Archive for the ‘New York’ Category

It was my last stitch effort for fabulous food in New York. I think I did well at Maialino in The Gramercy Park Hotel. Mr. Wall Street and Jersey Girl were both in attendance and ready to eat anything and everything on the menu. Always the self promoter, I had emailed a couple of restaurants ahead of time in hopes of interviewing the chef and getting Beauty on the map outside of Chicago. Surprisingly, I got a reply…a friendly one too. So, we were all set for Maialino.

I was excited to go to Maialino because I have followed the restaurateur since way back when I lived in NY…so many years ago. Danny Meyer of the Union Square Hospitality Group has built quite the culinary empire in New York. I was never able to dine in his places as a newbie fashion intern but I certainly knew the story. I had read and reread the menu before going so I was prepared to meet the executive chef, Nick Anderer. His story, is equally as interesting as Meyer’s and I was eager to taste his Roman-inspired menu. 

Chef Nick came out to meet us and offered to take the menus away and “just cook for you.” Uh, hello…that would be a YES. Let me fill you foodies in on a secret, if you are ever in a restaurant and the chef wants to cook for you, thank your lucky stars and put on a bib. Mr. Wall Street and Jersey Girl were pretty damn excited having not had the experience before. Chef Nick then asked if we were OK with weird stuff. No foodie turns away any plate of food…bring it big guy. Holy smokes…that he did and it was one of the best dining experiences I’ve had…even the weird stuff! 

For starters we tasted:

• Grilled shrimp wrapped around a scallop 
• Salumi tasting with Pecorino
• Tripe, Pecorino & Mint
• Charred Cuttlefish, Winter Greens & Chilis
• Radicchio and Aged Balsamic

Let me preface this review with the fact that I whole heartedly love simple, regional Italian food. Most people don’t recognize true Italian food. Maialino…straight from the boot. In fact, Meyer and Anderer spent time traveling around Rome being inspired to create the menu and it shows. The key with most of the starters are the ingredients they use pack flavor, specifically the balsamic. When you use a splash of high quality, aged balsamic, it’s sweet and you need nothing else. The simple pairing of bitter radicchio with sweet vinegar and sharp cheese was perfect. While I’m not a fan of tripe, (really who is other than chefs and 80 year old Italian women) it was tender like a pasta tossed with tomato sauce. And the cuttlefish with chili oil had a great flavor. 

The pasta course was our favorite part of the meal, hands down. Anderer has become known for his fresh pasta having worked under Mario Batali at Babbo for years. His pasta dishes brought me back 20 years ago when I was studying in Florence and helping out in the kitchen. I would have tasted them all if I could and I think we missed only a few on the menu. He sent out:

• Tonnarelli with Pecorino & Black Pepper
• Malfatti al Maialino, suckling Pig Ragu & Arugula
• Taglionlini Neri, Squid Ink Pasta & Bottarga di Muggine
• Raviolo al Uovo, Ricotta, Brown Butter & Egg Yolk
• Agnolotti di Zucca, Pumpkin, Balsamic & Ricotta Salata
• Lumaconi all Norcia, Sausage & Winter Greens 

Seriously, can you believe all that pasta? I was in doughy heaven as were my fellow diners. My two top picks (because I couldn’t decide) were the tonnarelli and the lumaconi . The first is a classic dish but not many Americans know it. Most Americans are used to pasta smothered in sauce. This dish breathes Italy with it’s simplicity and sharp flavor because the fresh pasta depends on the pepper and pecorino which they executed flawlessly. My second favorite, the lumaconi, is a large shell shaped pasta ready for stuffing. Chef prepares it with a lean sausage and sauteed greens over a creamy sauce. At first glance I thought, oh stuffed shells, woo-hoo. Don’t ever be fooled by a man who specializes in pasta. They were wonderful and the sauce was so good, I wanted to lick the plate…but I didn’t. Also noteworthy in the pasta line up is the suckling pig ragu. While I haven’t had any suckling pig in my past Italian dining experiences, Maialino actually means “little pig.” His version of ragu combines a rich reduction with fall-off-the-bone meat. It had intense flavor with a wide noodle to sop up the sauce. When you get a chance to dine at Maialino, someone at the table MUST order this dish as it is one of the special items he prepares. 

