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Best Med Diet Dish at...Pasha Restaurant

Posted by Mediterraneanista, November 9, 2011

MEETING UP WITH FRIENDS for Turkish meze at Pasha, near Lincoln Center, is always a great way to end a work day. We usually sit up front in the bar area, pulling up the kilim-upholstered armchairs in a circle around the low mosaic-tiled table. Something about the deep crimson walls and friendly service makes the place cozy and chic at the same time.

Before long, our little table is filled with appetizer plates that we share—shepherd’s salad with tomatoes and cucumbers, manti (small lamb dumplings in mint yogurt sauce), octopus salad, grilled feta with tomatoes, imam bayildi (stuffed eggplant), calamari with garlic and walnut dipping sauce. (Most plates are $7-9, with a few $10-12.) I often order a glass of Cankaya Kavaklidere, a blended white wine from Anatolian grapes, or one of the other Turkish wines on the list, which gets you completely in the spirit of being transported to Turkey for a few hours.

 

 

Pasha New York
70 West 71st Street
New York, NY
212-579-8751

 

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Best Med Diet Dish at...Lupa

Posted by Mediterraneanista, February 10, 2011
MEDITERRANEANISTA SEEMS TO HAVE SLUMBERED her way through January. Snow, snow, snow. Merry house guests gone. Memories of communal cooking and countless feasts fading.
 
But lunch at Mario Batali’s Lupa Osteria Romana seems to have roused me from my Rip Van Winkle sleep. It was an official Snow Day when our reservation date came up, and we happily padded our way down to the Village—our old neighborhood.
 
Through Washington Square Park.
 
 
Down Thompson Street past the chess store. (They get the prize for cleanest pavement.)
 
 
Past the building that housed a live poultry and rabbit market when we lived across the street above our landlord’s Italian restaurant. 
 
 
Past buried cars.
 
 
And stranded bicycles.
 
 
To the doorstep of Lupa, where a warm welcome—and lovely Mediterranean smells—awaited.
 
 
Lupa is an informal and friendly trattoria, Batali-style—we sat at one of the simple wooden tables in the front (a back room has tablecloths). Down one side is a long bar that I hear gets very crowded on a usual day (i.e. when most of the city’s residents aren’t stuck in snowdrifts). Roman dishes are simple and tasty; we particularly liked the sound of the vegetable antipasti —brussels sprouts with apples, for one, or beets with pistachio. 
 
Our Restaurant Week menu started with Lupa’s pasta e fagioli—a puréed white bean soup with escarole and sage, perfect for the snowy day—and a delicious capon & pork terrine with celery mostarda and bitter greens.
 
 
Next came butternut squash farrotto (like a risotto, but made with farro)—a real treat for this farro-loving girl—and branzino with cardoon and potato purée. Finally, fresh ricotta and honey for dessert—a sublime creamy finish to the meal. We drank a lovely dry Frascati —Rome’s signature white wine—and a Chianti-like Morellino di Scansano from Tuscany. The wine list represents all parts of Italy, with half the bottles under $50.  (The Frascati Superiore Cantine Conte Zandotti 2009 is $29, for example, the Morellino di Scansano “I Perazzi” La Mozza 2008, $35.)
 
$21 Lunch Prix Fixe: Restaurant Week is over at Lupa, but it is now offering a three-course “Roman Style Lunch” for $21. Burrata (fresh mozzarrella with a creamy center) with butternut squash and mint, and Paccheri alla Gricia, pasta with guanciale (Roman bacon made from pig’s jowls), caught my eye. I better hurry back—specific dishes change regularly “inspired by ingredients, seasonality or a regional favorite.” Served Monday through Friday, noon to 3:30 pm. I can also imagine just pulling up to the bar and ordering a glass of wine and a salumi plate or some of those wonderful vegetable antipasti. 
 
Lupa Osteria Romana
170 Thompson Street
New York, NY 10001
212-982-5089
 
(Lunch reservations are much easier to get than dinner, which books up a month out. Some walk-ins, with a wait of course.)
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At the Market This Week

Posted by Mediterraneanista, November 20, 2010
Whole grains, flours, breads—it’s Greenmarket Grains Week—cauliflower, winter greens, squash and…Peter Hoffman, chef/owner of the restaurants Savoy and Back Forty, doing a cooking demo Friday at Union Square.
 
