"When I cook, I don't just top something with ginger or add a little bit of cut-up lemongrass. A balance of flavors is essential, so I make sure there are elements of sweetness, salt, heat, acidity and texture. For salt, I might use some capers, soy sauce - sweetness can even be evoked by masa or coconut. For heat, there are chilies, and acidity can include citrus, lime..."
The speaker was Michael Schulson, the charismatic chef and host of the Style Network's Pantry Raid, and the event was McCormick's Flavor Forecast 2008 luncheon at Gilt Restaurant. (Besides being fed well at this event, I was to learn more about spices than I ever knew! Were you aware that one teaspoon of dried oregano contains more antioxidants than 1/3 cup of blueberries? Or that cinnamon may lower blood sugar? Or that red pepper might increase your metabolism? Note to self...)
Schulson was introducing our "Gastro-Tourist" course, which consisted of a plantain chip topped with curry-tempura shrimp, a spoonful of lemongrass-poached lobster with pickled lychees, and bright pink sugared rose petals in a poppy vinaigrette-dressed green salad. I tried to concentrate on each bite so I could focus on all the elements. (During the "meet-and-greet" before the sit-down, we'd already nibbled on deep red venison tartare livened up with allspice and brandied cherries, and poached foie gras on sage brioche.)
We were then treated to a very educational talk by David Heber, the director of UCLA's Center for Human Nutrition. (More interesting facts! 50,000 years ago, our human ancestors feasted on 800 varieties of plants. Also, the skin of an apple protects it from oxidizing in the same way that some plant compounds may protect us!) I wish I remembered more of what Mr. Heber said, but my fork was distracting me. It was digging into a cornmeal-crusted scallop atop a multicolored pile of little heirloom beans, a deep-fried green olive on a hunk of cinnamon-scented pork tenderloin, and roasted sea bass encrusted with gingered pistachios.
McCormick's Kevan Vetter and Gilt's Christopher Lee, who collaborated on the exciting menu, also spoke. (I haven't been back to Gilt since Paul Liebrandt left, but it is definitely on my to-eat-list now!) Lee talked about how sweet was becoming savory, and savory was becoming sweeter, and this was a perfect introduction to the dessert course. I happily indulged in a guava-coconut sorbet on a strudel cone on a white chocolate stand, cinnamon-dusted cocoa whipped cream atop a hot chocolate cupcake, and a chocolate orange candy decorated with an intense chocolate swirl and a bit of gold leaf. (I noticed that some people, perhaps those watching their figures, didn't finish their dessert! Don't they know that the presence of healthful cinnamon in the whipped cream negated all the calories?)
So, after all of this, you might like to know, what exactly are the 10 hottest flavor trends for 2008? Well, a couple are vanilla-cardamom and cocoa-chili. For more inspiration, click on McCormick's Website.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Corner Shop Cafe
Lately, all I seem to want is Belgian hot chocolate, mac & cheese, and fruit cobbler. Fortunately, these comfort foods can all be found at Corner Shop Cafe. Whenever I walk down Broadway, I always want to go inside this pretty restaurant (it looks like Anthropologie, if Anthropologie had a cafe), and last night afforded me my first opportunity.
I began with some fried artichokes tossed with lemon and salt, which arrived in a basket (note to fried artichoke lovers: $7 will get you just one fried artichoke at Bar Stuzzichini, but it will get you a whole basket at Corner Shop Cafe!). The waiter had recommended that I order a half-portion of macaroni and cheese as it was so rich. He was right! But the portion was hardly small, it was rather like the size served at Penelope's. The flavor was out of this world. Pepper Jack, Gruyere and cheddar melted together around a pile of tender elbow noodles mixed with taut little peas and a few slices of shiitake. The dish was topped with breadcrumbs and crunchy bits of Parmesan. A bit of truffle oil provided that final "what is that wonderful taste?"
