I had never been to Grey Dog Coffee for dinner until a few weeks ago when, after I’d disclosed this information, a few of my friends questioned my credibility as the Dish! Of course, we went for dinner that night. I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing. I’ve experienced the fantastic muffins and egg sandwiches; but dinner is the true treat.
Order one of the wonderful sandwiches at the counter—the line is usually long so you’ll have time to decide. Number six—a grilled chicken breast with mozzarella, pesto, and roasted tomato—is perfect when it’s pressed between two fat slabs of challah. Another winner is number ten, which is composed of hummus, Gruyere, avocado, plum tomatoes, peppercini, and pea shoots.
The sammies are large enough for a full dinner and they’ll only set you back eight or nine dollars. Add a five-dollar Magic Hat for a complete summer dinner. A new location is soon to open on University Place for devotees who live out of delivery range.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Spotting the Single Origin Trend
Similar to the ever-popular trend of local produce and products comes the offshoot movement of single origin specialties. Superior in that they are purer than the alternative, chocolate, coffee, and honey makers are all making a point of concentrating their products to solo locales.
Michel Cluizel offers a dainty stack of his single origin chocolates, which range from the Tamarina dark chocolate (hailing from the Tamarina plantation in São Tomé) to the Los Anconés plantation in the Dominican Republic, which produces chocolate that is 67% dark.
Valrhona also specializes in single origin chocolates with estates in Trinidad, Madagascar, and Venezuela, to name a few.
The chocolatiers who boast chocolate that comes from one location intensifies and focuses the beans to achieve distinct flavor profiles.
Kenneth Nye of Ninth Street Espresso, who purchased entire sub lots of single origin coffee beans, follows the same creed. His cafés press a different bean each week from plantations in Colombia, Rwanda, Honduras, and Sumatra. At Café Grumpy in Chelsea, all of the coffee options are single origin and they are brewed to order. A Bolivian coffee from the Cenaproc Co-Op was a Dish favorite, as was the Zaragoza Mexican decaf, which was surprisingly smooth.
And speaking of smooth, even beekeepers are making honey in the single origin method. Honey has two components that need regulating—the flowers and the bees that pollinate them. Single origin honey is single-flower honey that bees, exclusive to that patch of flowers, pollinate. The colors, flavors, and crystallization rate range from region to region. The most popular single flower honeys come from the mountains of Carolina (from the sourwood flower); Georgia, which produces a tangy tasting honey from gallberry flowers; and in Florida, from where perhaps the most well-known and accessible tupelo honey comes.
For now, their single locations raise their price tags a bit, but with the trend creeping towards the masses, we hope that the popularity of single origin goodies will alleviate some of the costs. Until then, it’s singularly worth it!
Michel Cluizel offers a dainty stack of his single origin chocolates, which range from the Tamarina dark chocolate (hailing from the Tamarina plantation in São Tomé) to the Los Anconés plantation in the Dominican Republic, which produces chocolate that is 67% dark.
Valrhona also specializes in single origin chocolates with estates in Trinidad, Madagascar, and Venezuela, to name a few.
The chocolatiers who boast chocolate that comes from one location intensifies and focuses the beans to achieve distinct flavor profiles.
Kenneth Nye of Ninth Street Espresso, who purchased entire sub lots of single origin coffee beans, follows the same creed. His cafés press a different bean each week from plantations in Colombia, Rwanda, Honduras, and Sumatra. At Café Grumpy in Chelsea, all of the coffee options are single origin and they are brewed to order. A Bolivian coffee from the Cenaproc Co-Op was a Dish favorite, as was the Zaragoza Mexican decaf, which was surprisingly smooth.
And speaking of smooth, even beekeepers are making honey in the single origin method. Honey has two components that need regulating—the flowers and the bees that pollinate them. Single origin honey is single-flower honey that bees, exclusive to that patch of flowers, pollinate. The colors, flavors, and crystallization rate range from region to region. The most popular single flower honeys come from the mountains of Carolina (from the sourwood flower); Georgia, which produces a tangy tasting honey from gallberry flowers; and in Florida, from where perhaps the most well-known and accessible tupelo honey comes.
For now, their single locations raise their price tags a bit, but with the trend creeping towards the masses, we hope that the popularity of single origin goodies will alleviate some of the costs. Until then, it’s singularly worth it!
Bruschetta
The bruschetta trio at Estancia 460 is delicious, complete with a shrimp version, a tomato version, and my favorite, a white bean puree. It inspired me to make my own.
Ingredients:
1 cup canellini beans
4 tbps extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbps tapenade
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh rosemary
3 tbsps basil leaves
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper
baguette
1. Preheat broiler or grill.
2. Chop rosemary and basil.
3. Mash beans.
4. Mix beans, oil, vinegar, and spices. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Slice bread and rub garlic into the slices. Grill them.
6. Spoon the mixture onto the bread, drizzle with a little oil and serve.
Ingredients:
1 cup canellini beans
4 tbps extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbps tapenade
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
1 tsp fresh rosemary
3 tbsps basil leaves
1 garlic clove
salt and pepper
baguette
1. Preheat broiler or grill.
2. Chop rosemary and basil.
3. Mash beans.
4. Mix beans, oil, vinegar, and spices. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Slice bread and rub garlic into the slices. Grill them.
6. Spoon the mixture onto the bread, drizzle with a little oil and serve.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
La Luncheonette
For years, I’ve been waiting for the appropriate moment to go to La Luncheonette. I first heard of the pioneer Chelsea restaurant from a culinary-obsessed professor of mine at Columbia. He’d been a Chelsea resident for longer than I’d been alive and always raved about it. A few years later, my boyfriend at the time had his office around the corner from the quaint French spot and would talk about it constantly. He had a friend who was a waitress there, and the meals that would ensue had all been memorable and much appraised.
