Johanna Kolodny brings the farm to the table
By Francine Cohen
Pop culture is full of references to people on a quest; there’s Don Quixote and that whole windmill thing, and we can’t forget Monty Python’s search for the Holy Grail. But in real life many of us are on a personal quest too; quests to live longer, happier, more productive lives, lose weight, succeed in new business ventures, not tumble down the slope the first time we try to ski. Johanna Kolodny, forager for Print restaurant at Kimpton’s Ink48 hotel in Manhattan (www.ink48.com), is one woman who has turned the quest for fresh food into a full time job.
Kolodny, who joined the restaurant as soon as it opened has an enviable job – she spends her days chatting up farmers and sharing their bounty with her chefs. She explains just what she does, “My official role title is forager. My job consists of seeking out farmers or artisans both in the region as well outside, when it comes to food items like citrus/dates things that don’t grow in our climate, and bringing Read the full article here »
Tags: forager, Ink48, Johanna Kolodny, Print
Posted in: PPX
August 23rd, 2010
Employees Only Lime Cordial and Grenadine
By Francine Cohen
Image by Jill DeGroff
Once again we find ourselves in the unusual position of being more than happy to write about a commercially produced product, this time it’s the Employees Only brand of non-alcoholic cordials (Lime Cordial and Grenadine) which were lovingly created by Jason Kosmas and Dushan Zaric, partners in Employees Only (www.employeesonlynyc.com).
Of course we’re always partial to products handcrafted by the industry for the industry and, as usual, there’s a back story to our favorable impression of these new products – we had the pleasure of first sampling the prototypes last fall while hanging out with Jason Kosmas at the bar during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic Preview(www.manhattancocktailclassic.com). Jason proceeded to share a taste of these all natural mixers that he (and we) was certain would be a hit, both with the mixology crowd and those bartenders who don’t have time/expertise/space to make their own grenadine and are looking for something far better than the existing lime cordials.
A few sips in and we put our names at the top of their waiting list, eagerly anticipating the Lime Cordial and Grenadine’s actual production and distribution. Thanks to the intricacies of mass production the flavor profile shifted a wee bit from what we first tasted but they are still delicious and, more importantly, they’re available now and easy to get your hands on.
What is it about these cordials we liked so much? It’s the intensity of flavor and the philosophy behind their entry into the marketplace that won us over. The piercing tartness of the lime screamed “fresh” to us at our little tasting, though we’ve noticed the recipe has changed a bit since the cordials went into formal bottling stage and now there’s the addition of a round mellowness to the flavor. The grenadine remains the same intense pomegranate flavor. Almost syrupy, this is something that should be used sparingly per drink but in a lot of them on the menu because it’s got great flavor. Heck, we’d build a whole section of a cocktail menu around drinks that contain grenadine, and sweet is not generally how our palate leans. But don’t get us wrong, this is not overbearingly sweet grenadine– the Employees Only product sits perfectly Read the full article here »
Tags: bar mixers, cordials, Dushan Zaric, Employees Only, Gimlet, Grenadine, Jason Kosmas, Lime Cordial
Posted in: Don't Miss
August 22nd, 2010
By David Ransom
Photo courtesy of Tales of the Cocktail
Rules are made to be broken, and while Rocks Stars, originally conceived as a profile column focusing on “Movers and Shakers” in the sprits industry, will for all intents and purposes remain that way, from time to time I may just throw in some thoughts on experiences I have along the spirits trail that I find need some play.
To that effect, I would like to bang a few keys on the keyboard, updating you on this year’s 8th Annual Tales of the Cocktail conference held in New Orleans this past hot and steamy week, by bringing to light what I consider to be the week’s top five events:
Here we go, in no particular order, except the last one:
5. Wednesday evening’s Beefeater Welcome party. Held in the New Orleans Contemporary Arts Center, This “welcome party” had it all: Alice in Wonderland characters floating through the room, trapeze artists floating through the air, and some beautiful cocktails with the “always classic” Beefeater gin, made by some of the world’s great bartenders, like Jamie Gordon and Audrey Saunders, while others, like Tony Abou-Ganim and Dale DeGroff roamed the room. A great way to kick into the week’s festivities.
