Kathleen Lee
Kat's Table--Taking it Down to the Village in NYC
By Kathleen Lee
I am lucky enough to have very dear friends who relocated to NYC many years ago. Well, technically Jersey City is where they live, but they both work in Manhattan and I have discovered upon my various visits to them that Jersey City is closer to most parts of Manhattan then the boroughs themselves—go figure. I am also very lucky that said friends are foodies with a passion at the same level as mine—this makes for a gastronomic adventure every time I visit them. (Along with an adventure for my wallet—the recession means prices were out of this world so a pair of Manolo Blahniks followed me home to Toronto this time!) The last trip had some memorable meals with the most amazing one being at an Italian restaurant in Chelsea that is unfortunately now closed due to the family relocating back to Italy. I still remember the amazing meats and cheese that were part of our antipasto platter, the tagliatelle with wild mushrooms and truffle oil and the Italian dessert wine we were served compliments of the house to finish our meal in that quaint little place but I digress.
My favourite part of NYC has to be the lower portion of Manhattan—the West/Greenwich Village, East Village, SoHo etc section of the city. I love the bohemian feel to those neighbourhoods, the interesting stores, the cafes and the overall vibe in general. Our first day of walking around started with some brunch at “The Elephant & Castle” in Greenwich Village (68 Greenwich Ave). Our brunch began with freshly squeezed orange juice (the real stuff squeezed on site) and coffee with “orzata” (almond syrup made in house with real ground almonds not the sugary stuff you get at Starbucks). Eggs were the main of choice for my companions and me with a Mexican omelet (omelet with homemade guacamole, cheddar, bacon and tomato) for one of us and the pureed spinach, poached eggs with melted cheese and potato pancakes for the rest. I had the spinach/poached eggs dish on a recommendation from my friends and I was so very happy with my choice. The spinach was pureed with a hint of nutmeg, the eggs were perfectly poached, the cheese was sharp cheddar and the potato pancakes where the best I’ve had—crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and perfectly seasoned. The only thing I missed out on was the homemade bread as they were behind the eight ball that day in the kitchen and I’m told it is fabulous—next trip!
Another fantastic and now quite infamous spot in the West Village is the “Spotted Pig” (314 West 11th Street @ Greenwich Street). The chef is April Bloomfield and she once worked at the River Café in London which is famous in it’s own right for many reason (not the least of which is the food) but came to the attention of many in North American when a young chef from the café was the subject of a documentary—Jamie Oliver (aka: the Naked Chef). The cuisine at the Spotted Pig is classified as “Seasonal British & Italian” and it is considered NYC’s first “gastro pub”. The restaurant is so popular that we assumed we would be hard pressed to get in for brunch but our “early” arrival time of noon coupled with our small number meant we got seated immediately. The service is impeccable right off the bat with a virtual small army of people attending to our every need. The coffee is made with a French press (which I prefer—it’s what I grew up with) which the wait staff walk around with to refresh your cup and the cocktail options are endless. Brunch in Manhattan it would seem is not complete without a cocktail or four (I noted this as I looked around the room). My companion kicked started her meal with a bloody Mary—it is described on the menu as “ House infused jalapeno and black pepper vodka, organic tomato juice, fresh grated horseradish, and Beth’s Farm pickles”. I had a sip and it was hands down the best bloody Mary I’ve ever had. I wanted something less savoury due to the meal I knew I would order so the waitress suggested a glass of champagne and fresh grapefruit juice which was truly the perfect start to my meal. We started our brunch with “roll mops” which is rolled pickled herrings, sweet pickled onions topped with crème fraiche and fresh dill. I’m not normally a pickled fish fan but I had to contain myself from practically licking the plate clean! I’m only sorry we decided to share the order instead of ordering one each. My friend decided to order the frittata which came with broccoli rabe and ricotta—although true to their mandate of “seasonal” the broccoli rabe was subbed out for asparagus as I was in NYC at the height of the spring crop. (A welcome addition to the dish since that vegetable has such a short season) I elected to have the French toast with bananas and bourbon and we ordered sides of the sausage which was made in house. Both mains were absolutely delicious and it was one of those meals where we found ourselves putting our forks down to just savour the food in our mouths, take a moment etc. Foodie heaven to say the least!! Run do not walk to the Spotted Pig. It was been written about in the Times, the Toronto papers, the UK papers, the celebs love it; believe the hype—and go. I plan to go again next trip but for dinner the next time—it was all I could do to not tackle the waiter as he brought a man at the next table an enormous burger and shoe string fried. They patron ate his meal in less then 10 minute so I assume it was delicious!
