On Friday afternoon as I was crossing the street to walk into my building, I noticed a vaguely familiar man approaching me. He was wearing a tan cotton twill hat pushed down haphazardly over a head of graying curls. The man was looking at the asphalt, not paying attention to anything in particular. When we intersected and I realized that it was indeed who I thought it was, I blurted out: "Sandy Frazier?"
"That's me," he replied.
And with that, we struck up a conversation about fishing said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. A writer and loyal reader talking about Wyoming and the Snake River on a hot summer afternoon in New York--that does not happen everyday.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Patricia's and Broccoli Rabe
Some will tell you that broccoli rabe is too bitter and coarse to be thought of as a truly delectable green. To those people I say: you have never eaten at Patricia's in the Bronx! Patricia's is a homely hole-in-the-wall Morris Ave. Italian that I believe is one of the best two or three Italian restaurants in any New York City borough.
Their pizzas are sublime and their pastas are homemade and fresh. Not to be missed is their exceptional selection of expertly prepared fresh seafood. You will experience Italian cuisine as it truly is meant to be: fresh, simple, and unbelievably tasty. It is not to be missed.
One of Patricia's signature dishes (everything they make is outstanding) is their orrechiette with broccoli rabe. After eating it, I tried to adapt my own recipe and it is actually really delicious. I served it at a dinner party at the home of a very dear friend of mine (my lovely girlfriend) and everyone loved it.
You will need:
a pound of orrechiette (about one box)
4 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of onions, diced
4 anchovy filets, from a tin
1 head of broccoli rabe
1.5 tablespoons of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
salt and pepper to tast
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. While waiting for the water to reach desired temperature, add a sprinkle of salt and a few drops of the EVOO. Cover pot when waiting for a boil but be sure to remove lid while the pasta is cooking.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the rest of the EVOO and after a minute or so, add the chopped garlic and onions and adjust the heat to high/medium.
While waiting for the garlic and onions to cook, take your broccoli rabe and chop the bottom of the bunch of stems off. Discard. Now, with a large and very sharp knife, chop the rest of the broccoli rabe coarsely. This should be done quickly, there is no need for precision. Just make sure that you keep the stems, just that everything is chopped and reduced in size.
With the pot of water at a boil, add the orrechiete and stir occasionally for 9-10 minutes.
Now, once the onions and garlic have sufficiently browned, add the anchovy filets to the skillet. Stir them and vegetables well and add a small cup of water to the mixture. Turn the heat to medium. the anchovys will disintegrate in a short time but their tasty juices will remain. Now, add the broccoli rabe to the skillet along with some salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a wooden spoon, aggressively. While stirring you should make sure to press down on the rabe so that it is almost ground down. It will at first appear that there is a huge clump of leaves on your stove but don't worry, with heat, eventually the leaves will become less rigid and soften, along with the stems.
Now that the pasta is probably nearly ready and the broccoli rabe is complete as well, drain the water from the pasta and replace on the stove at medium/low heat. Now, place the contents of the skillet directly into the pot and stir well so that the rabe becomes evenly dispersed in the pasta. Add any remaining juices from the skillet as well.
Once the pasta and rabe have sufficiently blended, place into a bowl and sprinkle the top of the pasta generously with lots of thinly grated, flaky parmesan cheese. You should not use store bought grated parmesan. Fresh parmesan is absolutely essential.
Buon appetito!
Their pizzas are sublime and their pastas are homemade and fresh. Not to be missed is their exceptional selection of expertly prepared fresh seafood. You will experience Italian cuisine as it truly is meant to be: fresh, simple, and unbelievably tasty. It is not to be missed.
One of Patricia's signature dishes (everything they make is outstanding) is their orrechiette with broccoli rabe. After eating it, I tried to adapt my own recipe and it is actually really delicious. I served it at a dinner party at the home of a very dear friend of mine (my lovely girlfriend) and everyone loved it.