Read the full article here »
Tags: Antonia Fattizzi, Audrey Saunders, Bartender's Breakfast, Beefeater, Bon Vivants, Charlotte Voisey, Cochon, Dale DeGroff, Donald Link, Jennifer Mitchell Photography, Plymouth, Rocks Stars, Tales of the Cocktail, Tony Abou Ganim, William Grant
Posted in: Columns, Rocks Stars
July 30th, 2010
Feasting Down Mexico Way
Viva Mexico! Don’t let those border town drug wars get you down. Mexico is plenty safe for travel right now if you know where to go. Still unsure? Or just don’t have the time to get away? Well, just because you can’t actually leave home to take a summer vacation doesn’t mean your summer fiesta can’t transport you to Mexico. And it will when you crack open one of these two new Mexican cookbooks that bring traditional small plates and more to your next bash (piñata optional).
Photo by Lucy Schaeffer
ANTOJITOS – Festive and Flavorful Mexican Small Plates By Barbara Sibley and Maragaritte Malfy with Mary Goodbody
New York City Restaurateurs Barbara Sibley and Margaritte Malfy introduced La Palapa to New Yorkers over a decade ago. Since then, their locations in the East and West Village have been a destination for traditional Mexican cuisine which harkens back to the foods Sibley enjoyed growing up in Mexico City. The women’s mission for the restaurant was to, as Sibley says, “Bring Mexico to New York and offer things you would eat in someone’s home.” Sibley comments on the restaurant’s décor noting, “we wanted people to have a mini vacation, under the tranquil shade of a palapa. We wanted people to feel like they were in Mexico.” Now, with the recent release of Antojitos booking a trip to Mexico isn’t necessary; these small bites enjoyed under thatched roofs can be served at home – even if you don’t actually have a palapa.
Palapa and a beach available or not, there’s no reason not to explore these foods for your next party or evening in. According to Malfy and Sibley, “The word antojo means ‘craving,’ which explains the name of these tasty, fresh bites. In some parts of Mexico, an antojito is called a tentempie, roughly, ‘a snack that keeps you standing’ – in other words, a bite to tide you over until your next meal. These snacks are typically eaten out of hand or from a small paper cone or cup while standing or walking around [marketplace stalls and town plazas]. Although antojitos are not usually considered a full meal by Mexicans, they can be so bountiful and delectable that there is no reason not to add a margarita or a beer and declare an assortment of them a suitable supper. Read the full article here »
Tags: Antojitos, Barbara Sibley, La Palapa, Margaritte Malfy, Mexican fiesta, Rick Bayless
Posted in: Brain Food
July 14th, 2010
Roi René Rouge
On a recent episode of Top Chef James Beard Award winning pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini joined Gail Simmons and Padma Lakshmi as they put the cheftestants to the test of making a pie. Seems reasonable, it’s stone fruit season. Yet, not one of them reached for the cherries.
Had they had a bottle of Combier’s Roi René Rouge Cherry Liqueur (www.combierusa.com) in their pantry for inspiration this may have been a whole different sort of competition. The exquisite cherry fruit that makes up this liqueur (a blend of Guignes and Morello cherries) is spiked through with a hint of pepper creating an intense, rich flavor that lingers on the palate and warms the lips.
We love the layered depth this liqueur offers, and it works equally well in cocktails or sipped neat. We’re told it’s made with 100% natural ingredient; no artificial essences or dyes. And it seems that the original recipe was created by a nun in 1632 and that the product hasn’t changed since. As their advertising says, “How much more pure can you get?”
Rouge Ryder
Brandon Josie, 15 Romolo
1oz Combier Roi Rene Rouge
.75oz Rittenhouse 100
.5oz Carpano Antica
.5oz Lemon
.5oz Tangerine Rhubarb Gastrique
Gastrique: 5 lbs. tangerine juice, zest of 5 tangerines, 5lbs. chopped rhubarb, dry vermouth, champagne vinegar, cane sugar, Indonesian long pepper, grains of paradise, toasted coriander
Directions:
Build in Collins. Top with soda water and ice. Garnish with lemon peel.
Tags: Combier, Gail Simmons, Johnny Iuzzini, liqueur, Morello, Padma Lakshmi, Roi Rene Rouge, Top Chef
Posted in: Don't Miss
July 14th, 2010
HOW TO BOOZE – EXQUISITE COCKTAILS AND UNSOUND ADVICE By Jordan Kaye & Marshall Altier
Image courtesy of HarperCollins Publishers/Cover Design by Robin Bilardello
Commonly prevailing wisdom says you shouldn’t drown your sorrows in a bottle. And, while we’re not advocating alcoholism as a solution, we do acknowledge that there are some times when you’re going to need a drink to properly mark life’s little moments. And the big ones too; both bad and good. You’ve got your perfect playlist to suit every mood, so, why not pick the right drink to fit each situation?
