Just saw this horrible ad during the (horrible) Oscars. What is Tom doing??
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Expanding the Pizza Possibilities at Co.
Jim Lahey's new spot, Co. (or Company) has been the talk of the town for the past few months. A delayed opening, continual packed dinner service, Jean-Georges backing it, and the good and bad first takes. Recently opened for lunch, walking into Co. during the day is a breeze. None of those lines around the block or bad service and "we're out of dough" scenarios I've heard of in the past. Lunch offers a serene, casual atmosphere and the opportunity to try some of the great new pizza in the city. There are certainly stumbles here and there, but I'll get to that.
The space reminds me of Ssam Bar or Ko, minimalist decor, with a heavy emphasis on modern wood paneling. Large windows allow plenty of sunlight, and the dreary views of 9th Ave, while a small bar offers seating for close to 12 people. Sitting in the corner at a large 5 top, we had a great view of the space and quickly settled in and scanned the menu. The offerings have changed a few times since the spot first opened, but for the most part there are always 7 pies with a rotating special. Fortunately for us, being a large party allowed for the opportunity to try a number of pies so we quickly ordered up.
To start we had two salads, the Butter Lettuce and Escarole salads. The Escarole salad came with bread crumbs, anchovies, capers, lemon and olive oil, while the Butter Lettuce came with roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, lemon and olive oil. I was glad we ordered these salad to help provide some greens in our lunch diet, but neither was remarkable and at $7, they were quite similar and small.
We came here for pizza and that's what we looked forward too. Each pizza came out at a different time, not too sure why, but it worked to our benefit, allowing us to enjoy each creation straight out of the oven. We first attacked the Flambe, a gooey, cheesey creation with plenty of large bacon chunks scattered atop it. The bechamel, parmesan and buffalo mozzarella melded perfectly with the sweet carmelized onions and salty bacon. The Flambe, in my opinion, is enough reason to visit Jim Lahey's Co.. Next on the docket was the special pie, topped with sausage, leeks and breadcrumbs (the other details escape me) and a pretty intense char around one side of the pie. Despite the char, which for the most part I enjoyed, the pizza was good, but just missing something. A little salt would have gone a long way here, but the combination of ingedients did work well. Halfway through our pizza fest the much talked about Ham and Cheese pie was plopped down in the center of the table. A gorgeous pie, blanketed by paper-thin slices of proscuitto, you could actually see the charred spots through the delicious strands of pork. Beneath the meat was pecorino, gruyere, buffalo mozzarella and caraway seeds, which added a creamy, sweet and salty note to the pizza. The fatty ends of the proscuitto melted into the crust, a beautiful sight we quickly gobbled up.
The tail end of our lunch featured the simplest pies, the Amalfi and Margherita. The Amalfi, described as having green olives, anchovies and chilis was remarkably underwhelming. It was presented by Chef/Breadmaker/Pizza Guy Jim Lahey with the comment "we tried something a little different here", but we were never really told what was different. Regardless, the pungent anchovies we longed for were hiding somewhere we couldn't find them and the chilis overpowered every flavor of the pie. The Margherita, the standard to which I hold all pizzeria's against, was unfortunately dissappointing. A slightly different dough preparation than the others, which by the way were all very delicious, crispy and thin, this dough was a bit more pillowy. The dough wasn't the problem though, an overly sweet and watery tomato sauce left pools of liquid scattered over the pie and the lack of sufficient cheese left half the pie relatively naked. The saving grace was when we bit into a cheesy, basil topped bite with a thin layer of sauce, but these were few and far between.
Overall Co. offers some superb pizzas, albeit expensive, the restaurant has plenty of promise. Service during lunch was good, attentive and kind, and when split amongst a few diners it is easy to keep the cost down and try a number of items. Ordering wine quickly rises the price, but it's all about the pizza here, and of the five we had, two of them were amazing, one was good, one mediocre and one quite poor; not bad for only a month old. I expect to be drawn back for those two great ones and with Lahey's creative mind it is no doubt there will be other delicious creations on the menu soon. If you are looking for a comparison to other pizzerias don't try to compare it to the big name slice or traditional joints, think more L'asso or Frannys (which in my opinion Co. is much better than), the creative, contemporary pizza spots with plenty of high-quality ingredients. Enjoy, and keep eating.