 
 
 
 
On my way out the north end of Union Square Market this afternoon, I saw a cooking demo and stopped to see what was up. Lucky I did: Peter Hoffman, chef/owner of Savoy and Back Forty, was demonstrating how to make Spelt and Mushroom Soup with Sage and Sheep Cheese Crostini, especially for Grains Week.
 
 
By some miracle, it wasn’t super-crowded so we got to stand around and ask questions. Did you cook the spelt beforehand?—Yes, because it takes quite a while. What kind of mushrooms are they?—Today I’m using oyster mushrooms, from right over there at Madura Farms, he explains, pointing to a stand down the way.
 
Then there was the tasting, of course, and the soup was just right for outdoor eating on this brisk sunny day—warm broth full of flavor, chewy grain. Yum. In fact, everyone seemed to like it, even those for whom spelt was something new. A few reaaaaallly liked it. Or maybe they were just hungry. (One serving, please. No, sorry, we can’t give you a third helping.)
 
Most of the ingredients came from farmers’ stands just steps away—the spelt, celery root, greens, sage—which was the point, after all: For two decades, Hoffman has crafted Savoy’s menus around produce of the season from local farmers whom he’s gotten to know over the years. “Savoy is as close as you’ll get to Chez Panisse in New York City,” one reviewer wrote. Hoffman has been shopping at, cooking from and supporting the Greenmarket for 30 years—including 15 years on its advisory board. Nice to run into him there.
 
The soup recipe is part of the Greenmarket Recipe Series; you should be able to find it at the market. Peter Hoffman is reportedly working on a book that will recount a year of shopping at the farmers’ market, with recipes and reflections. Can’t wait to read it. Meanwhile, here’s a summer tour of the market with him, from WNYC:
 
 
Look for more cooking demos with various chefs on Saturday, November 20 at Union Square Greenmarket.
 
And to close out Grains Week, don’t miss the Flapjack Breakfast at New Amsterdam Market this Sunday, November 21, 11-1, tickets $20. Sausage and maple syrup are part of the deal!
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Best Med Diet Dish at...Maoz Vegetarian

Posted by Mediterraneanista, November 8, 2010
Here’s some fast food with Med cred, available at five locations around the city—including high-traffic areas like Times Square and Union Square. Maybe one is near your office? A couple more branches are opening in the next few months, including one in Hoboken. 
 
My pick from the Maoz menu is the falafel whole-wheat pita sandwich ($5.25), with veggie toppings from the salad bar—roasted cauliflower, diced beets, tabouli salad, Moroccan-style marinated carrots, and so on, plus various sauces, including cilantro, garlic, tahini, chili. If you dine in, you can refill your pita as many times as you want from the salad bar, piling up those veggie servings with the greatest of ease.
 
 
Last time I was at Maoz, I bought an extra side order of falafel ($3.50, made from chickpeas) to take home, where I combined it with my own salad and tahini later. Yum. Maoz’s falafel made SeriousEats.com’s top 7 falafel sandwiches in New York City earlier this summer. The white pita lost it some points. I found the whole-wheat pita pretty tasty. 
 
The first Maoz restaurant opened in Amsterdam in 1991 and soon attracted local customers and travelers alike. The menu emphasizes fresh produce and, although it doesn’t use olive oil, the Med diet favorite, it does use zero trans fat vegetable oil. For only $1 extra, you can get freshly squeezed carrot, apple or orange juice instead of soda with the sandwich meal deal. If you’re interested in more nutrition details, check out the Maoz website.
 
Meatless Monday Deal:At Maoz Vegetarian, every day is meatless but on Mondays you get 10% off the Salad Meal Deal ($9.95)—a box of greens with falafel plus two add-ons (hummus, eggplant, etc.), salad-bar toppings and freshly squeezed juice.
 