I finished the whole thing (incidentally, if you're not a mac 'n' cheese fan - there are lots of other goodies for you: pork milanese with grilled corn and tomato salad, soy-marinated skirt steak, rosemary roasted free-range chicken, cioppino, even Cuban sandwiches! Order a Gorgonzola-ed mashed potato on the side.) with room to spare for a tart strawberry-apricot cobbler with a side of whipped cream. The dessert menu also includes a mango creme brulee - maybe I'll try it this summer, but right now, I'll stick with the cobbler and perhaps the chocolate bread pudding.
Corner Shop Cafe: 643 Broadway, (212) 253-7467.
I began with some fried artichokes tossed with lemon and salt, which arrived in a basket (note to fried artichoke lovers: $7 will get you just one fried artichoke at Bar Stuzzichini, but it will get you a whole basket at Corner Shop Cafe!). The waiter had recommended that I order a half-portion of macaroni and cheese as it was so rich. He was right! But the portion was hardly small, it was rather like the size served at Penelope's. The flavor was out of this world. Pepper Jack, Gruyere and cheddar melted together around a pile of tender elbow noodles mixed with taut little peas and a few slices of shiitake. The dish was topped with breadcrumbs and crunchy bits of Parmesan. A bit of truffle oil provided that final "what is that wonderful taste?"
I finished the whole thing (incidentally, if you're not a mac 'n' cheese fan - there are lots of other goodies for you: pork milanese with grilled corn and tomato salad, soy-marinated skirt steak, rosemary roasted free-range chicken, cioppino, even Cuban sandwiches! Order a Gorgonzola-ed mashed potato on the side.) with room to spare for a tart strawberry-apricot cobbler with a side of whipped cream. The dessert menu also includes a mango creme brulee - maybe I'll try it this summer, but right now, I'll stick with the cobbler and perhaps the chocolate bread pudding.
Corner Shop Cafe: 643 Broadway, (212) 253-7467.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Pam Real Thai Food
It was about 20 degrees last night; I was starving, but didn't want to walk another block in the cold. Since I happened to be right around the corner from Pam Real Thai Food, I walked in.
A sign announced "cash only." I had $17 in my wallet, so I strategized about how I could enjoy soup, an appetizer and dinner and still have enough money left over to leave a good tip. I ended up with steamed chive dumplings, tom yum koong and vegetable green curry (vegetarian main courses were only $5.95). The menu included more exotic offerings like anchovy rice, fried baby mackerels, kaeng tai pla (a spicy dish with lime leaves and fermented fish kidney), and a salad of ground pork with lime and fried chilis.
My tom yum koong soup was tangy and pungent with lots of lemongrass, cilantro and hot chili. It contained two plump shrimp and a bunch of halved white mushrooms. The bowl was small but the flavors were big. Three chewy pouches stuffed with chives were next, accompanied by a sweet soy-based sauce. I think I might have preferred the dumplings fried, but I was trying to be healthy for once!
Next came a plate of jasmine rice and the vegetable curry. Unfortunately, this dish was not very filling, and I looked on with envy at the large plates of noodles that other tables had ordered. My curry consisted of three small steamed cubes of tofu, some shredded bamboo shoots and a few sprigs of greens in a mild, coconutty broth. Tasty, but next time I'm going to order a deep-fried whole fish or crispy duck.
I have a feeling that if I lived in Midtown West, I'd be ordering in from Pam Real all the time, because there are a lot of things I'd like to try, and the food is good and inexpensive.
Pam Real Thai Food: 404 West 49th, (212) 333-7500.
A sign announced "cash only." I had $17 in my wallet, so I strategized about how I could enjoy soup, an appetizer and dinner and still have enough money left over to leave a good tip. I ended up with steamed chive dumplings, tom yum koong and vegetable green curry (vegetarian main courses were only $5.95). The menu included more exotic offerings like anchovy rice, fried baby mackerels, kaeng tai pla (a spicy dish with lime leaves and fermented fish kidney), and a salad of ground pork with lime and fried chilis.
My tom yum koong soup was tangy and pungent with lots of lemongrass, cilantro and hot chili. It contained two plump shrimp and a bunch of halved white mushrooms. The bowl was small but the flavors were big. Three chewy pouches stuffed with chives were next, accompanied by a sweet soy-based sauce. I think I might have preferred the dumplings fried, but I was trying to be healthy for once!