230 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001, 212-243-1105, Reservations - Not Available, Price - Moderate
The space reminds me of Ssam Bar or Ko, minimalist decor, with a heavy emphasis on modern wood paneling. Large windows allow plenty of sunlight, and the dreary views of 9th Ave, while a small bar offers seating for close to 12 people. Sitting in the corner at a large 5 top, we had a great view of the space and quickly settled in and scanned the menu. The offerings have changed a few times since the spot first opened, but for the most part there are always 7 pies with a rotating special. Fortunately for us, being a large party allowed for the opportunity to try a number of pies so we quickly ordered up.
To start we had two salads, the Butter Lettuce and Escarole salads. The Escarole salad came with bread crumbs, anchovies, capers, lemon and olive oil, while the Butter Lettuce came with roasted butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, lemon and olive oil. I was glad we ordered these salad to help provide some greens in our lunch diet, but neither was remarkable and at $7, they were quite similar and small.
We came here for pizza and that's what we looked forward too. Each pizza came out at a different time, not too sure why, but it worked to our benefit, allowing us to enjoy each creation straight out of the oven. We first attacked the Flambe, a gooey, cheesey creation with plenty of large bacon chunks scattered atop it. The bechamel, parmesan and buffalo mozzarella melded perfectly with the sweet carmelized onions and salty bacon. The Flambe, in my opinion, is enough reason to visit Jim Lahey's Co.. Next on the docket was the special pie, topped with sausage, leeks and breadcrumbs (the other details escape me) and a pretty intense char around one side of the pie. Despite the char, which for the most part I enjoyed, the pizza was good, but just missing something. A little salt would have gone a long way here, but the combination of ingedients did work well. Halfway through our pizza fest the much talked about Ham and Cheese pie was plopped down in the center of the table. A gorgeous pie, blanketed by paper-thin slices of proscuitto, you could actually see the charred spots through the delicious strands of pork. Beneath the meat was pecorino, gruyere, buffalo mozzarella and caraway seeds, which added a creamy, sweet and salty note to the pizza. The fatty ends of the proscuitto melted into the crust, a beautiful sight we quickly gobbled up.
The tail end of our lunch featured the simplest pies, the Amalfi and Margherita. The Amalfi, described as having green olives, anchovies and chilis was remarkably underwhelming. It was presented by Chef/Breadmaker/Pizza Guy Jim Lahey with the comment "we tried something a little different here", but we were never really told what was different. Regardless, the pungent anchovies we longed for were hiding somewhere we couldn't find them and the chilis overpowered every flavor of the pie. The Margherita, the standard to which I hold all pizzeria's against, was unfortunately dissappointing. A slightly different dough preparation than the others, which by the way were all very delicious, crispy and thin, this dough was a bit more pillowy. The dough wasn't the problem though, an overly sweet and watery tomato sauce left pools of liquid scattered over the pie and the lack of sufficient cheese left half the pie relatively naked. The saving grace was when we bit into a cheesy, basil topped bite with a thin layer of sauce, but these were few and far between.
Overall Co. offers some superb pizzas, albeit expensive, the restaurant has plenty of promise. Service during lunch was good, attentive and kind, and when split amongst a few diners it is easy to keep the cost down and try a number of items. Ordering wine quickly rises the price, but it's all about the pizza here, and of the five we had, two of them were amazing, one was good, one mediocre and one quite poor; not bad for only a month old. I expect to be drawn back for those two great ones and with Lahey's creative mind it is no doubt there will be other delicious creations on the menu soon. If you are looking for a comparison to other pizzerias don't try to compare it to the big name slice or traditional joints, think more L'asso or Frannys (which in my opinion Co. is much better than), the creative, contemporary pizza spots with plenty of high-quality ingredients. Enjoy, and keep eating.
