from a city by eating your way around it.  The dining trends, where people like to hang out, and visit all the different neighborhoods by visiting different restaurants.  With a visit to each city I always splurge on one big-named restaurant.  A restaurant that I don't mind paying upwards of over $150 for myself, as I know it will be worth it and remain a memory worth having.

In the case of San Francisco this restaurant was Jardiniere.  Owned and operated by Chef Traci Des Jardins, Jardiniere has remained one of the top restaurants in the Bay Area for the last 15 years.  Recently just finishing a solid run on Top Chef Masters, Traci has won numerous awards through her career including "Rising Star Chef", "Best New Chef", "Best Chef Pacific Region", and "Best New Restaurant" after Jardiniere opened.  With so many accolades under her apron it was no surprise I made it a point to dine here.

The spectacular ceiling of twinkling lights

Located just across San Francisco's City Hall, the corner building with exposed brick walls is where Chef Des Jardins makes her home.  Walking through the glass door entrance you are transported to a room designed after an inverted cocktail glass filled with champagne.  On the ceiling is a spectacular glass dome with twinkling lights evoking the feeling of effervescent bubbles.  The decor continues downward to a champagne-colored staircase connecting the ground floor.   The ground level has marble floors sweeping throughout, laying home to a large, circular mahogany bar and the entrance to the main kitchen.  Exposed brick walls on the inside of the restaurant give a more rustic feel and counteract the elegance of the tablecloth covered dining room.

Umami Burger

On one of my first days here in SF I did a lot of research for places I could grab a quick lunch during my day.  I realized very quickly while looking up places in SF that this city has A LOT of burger joints.  There's one major contender every few blocks, with more openings coming right after the other.  Umami Burger is one of these contenders, and even though it's an LA export, is easily recognizable by the locals here as one of the best burgers in the city.

Umami Burger is located in the Marina district, known by the locals as "where all the yuppies hang out".  Walking through the neighborhood it looks like San Francisco's version of Soho, just without the models walking around.  Small artisanal shops line up one after the other, with a great mix of food and fashion.  Walking through you will eventually pass by an nondescript building which is Umami, with nothing more on the outside of the restaurant than the strange logo and street address.

I don't really know what to make of the logo, which looks like an imprint of a woman's lips.  I get it is a sandwich bun, except none of the buns the burgers here sit on look anything like it.

In-N-Out Burger

I've never been here.  Imagine my excitement when I saw this:

Hmm...colors seem familiar..

For any east coaster there is one burger chain that you always hear about but never, ever have the chance to visit.  In-N-Out Burger only exists on the west coast (yes I know technically there are 2 in Texas now).  What is all the hype my friends have built up for me?  What is the "Animal Style" burger?  What makes everyone on the eastern seaboard flock to a burger stand the second they are in California?  Well, I'm about to find out.

I was two days into my trip when I took a photo of the outside of the restaurant and posted it to my facebook page.  Immediately I received responses from friends, "My favorite!", "Get the Animal Style!!", "The fries suck!".  Seems like I have been missing out on an In-N-Out experience...

Ghirardelli Ice Cream Shop

For many people visiting San Francisco for the first time, there are a few landmarks which are easily recognizable.  The gorgeous colors of the Golden Gate Bridge, the curves of Lombard Street, the cable cars easily seen around the city, and to anyone on the pier, the famous Ghirardelli sign.

Say "Gear-ar-delly"

The Ghirardelli sign indicates Ghirardelli Square, an entire block showcasing the original factory, chocolate shop, ice cream shop, chocolate cafe, and other neighboring food vendors.  Started in 1852 by a man named Domingo Ghirardelli, Ghirardelli Chocolate is America's only chocolate company that controls the entire chocolate manufacturing process, from blending their own beans, to methods of roasting, and eventually processing and packaging.  The company ensures the highest level of chocolate making, and if you're one of the few that have yet to taste a Ghirardelli chocolate bar, I highly recommend you do, because you are missing out.

Peppermint Bark, so good.

Ghirardelli boasts over 40 varieties of chocolate, and the chocolate shop located in the Square showcases them all.  I do have a personal favorite, but the sad news is that my favorite one is only available seasonally.  It is the Peppermint Bark, and only available around Christmas time.  During my 10-day stay in San Francisco, I probably bought about 5 of those chocolate bars to hold me over.  Hey, it's only available a few weeks of the year and it they were on sale, leave me alone.

Joe's Crab Shack

"Eat at Joe's."

The slogan is easily identifiable all over the country.  So what exactly am I doing here?  Am I really spending my money at a chain restaurant...willingly?

To be quite honest, there are just two national chain restaurants that I wouldn't mind having a hearty meal at.  Joe's Crab Shack is one of them.  For those that want to know...::sigh::...The Olive Garden is the other.  Yes..  I said it.  Salad, breadsticks, and never-ending pasta bowls?  Come on people!

This meal was very unexpected.  It was my first lunch while in San Francisco.  Waking up early at my hotel, which was just a few steps from Fisherman's Wharf, I took a long walk through the marina and eventually the Wharf.  Past the few food trucks with awesome names (Kung Fu Tacos.  Yes!), the In-N-Out Burger (eventually will return), crab shacks (mouth watering), pasta houses (why not?), chocolate stores (sweet cavity central!), I came to a sudden stop.  There it was. The large "Eat Crab" wall sign.

Yup, this definitely got my appetite going

Being on the bay and not really knowing my way around yet, I longed for seafood.  In fact, I was dying for it.  This seemed like a good enough place as any to start.  And even better, coupon for free appetizer at the door.  Rachel Ray, eat your $40-a-day heart out.

Tea House at Japanese Tea Garden

On my visit to San Francisco I wasn't planning on doing many "touristy" things.  Many buildings, attractions, and sites that most tourists flock to really don't interest me that much.  When I visit a new city, I get to know it best I can through its food and people.  However, when I read about the Japanese Tea Garden located right outside Golden Gate Park, I couldn't resist making the one hour trek over from my hotel to see it.

The Japanese culture has always piqued my interest.  The architecture, the people, the clothing, customs, traditions, language, and food.  I mean, really, what is there not to love?  Everything about it is beautiful.  Offering a type of zen and tranquility no matter what is it you're gazing upon.

The Japanese Tea Garden in SF is said to be America's oldest public Japanese tea garden.  It was originally created in 1894 as a one-acre Japanese-style garden.  Over the next few decades, a man named Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese landscape architect, had moved his family onto the property.  Mr. Hagiwara put all his personal wealth, passion, and creative talents into the garden to achieve in what he thought in his own eyes was perfection, and expanding it to about five acres.

In 1942, along with many other Japanese Americans, Mr. Hagiwara and his family were forced to move from their home and live in internment camps.  When WWII was over, he and his family were not allowed to move back into their home, and in subsequent years, many of the Hagiwara family heirlooms were removed, replaced with other additions, and eventually turning into a public space for viewing.

Walking up to the Japanese Tea Garden is very minimalistic.  Open landscape with a few small statues and man-made stools in front of an Asian-style gate.  On one of these stools sat an older Asian male, playing a Japanese flute for passer-by's.  What made him stand out was his engaging smile as he played, saying with it "I am happy, and there is no other place in the world I would rather be than here right now".  As you then walk through the main entrance, you are transported into another world.

The Crab Station at Fisherman's Wharf

Fisherman's Wharf is a neighborhood located in San Francisco's north-east corner.  Back in the day Fisherman's Wharf used to be the area where fishermen settled and fished for Dungeness Crab.  Although it is still used as a port for many of San Francisco's fisherman and their fleet, the area has mainly been redeveloped into a tourist attraction, attracting many people from all over the country.

