Co.

When I first moved to New York in August 2006, I remember hearing about the Roman-inspired pizza slices available in Hell's Kitchen, at the Sullivan Street Bakery. I was told by a co-worker that they had some of the best pizza in the city, but it tended to always fly under the radar.

Little did I know that Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street also owns a local Chelsea eatery: Co., an intimate pizzeria, serving Lahey's newest creation: round, thin-crusted, Nepolitanesque pies with standard, yet delicious toppings.

One key difference between the pies at Sullivan Street and Co. would be the temperature. At Sullivan they're served at room temperature, while at Co., they are baked in at around 700 degrees in a wood-burning oven imported from Modena. And the result is quite appetizing, providing a light, fluffy crust with a slightly charred flavor.

Since the pies are relatively small (4 slices per pie), we decided to order two. First was the Ham and Cheese ($14) which was topped with prosciutto and caraway, and then covered with a 3-cheese mixture of pecorino, gruyère, and buffalo mozzarella. I must say, the prosciutto was outstanding; I would have willingly ordered a second pie simply to devour the ham on top! Our second pizza was the Flambé ($16) which a mixture of parmesan and buffalo mozzarella, with caramelized onions and lardons, covered in a béchamel sauce. At first I was concerned the the sauce was too heavy for the pizza, but I was certainly wrong once I bit into the pizza; the flavors blended together perfectly, creating a truly delicious piece of pizza. I was recommend cutting back on the lardons though, I thought it made the pizza a little too salty at times.

We also ordered an Escarole Salad ($7 – topped with bread crumbs, capers, and anchovies in a lemon and olive oil dressing) which was, well, fine. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would have picked something else.

Overall? Co. was a really enjoyable experience, with a friendly staff and excellent food. I would highly recommend giving it a try, but I must say that it was definitely overpriced for pizza. Between the two pies, one salad, and a bottle of wine (with tax and tip), the bill was almost $100!



CO.
230 Ninth Avenue
(at 24th Street)
(212) 243-1105 Read More!

The Park

Last weekend, I took my mom to The Park for brunch...

While the food was fairly standard, I must say that the space is phenomenal. At a time when so many restaurants are opting for minimal and modern, The Park is wild and exciting. The main dining room is spacious and organic, filled with a National Geographic decor and a vibrant bar. And then of course there is the Garden, which is more than just your average garden. It is an enclosed jungle, covered in twinkle lights. It's obvious that The Park is a late night hot spot.

That being said: the food. I had a bowl of Gazpacho ($6) and a Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken ($10). I know, boring choices. My apologies. The Gazpacho was quite good, although it was quite wet and lacked enough raw vegetables to make it exciting. And the salad was your standard run of the mill Caesar. My mom on the other hand had the Crab Cake Benedict ($14) which looked quite good.

While I will not be going back to The Park anytime soon for food, I will certainly make a point to return in the near future for a fun night of debauchery.


THE PARK
118 Tenth Avenue
(near 17th Street)
(212) 352-3313 Read More!

Mercat

Despite all that transpired after my recent meal at Mercat in NoHo, I must say that the restaurant's Catalan cuisine was some of the best that I've had, maybe even comparable to some of Barcelona's notable hot spots.

We started off with the cheese platter (3 for $14, 5 for $20) which came with an assortment Catalan cheeses. We chose to go for the larger platter, which paired together two goat cheeses, two sheep cheeses as well as a mixed cheese: Garrotxa (a semi-firm goat cheese with a milky flavor and a delicate hint of nuttiness), Caña de Cabra (a creamy and mild goat cheese), Manchego (a nutty, sweet, and tangy semi-firm sheep's milk cheese), Idiazabal (a smokey yet nutty firm sheep's milk cheese), and La Peral (a blue cheese that resembles an Italian Gorgonzola, with a nice olive flavor).

That plate was accompanied by an assortment of meats (Assortiment d’Embotits for $24). In my opinion it was an excellent pairing of four different Spanish meats: Pernil Serrano, Morcilla (a Spanish blood sausage, probably my least favorite), Llonganissa (a thin dry-cured Spanish sausage), Sobrassada (a raw cured sausage), and Xoriç.

We then transformed the remainder of our meal into a tapas-style feast...

First we ordered Croquetes de Gamba ($7), which were croquettes with shrimp and spinach. Despite their small size, these really packed a punch. They were fried to perfection and tasted absolutely amazing – the spinach to cheese ratio was absolutely flawless.

That was followed by another enjoyable appetizer: Bombas ($9), which were chicken, pork and beef meatballs in an aioli sauce. Initially I was concerned about the mixture. My untrained palate had no idea that the combination would be so good.

Finally, we ordered Trencat d'Ous ($13), which was a mixture of sliced onions, fried eggs and salsa verde. It was very good, but I found it to be the least enjoyable of the last three plates.