230 9th Ave, New York, NY 10001, 212-243-1105, Reservations - Not Available, Price - Moderate
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Valentines Day Meal Roundup
Valentines Day is cause for many to gather the cash (or credit card) and book a table at the hottest, most romantic recipe in the city. But that's just the problem. Valentines Day is an overpriced, overhyped day of spending which brings out some of the more sappy menu items seen all year. Some restaurants offer great deals and book up fast, others, well others fill there menus with oysters, lobster and champagne, charging a premium and reeling in unsuspecting diners. This year was different with more couples (or hopeful couples) dining at home than ever before. With everyone saving more money these days it is no surprise. For me, a home cooked meal was just the plan, as it generally is, but this year was special. I had landed a complimentary rack of American Lamb, meaty, fresh and already "Frenched" so this was the centerpiece of the meal. The three course meal went as follows:
1. Roasted Beet Salad with Frisee Lettuce, Toasted Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Champagne Vinaigrette
2. Pistachio Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb Wrapped in Bacon with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and a Kale White Bean Saute
3. Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with a Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust
The salad, a common menu item at restaurants around the country was simple and only required a light vinaigrette of champagne vinegar, good olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and honey.
The rack of American Lamb recipe was adapted from a Ferran Adria recipe on Food & Wine. Adria may be known for his molecular gastronomy at El Bulli, but this shows another side of his cooking (and genius). I took Adria's lead, but made my own changes, choosing bacon over pancetta, adding some lemon juice into the pesto, making extra pesto and choosing to prepare the scallions a slightly different way. Regardless, the combination of the fresh herbs, delightful pistachios and fatty bacon melded perfectly with the lamb and made for a great lunch the next day. The rack was cut into double chops and served with roasted fingerling potatoes (cooked with thyme, cayenne and garlic)
and a saute of kale, white beans, lemon juice, nutmeg and vegetable stock.
To wrap up the meal my beautiful girlfriend decided to make a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake complete with homemade cinnamon graham cracker crust. The cake was appropriately sweet with hints of slightly sour raspberry and an addictive crust (my favorite part).
We paired a Pinot Noir with the American Lamb which kept up with the bold flavors while a Port from Portugal helped us wash down the cheesecake. All in all, one of the best Valentines Day meals I've had in or out of a restaurant.
1. Roasted Beet Salad with Frisee Lettuce, Toasted Walnuts, Goat Cheese and Champagne Vinaigrette
2. Pistachio Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb Wrapped in Bacon with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes and a Kale White Bean Saute
3. Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake with a Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crust
The salad, a common menu item at restaurants around the country was simple and only required a light vinaigrette of champagne vinegar, good olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and honey.The rack of American Lamb recipe was adapted from a Ferran Adria recipe on Food & Wine. Adria may be known for his molecular gastronomy at El Bulli, but this shows another side of his cooking (and genius). I took Adria's lead, but made my own changes, choosing bacon over pancetta, adding some lemon juice into the pesto, making extra pesto and choosing to prepare the scallions a slightly different way. Regardless, the combination of the fresh herbs, delightful pistachios and fatty bacon melded perfectly with the lamb and made for a great lunch the next day. The rack was cut into double chops and served with roasted fingerling potatoes (cooked with thyme, cayenne and garlic)
and a saute of kale, white beans, lemon juice, nutmeg and vegetable stock.
To wrap up the meal my beautiful girlfriend decided to make a white chocolate raspberry cheesecake complete with homemade cinnamon graham cracker crust. The cake was appropriately sweet with hints of slightly sour raspberry and an addictive crust (my favorite part).
We paired a Pinot Noir with the American Lamb which kept up with the bold flavors while a Port from Portugal helped us wash down the cheesecake. All in all, one of the best Valentines Day meals I've had in or out of a restaurant.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
The Newbies: Promise and Warnings
This past week two places opened up in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, Cornelius the new scotch/bourbon/vodka bar in the old Noona space and Cataldo's the Italian-American, red sauce spot next to Le Gamin. Both very different, targeting different locals and only days old. I've been excited about both, seeing a new watering hole and a hopeful step up to the poor slice joints (Antonio's and Gino's) within a short walking distance from my home.