Crab Houses lining the street along the Wharf

Walking into Fisherman's Wharf you start to see your usual tourist traps.  Small stores selling cameras, t-shirts, mugs with "I <3 SF", museums, and...an In N Out Burger?  Walk even further and you start to see pasta houses, seafood restaurants, and crab stalls that have been handed down from generation to generation.

If you're an avid seafood lover, there is no way you can turn down the idea of eating fresh seafood along the bay.  Seafood freshly caught hours beforehand, boiled, broken down, and served with nothing more than cocktail sauce and lemon.  Heaven.

Incanto

Anyone who loves offal as much as I do knows the name Chris Cosentino.  He is considered to be at the forefront of nose-to-tail dining in North America.  His restaurant, Incanto, has been named by some as the most adventurous restaurant in the United States.  He runs the website, Offal Good, educating people on how to buy, handle, and cook offal.  He opened a small shop called Boccalone in the Ferry Building, selling San Francisco's famous "meat cone".  For someone with so much passion for what they do, it is no surprise that I made Incanto my first dinner stop during my trip to San Francisco.  I was psyched.  

The restaurant is gorgeous, and very well put together.  Large wall-size windows overlook the sidewalks of Noe Valley, pictures of pigs grazing, figurines of pig heads on the walls, colors of light brown and white stretching from the front of the restaurant to the back, an open kitchen, and humorously, a bookshelf in the bathrooms containing cookbooks that would make any avid collector smile.

A friend and I decided to go big.  Heck, I flew 3000 miles to come here.  When talking with our server we asked if we had ordered enough, and when she said yes, we ordered some more.  The restaurant started us off with a bread platter containing house-made tapenade, breads, and breadsticks.

Incanto's Bread and Breadsticks with House-Made Black Olive Tapenade

Like many restaurants, I tend to skip on bread platters, as they serve no more purpose than to just get your palate going, while filling you up in a few bites.  Incanto was no different, serving bread which was passable, but not exceptional.  The olive tapenade didn't do wonders for me.  This was pushed off to the side.  Now bring on the offal.

Roli Roti

Disclaimer:  This following post may cause panting, fainting, hot sweats, jaw pains, dreams, and an increase in hormones.

Yes.  It really did.

Like 4505 Meats, Roli Roti is a meat and sandwich vendor located at the Farmer's Market outside of the Ferry Building.  Unlike 4505 Meats, though, they only serve twice a week on Thursdays and Saturdays.  Is it worth going?  I might just fly back to San Francisco for a weekend to savor their amazing porchetta sandwich once again.

Call me crazy, but if this sandwich does not make the new show "Best Sandwich in America", I may just kill Adam Richman and his team at The Travel Channel.  This is one of the, no scratch that, THE best sandwich I have ever had.

4505 Meats

If you're going to be in San Francisco, I highly recommend making a visit to The Ferry Building.  Ride a trolley car down the Embaracadero, take in the sights of the beautiful San Francisco Bay, get off at The Ferry Building, take a walk inside, and savor the smells of all the beautiful artisinal vendors that await you.

The Ferry Building has a little of everything to satisfy the foodie inside of you.  Save your appetite, though, and after venturing through, make sure to take a walk outside on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, to visit the Farmer's Market outside.  This is where you surely will not be disappointed.

4505 Meats is a small meat vendor serving freshly grilled meats to patrons visiting the Farmer's Market.  The smell of the grilled meats intoxicates you, attracting you closer to their chalkboard menu portraying some of the best items you possibly could imagine at a Farmer's Market.

Turducken sandwich?  Duck Sausage?  Fried Turkey Leg?  Yes, please.

Mercedes-Benz Dinner at James Beard House/ Taqueria

At the end of October Mercedes-Benz sponsored a four-course dinner for 50 VIP guests at the James Beard House in New York City.  Chefs and cooks from ABC Kitchen, Eleven Madison Park, Restaurant August, and Locanda Verde all teamed up to create one spectacular course each for one very high end meal.

Bring on the red carpet

This was my first time inside the famous James Beard House.  James Beard was an influential American chef and food writer who passed away in 1985.  The James Beard Foundation was named in his honor, which annually recognizes and praises chefs and food writers across the country.  Peter Kump, a former student of James and founder of the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), purchased the brownstone home of the late James Beard and preserved it as a gathering place for the general public to enjoy the artistry and talents of established and emerging chefs.

Not having much prep work, and having a car waiting for us outside, Chef Dan Kluger, I, and Minh, one of the chefs from 11 Madison Park took a field trip to buy staff meal for everyone.  We traveled to the lower east side to Taqueria, a favorite taco restaurant of Chef Kluger.  Taqueria has a lot of style and is real deal Mexican, even listing a photo on the wall of everything they don't offer that is stereotypical.  It's "crema fresca", not sour cream, get it right.

Taken from Yelp.com

Eataly: La Pizza

"It's every chef's wet dream."

A culinary mecca in the heart of NYC.  Eataly is the largest Italian food and wine marketplace in the world, housing 50,000 square feet of artisanal products, in a former toy building in the heart of the Flatiron district.

Brought to you by the Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich group, Eataly is a site to be seen.  If you're a self-proclaimed foodie, walking through this culinary phenomenon will leave you in nothing short of awe and amazement.

Five different restaurants.  Nine different vendors.  Walls upon walls and endless aisles of fresh cheeses, breads, farm-fresh produce, dried pastas, olive oils, wine, cookbooks, specialty meats, fresh seafood, coffee, gelato, and so forth.  If you haven't walked through Eataly yet, now is the time.

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

Arguably the biggest restauranteur in New York City and possibly the country, Danny Meyer's name is synonomous with hospitality.  He is the CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which includes such New York restaurant institutions as Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern, Shake Shack, North End Grill, Untitled, Maialino, Blue Smoke, Union Square Events, Cafe 2, Terrace 5, and his business "school" Hospitality Quotient. 

"Virtually nothing else is important as how one is made to feel in a business transaction.  Hospitality exists when you feel the other person is on your side.  The converse is just as true.  Hospitality is present when something happens for you.  It is absent when something happens to you.  These two simple propositions - for and to - express it all." 

Bon Appetit Presents "Feast or Fashion"

Where the food and fashion worlds collide.

Chef Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen

At the tail end of NYC's premier fashion week, Bon Appetit magazine invited Chef Dan Kluger and the crew of ABC Kitchen to cook in the beautiful, high-tech home of fashion designer Lela Rose.  The goal here was to feed 50 of Lela's high end guests, one of which included Chef Mario Batali, a multi-course, "pull out all stops" type of sit-down dinner.  Dinner challenge accepted.

As chefs and cooks we are always wary of cooking at off-site events.  You never know what you're walking into.  Never know how big the space is, what type of cooking equipment will be on hand, how demanding guests are, etc.  We are taken out of our comfort zones where we know our kitchens like the back of our hands, where proper cooking temperatures and timing are key.  Luckily, we did not run into any major challenges at this event, and that is more so due in part to Lela Rose's home.

Four stories set inside a swanky Soho building, which included a living room displayed to the street, of which the floor electronically lifts up to act as a runway.  A dessert table which lowered from the ceiling.  A stainless steel kitchen equipped with all major cooking appliances, an eight-burner stove, and an elevator which dropped down to subsequent levels including a hidden linen area.  Finish it off with a kid's playroom which was the size of most NY apartments, and a suede-laced hidden drinking room in the basement and you have yourself a home that would make anyone jealous.