Lastly, he sent out a meat course. Now I have to be honest, for fun we decided to take bets on what he would send out to round out the meal. Can you believe I was the only one who guessed wrong! The so-called trained eater was off on both plates. He sent us a plate of pig which I am pretty sure isn’t on the menu. I believe you have to ask for it. It included the pigs feet and Mr. Wall Street guessed it. We also tasted the lamb chops with fried sweetbreads. Both were amazing and I fell for the lamb. The chef has some damn good chops…amazing flavor and perfectly tender. I made my friends taste the sweetbreads even though they were reluctant to try them. We were completely stuffed and still had dessert! 

They brought out:

Affogato, gelato drowned in espresso

Torta della Nonna: pine nut tart & lemon caramel

Pomegranate and red wine sorbet

The three desserts were a great combination to send out. Nothing was too sweet and I particularly loved the vanilla gelato covered in espresso. It made me think, I need to serve this for a dinner party! They came out with a scoop of gelato and poured the espresso over as we watched. Again, simple but superb. 

Maialino is located in the Gramercy Park Hotel  

2 Lexington Avenue

(21st Street)

212.777.2410

Tell them Beauty sent ya! 

There is nothing like a grand entrance into one of New York’s hottest restaurants, DBGB. I could probably blame karma and the fact that we walked in 15 minutes late for our reservation but really, when you hear what I did, it just doesn’t matter. Jersey Girl and I waited patiently, drinking at the bar and admiring the meals next to us. We knew we would be punished for our tardiness. No problem. Both of us can chat with anyone at any bar and that’s just what we did. About an hour later, our table was ready, thus my grand entrance.

The tables were close together like everything else in New York. We slithered down the narrow path to our table and I hung my coat and bag on the back of the chair making sure not to disturb anyone around me. Well, screw the damn chair…without me knowing, it fell back and off to the side. I went to sit…and NO chair. Yup, I fell down on the ground and actually rolled a little under the table as my stuff scattered down the path. Jersey Girl made this slow motion sort of attempt but realized she was just too far on the other side of the table to help. The Asian couple to my left, didn’t flinch and I cursed their first date when I finally got seated. The lovely couple on my right made sure to help me gather my belongings while the table full of young guys behind me…belly laughing. I heard it loud and clear. I stood up, brushed myself off and announced that I was 100% fine. The particularly cute guy directly behind me was really enjoying my fall from grace and I assured him this was nothing special…it happens often. I sat down and started to study the menu. Grand entrance was over and our waitress never cracked a smile. How are you not friendly after the scene I made?

For this trip to NY, DBGB is my favorite restaurant. It’s special but not over the top. Dimly lit the space feels cozy but modern. Copper pots from noteworthy chefs line the entire dining room. The kitchen is partially open from two sides of the room which brought an energy to the meal. We agreed to skip the starter section because I was wide-eyed at the center of menu: LINKS::BANGERS::SAUSAGES::SAUCISSES. I had already done my research and knew we had to taste the homemade sausages. With so many choices, we decided to try the Thai made with pork, lemongrass and red curry links, green papaya, basil fried, chili sauce and a quail egg and the Beaujolaise made with pork, mushrooms, onion, bacon and red wine link over lentils du puy. The Thai link was listed as hot. I love spicy and this little link had a kick but on the tame side. The other was a smoked sausage which we both felt was a very mild, smokey flavor and up against the spicy pork link, it’s flavor was quite subtle…but savory nonetheless. After sitting at the bar staring at the guy eating the schnitzel for an hour, I already knew what I was ordering for my entree. The Niman Ranch Pork Loin Schnitzel was everything I was hoping for that night. And how excited was I that they serve fresh spaetzle? Probably one of my favorite meals is schnitzel and spaetzle. I earned my German name long ago eating the stuff. I had to beg my friend to remove the bowl of spaetzle or knock me off my chair again. I was out of control. Sometimes, it’s the most simple things on the menu, often overlooked, that impart the skill of the kitchen. And for me, it was their little misshapen perfectly browned pasta. The food was so fantastic, we had to try at least one dessert. We couldn’t pass on the Sticky Toffee Pudding, I only needed a taste. Rich and buttery, I allowed two small bites and backed away.

After that meal, we walked back to the hotel. And I swear, I did sit-ups when we got back to the room! With all that sausage and schnitzel, I had to do something.

DBGB
299 Bowery
New York