A Perfect August Night, in October

On a crisp autumn night, cozied in the middle of the west village, I spotted an old-fashioned lantern glowing onto a rustic wooden sign, chiseled with a picture of beets and the word "August."  Through the glass front of the restaurant, a low, warm, welcoming, amber glow beckoned me inside. 

The light was coming from a wood-burning oven in the back of a homey and rustic dining room.

We walked through the front dining area that opened up into an outdoor atrium, enclosed by a glass ceiling and walls.  When I stepped onto the cobblestone floor, I was transported to a European countryside.  The walls looked like country stone and were lined with vibrant greenery.  

There were no white linen table clothes, which the food could have easily commanded.  We sat down to tables that resembled finished cutting boards, so we didn't mind that when the bread came out there were no plates.  We broke it by hand and perused the unintimidating yet thorough wine list, which covered different regions of Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Spain.  

Terrence Gallivan's restaurant is a medley of regional European fare that extends from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe.   The menu frequently changes and strictly showcases seasonal and local ingredients.  Like the menu, the dishes were concise and consisted of a few flavors that complemented each other.

For appetizers, the Roasted Delicata Squash Soup had spicy marshmallows and a balsamic drizzle that intensified the flavor of the squash. Baked in the wood-fired oven, the base of the Tarte Flambé was like soft pizza dough, lightly drizzled with crème fraiche, and topped with the blissfully sweet and salty marriage of caramelized onions and bacon.  The showstopper was the Ricotta Ginepro Panna Cotta, slightly salty and smoky, accompanied by a warm wild mushroom salad and truffled vinaigrette.   I would soon pay for this $14 appetizer again.

The entrees offered an Oxtail Bolognese and a whole roasted Dorade. I enjoyed the overwhelming rosemary perfume from the Rosemary and Juniper Braised Rabbit; however, a more sensitive nose may not. Surrounded by slightly dense chestnut gnocchi and delicious braising liquid, the rabbit was fork tender. A Leg of Goat was paired with light dumplings, succulent prunes and smoky eggplant that were devoured in minutes.  Also smoky was the potato terrine that accompanied a perfectly cooked Beef Ribeye, sherry braised onions and a marrow béarnaise sauce.  On the side were braised artichoke hearts, which remained on the side.

Finally, the season of autumn was captured in the flavors of the moist marzipan cake with pumpkin gelato and poached pears.  Chocolate Pot de Crème was creamy and chocolaty, just what was expected of it. The White Chocolate Goat Cheese Cake with gingersnap crust and candied lemon was the perfect ending to the meal.  

Like the month of August, the restaurant promises an unforgettable, romantic and comfortable night, meant to be shared with loved ones.  

 

”Superiore” 

xo, Cosmo Chef

Hand Gesture Rating System

“Hand Gesture Rating System”

I’m an Italian-American and I express myself with my hands.  There is no more appropriate or truthful way for me to rate food than to gesture with my hands (especially when my mouth is full).

“Perfecto” – Two hands waving from side to side. 

 

This signals a perfect experience at a restaurant. Perfect in the categories of food, presentation, service, wine list, ambiance, and décor.  It is the best possible score for a restaurant.

“Superiore” – Two hands up, not moving. 

 

A far superior experience at a restaurant.  May not be perfect in every category listed above.

 

 

“Delicioso” – One hand waving from side to side. 

 

This signals an above average restaurant experience.  Is not perfect in more than one category listed above, but has something special about it and is enjoyable.

“Buono” – One hand up, not moving. 

 

This signals an average, yet pleasant restaurant experience.

xo, Cosmo Chef

Culinary Pros Keep on Truckin'

They are everywhere.  They're on your street corner.  They come back to your office at lunchtime.  They're on the news, in the paper, on talk shows, on your favorite food blog, and they even have their own awards ceremony.   They are the gourmet food vending trucks of New York City.

In the past year, it seems as if the streets of NYC have exploded with brightly colored trucks, adorned with a gourmet menu, and a permanent line of impatient and hungry New York customers. Many of us are wondering who these trucks are and why are they so popular?

The food vendors of NYC have come a long way from the lowly "dirty water hotdog" stands.  Culinary professionals have left the kitchen of high-end (and high priced) restaurants and hit the streets.  For some NYC restaurant cooks, it was a response to the harsh economy; others just wanted to get in on the action.  Either way, NYC has given birth to a new breed: the gourmet food vendors.  No longer do they serve high-end foodie diners.  They now feed the average NYC pedestrian.  They merge basic street food rules, of serving cheap and easy-to-eat street food, with a professional mentality to put forth the best food possible.  