Tacos el Idolo Food Truck

After my visit to Tacos el Bronco a few weeks ago in Brooklyn, my mouth has been watering for more tasty, authentic tacos in NY.  Located just two blocks from the West Village location of Gray's Papaya, I couldn't help but try out the tacos from the Food Truck of Tacos el Idolo.

Even though I've never been to the West Coast (I'll make it there in November, pick your jaw back up!), and hardly remember my last visit to Texas, people from those areas constantly say that authentic Mexican food in NYC does not measure up.  Honestly, that makes me upset.  NYC is known as a food mecca, and the fact that I can't find something really authentic here pisses me off.  With that being said, I can't wait to try out the Mexican food in California when I make it out there later this year.

That being said, I guess I'll settle for what I think are some great places here.  Tacos El Idolo is based out of Corona, Queens, and has about three to four food trucks parked around NY.  What really drew me to try them out was their meat selection.  Along with the usual carnitas, beef, chicken, spicy pork, and salty beef, they also offer tongue, tripe, ear, and even goat meat.  You know I'm always on the lookout for offal cuts.  Tacos El Idolo did not disappoint.

Gray's Papaya

I've been coming to Gray's Papaya and other Papaya rip-offs in NYC for years.  Gray's Papaya rises above the rest, and the rest of the bunch include Papaya Dog, Chelsea Papaya, Mike's Papaya, Papaya King, Seventh Ave Papaya, and... well you get the idea.

Honestly, wherever you go you're going to get a tasty hot dog.  But in my opinion Gray's, which is the original, does it best.  Over here, it's all about the snappy texture.  Cooked on a plancha (think flattop) it gives every dog a crunchy exterior.  Compare these dogs to the soggy, limp, disgusting dogs swimming in dirty water inside hot dog carts across the city and it just seems like a no-brainer to make a trip out to Gray's.

Gray's serves $1.50 hot dogs, $1 pizza, and several flavors of fruit drinks.  The hot dogs come with warmed buns, and pretty much any topping you desire.  The pizza comes with many toppings, but I've never tried it (I'm not into $1 convenience pizza, call me crazy).  The fruit drinks come in the original namesake Papaya, Orange, Grape, Pina Colada, Coconut Champagne, and Banana Daiquiri.  The fruit drinks are all non-alcoholic, which is too bad for the NYU students living on a budget a few blocks away.

Outstanding in the Field Event at Brooklyn Grange Farm

Outstanding in the Field (OITF) is a group that runs farm-to-table dinners right at the source of a local farm.  They set up large tables, where guests from all over can dine and enjoy the food as it was meant to be served.  Straight from the ground, and onto their plates.  They want their guests to have an experience which makes them feel closer to the land, and to the people who's hard work brings food to the table.

On August 30th, ABC Kitchen was asked to participate in one of the OITF events at Brooklyn Grange Farm.  Brooklyn Grange (which is not based out of Brooklyn) is located in Long Island City, Queens.  Wait, a farm in an urban setting?  That's correct.  Brooklyn Grange is a start-up, organic urban farm growing their vegetables on a NYC rooftop.

The man behind the greens is Ben Flanner.  Ben is a trained engineer, with a background in finance.  He did not grow up a farmer, nor was he really exposed to a farming lifestyle.  A few years ago he decided to follow his passion for food and food production, and started Brooklyn Grange with Anastasia Plakias.

Brooklyn Grange's message is simple.  They want to connect people of an urban setting to those of a rural one.  Although they just have one one-acre farm in production at the moment, their goal is to eventually have rooftop farms all over the city.

Prosperity Dumpling

I don't know if you can find a better deal in NYC, and if you can, I'd love for you to show me.

Rickshaw, I think we've met your match.

Prosperity Dumpling is literally a hole-in-the-wall located in Chinatown.  Walk too fast down Eldridge Street at night and you may miss it, as the yellow sign hanging above the door can not be seen.  Just look for the line out the small door and wait patiently for a few minutes, and you'll be greatly rewarded.

Prosperity isn't much to look at.  A small counter lining the wall with two bar stools is all that is inside.  The space can fit about 3 customers comfortably.  However, the line here moves fast, and everything in here is dirt cheap.  That's what tempted me to venture out to Chinatown and try this place out.  The dumplings here are 5 for $1. That's right.  No gimmick.  No hustle.  You get 5 jumbo dumplings for $1.

Now I've had cheap meals before, and it's always you get what you pay for.  What can you really expect for that price?  I can tell you, now from experience, these are the best dumplings I have ever had in NYC, and the fact they are so incredibly cheap makes them taste even better.

Tacos el Bronco

I would be surprised if anyone tells me that haven't had some sort of Mexican food in their lives.  Mexican food is just a part of American culture nowadays as the hamburger.  Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, taquitos, salsa, mole, nachos, tamales, quesadillas, and guacamole.  Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine is too.

But like many cuisines across the United States corporate monkeys looking to make a quick buck destroyed the image of Mexican cuisine.  Chain and fast food restaurants like Taco Bell, On the Border, Chilis, and even Chipotle are using sub-par ingredients, dismal food pairings, and charging customers an arm and leg for it.  What's even more surprising?  People are willing to pay for it.

Mexican food is about love.  Mexican food is about simplicity.  It's not about deep-frying a burrito and covering it in three types of cheese, with a side of "Spanish" rice and beans.  It's about taking quality meats, slow-braising them until tender, and serving them inside soft, warm tortillas with onions, cilantro, and lime.  It's about taking homemade masa (corn-based dough), stuffing it with braised meats, and steaming it inside a banana leaf until tender.   In Mexico they fill their burritos only with meat and refried beans.  Whoever came up with the idea of stuffing rice, meat, salsa, sour cream, lettuce, avocado, beans, and cheese into a burrito is just looking to scam you by making you pay $12 for it.  Mexican food doesn't need all that.  As long as you have a passionate cook that knows how to handle the ingredients, you realize you don't need all the extras.  You taste the love that they put in with their own hands.

ilili

I received my first taste of Lebanese cuisine many years ago at a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Brooklyn.  I didn't know what to expect of the cuisine before heading in.  With a friend's help, she navigated me through the menu and after one bite of the fresh baked bread covered in za'atar (a fresh herb blend mixed with sesame seeds, sumac, and lemon), I fell in love.  I will never forget that first taste, and that first meal.

For years that followed I became intrigued by Lebanese, as well as other Mediterranean cuisines. Small plates of mezze (think tapas) of traditional hummus, baba ganoush (baked eggplant mixed with various seasonings), tabbouleh (bulgar and herb salad), to large skewers of meat (mainly lamb and chicken), fresh pita breads, and heavy seasonings of garlic, lemon, fresh herbs, cumin, aleppo pepper (a mild type of chili flake), and sumac (a dried reddish berry powder with a lemony flavor, but not as tart).  There are few that could dislike this cuisine, and if you have yet to try it, I am hoping my descriptions have made you willing to do so.  

At nighttime it can easily be seen as a restaurant

However, it has always served as a medium-profile cuisine.  Small restaurant owners setting up shop serving traditional small plates of hummus, pita sandwiches, and grilled meats over rice.  With the introduction of ilili into the NYC restaurant scene back in 2008, Lebanese cuisine has finally come into the major spotlight.  

Located just a short distance from Madison Square Park, it is very easy to pass by ilili in the daytime.  Like the service staff inside, the restaurant is painted black.  Unless you notice the brown lettering sketched into the black awning over the front doors, the space looks vacant.  Step inside, though, and its a whole other story.  

