Lunch At Komegashi (Closed after 2005)

Did you know about the lunch special at Komegashi? For $13.50, you get a cup of miso soup sweet with daikon radish, a refreshing mesclun salad, a maki of the day (today, yellowtail scallion) and three skewers of the grilled meat or fish of your choice. Komegashi, a Japanese fusion spot known for its inventive dishes (steak frites maki, anyone?) really shines in the grill department. My salmon, yellowtail and yellowfin tuna were tasty and tender, and the accompanying olive-anchovy tapenade was addictive. (Other available skewers include ribeye, duck, and asparagus.)

Komegashi: 928 Broadway, (212) 475-3000.

Osteria Del Sole (Closed as of March 2008)

The name of this osteria refers to the sunny regions of Italy which inform the cuisine featured here, but it could just as well describe the warm and friendly service. The host and waitstaff were so pleasant last night that my friend and I were happy to wait for over a half-hour in the bustling space. We sat down a little after 10:30 p.m.

Luca, our Florentine waiter, endured our sad attempts at communicating in Italian, and soon brought out rosemary flatbreads with a spicy tomato emulsion, an appetizer of three dollops of buffalo mozzarella interspersed with ripe red and yellow tomatoes and marinated peppers, and a grilled portobello mushroom "tower" in tomato sauce. We were already quite satisfied without having yet eaten the main meal.

Then a bowl of breadcrumb-topped spaghettini arrived, with saltiness provided by the dried mullet roe - arugula and tomatoes provided a vegetal touch. A fusilli tossed with black olives and capers arrived with several giant heads-on shrimp (only $13.95). By this time it was almost midnight and I decided to forgo dessert, but my friend happily devoured a frozen peach stuffed with creamy peach sorbet.

We said goodbye to charming Luca and it was time to compete for a cab.

Osteria del Sole: 267 West 4th St., (212) 620-6840.

Salli Vates Gets Married

My companion and I decided that we would like to share a lifetime of delicious meals. It was only fitting that we start our new lives together with some of the tastiest food imaginable. If any of you are planning a wedding, I cannot recommend Standing Room Only Caterers highly enough; our guests were oohing and aahing all the way from the pre-ceremony orange iced tea to the final course.

I must also let you know that it was no easy feat rescuing the top layer of Sarabeth's yellow genoise chocolate-espresso-marmalade truffle-filled wedding cake. And I hope we still have a few of the Vosges cherry kirsch and macadamia nut-coconut chocolate truffle favors.

You might ask, how did I know when to get married? I think it was when I could predict with accuracy which foods would mysteriously disappear from my refrigerator when my companion was visiting.

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The Menu

Orange Iced Tea
Mango Mojitos

Summer Vegetables
Tuna Tartare with Wasabi Aioli on a Grilled Tortilla Triangle
Breast of Duck with Candied Kumquats on a Sweet Potato Gaufrite
Aged Ricotta Bruschetta
Cashew-Encrusted Chicken with Citrus Marmalade
Honey and Cilantro Cured Salmon on a Tiny Corn Pancake with Mango and Papaya Salsa
“Scrambled” Eggs topped with Shaved Truffles in a Phyllo Cup
Tiny Buckwheat Blini with Crème Fraiche and Caviar
Hoisin Beef Skewers with Hoisin Ginger Dipping Sauce

Assorted Nigiri-Zushi
Steamed Edamame with Rock Salt
Warm Paper-thin Crepe with Chicken, Hoisin Sauce, Homemade Plum Sauce, Shredded Napa Cabbage and Toasted Sesame Seed
Shrimp and Scallop Ceviche with Avocado and Diced Tomato in a Lime Vinaigrette
Wild Mushroom and Butternut Squash Empanadas
Crab Cakes With a Warm Cilantro Vinaigrette
Fresh Figs with Honey Herbed Chevre in a Balsamic Reduction
Crispy Baby Artichokes

Mixed Green Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette and Spring Rolls
Tenderloin of Beef with Potato Napoleon, Sauteed Spinach in Garlic and Olive Oil
Sauce of Oven Roasted Red and Yellow Tomatoes in a Red Wine Reduction
Pan Sauteed Sea Bass with Roasted Corn, Zucchini, Diced Tomatoes, Chanterelles, White Beans on a bed of Basmati Rice, Seasoned Haricots Verts

Tiny Sorbet in the shape of fruits and berries
Wedding Cake sprinkled with Powdered Sugar or Cocoa, Drizzled with Raspberry Puree
Linzer Heart Cookies
Iced Cappuccino with Rock Candy Swizzle Sticks

Chocolate Fountain with Large Driscoll Strawberries, Pretzels, Marshmallows, Biscotti, and Dried Fruit

Sweets News

Choux Factory, the Upper East Side creampuff mecca, will be testing out a new flavor from September 19-October 2. Go and show your support for caramel creampuffs!

Choux Factory: 1685 First Ave., (212) 289-2023.

Mushroom Mania at SOS Chefs

I mistakenly assumed that SOS Chefs was just another imported condiment store. Little did I know that I was soon to discover the shop's true raison d'etre! On a recent visit, while I was admiring the olive oil, one of the owners invited me into the sacred back room. "Here, you can come back and look," she said in the hushed tones one would use when peeking in on a sleeping infant.

She opened the heavy door, we entered a chilled little cave, and my jaw dropped in amazement. There before me was the most abundant profusion of every kind of wild mushroom I could imagine. Red lobster mushrooms, purplish bluefoots, morels, nameko, chanterelles... I don't think I've ever witnessed such a passion for mushrooms!

And now that the season of ripe peaches is giving way to the one of root vegetables, it's time to peruse some new recipes and buy a truckload of wild autumn mushrooms.

SOS Chefs of New York: 104 Avenue B, (212) 505-5813.

Valrhona Chocolate Pudding

When I was a child, my mother constantly shooed me away from the brownie batter. She tried to placate me by letting me lick the bowl after she'd poured out the chocolatey mixture, but I was always left vaguely unsatisfied. Today, I bought a container of Valrhona chocolate pudding at Grand Central Market's Dishes At Home. My first spoonful instantly filled me with nostalgia, for the rich, creamy pudding tasted exactly like that brownie batter I'd always craved. And now I can indulge to my heart's content!

Dishes At Home: Grand Central Station, (212) 370-5511.