Categories
Experiences The Chef

Fading Jazz in Harlem

Via Twitter, I was forwarded an article from Black Enterprise announcing that the Lenox Lounge will be closing by New Year.  The owner cites an increase in rent by more than double as a primary reason for shuttering.

This is disturbing news, but not all that surprising.  The gentrification of Harlem has been going on for almost twenty years now, with a real surge in the change of the demographics during the last five years.

After 2000, the last time I estimate a family of four could buy property for a reasonable mortgage, the housing market in NYC inflated.  Buyers had to stretch elsewhere to find value and affordability.  First Washington Heights, then Inwood, Williamsburg and Astoria, East Harlem and West Harlem.  I missed out on buying a classic six on 175th street and Fort Washington Avenue in 2000.  The price was $220,000.   A couple bought a two bedroom for $130,000.00 in the same building and flipped the apartment three years later for four times the purchase price. That classic six today is going for $1.1 million.

In Harlem, east and west, brownstone and townhouse shells were going for $300,000. – $400,000.,  leading to a parade of downtown buyers who were willing to sacrifice neighborhood for more space and less cost.  The city initiative to build affordable housing for qualified applicants also contributed to gentrification.  I lived on 117th street and FDB for two years, and watched how businesses sprouted up to meet the interests of the changing population.  I worked on 120th street and first avenue for seven years and witnessed a number of city subsidized coops built for those downtowners who were looking for value in a competitive market.

And so, Starbucks moves in.  That’s how it starts.  Then Duane Reade, Rite Aid, bank ATMS, Old Navy, and H & M.  Familiar stores for the new consumers.   Stores that can’t make the rent get pushed out.   Landlords seize the opportunity to charge higher rents. The city collects more tax and real estate tax revenues.

There are positive effects too.  From 113th street to 120th street and FDB restaurants have opened and flourished forming a Harlem restaurant row.  There are more jobs openings, and more housing to be built.  The projects still remain and are being squeezed out, maybe for the better.

But what is happening to the mom and pop stores, so vital to the neighborhood’s character?  Who are they being replaced by?  It is one thing to “clean up” the neighborhood, but at what cost?

So many stores I used to patronize are now closed, from bakery, to Jamaican pastry shop, to thrift shop.  Just like Shakespeare & Co. on the Upper West Side when they got kicked to the curb by Barnes & Nobles.  And now Amazon will eventually do the same.  Or when Rosita on 106th Street and Broadway got replaced by KFC.

Tenants live on, holding on to their value apartments hoping for a real neighborhood to emerge.  But what is really happening is a slow mallification, where every neighborhood looks the same as is defined by the type of residents and people in it.  I sometimes walk down Columbus Avenue and can’t tell whether I am in Cleveland, Minnesota or Florida.  Only Central park reminds me that I am in New York City.

And so, a new kind of place opens up in Harlem, the Red Rooster.  A European/Black celebrity chef creating a place and a cuisine that crosses borders and boundaries, an egalitarian foodie destination.  Seems to be working out well for all.  Softens the blow for mom and pop closings. But the homogenized atmosphere has no soul, the essence of any place in Harlem. I have a friend named Georgia who opened up a café but ultimately could not compete and had to close.  Why?  Maybe she was a poor business person.  Maybe she wasn’t supported by the new demographic, and the old demographic didn’t understand her either.  Surely rent and real estate taxes had something to do with it.  And what of Nectar and Harlem Vintage, products of mismanagement? Perhaps.  They can be replaced by bigger corporation brands that have deep pockets.  No loss here.  But the slope continues, and stalwarts like the Lenox Lounge become the next target.  The effect that this closing will have on the neighborhood cannot be measured in dollars and cents.  It affects the psychology of a culture, its heritage, roots and pride.  It removes and sense of history and place, replacing those vital elements of a neighborhood without which there will be a lack of identity.  This has been happening all over the city, with Harlem being the last of the important NYC communities with a discernible face and historical value.

The solution is not so simple.  Under the current system, capitalism reigns supreme.  If you can’t pay the rent, get out.  If you can’t pay the city taxes, real estate taxes, fines, costs for doing business, get out.  If you got hurt by hurricane Sandy and can’t pay your bills, oh well, get out.  If you can’t afford to live in this city according to market rent, oh well, while the city needs you to work here, it doesn’t give you privilege to also live here.  Get out.