Barbuto

It's hard not to fall in love with Barbuto, which has a rustic sophistication to it.  The restaurant is basically a converted garage located on the ground floor of Industria Superstudios.  In the warm months, the garage doors are opened, creating an incredible airy and open restaurant, and the 24-seat patio seating starts to engulf the sidewalk of Washington Street and 12th Ave.

The decor is very simple.  Patio chairs and cheap tables, a wobbly iron divider partitioning the patio from the sidewalk, not a single piece of artwork, but yet...it all works together.  As cheap as it all is, the restaurant is warm and inviting, and once you taste the food, nothing else matters anyway.

The chef here is Jonathan Waxman, who arguably is one of the best chefs in America today.  He can sometimes be seen sweating over the stoves in Barbuto's open kitchen, or skillfully cooking in the wood-burning oven.

Born in 1950, Chef Waxman was one of the first pioneer's of California cuisine, and is credited with being the first chef to bring its style, fusing French technique with the freshest of ingredients, to New York City.  Heard of the "farm-to-table" craze that has been going on for decades?  Jonathan Waxman was the one who started it all here.

Rickshaw Dumpling Truck

Dumplings aren't something you need to learn to love.

The Rickshaw Dumpling Truck is one of many mobile food vending units of Rickshaw Dumpling Bar, which has several locations throughout New York.  Rickshaw Dumpling Bar was co-founded in 2005 by Chef Anita Lo.  In my mind a very high-class but low-key chef, she is the Executive Chef of Restaurant Annisa in Greenwich Village, and has been a former contestant on Iron Chef America, Top Chef Masters season 1, and most recently seen in the public eye on Food Network's Chopped.  In 2010 she left Rickshaw Dumpling Bar to pursue other culinary interests, but her legacy still lives on in these handmade, steamed bundles of joy.

At the Dumpling Bar locations, you can choose between five different types of dumplings.  You then have your choice of getting them pan-fried or steamed, on top of a large salad or in a bowl of hot noodle soup.  Service is fast, the portions are large, and everything is just so damn good.

Although still good, the trucks only offer three types of dumplings, and you can only receive them steamed, and on their own with a dipping sauce.  Chicken with Thai basil, pork with Chinese chives, and vegetarian edamame.  Rickshaw prides itself on using organic Bell & Evans chicken, the same used by most NYC restaurants, and organic edamame.  The flavors are clean, and do come through.  However, at $6 for 6 pieces, you wonder how paying $1 for a steamed dumpling is justified.

McDonalds

The double golden arches are an American icon.  It's hard not to meet a person who hasn't had a taste of the iconic thin and one-note McDonald's hamburger.  Now operating it's 71st year what is it about the child obesity-causing restaurant that makes Americans love it so much?

Dick and Mac McDonald opened the first McDonald's BBQ restaurant in California in 1940.  It was your typical American drive-in at the time featuring a large menu and car-hop service.  In 1948, they closed their restaurant for alterations, re-opening it as a self-service drive-in, reduced the menu to just 9 items, and introduced the 15 cent, 80% bun hamburger.

In 1954 52 year-old multimixer salesman Ray Kroc made a trip out west hoping to sell the McDonald brothers more mixers, and fell in love with their operation.  He learned the brothers were looking for a nationwide franchising agent.  Ray Kroc then decided to make his future in hamburgers, and in 1955, opened the second McDonald's location in Illinois.  This location was the first to feature the ever-now famous double golden arches, and red & white tiled walls.  In just a decade, McDonald's would expand to over 700 locations through the US alone.

Operating now in 118 countries around the world McDonald's is no longer just an American icon, but an international one.  The menus reflect the country they are located in, and there is enough sub-par food to please every undeveloped palate out there.  But lets get to the classics.

Life, on the Line: The story of Grant Achatz and my time at Alinea

His name is synonymous with the food world.  At only 37 years of age Grant Achatz has received more media coverage than anyone else in the food industry.  If you haven't heard of the gastronomic destination that is Alinea, you're living under a rock.  His techniques have inspired chefs all over the world.  What is the most important aspect of all of this, though, is his incredible story of how he got there.

Life, on the Line explains in full detail the life of Grant Achatz.  I first learned of Chef Achatz back in 2004, before he had become the widely popular chef he is today.  As a writing assignment for my last culinary school class, the professor had asked us to write a letter requesting employment from a restaurant.  Many of my classmates had written letters addressed to the best restaurants in New York City, including Daniel, Le Bernardin, and Jean-Georges.  I, however, after doing a little research, learned of a young chef making a name for himself in the small town of Evanston, Illinois.  His name was Grant Achatz, and at age 29, earned himself four stars from the Chicago Tribune at Trio.

It wasn't just the four star rating which gained my attention and appreciation for Grant Achatz.  It was all the awards he was gathering for himself.  Five diamonds from Mobil, the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef, one of the ten Best New Chefs from Food & Wine Magazine.  The young chef who looked no more than 16, standing there on Trio's website in full chef whites, arms crossed, and a warm smile, had it all to me. It was then I started doing research on him.

Grant Achatz basically grew up around food.  His parents owned a diner which was called The Achatz Depot.  He was a mere five years old when he started washing dishes in his parents' restaurant, standing on a milkcrate over the three-compartment sink.  Throughout the years he spent the weekends at the diner, and by age ten, finally graduated to working the line, flipping eggs for plenty of customers.  He explains this as being the favorite time of his life.  He loved every aspect of working in a kitchen.

At the age of 19, Grant knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, and that was cook.  After receiving blessings from his parents, he did just that.  After a painstaking wait, his acceptance letter from the Culinary Institute of America finally came in 1993.  He was on his way to achieving greatness.

John's Famous Deli

Never heard of it?  It's ok, because before last week I never have either.  Why do restaurants put the word "famous" in their titles?

I will say one thing, though.  Even though this place is not that famous, it should be.  John's Famous Deli is a small operation located in Staten Island, with three more locations in Brooklyn.  From the outside it looks like your typical deli.  Open door, plenty of signs displaying Boar's Head products and prices, and breakfast and lunch specials.  

John's boasts that it has the best roast beef in the world.  After reading yelp reviews of the deli, I was intrigued to try it myself.  Everyone was going crazy for the roast beef sandwich.  Roast beef?  Fresh Mozzarella?  Onions?  Gravy?  This I was looking forward to.  

They offer two sizes.  On a roll for $6, or on a hero for $7.50.  I went for the hero.  The guy behind the counter then sliced the roast beef fresh, piled it on my sandwich, added a few slices of fresh mozzarella, caramelized onions, and threw it into a pizza oven to toast.

A sign on the drink fridge reads "If you're in a hurry, you're in the wrong place."  Funny.

There was just one person in the deli ahead of me.  He ordered two roast beef sandwiches for himself.  Then another guy came in and ordered a roast beef sandwich.  Then three more guys came in and did the same.  Six guys, seven roast beef sandwich orders, in a span of ten minutes.  Wow.

Onieals

I love hanging out in Hoboken.  The square, mile-long city has plenty of perks.  I consider it "the village" of New Jersey.  Plenty of diverse restaurants and bars, great nightlife, people, and just an overall great vibe to the city.

When given the chance my friends and I will travel to Hoboken not so much for the food, but just to hang out in a fun city.  That being said, you can't expect much from the restaurants in this area.

Onieals is nothing too special.  It's your average neighborhood Irish bar.  They do, however, serve a menu that is slightly a step above than the competition.  In fact, residents in the area rave about the food here, and it sure does fill up quick.  Lets see if they're correct, or if this is just the best of what New Jersey has to offer.

