Chef's Blog

Just got back from seven days in NYC:  two were filled with a variety of press interviews, two cooking at the apartment of an interested party, and three I spent almost solely walking and eating.  I hadn’t been to Manhattan since a 2003 trip with John Besh to cook at the James Beard House, and to make up for lost time, I bagged 34 restaurants on this trip.

(Which appearance got me almost as many funny looks as my frequent use of “y’all”).

Highlights:  warm artichokes and cucumber at Dovetail (also roasted foie gras with graham cracker puree as well as roasted veal shank with chorizo at Dovetail); fusilli with red wine braised octopus and bone marrow and Marea;  grilled chicken skin and some yakitori place down on St. Mark’s; curried goat neck at Kin Shop, also fried duck tongues with green papaya and mint; Gomde Blanc de Noirs at Eleven Madison; beef brisket at Momofuku Noodle Bar; spicy fried chicken somewhere in Koreatown; house-made tofu at 15 East.  I’m still full.

David Chang etc have weighed in already on NYC v. San Francisco food scenes; I don’t think the two are that comparable, and I’ll explain why in a future post.