You will need:
a pound of orrechiette (about one box)
4 cloves of fresh garlic, finely chopped
1 cup of onions, diced
4 anchovy filets, from a tin
1 head of broccoli rabe
1.5 tablespoons of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
salt and pepper to tast
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. While waiting for the water to reach desired temperature, add a sprinkle of salt and a few drops of the EVOO. Cover pot when waiting for a boil but be sure to remove lid while the pasta is cooking.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the rest of the EVOO and after a minute or so, add the chopped garlic and onions and adjust the heat to high/medium.
While waiting for the garlic and onions to cook, take your broccoli rabe and chop the bottom of the bunch of stems off. Discard. Now, with a large and very sharp knife, chop the rest of the broccoli rabe coarsely. This should be done quickly, there is no need for precision. Just make sure that you keep the stems, just that everything is chopped and reduced in size.
With the pot of water at a boil, add the orrechiete and stir occasionally for 9-10 minutes.
Now, once the onions and garlic have sufficiently browned, add the anchovy filets to the skillet. Stir them and vegetables well and add a small cup of water to the mixture. Turn the heat to medium. the anchovys will disintegrate in a short time but their tasty juices will remain. Now, add the broccoli rabe to the skillet along with some salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a wooden spoon, aggressively. While stirring you should make sure to press down on the rabe so that it is almost ground down. It will at first appear that there is a huge clump of leaves on your stove but don't worry, with heat, eventually the leaves will become less rigid and soften, along with the stems.
Now that the pasta is probably nearly ready and the broccoli rabe is complete as well, drain the water from the pasta and replace on the stove at medium/low heat. Now, place the contents of the skillet directly into the pot and stir well so that the rabe becomes evenly dispersed in the pasta. Add any remaining juices from the skillet as well.
Once the pasta and rabe have sufficiently blended, place into a bowl and sprinkle the top of the pasta generously with lots of thinly grated, flaky parmesan cheese. You should not use store bought grated parmesan. Fresh parmesan is absolutely essential.
Buon appetito!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Dinner at Morandi
Morandi (211 Waverly Pl.) follows the same trend-setting formula as Keith McNally's other New York City restaurants: Balthazar, Schiller's Pastis. You know the drill--a sceney atmosphere, good to very good food and and terrible service. Morandi's atmosphere is too compact to create any kind of noticeable scene, the food--with the exception of a fabulous branzino--was mediocre, and the service was expectedly mediocre and endlessly slow.
I had high hopes for McNally's latest venture and am sorry to say I can not speak more glowingly of it. As a West Village osteria, his newest venture fails totally where his other restaurants, namely Balthazar, excel. In my many times eating at Balthazar I have eaten only the freshest fish prepared in traditional brasserie style. The chefs there tend to let the fish speak for itself, not doing anything fancy. This formula works primarily because they seem able to procure the fresehest fruits of the sea on a consistent basis. Simple, good--if not not slightly overpriced--food served in an airy room that transports one to a quaint restaurant in a small, Haute-Normandie town.
I arrived at Morandi a few minutes before my reservation and waited for the rest of the party at the bar where one glass of dry white wine, not Pinot Grigio the bartender informed me but something that he didn't know the name of, and a vodka soda collectively cost $23. My vodka soda came in a tiny highball and my lovely date's glass of wine was a meager helping of unknown constitution. No matter, I am fairly used to this happening. We were seated in a comfortable and dim banquette within a few minutes, and given a winelist and menu by our first waiter. We were presented with a carafe of lukewarm water. I am told that this is "very European," however I would have hoped that although the restaurant hopes to recreate an Apullian farmhouse, they could still provide thirsty patrons with iced or even slightly chilled water. It was tepid on the side of warm. Sensing the restaurant was busy, we ordered a carafe of house rosati wine and waited for over 9 minutes.