Yes, if I sound bitter toward NJ restaurants, please check out my experience at Casual Habana.

At first impression the waitstaff here is very friendly.  Everyone from the hostess to the two cute, young female servers we had residing over our table gave off nothing short of a happy vibe.  Every time they looked and addressed us they smiled.  They were on point with their service.  They were very helpful in navigating us throughout the menu.  They checked on us regularly.  I would love to have service like this everywhere I go.

Meatopia 2011

"The Woodstock of Edible Animals"

Floyd Cardoz and Joshua Ozersky

The name says it all.  It's a festival of meat.  Every animal.  Every cut.  Every method of cookery.  If you're a meat lover, Meatopia is your heaven.  And that is exactly what it is to the founder of the event, Joshua Ozersky. 

Joshua is very well known in the food world as a food writer and meat lover.  He was one of the founding editors of Grub Street, has written two books including one on hamburgers and a carnivores guide to NY.  It is no surprise that he is the man that brought over forty chefs from all over the country to celebrate his favorite thing.  

Although many people think this year marked the second year of Meatopia, they are actually mistaken.  This event has now passed its seventh year, with the first five years being a small invitation-only event.  Every year was themed, and Joshua invited 5-7 chefs to cook pork, lamb, beef, etc. for about 200-300 guests.

Floyd Cardoz and I were invited to cook at Meatopia two years ago during the lamb event.  "Lamb Bam Thank You Ma'am" was the slogan.  We witnessed six chefs grilling whole baby lambs over spits.  Spraying and brushing the animals with marinades, and sitting back and waiting patiently for hours until the perfect doneness.  At the end of a long, hot day, the animals were brought over to picnic tables, and broken down to serve the diners. It was magical.

Ellabess

Lets admit it, hotel restaurants are not that exciting.  Beautiful dining rooms are usually met with apathetic staff and mediocre to sub-par food.  Fine silverware is matched with bright white, stylish dinnerware, that serves as a vessel for food that does not have much thought or care put into it.

Ellabess dining room

Walking into Ellabess you can't help but feel this is going to be one more of those experiences.  Ellabess is housed in the corner of the Nolitan Hotel.  Like many hotel restaurants, the dining room is sleek and chic.  The 70-seat dining room sits just below street level, with two walls of high glass windows allowing an incredible amount of natural light in, and in return allows diners to check out the bustling Nolitan neighborhood outside.  The dining room is set in oak, with Austrian oak floors, and custom-made oak tables and chairs.  A high marble-countered bar sits along the back of the room.

The incredible house-made rolls

At first bite, however, your stereotypes of what hotel restaurants should be are thrown right out the window.  Ellabess is brought to you by Epicurean Management, the same company that created West Village favorites Dell-anima, Anfora, and L'artusi.  With their newest venture, Ellabess, you realize very quickly they're doing some serious food here.

The kitchen is run by Executive Chef Troy Unruh, who was most recently the Chef de Cuisine at Dell-anima, as well as a veteran of Del Posto.  The Executive Sous-Chef is Ty Kotz, the former Chef de Cuisine at Tabla right before the closing of the restaurant back in December.  Also from Tabla is the Executive Pastry Chef Carmine Arroyo, who was the former pastry Sous Chef up until the closing.  The incredible talent in the kitchen translates heavily into the food, making for an overall wonderful and unforgettable experience.

The menu is small, but well put together, offering a little bit of everything from market salads, crab salads, chilled pea soup, to sweetbreads, quail, pork tenderloin, and even fried chicken.  While looking over the menu the first bite of the house-made rolls will make you swoon and transport you to a happier place.  They are warm, buttery, soft, and flavorful.  Reminiscent of your favorite biscuit without the hard texture.

Resto

Resto (French for "casual restaurant") opened its doors in the Spring of 2007.  Being a line cook at Tabla at the time, my coworkers and I used to visit this restaurant every other week for their amazing Belgium-style pub fare. The menu is nose-to-tail, the beer selection is amazing, and it's just a great place to hangout and enjoy yourself.

It has been just over three years since I have been to Resto, but after seeing it was participating in Summer Restaurant Week this year, I decided to make a reservation and come back.  Memories of the opening menu four years ago flooded my head.  Deviled eggs on pork toast were my favorite.  Pig's head sandwich served on toasted white bread and curried mayonnaise was a close second.  The house-made sausages, the beef cheeks, and the memories of the rest of the nose-to-tail menu excited me and I couldn't wait for lunch on Friday afternoon.

The restaurant has undergone some changes in the past few years.  The executive chef has changed to Bobby Hellen, and the menu is now a lot more developed.   However, everything else about the place is the same.  The decor is still boring.  Eighty seats spread around 26 tables in a large room, with six outside on the patio.  And if you visit the bathroom, the large, heavy sliding door will annoy the **** out of you.  Yup, that's really all there is to say about that.

David Burke Kitchen

Summer restaurant week in New York City.  Over 300 restaurants offering a 3-course prix-fixe menu for $24.07 at lunch, and $35 at dinner.  No matter where you go being able to eat three courses for those prices in NYC is an amazing deal.  However, I have never been able to get excited for restaurant week, as it's all promotion.  I know a lot of restaurants will do throwaway menus, offering nothing they normally would, smaller portions, and cheap offerings.  Every now and then, though, you will find one out of the bunch that surpasses the rest.  I found that here, and my meal at David Burke Kitchen was quite possibly the best restaurant week deal I've ever had.

David Burke is a very acclaimed chef, becoming very well known in the past few decades for his whimsical American-style cooking.  Lollipop tree, anyone?

The sign hanging outside the restaurant

DBK is his newest venture, opening in Soho in early February of this year.  First and foremost, the space is  beautiful.  DBK is located inside the James hotel, and the entire building is bright white, which is a very strong stand-out for its location.  The name of the restaurant is displayed proudly in two bronze signs both in the front and left of the building.  As you enter the building the main dining room sits below street level to the right, and to the left is the entrance to The Treehouse Bar, which is a wide open second-story rooftop bar, with glass enclosures and barriers, overlooking Grand St and Sixth Ave.  The main dining room is reminiscent of a country barn, set inside a wide-open Soho-style loft.  The decor is very chic and a perfect fit for this trendy neighborhood.

BonChon

The freshness, the bold flavors, the passion put into every piece of food that comes out of the kitchens, the unrelenting pursuit of perfection.  That is why Korean food makes my mouth water.

BonChon chicken is one of many Korean fried chicken chains that have popped up in the United States over the past few years.  Like pizza joints across New York, fried chicken restaurants live all over South Korea.  Never eaten as a meal but more as a snack, South Koreans enjoy their wings and drumsticks with hot peppery sauces, garlic-soy sauces, pickled radishes, and beer or soju (think Korean vodka, but VERY strong).

So now their fried chicken lifestyle has made its way over the United States.  But what makes it so different from the fried chicken we all grew up on?  For years what we have referred to as the ultimate soul food?

Southern fried chicken is all about the crust, and cooks that are truly passionate about their chicken spend years trying to perfect their recipes.  Brining, marinating, dredging, and frying.  Size, oil temperature, cooking times, and condiments all come into play.  Most of the time served with skin, and sometimes not.  Arguments can be made for hours going back and forth as to who does it best, and which method is correct.

Saveur Second Annual BBQ Event

Great food, great people, plenty of chef sightings, and grilling bbq on a pier.  Now that makes for a good event. 

