A grown-up ghoulish Halloween treat – Eyeball Caprese Salad

Candy corn and Kit Kat bars are great, but for dental health’s sake, let’s keep in mind that there are other ways to embrace the spooky spirits that won’t line the dental industry’s coffers and are a little more gourmet-tasting as well:

Whether you’re hosting Halloween dinner or just want to have healthy, bite-size alternative available for the sugar-frenzied hoards of Trick-or-Treaters flocking to your doorstep, this Eye-Ball Caprese-salad from EvilMadScientist.com is a fun and easy gourmet treat.

Click on the image below for the recipe.

Image and Recipe from Domestic Geek.com

Image and Recipe from Domestic Geek.com

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Where Ramen Reigns Supreme – Review of Ippudo

“Where Ramen Reigns Supreme” – Review of Ippudo

BY SARAH IP

Ippudo
65 4th Ave
(between 9th St & 10th Streets)
East Village, NY 10003
(212) 388-0088 /
ippudo.com/ny

Ippudo.  Photo by Sarah Ip.

Ippudo. Photo by Sarah Ip.

College students, take note: Ippudo is not your MSG-laden instant ramen packet.  In fact, it’s a far cry from the run-of-the-mill supermarket variety, taking ramen to another level.

My friend and I were in the area for a Susie Suh / Big Phony show later that night at Joe’s Pub.  It was a teaser of a fall to come: Brisk, chilly and decidedly ramen-worthy weather.  What better way to warm up than with ramen? [Read more...]

New York Magazine's New York Taste Event – Mon. Nov. 2

This giant walk-around tasting on November 2 features the city’s finest chefs and mixologists–all handpicked by New York’s culinary editor, Gillian Duffy–to give you the city’s best flavors in one room.

New York Taste Event

Taste an array of dishes prepared by some of the city’s most renowned chefs including Blue Hill’s Dan Barber, Dovetail’s John Fraser, Pegu Club’s Audrey Saunders and Marea’s Michael White. Enjoy, get inspired and chat with some of your favorite chefs. For a list of participating restaurants click here.

A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to City Harvest, one of the city’s leading organizations for fighting hunger.

Where: New York Taste, Skylight, 275 Hudson St.

When: Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, 7 – 9 P.M.

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New York Magazine’s New York Taste Event – Mon. Nov. 2

This giant walk-around tasting on November 2 features the city’s finest chefs and mixologists–all handpicked by New York’s culinary editor, Gillian Duffy–to give you the city’s best flavors in one room.

New York Taste Event

Taste an array of dishes prepared by some of the city’s most renowned chefs including Blue Hill’s Dan Barber, Dovetail’s John Fraser, Pegu Club’s Audrey Saunders and Marea’s Michael White. Enjoy, get inspired and chat with some of your favorite chefs. For a list of participating restaurants click here.

A portion of ticket proceeds will be donated to City Harvest, one of the city’s leading organizations for fighting hunger.

Where: New York Taste, Skylight, 275 Hudson St.

When: Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, 7 – 9 P.M.

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November food events at 92TribecaY

NOVEMBER 2009 FOOD & WINE AT 92Y

FOOD AND WINE TASTINGS ● LECTURES ● TOURS ● DEMOS

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LECTURES AND TASTINGS

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Sun, Nov 1, 7:30 pm, $27

THE NEW YORK RESTAURANT REDUX: FRANK BRUNI WITH MIKE COLAMECO

Two restaurant insiders discuss what a New York City eatery needs to be successful today. Frank Bruni was the restaurant critic for The New York Times until August 2009. He is a contributing reporter for The New York Times Magazine. His new book is Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater (Penguin Press, Aug 20, 2009). Mike Colameco is the host of WOR’s Food Talk and the author of the new book Mike Colameco’s Food Lover’s Guide to New York City (Wiley, Aug 24, 2009).

Sun, Nov 8, 7:30 pm, $35

MAX BRENNER: FOR THE LOVE OF CHOCOLATE

With gigantic vats of churning chocolate, famous desserts like the chocolate pizza and 12 varieties of hot chocolate served in custom mugs, Max Brenner, the Bald Man, has become an international sensation. His new cookbook, Chocolate: A Love Story Little (Brown and Company, Nov 2, 2009), is a must-have for every chocolate lover. Join his delicious conversation with culinary historian and cookbook author Francine Segan, and try some of his celebrated chocolate treats.

Tue Nov 17, 7-8:30 pm, $40

FRANCINE SEGAN’S WORLD OF TASTING: PIE: TASTING AND HISTORY

Francine Segan’s World of Tasting returns to the 92nd Street Y by popular demand. The author of The Philosopher’s Kitchen, Shakespeare’s Table, Movie Menus, and The Opera Lover’s Cookbook presents a tasting and lecture series that explores the past and present of our favorite foods and drinks from (A)pple pie to (Z)eppolis. Tonight she explores the fascinating history of pies, both sweet and savory. Find out the stories behind pie-eating contests and the three-foot-high pasta pies served to Italian royalty; pie recipes that won $25,000; why the expression “American as apple pie” is grossly and untrue and much more, including tasting of mock apple, lemon meringue and banana cream pies, tarts and savory pies. Recipe handouts allow you to indulge your sweet tooth at home.

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FOOD OUTINGS

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Fri, Nov 13, 10:30 am-1 pm, $45

DOWNTOWN CULINARY TOURS WITH ALEXANDRA LEAF: NOSHES AND NIBBLES IN THE WEST VILLAGE AND SOHO.

Join culinary historian and gourmet food expert Alexandra Leaf on exclusive visits to some of the city’s most luscious eateries. Get backstage access to world-class restaurants and shops, and participate in scrumptious tastings. Today it’s the West Village and Soho, including tastes of delectable artisan treats, fresh mozzarella, sublime chocolate, Sicilian rice balls and homemade cannoli. The tour ends with a glass of award-winning wine from a local winery. Leaf is the author of The Impressionists’ Table and Van Gogh’s Table. She teaches at the Institute of Culinary Education and is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International.