Maoz Vegetarian
 
558 7th Ave (corner of 40 St)
New York, NY 10018
212.777.0820
 
59 East 8 St (between Broadway and University Pl)
New York, NY 10003
212.420.5999
 
38 Union Square East (between 16 and 17 St)
New York, NY  10003
212.260.1988
Order online
 
2047 Broadway (between 70 and 71 St)
New York, NY  10023
212.362.2622
 
2857 Broadway (between 110 and 111 St)
New York, NY  10025
212.222.6464
Order online
 
Opening Soon:
683 8th Ave (between 43 and 44 St)
New York, NY 10036
 
315 Washington Street
Hoboken, NJ  07030 
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Best Med Diet Dish at...Flex Mussels

Posted by Mediterraneanista, October 21, 2010
Well, you guessed it, mussels—steamed in all sorts of flavored broths, some even quite distinctively Mediterranean, but all qualifying as a great Med diet seafood dinner made with fresh ingredients. How about San Daniele, with prosciutto, caramelized onions, white wine and garlic, or Spaniard, with chorizo, sweet peppers, Spanish olives, red wine and tomatoes? Yep, there’s even Mediterranean, with shrimp, kalamata olives, fennel, lemon, anise and oregano. The list goes on and on—there are more than 20 choices ($17-20)—so the only way to eventually make a decision and not drive your dinner companions crazy is to tell yourself you’ll be coming back another day—and another.
 
The menu has non-mussel Med choices, too, including arugula or bibb lettuce salads, a whole fish, even chicken with dandelion greens. We started the meal with raw oysters, incredibly fresh and tasty. (The owners started out in Prince Edward Island and know their seafood.) The crusty whole wheat bread is perfect for mopping up the broth. I hear executive pastry chef Zac Young (Top Chef) makes some amazing desserts. Next time! Good wine list (we had a nice Grüner Veltliner with our mussels) and an excellent selection of beers from around the world.
 
Plus a $20 deal every night from 5:30 to 7: If you don’t mind sitting at the counter or bar (and why should you—the chairs have backs, the design vibe is very cool), you can dine on all-you-can-eat Classic (white wine, herbs, garlic), Fra Diavolo (San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil) or PEI (lobster stock, drawn butter) mussels, plus fries and one draft beer for $20. (For the deal—no reservations accepted, no sharing.)
 
Flex Mussels
154 W. 13 St (between 7th and 6th)
New York, NY
212.229.0222
info@flexmussels.com 
 
Also at:
174 E. 82 Street (between 3rd and Lexington),
New York, NY 
212.717.7772     
 
 
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Haiku on a Year in the Life of a Restaurant

Posted by Mediterraneanista, October 5, 2010
A good meal is poetry. So perhaps it’s not so surprising to find a chef-poet. On the occasion of Union Square Café’s 25th anniversary, chef Michael Romano has written some haiku:
 
autumn chill
distant wood smoke
truffle dogs are digging
 
long-simmered stew
aged red wine
streetlights on at five

 
Now doesn’t that awaken your senses in the most lovely way? Find the rest of the year here.
 
 
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Eataly Coming to New York: First Look

Posted by Mediterraneanista, August 25, 2010
I was walking along West 24th Street last week and peeked in the window at Eataly, the 50,000-square-foot food hall Mario Batali is opening with partners Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich and others.
 
 
Batali has described it as a “temple” to Italian food. It will have all sorts of food departments—butcher, fishmonger, greengrocer, bakery, cheese, dried goods, salumi—as well as restaurants and snack counters. A sign outside quotes Fellini: “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” Sounds good to me.
 
 
The original Eataly, a Slow Food heaven in Turin, opened in 2007, followed by branches in other Italian cities and in Japan. We’ll all get to experience New York’s Eataly for ourselves on Tuesday, August 31 at 4 pm. To whet your appetite, here’s a preview from Eater.
 
See you there!
  
Eataly
Fifth Avenue and 24th Street 
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Best Med Diet Dish at...Taberna

Posted by Mediterraneanista, July 27, 2010
I’ve always been a fan of small plates and making a meal out of a succession of appetizers so it was good news when a new tapas bar—Taberna—opened on the Upper West Side this summer. Chef Jennifer Cole spent a dozen years or more working as a chef in Spain (including at Michelin-starred Balzac in Madrid) before returning to New York. Lucky us. The menu is full of little composed masterpieces of Mediterranean ingredients—seafood, vegetables, beans, olive oil. Specials change frequently, depending on what’s in season at the market. Earlier in July, I paid a visit.
 