The City could do plenty to alleviate some of these problems.  First, the arcane real estate tax code needs to be completely overhauled.  As a small business owner, I am paying 30% above my base rent to the city per annum because of “real estate tax increases.”  Landlords word leases to pass these costs onto commercial renters.  For Duane Reade, this is no problem.  For mom and pop, this could mean the difference between opening or closing.

Certainly some type of tax relief in the wake of businesses affected by Sandy is an order, and would help in the long run for the financial stability of many small businesses.  City built buildings should rent to small businesses to promote community and entrepreneurship.  The City builds these affordable housing, so they should control the rents.

I recently read an article regarding how Iceland attacked its fiscal crisis.  Rather than bailing out the banks, they bailed out the people.  A novel idea, but a rationale that people with their mortgages and small business owners who live and work and provide work  in this city need help and solutions, not more capitalistic, Darwinian attitudes and practices.  Beware, fore in another ten years, there will be no Harlem, just like Hell’s Kitchen became Clinton.  New York City will look and feel like any other U.S. metropolis, and that would be a legacy our mayor and city government will have to take responsibility for.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Experiences The Chef

Question?

After reading Pete Wells’ scathing review on Guy Fieri’s Times Square restaurant, and the ensuing controversy it has caused, I have been reflecting on my own restaurant review process, as well as trying to make sense of all the drama and discussion.

Taking advice from a former food critic, in reviewing a restaurant, criticizing the food service or ambiance is a responsibility of the journalism, but to outright bash a place serves no purpose.  It is better to write no review at all than to destroy a restaurant.  This holds true for many reasons.  For one, livelihoods are at stake.  It is one thing for celebrity chefs or investors to plunk down tons of money into a restaurant project.  They know what the risk is and have deep pockets.  But the people who rely on the work as their livelihood, now that is a different story.

Pete Wells’ review would have been more credible if it were less sarcastic and smug in tone.  Outsiders (non-New Yorkers will red it as NY snobbery).  Guy Fieri has many mainstream fans who will defend his idea of American comfort food.  The tourists who come to New York City and visit Times Square will also patronize Guy Fieri because of his personality and television exposure.  The probability is that most of these tourists don’t read the New York Times as a source of information anyway.

I can understand the choice to review Guy Fieri’s restaurant given the location, two blocks from the NYTimes headquarters, the celebrity status of Guy Fieri, and all the press.  But if Pete Wells’ agenda is to place that restaurant and its concept on par with any fine dining establishment which the column was created for in the first place, he has missed the mark.  There are so many hard working people who run restaurants that deserve reviewing.

The point is not to review Olive Garden, TGIF and other chain restaurants, or to inform people on how bad the food is for your health, taste buds or wallet.  These are obvious facts to any educated consumers, much less NYTimes subscribers.  No New Yorker worth his/her foodie moniker would eat at these establishments for free.  But an indictment on Guy’s resto is more than just criticism on a a celebrity chef phoning it in, it speaks to the average American DDD diner as a whole.  Your palate stinks, you eat too much junk and if you want to eat at this crapshoot you get what you deserve.  Indeed people do.  Many, if not the majority of people, will continue to eat fast food and guzzle 64 ounce beverages, and dare I say it, vote Republican.  The truth is that people have the choice and actually like it.

I have reviewed a few restaurants on my blog, and have stopped doing so for a couple of reasons.  For one it is expensive to go to a place three or four times to be fair about the totality of the experience on a personal budget.  Two, I often find myself disappointed or on the other side of popular opinion.  I think New York City dining is a fad driven culture with many people who don’t actually reside in New York forming opinions simply because it is cool to be in a hot new place.   If the media tells them it is good, foodies will follow.  I have eaten at scores of places where I was not treated well by the service, the hostess, the food was sub-par, the wine service was spotty, and the bill not worth what I received in value.  Instead of destroying the place in some type of personal review of my experience, I simply don’t recommend it to people I know.

In this blogging age, anyone (including myself) can be a food writer, I proffer that just because one has an opinion doesn’t give licence to be mean, hurtful, untruthful and damaging in their words.  This is the problem with YELP, as no one can police the site’s vitriol and garbage, and no one can verify the authenticity of the reviewer.  When someone writes that the pasta special sucked one night, when no such special existed on the menu, YELP does not fact check, and what does that remind you of?