Next came a plate of jasmine rice and the vegetable curry. Unfortunately, this dish was not very filling, and I looked on with envy at the large plates of noodles that other tables had ordered. My curry consisted of three small steamed cubes of tofu, some shredded bamboo shoots and a few sprigs of greens in a mild, coconutty broth. Tasty, but next time I'm going to order a deep-fried whole fish or crispy duck.
I have a feeling that if I lived in Midtown West, I'd be ordering in from Pam Real all the time, because there are a lot of things I'd like to try, and the food is good and inexpensive.
Pam Real Thai Food: 404 West 49th, (212) 333-7500.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Oden at Ariyoshi
It's winter - time for nourishing, hearty stews. One stew that satisfies without widening the waistline is the Japanese oden. (I used to grab it at 7-Elevens in Tokyo.) Ariyoshi on Broadway has a nice selection: chicken meatballs, fish cake (fried or not), pork sausage, the slippery, granite-colored yam cake known as konnyaku, grilled tofu, hard-boiled egg, daikon and something called "beef muscle." Order a la carte for around $2 per item, or a $10 set.
Ariyoshi: 810 Broadway, (212) 388-1884.
Ariyoshi: 810 Broadway, (212) 388-1884.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Little Lad's
Back when I was a starving college student in Boston, I regularly took advantage of the all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet at Country Life. I remember indulging in "pepper steak," "sea cakes," and desserts topped with cashew "whipped cream."
There used to be two Country Life locations in NYC, but they closed many years ago, and apparently the one in Boston just closed down as well. But Larry Fleming, the spry, ageless founder of the chain, is not about to give up on his dream of spreading healthy, inexpensive food to the masses. (And the massive - like me! Did I overdo it this past holiday season or what?)
In a dark, gloomy corner of the concourse at 120 Broadway, he's opened a little veggie oasis: Little Lad's. I got a little bit lost trying to find it... a sign on the Broadway side of the building advises visitors to walk around to the Nassau Street entrance, which is equally as confusing. After enlisting the help of a security guard, I walked down the stairs to the concourse, where I finally encountered Little Lad's. The entrance looked like a country store, with baskets of healthy baked goods and fresh produce everywhere.
To my disappointment, the buffet was about one-third the size of the one at the old Country Life. But for $3.99, I have no business complaining! (I must mention that for those who dislike buffets, there's a small menu of a la carte sandwiches - grilled "cheese," "steak-out," etc.) The buffet includes one go-around of soup, mains, salad and fruit; each additional visit is only $1. According to Mr. Fleming, customers used to complain that they always ate too much; this is why he added the small extra fee - as a deterrent.
On the day I went, there was a delicious, coconut-laced Jamaican black bean soup (I didn't try the split pea). Other selections included rutabagas, beans, dilled potatoes, Armenian lentil stew (this seems to be popping up all over the place; in my ill-fated, brief attempt to lose weight on the Diet To Go delivery program, this stew was one of the choices. I had never encountered it before I tried to go on a diet. Is it indeed an Armenian dish?). The salad bar was pretty standard. I sprang for some mixed berry pie; the cashew cream had more vanilla than I remembered but was just as addictive. The man in front of me, patting his ample belly, remarked that he wanted to consume an entire bowl of it!
As I sat down to eat, I noticed that many of the diners knew each other, and if they didn't, Mr. Fleming did! He flitted around like a happy butterfly: "Here's an old Country Life customer! She went to the one on Broad Street!" Next to me, a man called over to a co-worker, "Second day in a row here?"
Mr. Fleming will tell you that customers have drastically lowered their blood pressure or cholesterol with just one weekly visit to his healthy food emporium. Although I'm a skeptic, I do think it is possible to lighten one's mood considerably at Little Lad's, and the effects may last a few days... until your next visit!
Little Lad's: 120 Broadway, Concourse Level, (212) 227-5744.
There used to be two Country Life locations in NYC, but they closed many years ago, and apparently the one in Boston just closed down as well. But Larry Fleming, the spry, ageless founder of the chain, is not about to give up on his dream of spreading healthy, inexpensive food to the masses. (And the massive - like me! Did I overdo it this past holiday season or what?)