First stop, Cornelius, the handsome bar/restaurant on the corner of Pacific and Vanderbilt. Formerly the home of Noona, a modern Korean spot from the owners of Soda and Le Gamin. With a few decorative and structural details remaining from the previous restaurant Cornelius is a very warm, inviting, comfortable space. A long bar extends through more than half of the restaurant with banquets and a rear, slightly elevated, space rounding out the seating. More importantly, the bar is a drinkers dream. Stacked with bottles upon bottles of all varieties of scotch, bourbon, whiskey and vodka you could go for months without trying the same bottle twice. Our final count was 90 whiskeys, scotches and bourbons, but that didn't even include anything below the counter or in storage. A cocktail menu is also impressive, not as much as the neighboring Weather Up, but these drinks still hold their own and at $10 they are reasonably priced for the quality. A booklet with all of the drinks appears endless and prices for the most part stay under $16 for everything, but the super high-end pours and flights are available for everything on the menu.
When it comes to food I had high expectations. Former sous-chef from Freemans, Michelle Hanna, offers a menu originally clad with fried chicken, burgers, pulled pork sliders and more. I saw a new weekly spot in the making. Much to my dismay not only did they change the menu right before opening, but the food was just not executed that well. I ordered the burger ($10) which came with cheddar, housemade pickles and fries, but what I got was sadly embarrassing. A brioche bun (housemade and quite dry) hid my burger from sight and was coated with the thinnest piece of yellow cheddar, so thin I was able to see right through the cheese. It is a pet peeve of mine when a bun is bigger than the burger. I do not order burgers for bread, but for meat, so why would someone give me more bread than meat? Fries were matchstick, fast-food type fries that were just boring. A salad of roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, figs and arugula was simple, pleasing and more satisfying than the burger, which by the way was over cooked. Although my first food experience was disappointing I will give the food another shot, perhaps the pulled pork sliders or mac and cheese, and even if the food fails I know there is now a new watering hole, one with an amazing amount of unique, well-priced alcohols that will surely keep me busy.
Just a few yards away is Cataldo's, a new Italian-American red sauce joint next to French spot Le Gamin. Cataldo's was a welcome addition in my eyes, a new option for red sauce that won't run my wallet dry. They don't sell slices, but when you want a chicken parm or other similar sandwich or platter it's always good to have a solid option, especially one that delivers. Walking in I was a bit caught off guard. The restaurant is rather small when it comes to seating, but more importantly a giant counter full of hot steam trays contains the pasta's, meatballs, lasagna and more. I was a bit confused, not expecting to see this outside of a dining hall, cafeteria or even hole in the wall joint with a lack of retail space. Here we have a rather large restaurant that has a huge steam counter taking up valuable seating. Oh well, I don't know the details, or blueprints of the place so moving on.
I was immediately deterred from ordering any pasta or chicken/veal/meatball variety as it appeared nothing was made to order so pizza it was. A wood-fired pizza oven, decorated with a unique stone pattern rests in the back. Pizza's were pulled out every so often and they looked quite large. Ordering up two pizzas, an artichoke, mushroom and olive pie, and the sausage and broccoli rabe pie. Excited for both, that excitement quickly faded when the pies were brought to the table. The first pie, with the artichoke and mushrooms, was full of canned vegetables. Canned artichokes, canned mushrooms (seriously?!), canned olives and what tasted like a canned sauce. It was bland, limp and overall a disaster. The sausage and broccoli rabe pie was a bit more enjoyable, but still fell quite short of being good. Low quality sausage topped extremely bitter broccoli rabe (a little acid would have gone a long way here) and again the bland sauce and limp crust appeared. Making it half way through the two pies (each are 12") we gave up, no longer hungry or enjoying the pizza. Disappointing, very, but I hope the place does well. In these troubling economic times I wish every restaurant success. Even if I did not enjoy my experience, others may, but I will be taking my money elsewhere.