In terms of wine and liquor at Mercat, it was all quite good. The wine list was impressive, the cocktails were mixed to perfection. Although we were quite shocked to find that they were unable to provide us with a single bottle of port. Still, everything was quite satisfying. Too satisfying. I learned my lesson though.













MERCAT
45 Bond Street
(between Bowery and Lafayette)
(212) 529-8600 Read More!

Julie & Julia

I finally saw "Julie & Julia," the story of chef Julia Child, and how her life contrasts with Julie Powell, an ordinary woman who aspires to cook all 524 recipes from Child's legendary cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking."

Yes, the rumors are absolutely true: the film is absolutely superb. It's a really terrific story about two women from completely different generations, and how they establish their identities through food.

Meryl Streep is brilliant, even Oscar worthy. Every single word and every movement is eerily similar to the great Julia Child. In fact, after I left the theater, I looked at the poster and had to remind myself that the woman in front of me was Meryl Streep and not Child.

Amy Adams isn't bad either. She plays Julie Powell, the down-and-out blogger who was determined to cook her way through Julia Child's masterpiece in a single year. After reading the book "Julie & Julia" about one year ago, I knew that Adams was dead-on with her portrayal of Powell. That being said, Powell is an overbearing character who was complained far too much in the book, and just as much in the movie. I almost feel bad saying this, but it needs to be said: this should have been a movie based solely upon Julia Child's "My Life in France."

Either way, go and see "Julia & Julia." It's a charming story that will leave you longing for some of Child's classic dishes. Especially her legendary Boeuf Bourguignon, which I have conveniently posted below...


Boeuf Bourguignon à la Julia Child

Ingredients –

For the Stew:
6 ounces bacon, solid chunk
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 lbs lean stewing beef, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups red wine (a full bodied wine like Bordeaux or Burgundy or Chianti)
2-3 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, mashed (you may choose to add more)
1 sprig thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dred thyme)
1 bay leaf, preferably fresh

For the Braised Onions:
18-24 white pearl onions, peeled
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup beef stock
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley

For the Sauteed Mushrooms:
1 lb mushroom, quartered
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil


Directions –

1. First prepare the bacon: cut off the rind and reserve.
2. Cut the bacon into lardons about 1/4" think and 1 1/2" long.
3. Simmer the rind and the lardons for ten minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water.
4. Drain and dry the lardons and rind and reserve.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 450°F.
6. Put the tablespoon of olive oil in a large (9" - 10" wide, 3" deep) fireproof casserole and warm over moderate heat.
7. Saute the lardons for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly.
8. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
9. Dry off the pieces of beef and saute them, a few at a time in the hot oil/bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides.
10. Once browned, remove to the side plate with the bacon.
11. In the same oil/fat, saute the onion and the carrot until softened.
12. Pour off the fat and return the lardons and the beef to the casserole with the carrots and onion.
13. Toss the contents of the casserole with the salt and pepper and sprinkle with the flour.
14. Set the uncovered casserole in the oven for four minutes.
15. Toss the contents of the casserole again and return to the hot oven for 4 more minutes.
16. Now, lower the heat to 325°F and remove the casserole from the oven.
17. Add the wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered.
18. Add the tomato paste, garlic and herbs and the bacon rind.
19. Bring to a simmer on the top of the stove.
20. Cover and place in the oven, adjusting the heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly for three to four hours.
21. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.
22. While the meat is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms and set them aside till needed.
23. For the onion, if using frozen, make sure they are defrosted and drained.
24. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet and add the onions to the skillet.
25. Saute over medium heat for about ten minutes, rolling the onions about so they brown as evenly as possible, without breaking apart.
26. Pour in the stock, season to taste, add the herbs, and cover.
27. Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
28. Remove the herbs and set the onions aside.
29. For the mushrooms, heat the butter and oil over high heat in a large skillet.
30. As soon as the foam begins to subside add the mushrooms and toss and shake the pan for about five minutes.
31. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.
32. To Finish the Stew:.
33. When the meat is tender, remover the casserole from the oven and empty its contents into a sieve set over a saucepan.
34. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it (discarding the bits of carrot and onion and herbs which remain in the sieve).
35. Distribute the mushrooms and onions over the meat.
36. Skim the fat off the sauce and simmer it for a minute or two, skimming off any additional fat which rises to the surface.
37. You should be left with about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.
38. If the sauce is too thick, add a few tablespoons of stock.
39. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down to reduce to the right consistency.
40. Taste for seasoning.
41. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables.
42. If you are serving immediately, place the covered casserole over medium low heat and simmer 2 to 3 minutes.
43. Serve in the casserole or on a warm platter surrounded by noodles, potatoes or rice and garnished with fresh parsley.
44. If serving later or the next day, allow the casserole to cool and place cold, covered casserole in the refrigerator.
45. 20 minutes prior to serving, place over medium low heat and simmer very slowly for ten minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.


As Julia Child would say, Bon Appétit!
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