In a dark, gloomy corner of the concourse at 120 Broadway, he's opened a little veggie oasis: Little Lad's. I got a little bit lost trying to find it... a sign on the Broadway side of the building advises visitors to walk around to the Nassau Street entrance, which is equally as confusing. After enlisting the help of a security guard, I walked down the stairs to the concourse, where I finally encountered Little Lad's. The entrance looked like a country store, with baskets of healthy baked goods and fresh produce everywhere.
To my disappointment, the buffet was about one-third the size of the one at the old Country Life. But for $3.99, I have no business complaining! (I must mention that for those who dislike buffets, there's a small menu of a la carte sandwiches - grilled "cheese," "steak-out," etc.) The buffet includes one go-around of soup, mains, salad and fruit; each additional visit is only $1. According to Mr. Fleming, customers used to complain that they always ate too much; this is why he added the small extra fee - as a deterrent.
On the day I went, there was a delicious, coconut-laced Jamaican black bean soup (I didn't try the split pea). Other selections included rutabagas, beans, dilled potatoes, Armenian lentil stew (this seems to be popping up all over the place; in my ill-fated, brief attempt to lose weight on the Diet To Go delivery program, this stew was one of the choices. I had never encountered it before I tried to go on a diet. Is it indeed an Armenian dish?). The salad bar was pretty standard. I sprang for some mixed berry pie; the cashew cream had more vanilla than I remembered but was just as addictive. The man in front of me, patting his ample belly, remarked that he wanted to consume an entire bowl of it!
As I sat down to eat, I noticed that many of the diners knew each other, and if they didn't, Mr. Fleming did! He flitted around like a happy butterfly: "Here's an old Country Life customer! She went to the one on Broad Street!" Next to me, a man called over to a co-worker, "Second day in a row here?"
Mr. Fleming will tell you that customers have drastically lowered their blood pressure or cholesterol with just one weekly visit to his healthy food emporium. Although I'm a skeptic, I do think it is possible to lighten one's mood considerably at Little Lad's, and the effects may last a few days... until your next visit!
Little Lad's: 120 Broadway, Concourse Level, (212) 227-5744.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
The House
I always wondered what this mid-19th-century carriage house was doing in the middle of East 17th Street. Was it an inn? A nautical museum? Today, I found out that it was an excellent place to have brunch.
An amiable host sat me at a white marble table and I looked over the menu. The brunch menu included a prosciutto, fig and gorgonzola panino, a lobster club with pancetta, a scrambled egg sandwich, and my choice, a cheery little frittata loaded with bright red and yellow cherry tomatoes, baby zucchini, mushrooms and red onions, served with pressed sourdough toast. I couldn't resist an order of the well-salted roasted fingerlings peppered with black truffles... these were among the best brunch potatoes I've eaten. (However, the advertised Mocha Joe's coffee was much weaker and more bitter than I remembered from my trip to Brattleboro.)
I had no room left for the Key lime pie, triple chocolate mousse cake or gelato, but I'll make sure to leave some when I head over for dinner. I'm thinking about going on a Friday, when the rotisserie special is organic Amish chicken with ginger lemongrass honey.
The House: 121 East 17th St., (212) 353-2121.
An amiable host sat me at a white marble table and I looked over the menu. The brunch menu included a prosciutto, fig and gorgonzola panino, a lobster club with pancetta, a scrambled egg sandwich, and my choice, a cheery little frittata loaded with bright red and yellow cherry tomatoes, baby zucchini, mushrooms and red onions, served with pressed sourdough toast. I couldn't resist an order of the well-salted roasted fingerlings peppered with black truffles... these were among the best brunch potatoes I've eaten. (However, the advertised Mocha Joe's coffee was much weaker and more bitter than I remembered from my trip to Brattleboro.)
I had no room left for the Key lime pie, triple chocolate mousse cake or gelato, but I'll make sure to leave some when I head over for dinner. I'm thinking about going on a Friday, when the rotisserie special is organic Amish chicken with ginger lemongrass honey.
The House: 121 East 17th St., (212) 353-2121.
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