Category: The Chef

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The Chef Wine

Spanish Picnic

Just before you head up to the attic to bring out those fall sweaters, Mother Nature has left us just enough sunshine to enjoy a scant few picnics at one of the big apple’s many parks. Barbecue if you can, but as many a Texan will chide you with a stiff upper lip, most New Yorkers mix up this religious practice with grilling. A trip to Despana store on Broome St. for some jamon y queso is all that you require, and of course a proper bottle or two of wine.

Start with a rosé, move on to white, and twilight in style. This summer, time and time again, I reached for a Spanish wine, as Spanish winemakers are in the midst of a renaissance. More and more producers are stepping up to the plate, led by trailblazers such as the Palacios brothers. My favorite rosado (rosé) this summer has been the Artazu Artazuri, a dry, crisp, clean 100% garnacha (Grenache), full-bodied, versatile and yet another example not to dismiss rosés. Jean Leon of La Scala fame continues to produce world class wines. Try the Muscat blend, with parellada and a touch of gewurtraminer. This honeysuckled wine gives tickles and surprises.

The indigenous Spanish whites have also seen better production. Albarino, the famous grape from Rias Baixas, has always been the pride of Spain for white wines. Don Olegario crafts a delicious albarino which is easily the best I’ve tasted here in the U.S. market. Verdejo, from Rueda, is also making a splash. The wines are crisp and apply, with plenty of acidity, making it easy to pair with all types of seafood. Bodegas Nieva produces a baseline blanco and a complex Pie Franco, easily the best white wine I’ve tasted this summer. The vines are ungrafted and are over 100 years old. For a comparative blend, pick up Las Brisas from Bodegas Naia, a mixture of sauvignon blanc, verdejo, and viura. This summer sipper delivers aromas of citrus.

Palacios turns in the Placet, a 100% viura that’s just summer peaches. The wine is organically crafted and elegant. If you are looking for a more serious white wine, pick up a bottle of As Sortes, a Chablis-like wine with minerality, racing acidity, and broad-textured balance.

So bid farewell to the summer with a proper glass of wine, a good spread, a memory of the sunset, and a loved one(s) next to you.

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The Chef

Bun Bun

Ever since I tasted the pork bun at Momofuku, I’ve been hooked. Homemade steamed bread filled with glorious Berkshire roast pork and scallions. Wouldn’t it be great if hot dog vendors would also sell these mouth watering Chinese street sandwiches?

At Province, a Chinese Canteen located on the corner of Church and Walker, nothing about the décor distracts you from its purpose; devour as many pork sandwiches as Wimpy would a hamburger. And that’s all you can get there. Braised pork, spicy pork, or the killer short rib and kimchi. There is a chicken sandwich, although I can never bring myself to order it.

The fall off the bone pork is wrapped in a mantou, a steamed bread which is a staple in Northern China. Romaine lettuce can be substituted, but this would be a mistake. These pork buns will set you back $3.75, but two rounds out at $7.00, and three at $10.50.

Province gets on the noodle bandwagon with spunky cold sesame noodles adorned with either chicken, roast pork or sweet & spicy tofu. What an absolute treat. I still enjoy the traditional form from old bastions like Mei Lah Wah on Bayard, but the new style is here to stay.

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The Chef

Pizze

Pizza is a hotter topic than August weather and hurricanes, and anyone who has spent time residing in the big apple has formulated some opinion as to where the best slice is being crafted. Amid all the hype of the recent New York magazine proclamation that Una Pizza Napoletana is best, my buddy Scott (an Italian from Staten Island with serious pizza opinions) and I went investigating, appetite in tow.

It opens at five sharp, and already there was a line to fill the very few tables available. Three very disgruntled men were frantically trying to repair the air conditioner. I overheard that the dough might rise too much if the temperature was not controlled, and I started to worry that they were going to close up shop.

The menu serves as an historical overview of proper traditional Neopolitan pizza-making. In breve, use only the best, native, fresh ingredients. Follow up with a secret family recipe. Bake in a wood-fired brick oven. Open to the public for few hours and close when the dough runs out.

There are four variations of pizza offered, from Marinara, Margherita, Bianca to Filetti. The toppings are San Marzano tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, garlic and sea salt.

The pizza came out within minutes, and in my opinion too quickly. The ingredients had not been given ample time to coagulate, making for a sloppy slice. Every other aspect of the pizza was sublime. I could taste every single element of the pizza, and thankfully so.

First came the tomatoes, pure, sweet and tangy. Then the olive oil, fruity and balanced. The fresh herbs tasted just picked off the mountainside. The mozzarella ethereal. Somehow I believe the bufala contributed to the wetness of the slice, not a feature I enjoyed. But this shortcoming was made up for by the dough, which is easily the best I have ever had, including my travels to Italy. The dough was a cross between great tandoori oven nan and the greatest pizza dough on earth. It made the trip well worth it, and caused much intellectual discussion over the product.

All in all, in a search for a harmonious pizza, I felt shorted, but in terms of a fabulous pizza experience, I was rewarded. At nineteen dollars for a twelve inch pie, the only problem remaining was how to afford more than one pie. Skill costs money, and at Una Pizza Napoletana, the skill level is at a zenith.

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Eating Experiences Food The Chef

Jury Duty Blues

The magic slip with the red bar code came via mail two weeks ago, and that can mean only thing: jury duty. The mere words strike anxiety and panic into the busiest metropolitans, and excuses are prepared in advance as if lining up for a confession.

Crisis in Chinese also means opportunity, the chance to seize the day or go down with the ship. For me, it means several well-timed meals in Chinatown, a foodie neighborhood I have been researching for years. Over a two day stint, that means four breakfast spots, four lunches and a couple of early dinners.

