Sun, Breeze, Brunch

 

Brunch at Morandi in the West Village

On Saturday I met my lovely friend Dana for brunch at Morandi in the West Village.  I had read about Morandi’s breakfast and seeing as I had imbibed far too much wine the night before at Aroma, an Italian-style brunch filled with breads and and eggs and prosciutto and crespelle sounded like the ideal antidote to my headache. We got a table for two outside under the awning and ordered uova camicia, poached eggs with onions and peppers, occhio di bue, a flatbread with pancetta, pecorino and sunny-side up eggs on top, and for dessert fazoletti di ricotta, a lemon ricotta crespelle (crepes) with fresh strawberries.  The food was excellent, the sun warm, the breeze divine, and the atmosphere casual bordering on lazy.  Around us tables of friends settled in for the afternoon, ordering bottles of rose and sharing various antipasti.  It was beautiful.

Bar Milano Update!

Last month I wrote about Bar Milano in a post entitled “Growing Up with the Dentons.” I’m happy to report almost nothing new: it is still an excellent spot and you should try it.  However last time I went I took some mediocre photos and thought I would share.

I did learn (on the website) that they serve breakfast and lunch. That means this place is churning out Northern Italian food from 7AM until 3AM. I don’t know if there is a better way to begin the day than with a ricotta and honey crepe.  Unless it’s poached eggs with speck and fontina.  I smell a new power breakfast spot! 

Here are some shots from my second meal there, in June.  Mmmmm.

every pasta on the menu

the impressive pork chop with mustard fruits

trota con montecato- trout with chard and potatoes

squab breast, squab sausage and sprouts

The Tastiest Treat in Capri

 

Sean and his sorbetto at La Fontelina in Capri

If you can tear your eyes away from the wickedly handsome man in this photo, you’ll notice his dessert. It’s a simple and incredibly refreshing sorbetto del limone, served in a hollowed-out lemon and dotted with wild strawberries.  Isn’t that EXACTLY what you want in a summertime dessert?  And how is it the Italians make their sorbet look so, well, deliciously creamy?  

The wickedly handsome man who discovered this treat for me is my friend Sean Krebs. When he told me he was taking vacation in Capri, I immediately swallowed a boatload of burning envy because I knew it would be an amazing trip.  Sean, as you can see, is a stylish traveler (awesome anchor necklace!) and stylish travelers generally know what to do when it comes to eating well abroad.  His qualifications are strong: he’s the publicist for one of my favorite lines (Generra) and the new fashion director with a magazine called Instinct.  He’s like stylish traveler to the 9th degree, plus he’s smart and cool and fun!  This photo was taken at La Fontelina, an outdoor restaurant on the southern coast of Capri that serves only lunch, only in the summertime.  La Fontelina is where Sean spent at least one lazy afternoon, capping off what was probably a perfect lunch with this sorbetto, which was apparently so good it made a grown man grin like a kid at Christmas.

Ed note: Just yesterday I made the bold claim that Club 55 is the best lunch spot in the world. Today I learned of La Fontelina.   Anyone out there want to compare and let me know?

view from La Fontelina, home to the tastiest treat in Italy

Wanna Get Away?

 

Brigitte Bardot in the south of France

I’m itching to travel to a place that is not hot and sticky and smelling of peking duck and garbage (I can only speak for my neighborhood.  Maybe your neighborhood smells like croissants and fresh linens).  I dream of a place by the sea, perhaps the Cote d’Azure, where soft breezes carry the scent of wild lavender and scrubby cliffs fall into sandy beaches that are dotted with beautiful people and beach restaurants.  Yes, beach restaurants.  Not the kind that sell fried clams (although I love those).  I’m talking about those beach restaurants in the Cote d’Azure where bikinis are de riguer so long as your designer sunglasses are firmly in place and bottles of rose flow endlessly and there is nothing to do but share food and drink with your friends until you’re ready to jump in the water and/or pass out on the beach*.  

*the word yacht is often substituted here.