We ordered appetizers for the table including a foccacia insalate, fried olives and sardines with mint and tomato. Not even worth mentioning was the rubbery carpaccio. The foccacia was decent and consisted of cherry tomatoes and little mozzarella balls heaped on top of an enjoyable, if not slightly oily, peasant bread. The main problem here was the dish's identity: was it a salad or a foccacia? I'm still not quite sure. The mounds of tomatoes and cheese made it difficult to pass off as a finger food and the narrow bread slices only further exacerbated the situation. My solution? I scooped some of the topping onto my plate and nibble on a piece of well-baked, tasty bread on the side. The fried olives were an absolute disaster. The real way to create this dish is to lightly fry them with a thin, flaky batter coating a juicy olive. These gigantic olives were crunchy and without flavor. They tasted as if they came fresh out of a can and resembled a falafel I once had around the corner from Western Wall in Jerusalem. The main difference? The Jerusalem falafel was edible. My advice here is to go a little easy on the batter and don't burn the olives to a black crisp. The sardines were enjoyable for their taste but they were too well cooked. The mint and tomato accopmaniment was well-received but the dish could have been better. Over-cooking seems to be a theme at Morandi, and a harmful one at that. The sardines were somewhat juicy but their briny, oily texture was minimized by excessive searing. This also made it difficult to pry the meat from the tiny bones of the little fish. Had they been more expertly cooked, separating meat from bone would not have been the ordeal that it was last night.
I am happy to say that all is not awful at Morandi. Our entrees were all tasty. Of special note is the branzino which was cooked over charcoal and had a moist, fresh taste and texture. It was really outstanding. I fileted the fish myself and the bones fled meat without much coaxing at all. I was able to enjoy the entire fish quickly, rather than prying it apart and embarking on an endless hunt for bones and other inedibles. Another member of our group enjoyed his swordfish which looked delicious served with an assortment of vegetables and juicy raisins. The fettucinie bolognese, though appearing to be simple and a small portion for a main course, was by all accounts delicious. In all, the entrees were fantastic. One would be hard pressed to find a branzino of better quality, cooked more perfectly anywhere in New York City.
To close, Morandi is one of those places that I want to love, but simply can't. It's major shortcomings (interminable service, inattentiveness, mediocre food) outweigh its successes (friendly waiters when you can find one, terrific whole fish). Another major problem with the restaurant is its height. I stand over 6 feet tall and felt as if the ceiling was just overhead. This low ceiling causes the din inside to reach insane decibel levels. And when you are trying to call for a waiter, the bedlam inside the restaurant makes being noticed very difficult, if not impossible.
I had high hopes for McNally's latest venture and am sorry to say I can not speak more glowingly of it. As a West Village osteria, his newest venture fails totally where his other restaurants, namely Balthazar, excel. In my many times eating at Balthazar I have eaten only the freshest fish prepared in traditional brasserie style. The chefs there tend to let the fish speak for itself, not doing anything fancy. This formula works primarily because they seem able to procure the fresehest fruits of the sea on a consistent basis. Simple, good--if not not slightly overpriced--food served in an airy room that transports one to a quaint restaurant in a small, Haute-Normandie town.
I arrived at Morandi a few minutes before my reservation and waited for the rest of the party at the bar where one glass of dry white wine, not Pinot Grigio the bartender informed me but something that he didn't know the name of, and a vodka soda collectively cost $23. My vodka soda came in a tiny highball and my lovely date's glass of wine was a meager helping of unknown constitution. No matter, I am fairly used to this happening. We were seated in a comfortable and dim banquette within a few minutes, and given a winelist and menu by our first waiter. We were presented with a carafe of lukewarm water. I am told that this is "very European," however I would have hoped that although the restaurant hopes to recreate an Apullian farmhouse, they could still provide thirsty patrons with iced or even slightly chilled water. It was tepid on the side of warm. Sensing the restaurant was busy, we ordered a carafe of house rosati wine and waited for over 9 minutes.