The diversity of these trucks was displayed September 26^th at the 5th annual Vendy Awards. The event was initiated five years ago as a fundraiser to support the Street Vendor Project (a nonprofit organization that represents all food and merchandise vendors of NYC).  This year, the tickets to the event sold out online for the first time (at $80 a piece).  It was aired on Good Morning America, NBC news and the BBC, and had an esteemed panel of celebrity judges, including Jacques Torres.

I made a rookie mistake when visiting the food truck dubbed the 2009 Rookie Vendy Award winner.  When I arrived to the scene on Madison Avenue there were mobs of businessmen and women, and on every street corner, standard, monotone, greasy food vendors were stationed.  When I looked to the corner that Schnitzel and Things should be on, I saw a colorful truck much more lively than the others.  The only way to locate the truck is to follow them on Twitter or Facebook, which noted they would be there from 11:30-2:30.  I was greeted by one of the owners, Oleg, who informed me that the truck just closed.  He warned me that I should arrive no later than 11:00am. Their truck provides three varieties of schnitzel: chicken, pork and cod, or a schnitzel burger (their newest addition) with a choice of two side dishes.  The FCI culinary grad, who lived in Austria for one year, takes pride in his product: "We make everything that day and use the freshest ingredients, which I think people really appreciate."  They make everything on the truck immediately before lunch service, which only gives them so much room.  When the food runs out, you are schnitzel out of luck.

Oleg regrettably yet proudly informed me that I would not be able to catch them at their normal spot on Wall Street the next day.  They would be shooting a national commercial with T-Mobile.  "It's crazy," he said, "When I opened the truck I could never have imagined being asked to do a commercial.  I can't believe it."  

Other successful gourmet food vending trucks include chef Mohammed Rahman’s (previously of the Russian Tea Room) Kwik Meal cart, which boasts the best falafels in town. Jerome Chang’s (former pastry sous chef from Le Cirque) Dessert Truck promises gourmet desserts such as Warm Chocolate Bread Pudding and Vanilla Crème Brule.  The Big Gay Ice Cream Truck has the most inventive soft serve ice cream toppings such as curried coconut, wasabi pea dust, Trix cereal, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil.  The Van Leeuween Artisan Ice Cream Truck offers a product made from the freshest, local organic ingredients.  As you can see, these are not the Mr. Softee ice cream trucks we grew up with.

With a fresh new idea, gourmet standards, a (hard to come by) street permit and a truck, you are on your way to joining this trendy group of street food revolutionaries.  They are exploring new avenues in the food industry and they’ve only just begun their journey.

Julie and Julia: Book Review

I'm sure you all have heard of the upcoming movie Julie and Julia, with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams -- (excited!).  But did you know the movie is based on a book, and formerly a blog, based on a true story?  I just finished the book, Julie and Julia.  It was one of those books that turns you into a library nerd for a few days because its all you can think about and the highlight of your day is getting in bed with it.  The book is about a young girl Julie Powell, who is 29, hates her job, lives in Manhattan, and decides to turn her interest in cooking into a full time project.  Her mission is to complete all the recipes in Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in one year, and blog about it.  

I have to say that this book inspired me to start blogging.  The book teaches us a lot of things about enjoying life, taking risks, being yourself, and as Julia Child always said in her cooking shows, "Don't be afraid."  In some way I think Julie considers herself a disciple of Julia Child, who changed the lives of many American cooks.  At first it was a project for her to feed the hunger she had for learning to cook.  At the end, I think it was important for her to spread the good words and inspiration of of Julia Child's story (and of her own).  She refers to Julia Child as JC (Jesus Christ) and to the cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, as "The Book."  In the last chapter she says, 

Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world.  It's not what I thought it was.  I thought it was all about -- I don't know, confidence or will or luck.  Those are all some good things to have, no question.  But there's something else, something that these things grow out of.  It's joy.  I know, it's truly an obnoxious word, isn't it? Even typing it makes me cringe... I read her instructions for making bechamel sauce, and what comes throbbing through is that here is a woman who has found her way. (pg 305)

Not only does this book involve food, one of my favorite things, but it talks about the importance of never giving up at finding what it is that makes you happy.  Which I agree is the most important thing in life!  (I also really appreciate that this beautiful message is delivered through rough, cynical and humorous words from a first time author.)