Oh, wait, I’ve been to this fantasy land.  Last summer I went to St. Tropez for a wedding, and while there is a lot I love to hate about St. Tropez- scene-y, crowded, expensive, ridiculous- it’s home to a lunch spot that beats all lunch spots in the world.  It’s called Club 55.  Yes, that club, the one that sits on Pampelonne Beach where Brigitte Bardot became famous while filming “And God Created Woman.”  

Strip away all this, and here is what Club 55 is: essentially a thatch roof over a bunch of tables.  Everyone orders the crudite.  It’s a rustic wood tub filled with the freshest and most flavorful vegetables you can imagine, along with some hard-boiled eggs, and enough fresh country bread to carb up for days. Entrees are an afterthought, although I vaguely remember mussels.  Lots of wine.  Lots of fun.  I came across these photos from my lunch last summer and thought you would enjoy.

 

Crudite and Rose at Club 55

My stylish friends make the scene

Food Fetish? Try this Website.

I never thought I’d be so into edible gold spray.  Or dehydrated raspberry powder.  Or Tahitian vanilla fleur de sel.  In fact, the only reason I ventured onto L’Epicerie’s website was because they carried Peugot salt and pepper shakers, which was on the shortlist for my friend’s wedding registry.  Once on, I was hooked by their “hard-to-find” section, and then totally mesmerized by “molecular gastronomy.”  My inner Wylie Dufresne came alive, sans funny sideburns.  L’Epicerie is a place where foodies and cooks and chefs indulge, but it’s got plenty for amateurs like me.  I will never know what to do with raspberry powder or gelatin sheets, although I can think of lots of uses for black truffle mayonnaise and boxes of macarons.  I love this site because it’s so eccentric, but with a clear appreciation all that culinaria has to offer.

Dehydrated Raspberry Powder for Molecular Gastronomes

Delish-sounding Black Truffle Mayonnaise

Gold Spray

www.lepicerie.com

$50, 3 Hours, Swoon-Worthy Meal

Bouley is one of New York’s top restaurants, and with that distinction typically comes top prices.  That’s why their tasting menu, particularly at lunch, is such a shockingly beautiful steal.  For those of you who have an unquenchable taste for finer things, it’s like getting Prada at 70% off.  Except you’re getting David Bouley’s food.  Kind of awesome.

At lunch, Bouley offers two tasting menus (four or five courses) at $38 and $48, respectively.  And it’s not like they’re skimping on anything- service is still impeccable and the food wonderful. The dining room is almost more luxurious (and a little more comfortable) when bathed in daylight- it feels to me like the inside of some rich French family’s chateau in Provence.  It’s truly one of the most wonderful ways to spend an afternoon in New York.  I’ve gone with a friend and I’ve gone in a group… it’s equally fun (especially when said group feels like splurging a little extra for some champagne.)

Lunch Tasting Menus:

TASTING MENU I $48

Chef’s canapé

~~

Sashimi Quality Tuna with shaved Fennel dressed in Herb Oils and a Spicy Marinade

or

Phyllo crusted Florida Shrimp, Baby Squid, Cape Cod Sea Scallop,

and Sweet Maryland Crabmeat in an Ocean Herbal Broth

~~

Wild King Salmon with Morels, Crosnes, Morel Purée,

Fava Beans grilled a la plancha, Naval Orange Powder, and Clementine Glaze

or

Tender Maine Baby Skate with Pineapple and Capers,

Brown Butter and Balsamic Reduction

or

Organic Connecticut Farm Egg Steamed with Black Truffle,

Serrano Ham, Parmesan Reggiano and 25-Year Old Balsamic Vinegar

~~

Pennsylvania All Natural Chicken with a Chicken Confit filled Ravioli,

Yellowfoot Chanterelles and Chicken Hazelnut Sauce

or

Tea-Smoked Organic Breast of Long Island Duckling

with Vanilla glazed Baby Turnips, Oregon Porcini Mushrooms, Lima Beans,

and Quince Purée

or

Organic Connecticut Farm-Raised Baby Pig with a Gallete of Crisp homemade

Fettuccine, Shitake Mushrooms, Scallion Chiffonade and Onion Ginger Soubise

(Organic milk-fed with a diet of organic apples and clean grass only)