The East Village is increasingly popular/being gentrified and I like the mix of students, hipsters, regular working types and even celebrities. (I’m told the celebs like this area because they can disappear and not be harassed—and we had a celebrity sighting ourselves at dinner this time around when half way through dinner Keanu Reeves walked into the restaurant we were in) The last visit had my friends and me sitting on a great patio of a Middle Eastern inspired restaurant in the area enjoying “Blue Moon” beer with requisite orange slices, and a sampler of homemade humus and tabbouleh with fresh pita watching the action. The “action” included people watching at the Church fundraiser/yard sale across the street, the woman singing gospel on the corner and the guy who got arrested and put in a cruiser right in front of our patio. Got to love New York! This year my friends wanted to try “Momofuku” (http://www.momofuku.com/) This is an organization that consists of four different locations for different reasons. “Noodle bar” (171 First Ave) has bowls of noodles with assorted toppings as the mainstay (although their menu is quite varied—more on that to come). “Ssam bar” (207 2nd Ave) consists of small plates or a “tapas” style menu. “Ko”(163 First Ave) is a tasting menu that they suggest can take three hours to cover off the full line up. Finally there is “Bakery-Milk Bar” (207 2nd Ave) which specializes in pastries and ice cream. As I soon discovered the themes of all four cross over into each venue—the locations can be hard to spot as the outside is non descript but the company logo is a peach (the namesake means “lucky peach”) so look for the peach on the building and you are there. The cuisine is described as “delicious American food” and they list the local farms they work with at their locations. I would see there is definitely an Asian influence esthetic but “American” is a better term because the food is mixed of from many cultures. We picked the “Noodle Bar” as one of my friends was craving a bowl of noodles after an ill advised Atkins’ kick. Like many NYC restaurants the space is limited so they try to take advantage by using every nook and cranny of their space which means communal dining is very popular. We settle in to some steamed buns with chicken and pig’s tail with pickled pears as appetizers. My friend got his bowl of noodles with pork belly, pork shoulder and poached egg as his carb fix but my other companion and I ordered the prix fixe of four courses for $30 (Try getting that uptown). This was another put your fork/chop sticks down and have a moment kind of meal. Our first course was smoked duck breast with yuzu mustard, pickles celery and seasonal greens. The portion was small but perfect since duck is so rich. The next course was garganelli (egg pasta-fresh-made in house) with a shell pea and spring onion ragu, guanciale (unsmoked bacon made with pig’s jowl or cheeks) and labne (a simple Middle Eastern cheese). Our next course was my favourite—a hanger steak (rare as per my request), broccoli rabe in a light cheese sauce, fingerling potatoes, and lemon confit. Dessert was homemade soft serve ice cream that was vanilla, rhubarb and shortcake all mixed together. All this together with Orion Beer from Japan, Valdehermoso Tempranillo from Spain and Momofuku’s own Ginger soft drink to wash it down and we were very happy diners. The thing I liked about this “noodle bar” is that we essentially got to taste a little of all they have to offer at their different concept restaurants while only having time to attend one location. I plan to attend the other three venues in due time!
As mentioned I enjoy this part of the city so much/spent so much time there on this recent journey to NYC that I didn’t make it out to Williamsburg, Brooklyn with enough time to really seek out some of the best that they have to offer. (I did make it out there but didn’t complete my mission of food discovery whilst there) Williamsburg has been named a foodie Mecca by such publications as Bon Appetit in recent years. However, after a long journey to a shady part of Brooklyn for an artist’s exhibit followed by the traditional weekend NYC subway closures, resulting in a shuttle bus adventure I never want to repeat—my friends and I were only interested in something to satisfy hunger rather then taste so that foodie adventure will have to wait. Guess I will just have to book another Porter flight and visit my friends again…………a girl can’t live with just one pair of Manolo Blahniks after all…..
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