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COOKING DEMOS

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Thu, Nov 12, 7 pm, $45

COOKING WITH MIKE COLAMECO AT THE DELIA/CARL SCHAEDEL AND CO. SHOWROOM: THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES

There’s more to Thanksgiving than turkey. There is stuffing! Cranberries! Sweet potatoes with mini-marshmallows! Chef Mike Colameco presents bimonthly cooking demonstrations at the Delia/Carl Schaedel and Co. showroom. Offered exclusively through the 92nd Street Y, his classes cover the basics and help home cooks become more proficient. Colameco has a daily show on WOR-AM and a weekly series, Colameco’s Food Show on Channel 13. All classes meet at the Delia/Carl Schaedel and Co. showroom at 969 Third Avenue (58th Street).




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Gottino

A secret garden within a secret garden –  A Review of  Gottino

BY ELENA MANCINI

52 Greenwich Ave.,
West Village
212-633-2590 –
http://www.ilovegottino.com/

Inconspicuously housed behind a charming storefront of an otherwise bustling  West Village artery,  Gottino offers a garden of delectable pleasures– both literally and figuratively. In the warmer months it’s possible to savor inventively-combined gourmet delights and discover a list of select, non-generic Italian wines in the sweet, ivy-laced garden of this adorably ambitious “gastroteca,” as chef/owner Jody Williams insists on calling her debut gem.

N'duja

N'duja

The menu features seasonal small plates, salumi and artisinal cheeses representing all regions of Italy. It’s the perfect place to satisfy the urge for a “spuntino,” a small bite in between meals.
[Read more...]

Not Terrible, But Not So Teariffic” – Review of Teariffic

Not Terrible, But Not So Teariffic” – Review of Teariffic

BY SARAH IP

Teariffic
51 Mott St.
Chinatown
212- 393-9009

Fresh from a weekend trip to Boston, my friend and I arrived back in the brusque city streets of Chinatown where the scents of fish markets, dumplings and automobile exhaust accost you from every angle and the food is plentiful. Famished (notice how most of my entries mention my hunger pangs), we trudged along to Mott Street, my wheeled luggage jolting up and down over crooked sidewalk cracks.

Destination: Teariffic.


Squid Balls & Shrimp Balls Noodle Soup. Photo by Sarah Ip.

Squid Balls & Shrimp Balls Noodle Soup. Photo by Sarah Ip.

I had the Squid Balls & Shrimp Balls Noodle Soup ($4.85) and small hot Honey Green Tea ($2.55). I liked the squid balls, which had a chewy give, but for some reason [Read more...]

Fast eats done furiously well- A Review of Bar Veloce

“Fast eats done furiously well” –  A Review of Bar Veloce

BY ELENA MANCINI

176 Seventh Ave., Chelsea
212-629-5300 – barveloce.com

OTHER LOCATIONS:

175 Second Ave., East Village

and

17 Cleveland Pl., Soho

Bar Veloce, Chelsea

Bar Veloce, Chelsea

For a bar called “fast,” (“veloce” is Italian for “quick”), Bar Veloce in Chelsea delivers swiftness in all the ways that are desirable in a gastro wine bar. The fast factor is mainly derived from the fact that the menu items that are rapidly prepared and can be almost just as rapidly consumed. The menu is largely comprised of Italian antipasti specialties including bruschette, tramezzini, cheese and salumi and a varied assortment of panini. Bruschette and tramezzini range between $3-$9; panini are priced between $8 – $10. The wine list is long and exclusively Italian and is representative of  the country’s northern and southern regions. The “by the glass” selection is generous and the wine list provides clear and to the point descriptions of each wine. Wine by the glass  prices range between $7 – $14.

The decor is rustic, warm and straightforward. The bar area features an exposed brick backdrop with rows of wine bottles arranged parallel to the ceiling that give the illusion that they are floating. In contrast to the vibe of some other establishments in the neighborhood that seem to cater mostly to chasers of vacuous trends and hipster validation seekers, there is nothing obnoxiously self-conscious or even gimmicky about the decor or the vibe here. There is seating at the bar–an area that can accommodate approx. 15 people– and bar style tables with high stools surrounding the perimeter of the space.  Prices are moderate and service is courteous and not rushed. [Read more...]

Bruni Unveiled – Frank Bruni Conversation with Ben Leventhal

Move up your dinner reservations and attend a food event that’s the first of it’s kind: NYC’s top-dog food critic and former New York Times restaurant critic, Frank Bruni will dish on  food criticism, the restaurant biz and reveal a bit about his private self as well in a conversation with eater.com‘s Ben Leventhal at next week’s NYC Food and Wine Festival.  See details below and click on image for additional information.

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From NYC Food & Wine Festival website:

Whether or not one agrees with his reviews, everyone recognizes the power wielded by former New York Times’ restaurant critic Frank Bruni. By offering praise or withholding it, he could forever change, with just a few keystrokes, the future of a struggling eatery or a once-honored dining establishment. Despite the controversies he sparked during his five years with the paper-or perhaps because of them-he has greatly influenced our collective expectations of dining out. In his first appearance since leaving the critic’s post, on October 8, Bruni will share something of the exacting standards to which he holds those whose work he critiques. He will also regale us with stories from the field, offer thoughts about the future of the restaurant industry, discuss his most talked-about reviews and even sign his surprising memoir, “Born Round,” in which he divulges some fascinating background about his history and relationship with food. Bruni Unveiled – Frank Bruni Conversation with Ben Leventhal, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Friday, October 9.


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