I contend that Pete Wells should never have used the top restaurant column to review such an obvious restaurant.  He could have blogged about it or written a piece under the travel section.  But since he did see fit to review it, then he should have treated it like he would any other restaurant.  Talk about the food and drinks critically, the quality of service and the ambiance.  His words and questions only serve to infuriate the masses of tourists who come to New York to spend money.  There are many ways to indicate to the NYT readership that this is not a place for them, and perhaps would be better off at Le Bernardin.

I liken it to how I approach wine.  I might not enjoy a 15% new world, oaky Zinfandel, but I will not bash it.  I will assess its qualities and simply choose not to drink it.  Some people may in fact like pretzel chicken fingers and nuclear blue watermelon margaritas.  A reviewer’s job is to judge the quality of the subject, even if it goes against personal taste.  There is a good probability that Pete was right about his experiences with the food, drinks, and service.  My taste is more aligned to his than someone who would prefer that type of cuisine.  But not taking a palate other than his own into consideration, or treating the review seriously shows a biased, ugly disposition.

Hopefully Guy and his staff will work out the kinks, and Pete can get it together for future reviews.

 

 

Categories
Experiences The Chef

#SHOP EV

In order to be safe from the perils of Hurricane Sandy, the mayor ordered us to stay home, as long as we did not reside in one of the evacuation zones.  Since I reside in the Upper West Side away from Central Park and the Hudson River, there was no loss of power, water, or trees crashing through my 14th floor apartment windows. There can be a guilty feeling associated with being safe from a natural disaster, while others not too far from you are dying in accidents, and homes and businesses are being demolished by trees and water.

I get the same feeling every time I hear of the dangers of living in Haiti, a people who have just suffered the brunt of Hurricane Sandy before us.  I am part Haitian, from my mother’s side of the family, and I can’t help but feeling fortunate that I am not enduring the catastrophes that seem never-ending.

When I get past those initial feelings, I wish blessings to all who have endured Hurricane Sandy and are dealing with the aftermath of damages and expenses.

As we wait for the infrastructure to be up and running again, anxiety sets in as to how to repair the damages and move forward.  Some businesses have been totaled or severely damaged.  The major concern is to reopen, electricity permitting, so as to get back on track to pay the bills.

Most insurance policies will not cover these losses and that is a stark reality. As a small business owner in this economy, I always urge supporting small businesses lest the landscape of our neighborhoods change into a chain store/mall permanently.  Now more than ever is the time to do something about it, by getting out and supporting your neighborhood shop, who besides damages, are looking to lose at least a week of sales.  Landlords will not relent, nor will the tax man, and some of us who have been just squeaking by are looking at serious debt, or worse, closure.

After assessing the damages at Pata Negra, we will open, even without power, with candles, a boom box, wine, jamon and cheese.  Please come down, and I don’t mean just on Friday and Saturday nights.

To help keep all of your favorite places open I urge you to shop East Village, #shopEV.

Updates on www.patanegratapas.com, twitter @ChezChefmateo.com

May you all be safe, and speedy recovery back to a normal life.

Chef Mateo

 

 

 

 

Categories
Drinking Eating Experiences Food The Chef Travel Wine

Oh Sherry,

Sherryfest is happening here in New York City this week, and before one can say that sherry has arrived, I might argue that it has always been here, albeit not commonly consumed or appreciated, but revered and sought increasingly by those who seek excellence in all their wines.

Sherryfest is an idea put into reality by Rosemary Grey and Peter Liem, two people who dared to dream that even if a select few drink sherry, they do so proudly, eschewing the common thought that sherry is cheap wine made in bulk, that a real renaissance is upon us, that sherry marries well with food, and can sit right up there with the most exquisite wines of the world.

Aside from putting together this Sherryfest, this gathering of great Spanish producers in the great international American city that is Gotham, Peter Liem, a Champagne aficionado and wine writer has inked Sherry, Manzanilla & Montilla, a comprehensive guide to the traditional wines of Andalusia, with Jesus Barquin, one of the dynamic duo that has brought us Equipo Navazos, flying winemakers who strike deals with bodegas to create special cuvees of top sherry, at the forefront that is currently the sherry revolution.

The Grand tasting was held at The Ace Hotel, coordinated by Carla Rzeszewski, whose passion for all things sherry is second to none, creating an electric atmosphere for tasting sherries from several top producers.  Present were twenty bodegas with a long tradition and history of winemaking who have persevered during a down time in Jerez, but continue to stay ahead of the curve and offer wines of purity and integrity.