~~

Texas Pink Grapefruit Soup

infused with Green Cardomon, Star Anise, and Tahitian Vanilla

with Campari Sugar and Fromage Blanc Sorbet

~~

Organic Passionfruit and Blueberry Meringue

with Passionfruit-Caramel Sauce, Huckleberry Coulis

and Provence Lavender Ice Cream

or

Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé

Vermont Maple Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sorbet

________________________

 

TASTING MENU II $38

Chef’s Canapé

~~

Sashimi Quality Tuna with shaved Fennel

dressed in Herb Oils and a Spicy Marinade

or

Phyllo Crusted Florida Shrimp, Baby Squid, Cape Cod Sea Scallop

and Sweet Maryland Crabmeat in an Ocean Herbal Broth

~~

Line Caught Chatham Cod

with a Stew of Artichokes, Salsify, Baby Bok Choy

and Black Truffle Dashi

or

Pennsylvania All Natural Chicken with a Chicken Confit filled Ravioli,

Yellowfoot Chanterelles and Chicken Hazelnut Sauce

~~

Texas Pink Grapefruit Soup

infused with Green Cardomon, Star Anise, and Tahitian Vanilla

with Campari Sugar and Fromage Blanc Sorbet

~~

Organic Passionfruit and Blueberry Meringue

with Passionfruit-Caramel Sauce, Huckleberry Coulis

and Provence Lavender Ice Cream

or

Hot Valrhona Chocolate Soufflé

Vermont Maple Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sorbet

 

Bouley: www.davidbouley.com

120 W. Broadway in Tribeca

From Firenze, with Love

A very special someone, knowing I’m more interested in dessert than the statue of David, sent me this photo from Florence, where he’s spending part of the summer (and living richly, it appears). That cone is so decadent it kind of makes me swoon.  Creamy tiramisu gelato, enjoyed with an espresso.  Um, what could be a more perfect afternoon break?  Thanks for sharing, JFS.

Pimm’s Cup, the Fancy Cocktail any Idiot Can Make

Like Campari, Pimm’s is a mystery (no one knows the full recipe).  And as Campari is synonymous with Italian culture, so is the Pimm’s Cup to England.  It’s a gin-based spirit spiffed up with fruits, herbs and spices, giving it a reddish color and a complex flavor that’s slightly sweet with a hint of spice.  The best thing about Pimm’s is you can pretty much add anything to it and the end result is absolutely delicious.  My friend Lucy (of shandy fame) mixes it with french lemonade (has bubbles and is less sweet than regular lemonade) and fruits: oranges, cucumbers, strawberries, apples, and then mint (see photo below, being served at a recent pool party).  You can make a pitcher of it and let it infuse (sort of like the English answer to sangria).  No lemonade?  Try ginger ale, lemons and cucumbers.  Love club soda?  Add a splash to the cup.  Celebrating?  Do a Pimm’s Royale with cava or champagne and a strawberry for garnish.  Pimm’s is elegant, but deceptively easy..it really is an ideal summer cocktail.  Learn more here.

Berry Fine

One of the great joys of summer: freshly picked berries (and some grape tomatoes) from North Sea Farm, near Peconic Bay in South Fork.  Eating just one plump, still warm-from-the-sun raspberry prompted my friend Megan to remark, “It makes you never want to eat anything even remotely out-of-season again.   

Sunny Side UP!

A couple of friends and I got up early Saturday to catch a morning train to Southampton.  If you’ve done the ride, you know that snacks and beverages greatly improve the 2.5 hours spent cruising along the LIRR.  I packed a chilled bottle of prosecco, picked up a carton of OJ, brought some plastic cups and made a pit stop at Balthazar boulangerie on the way.  They have a killer ham and cheese croissant, but my new favorite was this “sunny side up popover.”  Flaky and light, with delicate pastry cream holding a perfectly sweet apricot in the middle.  It looked like a sunny side up egg, but tasted like buttery fruity deliciousness.