So if you can, pick up the book.  I'm excited for the film -- Meryl looks amazing as usual, huge Amy Adams fan as well.  I wonder if her words will translate as well on the big screen... hope so!

xo, Cosmo Chef

Food and the City

If there is one thing that us single girls, especially single girls in the city, obsess about more than men, its food. We obsess whether something is low in fat, low in carbs low in calories. We will order a venti (that's a large) latte with SKIM! milk for breakfast. Then an hour later, give in and get a bagel. Then obsess about how that was a bad choice, and beat ourselves up about it all day long, promising ourselves that we'll run an extra 20 minutes at the gym that day. And at the gym, while sweating on the treadmill, we'll be planning on what we're having for dinner. To make up for the carb overload, maybe we'll have a salad for dinner. In bed that night, we'll go over what we ate all day and promise ourselves to be better tomorrow, and go ahead and plan out what we can eat tomorrow that might be better for us.

Sound familiar? This over-obsessive way of thinking about food is just the way young women are about food. Some more than others (like single women, who love food, in NYC), obviously.

If Carrie Bradshaw knows "good sex" then Cosmo Chef knows "good food." And did CB really know good sex? Or wasn't she just a normal, single city girl (if normal on TV standards comes with a perfectly in-shape body without working out and a designer wardrobe on a columnist's salary) who was trying to find one great love and questioned all of her insecurities about men on her laptop.

I have to be the food blogging version of Carrie Bradshaw and ask: Why is it that women, especially the single women from New York, seem to think about food all day, and men can eat whatever they want without a care in the world? Women obsess over food in the same way women obsess over men. A woman will over analyze all the "bad" things she did on a first date, the same way she will obsess about all the "unhealthy" things she indulged in over the weekend. And on planet Mars, men do not obsess about food the same mysterious way that they do not obsess about relationships. (I know there are some men who definitely think about food and women, but we are talking about the extreme and the typical guy.) You know those guys, who are born in a locker room, grow up to work in a professional kitchen or trading floor (somewhere in NYC) and live in the weight room. These "Manly Men" only eat red meat, don't like vegetables, and would never complain that their latte doesn't "taste non-fat." They would probably be called gay by their other "he-man-woman-haters-club" friend. The same name calling would occur if he attempted to over-analyze why the girl he likes won't respond to his (let's be honest) text messages. (PS, I think I might stop responding to guys who think that text messages are the only form of communication. Grow a pair, dial her number and speak!)

In a lot of ways men are like food. Some are good and some are bad for us. Some men are like a double fudge brownie sundae with extra whipped cream and beautiful red cherry on top, or a double bacon cheeseburger, that when you first see, you have to have. When you translate a sundae/ double cheeseburger into a man you would get: Mr. Sundae Burger. He would definitely be a Manly Man, the kind of guy who looks really good -- the body of a Greek God, a job on Wall Street, a lot of experience in "sweet talking" and a phone that doesn't have a function to returns calls. You go right after it (or him) because that is just what you need at the moment, but you know is not so good for you in the long run. Mr. Sundae Burger may satisfy an initial craving, but afterward you know that it isn't good for you and ends up making you feel bad about yourself. Mr. Sundae Burger is a guilty pleasure that is fun while it lasts but isn't the best choice for a long term investment. And be careful when indulging, you may end up with "heart burn."

Then there are guys who are just like a plain, dry, chicken salad with non-fat dressing. He may seem like a smart choice, but does he really leave you feeling satisfied? Let's face it, Mr. Non-Fat Grilled Chicken is boring and you can't live with this deprived feeling forever.

Some guys, like the greasy, Thai take-out place around the corner, may be in your face and "convenient" but you may not always understand "what's on the menu." Maybe a little too ethnic for my every day taste.

Other guys are like the classic New York Strip steak (I think Big from SaTC is exactly this type). Classy, delicious, pricey, and maybe difficult for women with weak stomachs to digest. But sometimes there's nothing like it to make you feel at home again. At least for me...

Some men, like food, are too spicy, too bland, too salty, too all over the place, too fruity, too fatty, too sweet, too different, too ethnic, too familiar, too much, not enough. But when you meet the right "dish" you know what is good for you -- what makes you feel good. It's something you can imagine having on a daily basis -- the perfect "dish."

In the end, we all need a healthy, well-balanced diet. Like a man, we should be in the kind of relationship with food that makes us feel good and excites us. And as a single girl, there is nothing wrong with indulging once in a while.

Until we find that perfect dish, we'll be dreaming them up and waiting for the day that we take that one perfect bite. And our Mirandas, Samanthas, and Charlottes will be there to listen to our guilty weekend splurge on that late night pizza/ that guy with the good dance moves we should not have seen again. Isn't that what our single girlfriends are for? For talking about our obsessions with food and men. And let's be honest, whining over wine about the date can be far more entertaining than the actual date.

xo, Cosmo Chef