Having spent a week back in late May this past year, I had the privilege of visiting several of these bodegas and producers, and it was so warm to see many old friends.  A cerebral gaze into the eyes of Lorenzo Garcia-Iglesias  A Californian high five with Steve Cook of Barbadillo, a gentleman’s handshake with Jan Petterson of Fernando de Castilla, topped only by a genuine hug from the lovely Ana Cabestrero of El Maestro Sierra.  I miss Dona Carmen too.

Absent were the wines from Equipo Navazos, who is in part responsible for raising the quality of sherry and garnering a tremendous amount of press of late.  It would have been nice to have seen Eduardo and Jesus, whose pride and knowledge of sherry is top notch.

The exhaustion of a long day of tasting was masked by the smiles of the winemakers and their representatives, such a large turnout for sherry overwhelming satisfying their efforts.

I would have stayed for the whole event, but had a few more errands to run at the Union Square farmer’s market to get the final ingredients for one of the scheduled Sherryfest producer dinners, one of which Pata Negra was hosting.  The reps from Barbadillo and Emilio Hidalgo arrived early, weary from the day thirsty for Mahou beer and Jamon.

Then the party kicked off at seven, sherry flowing, and pata negra glistening, magical, classic pairings anchoring a good old fashioned tapas fiesta.  Pimientos de Padron, Pata Negra bacon,  bacalao crudo, tortilla, morcilla, chorizo, gambas, croquetas, datiles, just to name a few dishes.  The Solear Manzanilla en Rama was my favorite, as well as the Villapanes Oloroso, La Panesa, and the Obispo Gascon Palo Cortado.

The night ended at The Beagle, a beacon for sherry selection often infused in their ingenious cocktail service, with event organizers, planners and staffers winding down with leftover bottles and delicious drinks.  Great hospitality from the new-look Beagle.  The East Village just gets yummier and yummier.

There are seminars scheduled for the next two days as well as other evening events.  There is still time to join on the fun and Get Flor’d.

What does this all mean?  For me Sherryfest is a good example of what happens when a group of people are passionate about something. Sitting outdoors at Gaspar Restaurant in Chipione on the beach, I recall a conversations with friends and industry people about bringing and promoting all the excitement of our trip to Jerez, Sanlucar, and Montilla back with us.  The night sky and moon in the background, the aroma of manzanilla in the air, bottle after bottle of Solear and shrimp and snails, pimientos and fried fish. I remember being pessimistic, speaking about advanced palates and educated consumers.  The truth is sherry is a wine to love, with pleasure on many levels from the quaffable to the profound.  The dream becomes a think tank, and forms collaborations and relationships to create awareness and celebrate it in a meaningful and fun way.  It shows that the preservation of tradition is paramount, and that by spreading the word to even a few, the seeds are planted and can grow without limits.  Just check out the number of restos offering sherry on wine lists now.

Get Flor’d.  Indeed.

Categories
Drinking Eating Experiences Food Travel Wine

Masters of Vermont

Each year I head over to Europe just before the tourist high season kicks in.  For me it is a great time to visit winemakers and the most agreeable time weather-wise before the heat becomes a factor.

This time when I returned from Italy/Ireland/Spain in early June, Pata Negra had been running on fumes.  My head waiter Gaspar had been ill from exhaustion, and the search for capable server staff had proven futile.  This was a blessing in disguise of course, as I was able to take the reins for nearly two months straight.  There is something to be said for getting back in the woodshop, as it were, and I enjoyed a fruitful, albeit swarthy reintroduction to my customers.  By the time the humidity cooled off in August I was gasping for some fresh air, peace and quiet.  The North Fork looked good on paper, but this late in the season, there were slim rental pickings.  I finally settled on Vermont, a haven I am familiar with from past ski trips, and an unexplored territory for summer jaunts.

I did my research through VRBO and HomeAway.  I found both sites full of options to my criteria.  About four hours drive, secluded, but near a Lake, State Park, and half hour drives to towns and points of interest.  Got a hit on HomeAway for a chalet in Ludlow, surrounded by trees and Okemo mountain range.

