Cafe Nadery

Stephen Kirschner is another colleague I had worked with and had not seen for a few years. He had recently decided to switch careers, after several years of working in various restaurants. Graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, he had looked forward to many years immersed in kitchens all over New York. So it was a bit of a shock to learn that Stephen had decided to switch careers. He has since been admitted to college and his subject du jour is - Political Science. I wish him a delightful career in politics or law and was charmed by our intense conversation on current world affairs. 

The Cafe takes it's name from the original Cafe Nadery, a staple of the intellectual scene in Teheran for many secular thinkers, writers and artists during the 1940's and onwards.

16 W 8th St, New York, NY Tel: (212) 260-5407 http://cafenaderyny.com/

La Pizza Fresca

What a night...a whirlwind affair that started at the offices of Christie's fine wine department, and then culminated at La Pizza Fresca downtown. MK, RY and yours truly along with 5 bottles of wine (3 Reislings, 1 Zierfanlander and 1 Burgundy) sat at the Italian restaurant's bar and just talked wine for 3 hours non stop. 

1. Goldberg Riesling, Weingut Van Volxem, 2007: Saar Riesling from the Roman Niewodniscanski’s estate is a treat. Rich melon fruit on the nose with a bit of lemon. The palate is concentrated with a silky texture and a faint hint of minerality. The delicacy and perfume of the Mosel region are the distinguishing characteristics of this polished wine. An absolute pleasure for Mosel lovers.

2. Weingut Knoll, Reid Loibenberg Riesling, Smaragd, 2002: Opened at just the right time! Muted petrol notes greet the nose, distinguishing characteristics of an aged Riesling. Notes of honey, dried apricots and the complex concentration of mature fruit are obvious from the first few minutes. The harvest usually takes place during the second week of December for this rich Smaragd. Wonderful accompaniment to our 3 Pizzas.

3. Weingut Knoll, Reid Schutt Durnsteiner Riesling, 2001: my favorite wine of the evening,  with the Austrian Saint Urban the Golden (Austria's favored saint) on the wine label, it would be indeed difficult to go wrong with the wine inside the bottle! The year 2001 was blessed with a warm summer and a rainy fall in which the grapes did not get as ripe as the ones in the year 2000 but matured with their acidity levels remaining high. I find that Knoll is always a little difficult when young but when opened during it's time of maturity it is intrinsically delicious.

4. Morey Saint Denis, 'en la Rue de Vergy' Domaine Perrot Minot, 2002: Simple perfection. A classic style Burgundy, delicate, with a hint of gaminess, faint blue cheese on the nose, well balanced tannins and an incredibly long finish. The 2002 is drinking very well. Notable through it's lovely light color, I can understand how wine lovers 'start with Bordeaux and end up in Burgundy.' This wine is quite a find, a village wine but with grapes grown right next to a grand cru vineyard. 

5. Stadlmann Zierfandler, Mandel-Hoh 2006: An old traditional grape varietal from Austria which grows almost exclusively in the tiny Thermenregion of the country. The Mandel-Hoh vineyard is the world's top site for this grape planted with decades to their  vines. Most plantings of Zierfandler were pulled out during the 80's and 90's and planted with Riesling and Gruner Veltliner but now the varietal is showing  a revival and this particular bottle is probably the best expression of the grape. Fruit forward with a refreshing acidity, some spice and mineral notes, the Mandel-Hoh vineyard Zierfandler was a very pleasant surprise.

Before I left Pizza Fresca, the owner Brad was kind enough to show me his absolutely amazing and densely packed underground cellar. Probably the most unusual wine list for an Italian restaurant notable mostly for it's delicious wood fired brick oven Neapolitan style pizza.

31 East 20th Street
between Park Avene South & Broadway
New York, NY 10003

www.lapizzafresca.com/

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

Via Quadronno

My new favourite place! Almost hidden between a few high end stores and a tree lined street, almost falling onto busy Madison avenue but not quite.  At Via Quadronno you will find upper east side neighbours or a few of us that like to trek from downtown Manhattan to where ever our taste buds might take us. And if Ms Chambraye had not mentioned Via Quaddrone as a meeting spot for us girls we might never have found this cute restaurant and coffee shop. So thanks Ms Ray, even though you cancelled on us at the last minute we found that we were not too badly off.

Steeped in Milanese traditions, Via Quadronno is famous for not only mouth watering Paninis, but also for unforgettable mochaccinos and scrumptious homemade pastries.

25 East 73rd Street, NY
Tel: (212) 650-9880

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

Blue Ribbon Sushi

A perennial favourite, a friend that never disappoints. Dedicated to producing a casual yet innovative dining experience for lovers of sushi and passers by. Moreover visits to Japanese restaurants always allow me to try a glass or 2 (sometimes 3) of one of my much liked spirits -sake.

Aoyagi Sashimi - live orange clam
Ayu Sushi - sweet fish
Spicy Lobster Roll
Uni

accompanied by 2 delicious Sakes:

Shima Zaki, Ginjo "Uroko"
Kokuryu, Daiginjo "Black Dragon"


119 Sullivan Street
New York, NY
Tel: 212 343 0404

Gentleman Farmer

The calamity of words
lies supreme
ready to spill like
ginger ale
from a
wine glass.

I am tired with
the sameness
of everything.
The performance of
actions
which are being
enacted thousands
of times.
Concrete
existence.


40 Rivington Street
New York, NY
Tel: (212) 677 2172