Time flies. In December, my baby will turn one. And now Robataya, one of my favorite restaurants in the city, is celebrating its first anniversary from today through October 1. (I mean to post a review soon - the grilled sweet potatoes sprinkled with lemon juice are exquisite.) There will be a gift certificate lottery and a sake sale, and seasonal specialties like mackerel and matsutake mushrooms will be featured.
Robataya: 231 East 9th St., (212) 979-9674.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 06, 2010
Valley Shepherd Creamery
I can never remember the farmer's market schedules; I just know that there were certain days that I hit the cheese jackpot at the Rockefeller Center farmer's market this summer. Slowly, I put two and two together and started to realize that it was the presence of the Valley Shepherd Creamery that was so mightily satisfying. The comte with a slight crunch, the ever-changing variety of Brie (would it be the amazing sheep/cow's milk Brie that tasted so authentic, or the goat's milk?), the tins of fresh ricotta...
I did happen to notice that the last day of the Rockefeller Center Farmer's Market was September 3. But I have some exciting news for you cheese-lovers: the New Jersey-based Valley Shepherd Creamery is opening up a store on 79 Sullivan Street. Apparently the owners will be mining their cheese cave at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, making all-day preparations, and then opening this Wednesday. Now you have another reason to "say cheese."
I did happen to notice that the last day of the Rockefeller Center Farmer's Market was September 3. But I have some exciting news for you cheese-lovers: the New Jersey-based Valley Shepherd Creamery is opening up a store on 79 Sullivan Street. Apparently the owners will be mining their cheese cave at 6 a.m. on Tuesday, making all-day preparations, and then opening this Wednesday. Now you have another reason to "say cheese."
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Eataly
This post is mostly for the out-of-towners, because judging from the crowds at Eataly, every New Yorker has already visited at least once since the opening day on August 31. (I've paid four visits and may pay another this evening.) Just in case you're not familiar, Eataly is a huge gourmet Italian market with eight separate restaurants inside focusing on different dishes like meat, pasta, pizza, vegetables, and fish. Its Italian mission make it more focused than the Plaza Food Hall, which aims at something similar.
I wanted to see if the New York store was exactly like the one in Torino. One main difference is that there's no Guido per Eataly, -the cutting-edge "fancy" restaurant on the bottom floor of the Torino store. Instead, there's Manzo, which focuses on Italian meats. Also, the produce and much of the dairy (except a wealth of cheeses like organic scamorza, saffron sheep's cheese, and buffalo blue) is necessarily local - I haven't tried the gelato yet, but I plan to, of course!
Today, there was a 30-minute wait for the pizza, so I sat on a barstool at Manzo. The six-course tasting menu wasn't available, but there was an appetizing display case of six different meats. I started with a seasonal salad that burst with freshness and taste. A champagne vinaigrette with a touch of mustard dressed a beautiful plate of red, yellow and green tomatoes, grilled baby zucchini, pattypan squash, and wax and green beans over a heap of arugula and toasted hazelnuts. Shavings of parmigiano Reggiano completed the dish. Then I dove into the robiola tortelloni. A pile of salty pancetta and sauteed chanterelles lay atop six hefty egg pasta pockets in a butter sauce. When I cut into a raviolo with my fork, the creamy, pungent robiola oozed out like egg yolk.
I have yet to visit the other restaurants, but I have made use of the coffee bar (it has the most extensive menu of coffee drinks in the city, including the famous Piedmontese bicerin) with its sumptuous apricot croissants. I've sampled Luca Montersini's tirati su and salted peanut/caramel tiramisu. I've also bought a fair amount of Venchi chocolates, rustic spelt bread, farro olive oil cookies, heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, and stracciatella from the mozzarella bar.
Two requests: can they please offer pizza to go, and can lunch be served past 2 pm? It seemed as though the whole place kind of closed down then - the mozzarella bar, with all of its delicious burrata and bocconcini, temporarily disappeared.
Eataly: 200 5th Ave.
I wanted to see if the New York store was exactly like the one in Torino. One main difference is that there's no Guido per Eataly, -the cutting-edge "fancy" restaurant on the bottom floor of the Torino store. Instead, there's Manzo, which focuses on Italian meats. Also, the produce and much of the dairy (except a wealth of cheeses like organic scamorza, saffron sheep's cheese, and buffalo blue) is necessarily local - I haven't tried the gelato yet, but I plan to, of course!
Today, there was a 30-minute wait for the pizza, so I sat on a barstool at Manzo. The six-course tasting menu wasn't available, but there was an appetizing display case of six different meats. I started with a seasonal salad that burst with freshness and taste. A champagne vinaigrette with a touch of mustard dressed a beautiful plate of red, yellow and green tomatoes, grilled baby zucchini, pattypan squash, and wax and green beans over a heap of arugula and toasted hazelnuts. Shavings of parmigiano Reggiano completed the dish. Then I dove into the robiola tortelloni. A pile of salty pancetta and sauteed chanterelles lay atop six hefty egg pasta pockets in a butter sauce. When I cut into a raviolo with my fork, the creamy, pungent robiola oozed out like egg yolk.
I have yet to visit the other restaurants, but I have made use of the coffee bar (it has the most extensive menu of coffee drinks in the city, including the famous Piedmontese bicerin) with its sumptuous apricot croissants. I've sampled Luca Montersini's tirati su and salted peanut/caramel tiramisu. I've also bought a fair amount of Venchi chocolates, rustic spelt bread, farro olive oil cookies, heirloom tomatoes, olive oil, and stracciatella from the mozzarella bar.
Two requests: can they please offer pizza to go, and can lunch be served past 2 pm? It seemed as though the whole place kind of closed down then - the mozzarella bar, with all of its delicious burrata and bocconcini, temporarily disappeared.
Eataly: 200 5th Ave.
Sweets News
Here is a bit of EXTREMELY sweet news:
September 15 is "Free Dessert Day!" Just book a reservation on Opentable.com and receive a free dessert at over 190 restaurants. A casa fox is serving a mini chocolate empanada with dulce de leche, while Sarabeth's Central Park South is featuring their Sarabeth's Signature New York Style Cheesecake.
September 15 is "Free Dessert Day!" Just book a reservation on Opentable.com and receive a free dessert at over 190 restaurants. A casa fox is serving a mini chocolate empanada with dulce de leche, while Sarabeth's Central Park South is featuring their Sarabeth's Signature New York Style Cheesecake.
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