So with a rental car at Hertz, GPS, and old school maps, we (girlfriend Michelle and I) were Vermont bound.  We took Routes 684 to 84 to 91.  Save for two traffic construction delays we hit Putney in four hours.  Why Putney?  For Curtis BBQ of course.  Right off Exit 4 juxtaposed to the Mobil gas station is Curtis BBQ, two school buses painted blue and reconfigured to serve as kitchens.   Park the car, step up and order.  Then head over to the man-made BBQ pit and watch Curtis work his magic alongside his guardian pig C.J.  You can get ribs or chicken, slathered with Curtis’ special sauce.  When you chat with pit masters like Curtis I often get the sense that they have something figured out in this life, that time spent barbecuing is time spent thinking wisely.  Curtis is a master and an evolved soul.   When the grub is ready, you pick a park bench with the least amount of flies and critters and chow down.  Falling off the bone chicken with perfect degree of smoke, tender rubs slathered in that special finger lickin’ sauce.  Plenty of good sides like baked potato with all the trimmings, corn on the cob, or potato salad, all washed down with beer you bring or Vermont style root beer and sasparilla sodas.  Satisfaction Guaranteed.

The house was better than advertised with a huge porch and backyard facing Okemo.  During the day, the trees communicate by shaking in the wind.  At night it’s just you and the stars.

Now I had been to Ludlow before and knew of some staples, such as Singleton’s in Proctorsville where you can get all the meat you need for the grill.  The Hatchery is also a go to place for standard Vermont breakfast.  Goodman’s American Pie is still cranking out the best wood fired pizza pies.  The Wine and cheese shop still offer a great selection of both.  Got some cheese from Jasper Hill.  The wine selection was also varied and well chosen.  I even found some Poiré from Eric Bordelet.

We had a really nice lunch at Heritage Deli, perfect Reuben sandwich and feathery French toast, but we found ourselves returning to the Country Girls Diner in Chester, taken over last summer by you guessed who (country women), offering fabulous blueberry pancakes and pies to boot.  It’s the kind of place run by the ladies that you could see yourself going every day for breakfast or lunch.  I didn’t have the courage to try their monster (two grilled sandwiches between a burger or eggs), but enjoyed the regular sized food very much.

We dined at the Inn at Weathersfield, one of the quintessential farm to table restos Vermont is known for, and had a very balanced meal.  A half bottle of Bauer Gruner Veltliner and Begali Ripasso paired well with the New American cuisine of Chef  Jason Tostrup .  The trout was clean, crespelle plate cleaned out and short ribs succulent. Chef Jason is still on his game.

At Manchester, after an afternoon of outlet shopping, there is a new Mediterranean themed menu anchored by pizzas named Depot 62.  Sit down on the furniture (everything is for sale), order a glass of wine and browse, the pieces offered are artisanal and eclectic, albeit pricey.  The hummus is good, the tagines earthy, and the pizza tasty.  Depending on how much wine consumed, you might leave with a piece to put in the trunk.

Even found a legit place for lobster rolls at Bob’s Antique shop, another dual business model where you can peruse through a large house of great antique pieces and nosh on a meaty and well-seasoned lobster roll.  One night we ordered a couple of three pounders, took them home for a steam with some corn, and delighted in some succulent lobster meat with drawn butter.  Paired great with young Muscadet.

By far the most cherished discovery is The Downtown Grocery, across from the wine and cheese shop.  The team at this humble eatery is top-notch, from Chef Rogan Lechthaler to Matthew on cocktails, to Abby working the front of the house.  We were in Vermont a week and visited three times.  Had they been open Tuesdays or Wednesdays, make that five.  What is the formula for their success?  Real cooking, great hospitality and sincerity.  The menus changes slightly, nightly.  One night a porchetta, the next magret.  Start off with steamed pork buns, or a luxurious corn soup, or spicy mussels with a curry aioli.  Specials included Plew Farms chicken crostini and Long Island blowfish tails.  Finish with buttermilk bacon ice cream or ginger lemongrass sorbet.  There’s a value mind-blowing $25. Prixe-fixe.  Outstanding.  I don’t know how they do it.

One night at the bar, Matthew poured us some of his fishhouse summer punch, a great expression of his techniques and bartending skill.  We tried most of the cocktails on the menu.   They would stack up to any mixologist in New York.  Like I said, sad only in that they closed two days before we departed back for NYC.

Perseid painted the night sky dreamy for us one starry evening, trailing trains of wishes on those bright tails.  We sipped Croft Vintage port and wondered at the heavens, how small we all are in the grand scheme of things.

A week later, on our way back to the grind and the city of hustle, we stopped of at Curtis again for take out, along with the obligatory maple syrup and jams, so Vermont could linger just a bit longer with us when we got home.