We ordered appetizers for the table including a foccacia insalate, fried olives and sardines with mint and tomato. Not even worth mentioning was the rubbery carpaccio. The foccacia was decent and consisted of cherry tomatoes and little mozzarella balls heaped on top of an enjoyable, if not slightly oily, peasant bread. The main problem here was the dish's identity: was it a salad or a foccacia? I'm still not quite sure. The mounds of tomatoes and cheese made it difficult to pass off as a finger food and the narrow bread slices only further exacerbated the situation. My solution? I scooped some of the topping onto my plate and nibble on a piece of well-baked, tasty bread on the side. The fried olives were an absolute disaster. The real way to create this dish is to lightly fry them with a thin, flaky batter coating a juicy olive. These gigantic olives were crunchy and without flavor. They tasted as if they came fresh out of a can and resembled a falafel I once had around the corner from Western Wall in Jerusalem. The main difference? The Jerusalem falafel was edible. My advice here is to go a little easy on the batter and don't burn the olives to a black crisp. The sardines were enjoyable for their taste but they were too well cooked. The mint and tomato accopmaniment was well-received but the dish could have been better. Over-cooking seems to be a theme at Morandi, and a harmful one at that. The sardines were somewhat juicy but their briny, oily texture was minimized by excessive searing. This also made it difficult to pry the meat from the tiny bones of the little fish. Had they been more expertly cooked, separating meat from bone would not have been the ordeal that it was last night.
I am happy to say that all is not awful at Morandi. Our entrees were all tasty. Of special note is the branzino which was cooked over charcoal and had a moist, fresh taste and texture. It was really outstanding. I fileted the fish myself and the bones fled meat without much coaxing at all. I was able to enjoy the entire fish quickly, rather than prying it apart and embarking on an endless hunt for bones and other inedibles. Another member of our group enjoyed his swordfish which looked delicious served with an assortment of vegetables and juicy raisins. The fettucinie bolognese, though appearing to be simple and a small portion for a main course, was by all accounts delicious. In all, the entrees were fantastic. One would be hard pressed to find a branzino of better quality, cooked more perfectly anywhere in New York City.
To close, Morandi is one of those places that I want to love, but simply can't. It's major shortcomings (interminable service, inattentiveness, mediocre food) outweigh its successes (friendly waiters when you can find one, terrific whole fish). Another major problem with the restaurant is its height. I stand over 6 feet tall and felt as if the ceiling was just overhead. This low ceiling causes the din inside to reach insane decibel levels. And when you are trying to call for a waiter, the bedlam inside the restaurant makes being noticed very difficult, if not impossible.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The day thus far
I just got home a little while ago from seeing Knocked Up, the latest Judd Apatow movie. It is completely hilarious and I highly recommend it. However, it was difficult for me to resist the fetching aromas from the popcorn machine at the concession stand. The miniature explosions of buttery goodness were music to my ears but I am proud to say that I resisted and chose only a medium Diet Coke instead because I am going out on a double date tonight to a new Italian restaurant named Morandi. I have had a lot of great Italian recently and am interested to see how this one holds up. I have a feeling it will be less authentic and infused with a trendy vibe. But, the company will be great and it should be a terrific evening. I will keep all of my new readers informed in the hours following the meal and as always, bon appetit!
**credits**
Thanks to my great friend Miles for coming up with the slightly amusing and entirely appropriate title for this blog. Couldn't have done it without you my friend!
My First Post
Greetings, blogosphere! I don't really know much about this electronic world where people share their musings and ramblings about everything and anything and therefore do not quite know how to make the most of my debut here on Hungry Scharf-blog. The only thing I can tell you is that I like to eat...a lot. I am always hungry and always opening refrigerators wherever I go to see what is inside that tickles my fancy. I was just in my parent's kitchen and was nibbling on some big cherries. They were cool and juicy. I had three before I moved on to a moist d'Anjou pear--my new favorite fruit.
I live to eat. I love cooking and I love restaurants. I will be mainly talking about what I eat on a daily basis. Expect one or two posts per day that will discuss restaurants I eat at, food I prepare, and interesting food-related tales. Thanks for reading Hungry Scharf and I hope that this will evolve into a compendium of everything beautiful, tasty and interesting about my journeys and life with food.
I live to eat. I love cooking and I love restaurants. I will be mainly talking about what I eat on a daily basis. Expect one or two posts per day that will discuss restaurants I eat at, food I prepare, and interesting food-related tales. Thanks for reading Hungry Scharf and I hope that this will evolve into a compendium of everything beautiful, tasty and interesting about my journeys and life with food.
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