At a Calvados competition

The last time I was asked to explain Calvados, it was to a well known food editor and critic. My answer was not what it should have been because the next day I was shown a tweet by a co-worker, 'Calvados is an apple brandy aged in oak casks.' As simple as that.

Coming back to the Barclay and the Calvados competition, I attended a Calvados event in which ten bartenders: 5 students from the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) and 5 professional  bartenders were competing.  The two winners, one from each category, would be flown to France to compete in the international competition in Normandy this April.  

Simply put, Calvados is a spirit distilled from apple cider (sometimes pears can be included) and comes from the French region of lower Normandy. This apple cider can come from over 200 different varieties of apples that are grown specifically for cider by Calvados producers. Calvados can be single- or double-distilled. The double-distilled variety is regulated by the French AOC of Pays d'Auge and is more labor intensive and hence more expensive. This doesn't necessarily mean that it is in any way superior to the single-distilled Calvados which at times is just as delicious and complex.

With a dizzying variety of over 70 types of Calvados, The Barclay Bar at the InterContinental New York Barclay, was awarded the title of Exemplaire, or “Calvados Ambassador” on April 2, 2012, in Caen, France. The Bar was further honored as the “First Calvados Bar” in the United States by France’s Association for Cider Appellations, the IDAC, or Interprofession des Appellations Cidricoles. 

Wine Tasting with Richard Young

Richard Young, from the wine department of Christie's, and the Barclay Hotel collaborated on pairing fine wines with a 4 course menu designed by Executive Chef Serge Devesa. The entire afternoon was influenced by different styles of honey procured from the New York city region. A languorous afternoon where honey flowed and wine flew. And where perfectly ripe figs ached to be picked.

Taittinger, Brut, La Francaise

Corton Grand Cru, Cuvee Charlotte Dumay 2003 

Chateau Fiilhot Sauternes, Deuxieme Cru Classe 1990

Chateau Tirecul, La Graviere, Cuvee Madame 1993

-Pan seared Hudson Valley Fois Gras on Toasted Foccacia

with fig compote and honey lavender reduction

-Barclay Organic Salad with Candied Walnuts

honey vinaigrette and shaved parmesan

-Spiced Roasted Crispy Duck Breast

with honey soy glaze

-Honey, Cinnamon Apple Tartlet

with honey chocolate sauce

Out of the 4 wines tasted, the Monbazillac from Chateau Tirecul 'Cuvee Madame' 1995 stood out. Probably one of the most memorable sweet wines I have tasted in a long time. Profound, elegant and just about as perfect as perfection can get. A blend of 50% Muscadelle, 45% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Blanc from 80 year old vines. On the nose one gets subtle spice notes: orange peel, apricots, nuts, hints of oak. These notes are carried over on the palate and remarkably the sweetness is not cloying or overpowering. Bravo to Claudie and Bruno Bilancini, owners of Chateau Tirecul, who are responsible for the character of these wines.

Rooftop Garden & Honey Tasting

To view New York city as an urban jungle, a fast moving yet enigmatic fusion of concrete, high rises, commerce, technology and culture would be the prerogative of the average visitor or resident. And if one looks above, ventures high atop tall roofs and amidst majestic buildings there are surprisingly pleasing vistas of green.

At the Inter Continental Barclay hotel in NY it's all about 'bee-ing.' Four colonies of honey bees arrived on the hotel's 15th floor rooftop sometime in mid 2011. These colonies or hives help pollinate the hotel's herb and fruit garden and the flora of the hotel's midtown neighborhood. The honey that is produced is used in a variety of ways from culinary infusions at the Barclay Bar & Grill to candles for guest amenities. The kitchen where we watched the extraction of honey from the hotel's beehives and where honey extracted from different parts of the city was sampled by us, has been extended to the NYC beekeeping organization to use for honey harvesting and bottling. "The main reason to introduce beehives is to shoulder our share of responsibility in helping to keep our urban ecosystem as healthy as possible," says General Manager Herve Houdre.

The hotel is powered by 100% wind energy and striving to make the hotel as eco-friendly as possible, the Barclay has a waste management program which includes composting and reduced paper consumption. Is this the future of the urban world? In times when we are experiencing extreme changes in our weather patterns, an ecosystem which has been deeply affected by human consumption and waste...are we devising ways to control and sustain our natural resources? I'm highly positive and looking forward to such steps being implemented throughout cities around the world.