Going to a chef event is sometimes hit-or-miss.  Most of the time they are great.  Plenty of restaurants doing what they do best with a hot guest list, serving top-notch food in a beautiful setting.  Others, however, not so much.  Sometimes you can head to one where every restaurant runs out of food within an hour (that's poor planning due to the PR team, not usually the restaurant), and there's not a lot of care put into the food.  This, thankfully, was a major hit. 

This is the second year Saveur magazine threw this event, and it was so discrete from the public that it was invitation only.  Everything was served off of Pier 66 in Chelsea Piers, very much away from the public eye. 



There was no shortage of top restauranteurs and chefs here (yes I was giddy with excitement because these guys are like rockstars to me).  Here are just a few:

Pictured are Marco Canora (Hearth), Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster), Merri Lee Kingsley (Saveur magazine), Marc Murphy (Landmarc), and Dan Kluger (ABC Kitchen). 

L'Express

Imagine this.  You go out for a night on the town.  You're partying, you're drinking, you're having a good time.  Then between 2am and 4am, it's all over.  You're buzzed, you're drunk, you're hungry.  Visit to the open halal cart with the usual chicken over rice and gyros?  Visit the diner with the usual burgers, eggs, and sandwiches?  What could be better at that exact moment than knowing there's a 24 hour Lyonnaise bistro open right around the corner? 

This is what draws me into L'Express.  Not only is the restaurant 24 hours, but the food here is very, very good. 

The decor is minimalistic.  During the overnight hours the restaurant is actually very dimly lit.  White tabletops covering dark wood tables, with matching dark wooden chairs.  Wall-sized windows looking straight out to Park Avenue, and a bar which never stops serving through the night (ok, maybe from 4am-12pm).  It's not the decor which should invite you in here, though, it's the food. 

Even at 2am their menu is full of options, including breakfast if that's what you're in the mood for.  I've been here a few times, and there hasn't been anything I haven't enjoyed.  Granted, I have yet to visit this 24-hour bistro while completely sober, so my opinion here really doesn't matter.  (Side note, I apologize for this fact due to the pics in this post being very blurry and dark.)  On this visit I started with the House-made pate, and finished with the Moroccan-spiced lamb burger. 

Craftbar

Before I get into detail with my meal at Craftbar, I want to say that I LOVE the original Craft located in Gramercy.  Craft is by far one of my favorite restaurants in NYC.  I never had a bad meal there.  The large portions and family style set-up, beautiful decor, great service, top-notch fresh and local ingredients picked up straight from the Union Square greenmarket, make it the perfect first-date and every date after that type of destination.  I assure you, guys, if you bring your girlfriend (or boyfriend or however you roll) to Craft, they will fall head over heels for you.

However, I wish I could say the same for Craftbar.  Tom Colicchio, I'm sorry, this place puts a huge dent in your Craft empire. 

Having so much love for Craft I've been wanting to try the smaller and cheaper restaurants in the Craft family for a long time.  I went in this past Saturday for lunch, and expecting a packed house for their brunch hours, walked into a fairly empty restaurant.  Craftbar is located in Union Square.  The foot traffic is incredible, even on a Saturday afternoon.  Why was this place empty?

I sat at the bar, and scanned the room to find a very dismal decor.  There was no life to this place.  The entire FOH team is dressed in gray shirts and black pants, which honestly, is a very uninviting color combination.  The rest of dining room is set in red and white, but placed next to the bar with dark wood and chairs, doesn't exactly make the room pop too much. They were also playing bluegrass music in the background.  How depressing is this lunch going to be?

I'll let the food speak for itself here. What drew me to try out Craftbar was the menu.  Potted chicken liver pate, potted pork rillette, beef tongue, pork torchons, and all served with local greenmarket ingredients.  You're speaking my language here. 

Shake Shack vs Five Guys

DC vs NY and everything in between.  Which Eastern burger chain will soon dominate all?

Five Guys Burgers & Fries - the very first location opened in Arlington, VA in 1986, and in the next 15 years slowly started to expand into the DC-metro area.  It wasn't until the year 2002 that Five Guys decided to franchise into Maryland and Virginia.  Now, they have over 750 locations across the Eastern seaboard.  The first NY area location opened within the past two years, and has now quickly expanded to 15 in NYC alone.

Five Guys used to be a destination burger joint for me.  I was first introduced to their burgers in a PA location back in 2007.  Soon after, whenever I was back in PA or DC Five Guys was definitely one spot I HAD to visit.  The restaurants themselves don't have much to them.  Red and white tiled walls, cheap wooden tables with free unshelled peanuts, and bags upon bags of potatoes in the front.  But their burgers are amazing.  No less than a double patty, formed and cooked right in front of you, you make your own combination, and so incredibly juicy. 

As busy as they ever are, the lines move quick.  Side note, and also a huge plus, you can order right from your phone.  Go here to the android website to download the Five Guys app. 

You have your base choice of hamburger, cheeseburger, bacon burger, or bacon cheeseburger.  Then you get to add any combination of free additional toppings, which include mayo, relish, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos, lettuce, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, ketchup, mustard, green pepper, A1 steak sauce, bbq sauce, and hot sauce.  Let them do the math for you, that's over 250,000 possible burger combinations. 

Fatty Snack Kiosk

Earlier this summer owner Zak Pelaccio expanded his Fatty Crab empire into Battery Park, setting up small kiosks of Fatty 'Cue in the park itself, as well as Fatty Snack in the park and the World Financial Center. 

If you have yet to try Fatty Crab I highly recommend you do so.  The original is located in the West Village, and it does get packed very quickly.  However, the Upper West Side location is a tiny bit more spacious and also has outdoor seating.  Their chili crab is one of my favorite dishes in the city.  Hard-shelled crab, swimming in a spicy, sweet, salty, sour curry with large pieces of bread.  It's messy, it's delicious, and a whole lot of fun to eat. 

When I learned that they had expanded into battery park I immediately had high hopes of checking it out.  On this gorgeous Monday afternoon I biked into the back of the World Financial Center and had done just that.  The scenery is enough to pay a visit.  The kiosk is one of three, set up right next to a lobster roll stand, and Quality Burger.  In front of them is the  financial center with plenty of outdoor seating, and behind them is a beautiful view of a marina and the Hudson river.  On a sunny day it's no wonder you see thousands of people hanging out in the area with burgers, beers, pulled pork sandwiches, and fatty dogs in hand. 

The food at Fatty Snack is a bit on the pricier side, and quite honestly I don't see myself paying $7 for a sausage dog (and why is it only $6 at the park?) or $9 for a pulled pork sandwich on a regular basis.  And $3 for a Fiji water?  Get the hell out of here. 

Takashi

"Yakiniku" - a Japanese term referring to grilled meat dishes. 

Takashi is a small, intimate, 34-seat restaurant located in the West Village.  It is named after the Chef and owner, Takashi Inoue, who opened this restaurant with Saheem Ali (the general manager) just over a year ago. 

Being a third-generation Korean immigrant being born in Japan, Takashi masterfully combines the boldness of Korean flavors with the finesse of Japanese cuisine.  His passion comes through with every small bite offered on the menu.  The thought here is to serve beef, beef, and nothing but beef.  He stays sustainable, and uses every cut of the cow possible, from shortrib and ribeye, to more extreme cuts such as tongue, heart, stomach, and even achilles tendon.  Everything is extremely fresh, tastes amazing (he and Saheem spent months sourcing out the best local beef from small, local farms and purveyors), oh, and you get to grill it yourself. 