Cornelius: 565 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 718-398-6662, Reservations - Not Needed, Price - Inexpensive/Moderate ($15-30/person)
Cataldo's: 554 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 718-857-6700, Reservations - Not Needed, Price - Inexpensive ($10-20/person)
First stop, Cornelius, the handsome bar/restaurant on the corner of Pacific and Vanderbilt. Formerly the home of Noona, a modern Korean spot from the owners of Soda and Le Gamin. With a few decorative and structural details remaining from the previous restaurant Cornelius is a very warm, inviting, comfortable space. A long bar extends through more than half of the restaurant with banquets and a rear, slightly elevated, space rounding out the seating. More importantly, the bar is a drinkers dream. Stacked with bottles upon bottles of all varieties of scotch, bourbon, whiskey and vodka you could go for months without trying the same bottle twice. Our final count was 90 whiskeys, scotches and bourbons, but that didn't even include anything below the counter or in storage. A cocktail menu is also impressive, not as much as the neighboring Weather Up, but these drinks still hold their own and at $10 they are reasonably priced for the quality. A booklet with all of the drinks appears endless and prices for the most part stay under $16 for everything, but the super high-end pours and flights are available for everything on the menu.
When it comes to food I had high expectations. Former sous-chef from Freemans, Michelle Hanna, offers a menu originally clad with fried chicken, burgers, pulled pork sliders and more. I saw a new weekly spot in the making. Much to my dismay not only did they change the menu right before opening, but the food was just not executed that well. I ordered the burger ($10) which came with cheddar, housemade pickles and fries, but what I got was sadly embarrassing. A brioche bun (housemade and quite dry) hid my burger from sight and was coated with the thinnest piece of yellow cheddar, so thin I was able to see right through the cheese. It is a pet peeve of mine when a bun is bigger than the burger. I do not order burgers for bread, but for meat, so why would someone give me more bread than meat? Fries were matchstick, fast-food type fries that were just boring. A salad of roasted tomatoes, goat cheese, figs and arugula was simple, pleasing and more satisfying than the burger, which by the way was over cooked. Although my first food experience was disappointing I will give the food another shot, perhaps the pulled pork sliders or mac and cheese, and even if the food fails I know there is now a new watering hole, one with an amazing amount of unique, well-priced alcohols that will surely keep me busy.
Just a few yards away is Cataldo's, a new Italian-American red sauce joint next to French spot Le Gamin. Cataldo's was a welcome addition in my eyes, a new option for red sauce that won't run my wallet dry. They don't sell slices, but when you want a chicken parm or other similar sandwich or platter it's always good to have a solid option, especially one that delivers. Walking in I was a bit caught off guard. The restaurant is rather small when it comes to seating, but more importantly a giant counter full of hot steam trays contains the pasta's, meatballs, lasagna and more. I was a bit confused, not expecting to see this outside of a dining hall, cafeteria or even hole in the wall joint with a lack of retail space. Here we have a rather large restaurant that has a huge steam counter taking up valuable seating. Oh well, I don't know the details, or blueprints of the place so moving on.
I was immediately deterred from ordering any pasta or chicken/veal/meatball variety as it appeared nothing was made to order so pizza it was. A wood-fired pizza oven, decorated with a unique stone pattern rests in the back. Pizza's were pulled out every so often and they looked quite large. Ordering up two pizzas, an artichoke, mushroom and olive pie, and the sausage and broccoli rabe pie. Excited for both, that excitement quickly faded when the pies were brought to the table. The first pie, with the artichoke and mushrooms, was full of canned vegetables. Canned artichokes, canned mushrooms (seriously?!), canned olives and what tasted like a canned sauce. It was bland, limp and overall a disaster. The sausage and broccoli rabe pie was a bit more enjoyable, but still fell quite short of being good. Low quality sausage topped extremely bitter broccoli rabe (a little acid would have gone a long way here) and again the bland sauce and limp crust appeared. Making it half way through the two pies (each are 12") we gave up, no longer hungry or enjoying the pizza. Disappointing, very, but I hope the place does well. In these troubling economic times I wish every restaurant success. Even if I did not enjoy my experience, others may, but I will be taking my money elsewhere.
Cornelius: 565 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 718-398-6662, Reservations - Not Needed, Price - Inexpensive/Moderate ($15-30/person)
Cataldo's: 554 Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 718-857-6700, Reservations - Not Needed, Price - Inexpensive ($10-20/person)
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