In the mornings I headed to Mei Lai Wah, that bastion of a coffee shop known for their pork buns. They come baked or steamed and are exquisite, fluffy, a bit sweet and savory. Only great discipline can prevent you from ordering more. Several other bakeries provide arrays of eggs with croissants, pork bun variations, coconut pastries and shumai. The quality is fairly even, so form your own alliances according to service. The excellent dumpling house is a sure-fire way to unload your Washingtons, testing economic theory that there is no more bang for your buck. One dollar yields five pan fried dumplings or four juicy buns. What a bargain! There’s no time for dim sum, otherwise I would be firmly planted at Tai Hong Lau (70 Mott St.).

For lunch, the sky is the limit. Though Chinatown holds its perils, and the wrong turn can yield an unforgettably bad meal. Understand also that chefs come and go as quickly as the moon tides. Some family run businesses will actually close if they can’t keep a chef from within the family.

I headed over to Big Wong on Mott street for a roast meat sampler. Roast duck, roast pork, and chicken with ginger usually does the trick. I follow this up with fresh shrimp crepes and barbecued spare ribs. Big Wong stands for the tremendously phallic donuts they serve which are more novelty than nutrition.

I love to top off lunch with a bowl of soup, not the run of the mill wonton, egg drop, or sweet and sour kind either. Several shops are dedicated to soups with choice of noodle, dumpling, won ton, and roast meat which can adorn a healthy bowl of Chinese goodness. Judge a soup by its broth first. It should be translucent like a consommé, full of chicken stock flavor ready to be slurped from the bowl. The rest of the ingredients are up to you, as I have rarely not enjoyed the dumplings, or the noodles, or the roast meats.

Later that day I was released early. Before my next appointment, I headed over to Grand Sichuan for a spicy double pork lunch special, sliced, tender pork and scallions heaped on top of fiery Szechuan peppercorns, easily one of my favorite dishes in all of Chinatown. I whet my appetite with the won tons in hot oil in preparation for a meal of true grit and ecstasy.

The next day I replicated my breakfast routine, except that I supplemented my regimen with a coconut banana chocolate croissant from nearby Bouley Bakery, just for stark contrast. At lunch I dined at Chan Noodle, and excellent soup shop on Mulberry known for the fried rice. The fried rice with two sausages is the real deal, and because they’re in season, the soft shell crab was light, crispy, and ethereal. I ordered some soup dumplings at Joe’s Shanghai just because, and of course had an encore of the baked pork bun at Mei Lai Wah.

When I was ultimately released from service and handed a letter for proof like some sort of empty diploma, I contemplated the Peking Duck House for some great duck-filled tortillas, but was running late and had to forgo one last Chinatown sup.

Between siestas for those two marvelous days, visions of dumplings pranced in my head, and a note of sadness came over me as I left 111 Centre Street. It will be another six years before I perform my civic duty again, the crisis with the great foodie perks.

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Drinking Eating Food Recipes The Chef

Viva Mexico!

The holiday of Cinco de Mayo, the 5th of May, commemorates the victory of the Mexican army over Napoleon and the French at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. Puebla is renowned for their artisanal furniture-making, and this holiday is celebrated throughout the state as well as the city.

Celebrating this holiday has become very popular, especially near the U.S.-Mexico border, in states where there is a naturally high population of Mexican immigrants. As a result, several cities have caught on to the spirit of Cinco de Mayo by holding parades and throwing big fiestas. New York is home to a quite a few Mexicans, and many restaurants will take full advantage of the chance at festivities.

Like New Year’s Eve, I prefer a balanced mix of house party and going out. You save some money that way, control your environment, and above all, can go all out on the food and wine, in this case spirits.

One memorable Cinco de Mayo party I’ve attended in the past was at my friends’ flat, Peter and Hope. Hope, who is part Mexican, crafted some delicious Mexican fare, from moist duck enchiladas to rich moles, to perfect guacamole, just to name some highlights. Partnered with Peter’s lascivious margaritas with fruit purees, and forget about it. I’ve spent one or two of these holidays comatose on their couch. With their recent addition of Isabella, the adorable one, parties have simmered down just a tad.

For going out, I like to bar hop. Some of my old haunts include Zarela, Rosa Mexicana, Rancho’s, Mama Mexico, and Rio Grande. If I’m feeling lucky, I’ll head over to 116th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues for the real deal, complete with mariachis. This little enclave is like Little Mexico, smack dab in the middle of El Barrio, with a few Italian businesses still hanging on for good measure.

Then of course there’s the good house party, which is made up of good country Mexican music (for lamenting and screaming), good guacamole and chips (to keep from being smashed too quickly), and proper tequila (margaritas too).

Have each guest bring a bottle so you never run out, and have some for next year. There are some fancy tequilas on the market now, and they can be as expensive as a single malt scotch. Reserve those only for sipping. Some of my favorites are Centenario, Tres Generaciones, and Don Julio. But for mixing, try a reposado like Cazadores, although run of the mill stuff like Sauza Comemorativo and Cuervo Especial will do the job.

While in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, a good friend of mine (who happens to be a general in the army) opened up the back of his SUV and declared, “En mi pais (In my country), hay dos necessarios (there are two essentials), mis tequilas (my tequilas) y mis armas.(my guns).” Neither ever left his side.

Engage in wild dancing and screaming contests, and rejoice in the independence of the Mexican people, and people all over the world who have had to struggle against oppression for their right to party.

For my recipes go to www.chefmateo.com