The address is 456 Hudson Street.  Keep that number in mind as it is what you will be looking for when you dine at Takashi for the first time.  The restaurant does not display its name on its awning, yet the NY Times review hangs proudly off the front window.  Walk through the front door slowly, as you might walk straight into a diner seated at the Chef's counter if you're not paying attention.  Warm wood and slightly dark tones run through the restaurant, and the room of just seven tables and three large benches at the Chef's counter is really no larger than most NYC apartments.  Every table comes equipped with a high-tech electric grill, and the two chefs working behind the counter stay quiet, and work with such precision, speed, and finesse it's hard not to be amazed.  A mural on the wall behind the Chef's counter comically portrays every cut of beef and their definitions, as well as nutritional values.

The Grease Trucks

It's no surprise to anyone that there is a food truck craze going on in America.  From NY to LA, Chicago to Austin, food trucks are popping up everywhere.  You can now find gourmet meals offered to you right on the sidewalk, offered at a fraction of the price of a restaurant, with the same amount of quality and friendly service.

Chefs and other professionals that want to get into the food industry are realizing it is easier than ever to start your own mobile food truck business.  And with the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, food trucks are getting as much media attention and followers as the latest restaurant establishments.  Call it the newest trend.  Call it a fad.  Yet, The Grease Trucks of Rutgers University are some of the originals.  Started in 1979, the R U Hungry? food truck was the first, and the original Fat Cat was born. 

If you've never heard of the Fat Sandwiches, here's a rundown.  Imagine taking fried, greasy food, mixing it with lettuce, tomato, and onions, topping it with French fries, and stuffing it into a roll.  The orginal Fat Cat took every college kid's favorite meal, the double cheeseburger and French fries, and stuffed it into a roll with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and ketchup.  Sound delicious?  It is.

In 1997, a student by the name of Darrell Butler went up to R U Hungry?, and asked if he could take chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, and french fries, mix it with marinara sauce, and eat it as a sandwich.  Call it sheer genius or a drunken mistake, but alas, the Fat Darrell was created.  Thirteen years later, Maxim magazine named it the number one sandwich in the country. 

The Brownstone Diner & Pancake Factory

One of my closest friends introduced me to The Brownstone Diner a few years ago.  Ever since, I was jealous of the fact that she lived, literally, twenty feet from the entrance.  This diner has now become my favorite in the area, as well as so many others I have introduced it to.

It may be the welcoming family spirit of the Bournias.  Since the early 70's this place has been family owned, and every member of the family can be seen from time to time working in the diner.  You can tell they care.  They care a lot about their customers.  Every one of them is friendly, and welcome each diner with a warm smile and open heart.  You feel at home from the second you walk through the door, and this could also be due to the fact that the diner has a feel of someone's home kitchen.  There is no endless stainless steel or neon lights here. 

As many times as I have been here, I can admit I have only conquered about a quarter of their menu.  In true diner fashion, they offer well over 100 items, with 31 of them being just pancakes.  Hey, if you're gonna call yourself The Pancake Factory, you better have an entire page of your menu dedicated to them.  I could go on and on about how great their pancakes are, and in fact I could go on and on about how great everything on their menu is, but I don't have to.  Most people already know.  It's not surprising to have to wait upwards of an hour or two for a seat here on the weekends.  And this was even before the diner was showcased on Guy Fieri's Food Network show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives".  (This will explain the huge poster of him hanging over the window to the open kitchen.) 

You can get breakfast here all day (they're open every day from 6am-11pm).  As much as I love their pancakes, though, corned beef hash and eggs is, and always will be my go-to for diner breakfasts.  I can't get enough of it.  When I started living on my own years ago I even found myself buying cans upon cans of corned beef hash to cook at home.  To me it is the ultimate comfort food.  There is nothing better when you're sitting at home, and eating a plate full of warm, crispy corned beef hash and poached eggs.  A sprinkle of tabasco and I'm in heaven.

Goodfellas vs Deninos

The best of Staten Island pizza.

Ahh, Staten Island.  You can find numerous Italian eateries, bakeries, and supermarkets on any street.  There’s a pizza shop in every plaza.  But with all the Italian shops around, who wins for the best on the Island? 

This post is comparing the New York style cheese pizzas offered at both Goodfellas, and Denino’s on Staten Island.  Both are brick-oven pizzerias, and beloved by Staten Islanders, as well as other New Yorkers. 

Goodfellas Pizzeria.  This one is a local favorite.  Goodfellas has three locations in Staten Island, with the original being founded in 1992 in Dongan Hills, and the other locations in Eltingville and Rossville, respectively.  I have been to the original location only once, and they offer some great food there.  The fried calamari, fried zucchini sticks, and spinach roll are at the top of the list of three favorites. 

Goodfellas has won national awards for their Vodka Pie, and also won the title of World’s Best Pizza numerous times at the International Hotel and Restaurant Show annually.  I was hooked the first time I tried their New York Style pie.  Thin crust, not too crispy or soft, just the right amount of dough.  Perfect amount of cheese, satisfying that cheesy craving with every bite.  The sauce is flavorful, not too thick, but I have had incidents in the past of the sauce dripping off the pizza and onto my clothes.  Not good at all, so be careful. 

Hill Country Chicken

“A fresh fried chicken joint”

I do not want to start a debate with fried chicken enthusiasts, or get hung by Southerners on who has the best fried chicken in New York City.  Hopefully, we can agree that the fried chicken served at Hill Country Chicken is damn good. 

I’ve been here twice, and this place is always packed, no matter what time you go.  HCC sources out extra-large all-natural chickens, prepares them fresh daily, and the result is an immensely flavorful, crispy, and juicy piece of chicken.  They have three dining areas, with sidewalk seating open for the season, and a main dining area with plenty of large tables.  The downstairs area is a little more private, with plenty of more seating, as well as banquettes, offers a view of their prep kitchen, and also serves as a kid’s party area complete with board games and a classic Space Invaders arcade machine. 

The chicken here is sold by the piece, in both classic and Mama El’s (the founder’s grandmother) recipes.  Every piece of chicken offered here is brined in buttermilk, spices, and herbs, coated with a flour, egg, and cracker crust, and deep-fried to perfect crispy goodness.  Something else that may shock everyone is to know that the fried chicken served here is skinless.  With the cracker crust, though, let me tell you, you’re not going to miss the chicken skin at all.  They then toss it in a variety of spices.  My god.  My mouth is watering just thinking about it. 

Maialino

I’ve been to Maialino, located in the Gramercy Park Hotel, about three times now.  However, I never made it into their dining room, as I love to sit at the long open bar, which is why it’s only fair I review just the bar area in this post. 

The bar area at Maialino has a very modern European café look to it, and their dining room resembles an old school Roman trattoria.  Blue and white picnic-style tablecloths cover the wooden tables, fresh baked breads line the walls, a small open kitchen displaying the house-made charcuterie, wine bottles lining the room dividers, and huge windows facing the street allowing so much natural light in.  Maialino is definitely a great place to grab a drink and a quick bite to eat.  They even serve breakfast, and I have been trying my best for months to wake up early enough try their Porchetta sandwich.  Roast pork and fried eggs served in a roll.  Now that sounds like a great way to wake up. 

To say the staff is friendly is an understatement.  Everyone who works here is incredibly nice.  For those who know me, yes this opinion is a little biased as I know a quarter of the staff, but I can see how they serve other patrons as well.  Every diner here seems very comfortable, as if they were sitting in someone’s home.  Danny Meyer’s famous hospitality definitely comes through with this restaurant. 