Unsure what that is? You won’t be after reading Marshal Altier and Jordan Kaye’s How to Booze-Exquisite Cocktails and Unsound Advice. Read this ultimately spirited life guide and amusing social commentary on finding the right drink for every situation and in no time you’ll be sipping the appropriate tipple to match your mood whether you’re catching up with old friends, coping with a bad blind date, engaged in a threesome, engaged in self-love, brunching, dining al fresco, meeting your future in-laws, and more.
This book came together thanks to a meeting of the minds. Kaye says, “Marshall and I had a great time writing this book. From the very beginning we shared a common sensibility, a common vision on what this project was about: bringing fantastic cocktails to a broad audience using our own distinctive brand of humor and imagination. We met at Tailor, where Marshall used to work, at a meeting set up by our agent Jessica Regal. And basically we wrote the book sitting at bars, cocktail spots, dives. And we had a great time. One benefit for me, as basically a home-grown cocktail guy, is that I have become just much, much better at making drinks after spending so much time with Marshall. But the project couldn’t have happened if we didn’t really share a specific sense of humor and aesthetic. More than anything I think that’s what made the book work.”
Some suggestions from Altier and Kaye
THE CLOSER
There are make or break moments in a relationship. In some relationships, it can feel like every moment is a make or break moment. But a real big one comes around eight weeks in. By this juncture, confidences have been made. Friends have been introduced. Family members have shared unsolicited points of view. Underwear has been removed – quite a number of times, Read the full article here »
Tags: Dubonnet, How to Booze, in-flight drinks, Jordan Kaye, Marshall Altier
Posted in: Brain Food
July 10th, 2010
Culinary School Instructor Molds The Next Generation of Chefs
By Darren Atkins
Photo by Adam Rosenberg
From an early age Chef Erica Wides had an obsession with food; she would painstakingly craft and sculpt miniature fake representations of food, housing them alone in her doll house. Now an instructor at The Institute of Culinary Education (www.iceculinary.com), Wides is now sculpting the next generation of chefs and teaching them how to carve their own niche in food.
Wides took a while, as most people do, to find her own niche. As a young woman she attended the School of Visual Arts (www.schoolofvisualarts.edu to study art and photography. In her final years of college, her artwork and photography started to incorporated food; Wides created still lives out of food with a political/feminist theme and then photographed them. She remarks, “I guess I was working a few things out through my work.”
Her explorations in college led her to pursue her career dreams of being a photographer in New York, but she quickly realized it was an expensive and difficult way to make a living here and so she took stock of the situation and realized that she didn’t have anything else, but her love for food. So, she did what every other struggling artist does in New York, at some time or another- she waited tables. While doing that, Wides realized she was much more interested in what was going on behind the scenes. But then, something happened that would force her to make a change. Wides explains, “I was waiting tables and thinking about food a lot, and then all of my photography equipment got stolen. I saw it as a sign Read the full article here »
Tags: Alan Harding, celebrity chefs, Erica Wides, Food Network, Institute of Culinary Education, Nosmo King
Posted in: Columns, PPX
June 28th, 2010
Maison LeGrand
Photo by Alain Sirois
In honor of the upcoming Fancy Food Show (www.specialtyfood.com), and simply because we’re thrilled to find a packaged product we like enough to write about it, we’re pleased to introduce you to the Maison LeGrand line of cold-pressed pestos, tapenades and sauces.
There are six flavors you can get your hands on now – including a bright garden pesto, a tangy lemon confit with pumpkin and a savory tomato and olive tapenade that comes both mild and spicy – are all vegetarian and/or vegan. Created by French-Canadian musician turned chef Bernard Le Grand and his wife, Tatiana, and made weekly at the couple’s renovated, redbrick schoolhouse in the Quebec countryside, the products are preservative free and gluten free, with no added sugars.
Bernard Le Grand, explains his philosophy on the future of food. “At Le Grand, we’re aiming towards freshness, convenience, health benefits and allergen free products…in other words: diversity. We take the time to produce raw gourmet sauces that offer taste and real nutritious value.”
We’ve won over guests with these spreads and we’re sure your guests will like them too. Use them on their own as dips, toss them into sauce as a base, spread them on a sandwich, or include them in your next marinade – there are a multitude of options.
Our INSIDE scoop is that a new flavor was just launched in Canada – Tzatsiki. Though you can’t find it in the US yet, maybe a write-in campaign will help move things along faster. For more information about these artisanal, fresh products visit: www.maisonlegrand.com.
Tags: Fancy Food Show, lemon confit, Maison LeGrand, Pesto
Posted in: Columns, Don't Miss
June 27th, 2010