I always wanted to go with him but we never found the time. I would stop outside of the small building and peer in at the happy couples forking little piles of marinated vegetables and fulfilling roasted chicken breasts. The blackboard specials were always enticing: cassoulet in the winter and dishes with vibrant veggies in the summer.
I’ve long been broken up with that boy, but luckily we’ve remained friends and even more fortuitously, we decided to go to La Luncheonette on a warm eve a few weeks ago.
The ambience was how I’d imagined it from those times I’d gazed inside: a charming, calm space that instantly relaxes its patrons.
Upon sitting, our waitress leaned the esteemed chalkboard against the wall on our table. I was dizzy with the decisions but with the aid of my guy friend, we settled on the artichokes vinaigrette (my kick continues), the sautéed mushrooms with herb butter, and the skate.
The two appetizers were divine. True French dishes: simple, buttery, and satisfying. We were glad that we’d split the skate (which the kitchen did for us) because the portion was enorme. The fish was pan-roasted and served with blanched green beans and a superb potato gratin.
We had a little room for dessert that we filled with refreshing crème caramel. I was happy to at last have enjoyed a La Luncheonette experience and now that I’ve finally broken the seal, I can only imagine becoming a regular at this twenty-year-old treasure.
I always wanted to go with him but we never found the time. I would stop outside of the small building and peer in at the happy couples forking little piles of marinated vegetables and fulfilling roasted chicken breasts. The blackboard specials were always enticing: cassoulet in the winter and dishes with vibrant veggies in the summer.
I’ve long been broken up with that boy, but luckily we’ve remained friends and even more fortuitously, we decided to go to La Luncheonette on a warm eve a few weeks ago.
The ambience was how I’d imagined it from those times I’d gazed inside: a charming, calm space that instantly relaxes its patrons.
Upon sitting, our waitress leaned the esteemed chalkboard against the wall on our table. I was dizzy with the decisions but with the aid of my guy friend, we settled on the artichokes vinaigrette (my kick continues), the sautéed mushrooms with herb butter, and the skate.
The two appetizers were divine. True French dishes: simple, buttery, and satisfying. We were glad that we’d split the skate (which the kitchen did for us) because the portion was enorme. The fish was pan-roasted and served with blanched green beans and a superb potato gratin.
We had a little room for dessert that we filled with refreshing crème caramel. I was happy to at last have enjoyed a La Luncheonette experience and now that I’ve finally broken the seal, I can only imagine becoming a regular at this twenty-year-old treasure.
Two Chips
A crunchy snack is the best kind if you ask the Dish. We found two moderately healthy versions: one savory and one sweet. Food Should Taste GoodChocolate, Jalapeño, and Olive aren’t as tasty or versatile as the Multigrain, but accompanied by the recommendations on the back of the bag makes any flavor a great nibble. Multigrain tortilla chips are all natural and loaded with flax, sunflower and sesame seeds, oat fiber, brown rice, quinoa, soy, and that’s just about it.
If it’s a sweet cruncher you crave, try Brother’s All Natural Fruit Crisps, which are freeze dried slices of fruit. However, be selective about the flavor. While banana was a stand out favorite, Asian pear was tasteless. Solo, strawberry was a bit odd, but added to granola and yogurt, it packed a delicious punch.
Ninth St at It Again
First there was a Ninth Street Espresso on Thirteenth Street. Now, we have another location to confuse us; Chelsea Market will be the proud home of Ninth Street number three.
Of course, with coffee raised to such an art form by the Ninth Street barista boys, no one is complaining about cross street confusions.
Their newest digs should be opened up by August 1st. They’ll be expertly crafting cappuccinos, lattes, and americanos with the same precision and attention as at their other locations; there will be a dual espresso bar, a French press station offering single origin coffees, and whole beans for sale. They won’t be offering any food; however, this locale has got an added bonus. With your caffeine fix in hand, you can take your pick of your preferred dunker—202’s sticky buns, Amy’s scones, Fatwitch brownies, Eleni’s butter cookie, and Sarabeth’s English muffin’s abound.
Of course, with coffee raised to such an art form by the Ninth Street barista boys, no one is complaining about cross street confusions.
Their newest digs should be opened up by August 1st. They’ll be expertly crafting cappuccinos, lattes, and americanos with the same precision and attention as at their other locations; there will be a dual espresso bar, a French press station offering single origin coffees, and whole beans for sale. They won’t be offering any food; however, this locale has got an added bonus. With your caffeine fix in hand, you can take your pick of your preferred dunker—202’s sticky buns, Amy’s scones, Fatwitch brownies, Eleni’s butter cookie, and Sarabeth’s English muffin’s abound.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Hot Dog Roller
Put your fears of burning hot dogs away for good; pick up a Charcoal Companion’s Hot Dog Roller (now available at Garber Hardware). This grilling gizmo is essential for perfect hot dogs, bratwursts, and sausages. Just place the contraption on the grill, let it heat up for about 5-10 minutes, and plop your desired dogs on top! A few spins on the stainless steel rollers will allow any kind of sausage to fully cook without charring the skin; each set of rollers accommodates five hot dogs. After spotting these rollers at Garber, one of the Dish assistants immediately affirmed their effectiveness. Her bratwurst-obsessed father in Chicago swears by it every time he grills (every week all year round), and wouldn’t dream of going back to directly cooking brats. Try one today and you’ll never go back either!
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