White N' Hot Halal Truck

Halal carts.  They’re all over NYC.  Five dollars can get you a great meal of chicken n’ rice, lamb n’ rice, falafels, gyros, shish kebabs, and even burgers and fries at some of them. 

There are as many of them lingering the sidewalks of NY as there are hot dog carts.  Most people grab a meal at the closest one out of convenience.   Others are worth going out of the way for.  Asking a true New Yorker what the best halal cart/truck is in NY can spark a debate that would never end.  By the way, if you mention “Platters” in midtown you’re clearly labeled as a tourist, or from New Jersey.

Don’t get me wrong, Platters is good, but it’s not worth all the hype and attention it receives.  Also, I don’t see why I should wait upwards of 20 minutes for street food there, as the line is usually down the block.  My favorite halal truck in NY is called White N’ Hot, and it’s parked at the corner of 28^th Street and Madison Ave. 

Platters is the one all the tourists flock to, but White N’ Hot is the one that all the cab drivers come to.  That’s a true sign that you know it’s going to be good.  The truck is parked there all day, from noon to 4am.  If you go late, like I do around midnight or so, you’ll always get friendly service.  The two guys running the truck love what they do, and love feeding the people of the neighborhood.  Even when the bar crowd at Pranna empties out, you’re never waiting more than five minutes for your food. 

Junoon

With Tabla now closed, the torch of fine dining Indian in the Flatiron District has now been passed along to Junoon, which surprisingly is located just two blocks away from where Tabla resided. 

A few months ago I had the pleasure of walking into Junoon for the first time and meeting the Executive Chef Vikas Khanna.  If you’re a fan of the television show “Kitchen Nightmares”, you may remember Chef Vikas from the episode featuring “Dillon’s” Indian restaurant in midtown, in which he was brought in as a consulting chef to help get the restaurant back on track.  The show did a great job showcasing Chef Vikas’ signature style and flavors, and now his cooking is on display at Junoon.  Today I returned to the restaurant and tried his cooking for the first time. 

At first notice of walking into Junoon you realize no expense was spared, anywhere.  Junoon means “passion”, and this restaurant is the lifelong dream of Rajesh Bhardwaj, the man behind “Café Spice”.  This restaurant is beautiful, and there is a touch of elegance everywhere.  Upon entering you walk into a small room with a small reflecting pool, of which the sleek black hostess stand can be seen through two more glass doors.  The hostess stand is directly in front of a 50-foot passageway which also contains a long reflecting pool filled with stones, white sculptures covering flood lamps, and beige sandstone sculptures depicting vines (the same design on their website).  I couldn’t help but feel reminiscent of Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan.  The main dining room is to the left of the pool, in which an open kitchen stands in the middle. 

Boqueria

Boqueria is a small Spanish tapas-style restaurant with two locations in NY.  I’ve eaten only at the Flatiron location, and having worked in the area for the past few years, I can tell you this restaurant is always packed.  If you are going to go, go early, as reservations aren’t accepted and the line is out the door as the night progresses.

The proprietor is Chef Seamus Mullen, who is not Spanish himself, but has worked his way around Spain and fell in love with Spanish cooking.  You may have heard of him as a contestant on the first season of “The Next Iron Chef”, on the Food Network.  Chef Mullen doesn’t spend too much time with the restaurants anymore, and now leaves it in the hands of Chef Marc Vidal, who is of Spanish background, and has been running Boqueria for the past year.   

After wanting to come here for years, I finally made my way in last week for lunch.  From the outside the restaurant was seemingly quiet, to the point I thought they were not even open that day, but that thought quickly changed as I walked in and saw every table was full.  Let me also mention, I walked in just 15 minutes after they opened.  The décor is very simple, with beige and dark brown colors running through the room, from the floors to the tables & chairs, and even the waitstaff uniforms.  Serrano hams hang by their legs in the window, and the bar area up front displays a variety of Spanish cured olives and cheeses.  

ABC Kitchen

First and foremost, I want to congratulate ABC Kitchen for winning the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant on Monday night.  For anyone that has eaten here (and there are many) you already know this award is more than well-deserved. 

ABC is the brainchild of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Phil Suarez, the same team which brought you the four-star Jean-Georges, Spice Market, Jojo, Mercer Kitchen, and about twenty other restaurants across the world.  To lead the kitchen here, they tapped on the talent of Executive Chef Dan Kluger, formerly of Tabla and The Core Club, and who also was just recently honored as Chef of the Year by Time Out New York.  With years of experience under his belt, Dan uses a very simplistic approach to his food, by masterfully combining flavor profiles of the freshest ingredients possible. 

Tonight was my second time dining at ABC Kitchen, and like so many other diners, can’t stop raving about the experiences.  The restaurant is beautiful.  It has one of the sleekest looking bars in Manhattan, and a dining room which is blanketed in white.  Everything looks so modern, so elegant, so clean.  From the black & white artwork on the walls, recycled white tables and chairs, wooden beams which run through the dining room, and the handmade porcelain dinnerware.  The FOH staff, all dressed in plaid shirts and jeans, are on point, welcoming everyone with warm smiles and attentive service.  Even with a packed dining room your water glass will never remain empty for more than 30 seconds. 

The restaurant commits itself to buying local, seasonal, organic, sustainable products, and every ounce of this passion comes through in the menu.  I love to admit this to anyone, ABC Kitchen has made me fall in love with vegetables again.  Now if I, a self-professed lover of pork and offal can say that, then it’s not hard to see why people love this restaurant so much.  Not to say that the meat and fish dishes are not up to par, but I will happily go vegetarian for this restaurant any day of the week. 

Casual Habana

I want to start off this post by apologizing.  I’m sorry.  I don’t want to come off as a food snob or think I’m better than some other chefs/cooks out there.  But in this case, I can’t help it.  Every industry out there has people that are great at what they do, and then there are the majority that are good at what they do, then the few that just can’t quite cut it, and then the last group, the group of people that just don’t give a shit whatsoever.  I know not every restaurant out there can live up to NYC standards.  I truly believe you should support your local businesses.  Last night I ate at a Cuban restaurant called Casual Habana located in Hackensack, NJ.  By golly, everything inside of me told me not to write this post, but I will let every reader out there know that with every last ounce of passion and respect that I have for this field, that I can’t wait to rip this place apart. 

Let’s start with the dining scene in NJ.  I am sure every person out there has seen an episode of “No Reservations”, featuring Anthony Bourdain.  A few years ago Bourdain, who actually grew up in NJ, did an episode of No Reservations based on his home state.  He was quick to say that the state that was located so close to the epicenter of dining in the world (NYC) could be such a culinary wasteland.  New Jersey, the “armpit of America”, and the most densely populated state in the nation.  The first half of the episode is so depressing.  Bourdain makes a point to revisit some of the cheap eateries he spent most of his stoner teenage years at.  First stop, a fried hot dog in Leonia, followed by an Italian sub at a strip club called “The Bada-Bing Club”, then ending with none other than a grilled cheese sandwich at a desolate beach in Asbury Park. 

Although he finished the episode on some high notes dining at a Korean bbq restaurant located in an empty parking lot, showcasing fresh seafood down the shore, and even bringing Mario Batali into the mix to visit an Italian bakery, anyone that is new to New Jersey can’t help but think the state is nothing more than endless parking lots, industrial wasteland, strip malls, jug-handles, and round-a-bouts.  Having lived and worked in NJ for a few years I can tell you there are plenty of great restaurants and dining destinations if you look hard enough.  But Casual Habana is not one of them.