 111 East 48th Street,
 New York, NY
 Tel: 212 755-5900

The NoMad Hotel

The NoMad hotel named for it's location in the neighborhood around Madison park was suggested by Mr. RY for our much neglected rendezvous. RY and I had worked together at Seasonal, an Austrian restaurant in New York and I will always remember heated debates on wine, restaurants or the virtues of peppermint vs mint tea.

This particular afternoon the heat was more weather related as we sat in the beautiful library inside the hotel sipping a perfectly made mochachino and some Puerrh tea. The hotel which opened about a year ago has been designed by French interior designer Jacques Garcia who has mixed 17th- and 18th-century references with modern influences recalling his youth spent in Paris. Chef Daniel Humm from Eleven Madison has created a menu which centers around his travels spent throughout Switzerland, California, and New York City.  A place for rest amidst the shopping paradise of Broadway, the library at the NoMad proved to be an idyllic space where even biscotti took on a delicate fervence.


1170 Broadway, New York
Tel: (212) 796-1500

The Shop at The Andaz Hotel

After gleefully obtaining my copy of Steig Larsson's 'The Girl who Played with Fire' and Henning Mankell's 'Man from Beijing' within an hour or so of frantically searching almost every book shelf on the ground floor of the NY Public Library, I walked out onto 5th avenue and a block later into a set of large Mahogany doors. 'Andaz' a word (both Hindi and Urdu) means style or an expression of style, in music, in language and in one's way of living. In this case each Andaz boutique hotel under the umbrella of the Hyatt chain in New York or London is a unique experience of a particular neighborhood and it's history.

For some reason this afternoon my craving for tomato soup was quite powerful.  I decided to put the restaurant to my tomato soup test. You know if tomato soup from a restaurant menu can taste fantastic everything else will be even better. I took the risk and with the first spoonful made up my mind: the best tomato soup in New York city is served at The Shop at the Andaz Hotel.

Tomato Soup $ 10
Lemonade $ 4
Tax $ 1.24
Total $ 15.24


485, 5th Avenue
New York, NY
Tel: 212-601-1234

The Chatwal

In New York there is such an abundance of cafe's, restaurants, bars and bistros that many of us do tend to miss the hospitality aspect of the many hotels that abound in this city. This could be the reason why the Chatwal hotel, it's bar or even its top notch restaurant 'The Lambs Club' are far from the radar of most avid restaurant goers.

A dramatically re-envisioned "baby grand" hotel, the Chatwal has been restored and modernised by the architect Thierry Despont, a graduate of the acclaimed Beaux-Arts in Paris. Despont is an architect and interior designer, decorating houses for corporate barons, billionaires and fashion tycoons. Hence the Chatwal located in the heart of midtown is described as a 'glamorous toast to the golden age of travel.' The main entrance leads to a small but incredibly beautiful art deco lobby which also serves as a bar and cafe. Once inside the hotel, you are greeted by a tranquil oasis away from the humdrum of midtown traffic.

The usual hum of
afternoon business meetings
and the quiet sounds
from the reception.
The perfect place
for my rather
late afternoon cappuccino.

128 West 44th Street
New York, NY
Tel: (212) 764-6200

Dining inside a 15th century Fort

Flanked by the barren hills of the ancient Aravali range, Neemrana Fort Palace is one of the ancient monuments of Alwar. Built in the year 1464 AD in the village of Neemrana in Rajasthan, the fort was the abode of the direct descendants of Prithviraj Chauhan III. He was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi ruling the twin capitals of both Delhi and Ajmer. After his defeat in 1193, Delhi came under the direct rule of Muslim rulers.

I lived in this magnificent fort for about 3 days, within it's many rooms, gardens and magnificent doorways. In the mornings I would walk into the village located at the bottom of the fort....even in the month of April the heat was tremendous.

Life
seems to stop
in the afternoon hours
and creeps back
when the sun goes down.
In these villages
lost in time
with the sun beating down
upon everything
with
all it's strength.
You see bright splashes of color.
Blues and pinks,
orange and yellows
amidst the barren dessert dunes.

The evenings are magnificent, the sand and the sun meet as one- a long reddish gold line. And a soft wind blows into the lush gardens of the Fort
it's
water fountains
lotus blossoms
and many swings.