Each of the four small dishes we ordered, which made a satisfying dinner for two, was full of complex flavors. As each plate was presented, I realized that what I like about this way of eating is that it is interesting—and I don’t mean that in the polite way we sometimes use the word when we really mean “less than great.” Each dish was an experience unto itself, an inducement to mindful eating that we could savor fully before going on to the next. A glass of Laxas Albariño 2009, a lovely crisp white wine with fruity aromas, from Galicia in northwestern Spain, was a perfect accompaniment.
 
The meal began with an amuse-bouche on two white ceramic spoons—salpicón de pulpo from Galicia, made from small dice of octopus, peppers, onions and tomatoes with a lemon vinaigrette. A promising start.
 
Next was marinated trout with white bean salad—what a wonderful contrast between the fish and the creamy white beans.
 
 
Pisto manchego (Spanish ratatouille) with quail egg, Serrano crisp, and parsley gel is a great example of the Mediterranean use of meat as condiment rather than plate-filler—in this case, a slice of dry-cured Spanish Serrano ham (similar to Italian prosciutto crudo or French jambon de Bayonne), sautéed briefly to make it crispy.
 
 
 
To finish up the meal….delicious baked goat cheese. 
 
 
Some other recent specials I’ve seen on the menu—mussel squid salad with heirloom tomatoes, Catalan croquetas with spinach, golden raisins and pine nuts—sound enticing. I’ll be back!
 
Taberna
429 Amsterdam Avenue, nr. 81st St.
New York, NY 10024
917-388-3500 
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Lunetta Chef Rides for Cancer—and You Get to Eat and Drink

Posted by Mediterraneanista, July 11, 2010
Only 11 hours left to register for this deal over at Bloomspot. Lunetta, in Boerum Hill, with its great Italian-Mediterranean menu, will offer a Chef’s Selection: Formaggi and Salumi plate + 2 glasses of wine, for $21, instead of $41. All proceeds from the special offer will go to the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a bike-a-thon that Lunetta chef and owner Adam Shepard will ride in August to raise money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
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Lunch Karma—It Was Mine!

Posted by Mediterraneanista, June 19, 2010
So Mediterraneanista was into her second day of hard labor at The Storage Room, the extra room of our Manhattan apartment that we keep in Fort Lee, New Jersey. We were switching from a 10x10 to a 10x5—sorting, trashing, agonizing over (OMG, can you believe they actually wore this 8-inch-long shirt; read this poem, no really, he was only 6...) I was hot, hungry and had just done a face plant into a box, tripping over a cement pedestal for a garden statue (don’t ask) that I had put in my own way. It was definitely time for a lunch break, but where?
 
Well, miraculously, just a few steps down Main Street we see a sign: “Joeyness: All Natural Gourmet Mediterranean Foods.” Was my luck changing? Inside the small café and takeout place, we find three friendly people—chef/owner Joseph Ghazal and his mother and brother—serving made-from-scratch Lebanese specialities. We order falafel wrap sandwiches and tabouleh. While we wait, the Joeyness himself gives us a sample of the vegan lentil soup he’s just made. Delicious! Which is not surprising, since Ghazal, it turns out, is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He opened the store three years ago, he tells us, after initially making Middle Eastern spreads for wholesale distribution. 
 
The falafel, made with chickpeas and favas, was fresh and soooo tasty; the tabouleh had just the right balance of green to grain and a wonderful lemony zest. I’m envious of the steady flow of customers who clearly come to Joeyness regularly. What a treat. There are so many other things on the menu I want to try: tabouleh made with lentils instead of bulgur, beef kafta, Mediterranean bean salad and, of course, the “old country hummus” and babaghanoush.
 
The café is that winning combination of high-quality ingredients, great cooking and, as you sit and eat at one of the small tables, the good company of the people who run the place. As one Yelp fan put it:
 
Joeyness is owned and run by the most delightful chef who is CIA trained, who has taken his love for his profession and combined it with his love for his mother’s home cooking.
 
Bike peeps: The café is only a mile from the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee so it’s the perfect place (and menu, including fair trade coffee) for refueling before heading up Route 9 or River Road, or at the end of your ride before you head back into NYC. That’s my plan, anyway.
 
Joeyness
515 Main Street
Fort Lee, NJ 07024
201-461-2700
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