NYC


 by

Sandra Lee to the Senate?

sandra-lee.jpg

Amid all of the discussion regarding the impending presidential inauguration and the three-ring circus that is the Roland Burris “no-we’re-not-going-to-seat-him-OK-yes-we-are” saga, the vacant Senate seat representing the state of New York has faded a bit into the background. Plus, it was supposed to be a fait accompli that Governor Paterson was going to appoint Caroline Kennedy to the seat, so everyone assumed that was that.

But as time has gone on and Gov. P. keeps mum, people are starting to wonder. They’re also keeping an eye on the mood of the populous and asking the citizens of the state who they would like to see in the Senate. When the question was posed before Christmas, Kennedy held a slight lead over the field. But the most recent poll from Quinnipiac University shows that she’s no longer the preferred candidate among registered voters.

How is this story about food, you ask? Keep reading…

Read More›
in Celebs / Desserts / Politics / TV 16 comments
 by

Who Cooked it Better? The Beer Shake

I know this is the time of year when a lot of you start breaking out the Irish coffees, the hot toddies, and the bourbon hot chocolate, but to be honest, those hot drinks just put me to sleep. When you really want a winter pick-me-up, it’s time get cozy by the fire and whip up the most efficient combination of god’s two greatest creations: The Beer Shake. This winter I’m on a search for the best beer shake out there. Which one do you guys think looks tastiest? Or if you know of a better one, holler in the comments.

beer-shake-1.jpg

beer-shake-2-jpg.jpg
beer-shake-3.jpg klondike-bar-original.jpgworldwidestout.jpg

The first pic is the Rogue Beer Float from Little Red Bike Cafe in Portland, Oregon.This one starts with an appropriately rich beer (Rogue’s chocolate stout), mixes it with vanilla ice cream, and spikes it off with espresso. I imagine the choco-vanilla combo tastes something like a black-and-white milkshake, only with caffeine and alcohol as well. Hey, if I can get my caffeine buzz, my drunk on, and my dessert in one jar, I’ve just tripled my productivity.

Moving down the West Coast a little bit, San Francisco’s Sauce restaurant serves up another black-and-white original. This one (top right) starts with Guinness, mixes it with vanilla ice cream, then tops it off with fresh cream and white chocolate. (Photo: Sevenworlds16)

Our third entry, from blogger South Hollow, starts with a beautiful beer, Mother’s Milk from Kingston, New York’s Keegan Ales, and gets points for creating two options–a blended shake made from chocolate ice cream, or a simple float: a pint of beer topped with vanilla.

The last entry is from Harry’s at Water Taxi Beach in Queens, which means it’s only available in the summer, but it is so simple-genius that we just had to include it. The Klondike Beer Shake takes two chocolate-covered Klondike Bars and blends them up with  a Dogfish Head World Wide Stout, for a bitter-sweet-rich glass of amazing-ness.

[poll id=”29″]


in Desserts / Drinks 16 comments
 by

Ooh Baby I Like It Tartare

tuna-tartare.jpg

As you all know, I consider myself much more of a meat mogul than a fish aficionado. I rarely cook with the wet stuff, mostly because I don’t know many tricks, and I really don’t order it too often either. If you’ll allow me to be a snob for a sec, I have to say I only get excited about fish when I get to eat upscale versions of it. At your average joe resto, I’ll go for a steak or burger over the fish special any day, but if we’re talking the $30 mahi mahi or fresh scallops, than I’m definitely on (off) board.

So when Vio and I got invited to dine at Asian-influenced, pan-Atlantic bistro Black Duck recently, I got pretty stoked over their seafood-heavy menu. Black Duck is set in the Park South Hotel in Murray Hill. It’s actually in the basement of a townhouse connected to the hotel, and aside from the preponderance of single business travelers, it’s devoid of that stuffy hotel resto atmosphere at all, going for more of a neighborhood bistro vibe. Anyway, enough about the atmosphere, let’s talk about fish, baby.

Read More›
in Desserts / Fish / Red Meat 9 comments
 by

Top Chef Live Blogging Starts Tonight!

top-chef-judges.jpg

Our long summer of discontent is finally over – Top Chef returns tonight!

The reality show is touching down in New York City for its fifth season, and as usual, Endless Simmer will be live blogging this very important breaking news story.

In addition to our always astute analysis, we’ll be sharing some extra gossip from my recent interviews with this season’s cheftestants; we’ll check in with Season 4’s Spike (a live blog fan) who will be twittering his reactions throughout the night; and we’ll have reporters beamed in from around the country via hologram. OK, that last part is a lie, but we will offer tons of exclusive insight you can’t find anywhere else.

ES Sneak Peek: Tonight’s guest judge will be none other than French culinary legend Jean-Georges Vongerichten, which means if any of these youngsters don’t have those classic French techniques down, they could be in big trouble. Looks good for DC’s own Carla, who, as JoeHoya informs us, was trained at Bethesda’s L’Academie de Cuisine.

Make sure to tune into Bravo at 10pm ET, and log on to Endless Simmer as we watch along with you.

Bravo Photo: Michel Lavine

in TV 1 comments
 by

Strong Buy Sandwiches

So I’m working in an office this week–ugh, just like a normal person. How do you people do this every day? I just can’t take the staff meetings, excel spreadsheets, and wearing pants.

But there is one thing I do like–lunchtime. When I’m working at home, lunch is often reheated leftovers eaten in front of the computer. But when I freelance in-office, I get excited about being forced to eat lunch out. Since I don’t do it very much, it’s still exciting, even to get a basic sandwich. But with all the Le Pan Quotidens, Cosis, and Pret a Mangers around, there’s something sinister going on with the sandwich in New York. It’s effing expensive.

Sure, I’ll be the first person to approve the fancification of the humble sandwich– the Tuscan-ized, truffle-oiled, caramelized, and slathered with pesto’d goodness that has overtaken the old school hero in recent years. But I’ll also be the first person to insist that I shouldn’t have to break a $20 for lunch. The way the economy is headed, it’s about time for the sandwich to return to its original conception: quick, cheap, and dirty. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean going back to brown-bagging baloney on Wonder Bread. Here’s a sampling of New York’s most overhyped, overpriced sandwiches—each with a cheaper—and tastier—alternative.

Deli Classic

  pastrami.jpg

New Yorkers of many vintages will tell you that one of the city’s most legendary indulgences is a pastrami sandwich at the 2nd Avenue Deli (162 E 33rd St, 212.677.0606). But the prices at the recently reincarnated deli scream “tourist trap,” with the triple-decker selling at a whopping $20.95. For meat on bread!

2nd Ave Deli on Urbanspoon

Just around the corner, Sarge’s Deli And Restaurant (548 3rd Ave, 212.679.0442) has all the classic Jewish deli fixings, without the price jack. While Sarge’s ’strami sandwich isn’t quite as loaded—it’s only got enough meat for about three meals instead of five—it’s still a no-brainer at the way-lower price of $9.95.

Sarge's Deli & Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Photo: Life on the Edge

More sandwich revolutions after the j…

Read More›
in Fish / Sandwich 6 comments
« Previous
Next »