Month: June 2008

review: a trolley like no other…

Picholine, New York Like many a personality on the Upper West Side, Picholine got a facelift. The last time I was in the restaurant, Spring of 2006, I was there on a non-eating mission. The food might have been fantastic, but the oddly-configured restaurant itself struck me as terribly tired, somewhat outdated, and immensely frumpy. […]

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review: a trolley like no other…

Picholine, New York Like many a personality on the Upper West Side, Picholine got a facelift. The last time I was in the restaurant, Spring of 2006, I was there on a non-eating mission. The food might have been fantastic, but the oddly-configured restaurant itself struck me as terribly tired, somewhat outdated, and immensely frumpy. […]

Continue

review: get it together…

Antipasto: Octopus Carpaccio Insieme It’s astonishing how powerful three words, strung together, can be. Beef heart risotto. See? It didn’t take much to convince me to put Insieme on my itinerary. Sure, I had heard wonderful things about Insieme from valued sources. That it’s one of Marco Canora’s and Paul Grieco’s restaurants was also encouraging. […]

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review: get it together…

Antipasto: Octopus Carpaccio Insieme It’s astonishing how powerful three words, strung together, can be. Beef heart risotto. See? It didn’t take much to convince me to put Insieme on my itinerary. Sure, I had heard wonderful things about Insieme from valued sources. That it’s one of Marco Canora’s and Paul Grieco’s restaurants was also encouraging. […]

Continue

ridiculousness…

It must have been a slow news day because both Eater and Serious Eats picked up a comment I made on eGullet and ran with it. Although I hate to lend an iota of credence to this absurdity by wasting a single nanobyte on this topic, as the person who (inadvertently) initiated this party, and, […]

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ridiculousness…

It must have been a slow news day because both Eater and Serious Eats picked up a comment I made on eGullet and ran with it. Although I hate to lend an iota of credence to this absurdity by wasting a single nanobyte on this topic, as the person who (inadvertently) initiated this party, and, […]

Continue

review: home run…

Aquavit, New York A restaurant that has been disparaged, or has received wobbly reviews at best, has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Aquavit was such the underdog. I like underdogs. Needless to say, expectations have a lot to do with one’s dining experience. Regarding Aquavit, mine were heavily guarded, which probably explains, in […]

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review: home run…

Aquavit, New York A restaurant that has been disparaged, or has received wobbly reviews at best, has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Aquavit was such the underdog. I like underdogs. Needless to say, expectations have a lot to do with one’s dining experience. Regarding Aquavit, mine were heavily guarded, which probably explains, in […]

Continue

review: eclipse…

Eleven Madison Park Last time, the earth stood still. This time, my meal at Eleven Madison Park was a total eclipse. Neither the sun nor moon disappeared. But, for the five blissful hours that my hosts and I dined, it seemed as if the whole world’s attention had been diverted to our table. Eleven Madison […]

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review: eclipse…

Eleven Madison Park Last time, the earth stood still. This time, my meal at Eleven Madison Park was a total eclipse. Neither the sun nor moon disappeared. But, for the five blissful hours that my hosts and I dined, it seemed as if the whole world’s attention had been diverted to our table. Eleven Madison […]

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travel: a spandex week…

A Spandex Week It all began two minutes off the jetway at LaGuardia on the way to baggage claim. A text message popped up: “Where R U? Shke Shck ice crm of day = cffee + dnuts.” Me: “B rght there!” And thus kicked off what would become my most gluttonous run at New York […]

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travel: a spandex week…

A Spandex Week It all began two minutes off the jetway at LaGuardia on the way to baggage claim. A text message popped up: “Where R U? Shke Shck ice crm of day = cffee + dnuts.” Me: “B rght there!” And thus kicked off what would become my most gluttonous run at New York […]

Continue

james beard awards (2008)…

2008 James Beard Awards For the second year in a row, I had the honor of attending the James Beard Awards Gala and Reception in New York City.  As last year, the ceremony was held at the Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center. It was hot.  It was a zoo.  At times, the event was somewhat […]

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james beard awards (2008)…

2008 James Beard Awards For the second year in a row, I had the honor of attending the James Beard Awards Gala and Reception in New York City.  As last year, the ceremony was held at the Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center. It was hot.  It was a zoo.  At times, the event was somewhat […]

Continue

homecoming…

The American Restaurant How thrilled was I to read in the Kansas City Star that Debbie Gold will be returning to The American Restaurant, where she and her ex-husband, Michael Smith, won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest (first for Kansas City)? Very. A few months ago, I lamented the closing of 40 […]

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homecoming…

The American Restaurant How thrilled was I to read in the Kansas City Star that Debbie Gold will be returning to The American Restaurant, where she and her ex-husband, Michael Smith, won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest (first for Kansas City)? Very. A few months ago, I lamented the closing of 40 […]

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izard…

Congratulations are in order for Stephanie Izard, the winner of Top Chef Season 4. I’m thrilled to see Izard returning to the restaurant scene after a brief hiatus. I had a wonderful dinner at her Chicago seafood-focused restaurant, Scylla, in 2006. A perfectly pan-fried filet of Tasmanian sea trout on a bed of black trumpet […]

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izard…

Congratulations are in order for Stephanie Izard, the winner of Top Chef Season 4. I’m thrilled to see Izard returning to the restaurant scene after a brief hiatus. I had a wonderful dinner at her Chicago seafood-focused restaurant, Scylla, in 2006. A perfectly pan-fried filet of Tasmanian sea trout on a bed of black trumpet […]

Continue

chefs’ night out…

Chefs’ Night Out Last night, I attended the Chefs’ Night Out party hosted by Bon Appetit at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.  It’s kind of an unofficial kick-off for the James Beard weekend of festivities leading up to the James Beard Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 8. Chefs’ […]

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chefs’ night out…

Chefs’ Night Out Last night, I attended the Chefs’ Night Out party hosted by Bon Appetit at the Edison Ballroom in New York City.  It’s kind of an unofficial kick-off for the James Beard weekend of festivities leading up to the James Beard Awards Ceremony and Gala Reception at Lincoln Center on Sunday, June 8. Chefs’ […]

Continue