New York City Eating – From High to Wallet Friendly

You want to take a bite out of the Big Apple but don’t know where to begin? Worry not intrepid eater- there’s a world of choice out there alright, but I’ve taken the liberty of narrowing it down a bit with a few of my favourites that are tried and true. So wear stretchy pants- you’re gonna need them!

High:
Esca- The restaurant name means fish lure in Italian and makes some of the best Italian-inflected seafood outside of Bari. Head chef and fisherman (more like fish obsessed!) David Pasternack put the Italian coastal staple “Crudo” on the map after trying it for himself in la Bella Italia with business partner Mario Batali. Citrus dressed and finished with some exotic sea salts and olive oils- crudo is the freshest, most beautiful way to eat seafood aside from well-crafted sashimi or Latin American Ceviche. His house-made pastas always please too if you’re not so seafood adventurous (your loss I tell ya!). And yes, meats are also on the menu.
Porter House New York- I have TONS of respect for Chef Michael Lomonaco. Not only because the man used to helm the kitchen at Windows on the World in the former Twin Towers (he’s alive to tell the tale because he went in to get his glasses when the first tower was hit), but because he started a fundraising drive for his deceased staff’s family AND he’s an incredibly talented cook. Like steak? Then you’ll love Porter House where Lomonaco’s dry aging program renders choice cuts drool-worthy, grilled works of edible art.

Mid:
Rosa Mexicano- I don’t usually recommend chain restaurants – in fact, they usually give me a bad case of the hives. But, this is not your typical chain restaurant- it’s elegant Mexican that doesn’t do “Tex Mex” (amen!). Mexico’s own Chef Susana Trilling flies around the US teaching the restaurant’s head chefs how to make the meanest mole, the most perfect pipian and tremendous tamales so that lucky Americans can feel like they’ve flown to Oaxaca to eat at her cooking school. The table-side guacamole- made fresh before your every own ojos is also a thing of delicious beauty.

The Spotted Pig – British-born April Bloomfield worked alongside uber-celeb Jamie Oliver before he was a household name. She had to cook for co-owner Mario Batali before landing this gig to prove her salt. Her culinary chops knocked ‘em dead and she was hired post haste. Gastropub fare using local, seasonal goodies that are infused with an Italo-Anglo touch is just the ticket for a hungry traveler. Her Banoffee Pie is a cult classic- which could explain why at 11:30pm at night, there was a line up outside the door and down the block. Call ahead first- you’ve been warned.

Cheap and Cheery:

Arepa Arepa- Venezuelan style arepas (the ultimate version of a sandwich made using white corn meal instead of bread) can be found in Brooklyn- accessible via subway so no excuses! For under ten bucks, you’ve got a feast fit for a king- robust arepas stuffed with anything from spicy chorizo, flakes of fish, chicken or skirt steak ribbons. Fried plantains and queso freso, a natural jugo and you’re good to go!

GROM Gelato- On Bleeker Street, you’ll find one of the Italian gelato makers only US outposts and you’ll be glad you did. Pistachio, Amalfi lemon, traditional Turinese Gianduja chocolate- these and other flavours will seduce the taste buds. You’ll feel like you’re in Florence without leaving the continent!

Ceviche - Who makes the best?

Summer always makes me want to eat more seafood. Maybe it’s the fact I was born in Southern Italy and fish was plentiful in the summer and somehow it brings memories of unspoiled (they were when I was a kid many decades ago) beaches dotted with colourful umbrellas and the sweet smell of sun tan lotion. In Italy we ate fish plain grilled with some olive oil a squirt of lemon a bit of salt and pepper and voila dinner. Here is Canada we are blessed to have all kinds of seafood available all year long. But the only problem is it’s not the same as that fresh catch you get in the Med or the Caribbean. So in order to make the most of whatever seafood I might have around I love to prepare Ceviche. I chop up shrimp, scallops, and salmon and bathethe mixture in lime and lemon and lots of garlic. Then I refrigerated for a few hours and before you know it I have delicious ceviche my way. I love to serve it in martini glasses with a little parsley (never cilantro I HATE cilantro)

In the last few years ceviche has made its way on the menus of many restaurants and like myself every Chef or Cook creates their own version of this Peruvian dish. If you travel through South and Central America you will find hundreds of different versions of ceviche with each country claiming to make the best. In Panama they use mostly White Sea bass (corvina) and prepare it with lemon juice, chopped onions, celery, habanero peppers and sea salt. In Ecuador its shrimp ceviche made with tomato paste, lime juice and salt. In Chile it’s often made with halibut or Patagonian toothfish which is marinated in lime and grapefruit juices garlic and red chile peppers and my much hated cilantro is added. In Cuba they use mahi-mahi, lime juice, salt, onion, green pepper, habanero peppers and a bit of all spice. The mother country for Ceviche is Peru and here is one of the best Peruvian recipes provided by Chef and food writer Stephanie Ortenzi:

Ceviche Peruano (Serves 6)
An appetizer or late-night snack eaten with Pisco, the Peruvian brandy
600 gr halibut
3 large Scallops
1 small red onion, thinly julienned
juice of 12 limes, or enough to cover the fish
1 aji amarillo pepper finely diced
salt to taste
2 cobs of corn, boiled and cut in thirds
2 large sweet potatoes, boiled and into thirds

Cut the halibut and scallops equally into one-inch pieces.
Season with salt, cover with lime juice, and set the red onions on top.
Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until the fish has firmed up and becomes opaque.
When ready, drain and serve in cold bowls with corn and sweet potato to garnish.

Try it and as the Peruvians would say ‘Bon Provecho!)

Bon Vivant Hits the Road!

Sort of...Our travel experts in the Vancouver area will be at the EAT! Vancouver Food + Cooking Festival this weekend to talk about our "Flavours of Tuscany" tour and other culinary trips that might tempt some tastebuds.

If you are in the Vancouver area and attending the show, please drop by booth #507 to say hello and participate in our contest for a Bertozzi imported italian food gift basket. All you have to do is have your picture taken in our "little Italy" scene featuring a red hot Vespa from Vespa Metro Vancouver and fill out a ballot. The best shots of the day will be posted on our facebook page if you want to have a peak at what we're up to.

Have a great weekend and we hope to see some of you at the show!

Casa de Los Sabores- Oaxacan for Food with Heart

There’s an unimposing door on Calle Reforma in downtown Oaxaca that announces I’ve reached “Casa de Los Sabores” (or House of Flavours). Passing through the metal door, I enter a world where culinary history, tradition and Oaxacan staples meld under the canopied courtyard of Chef Pilar Cabrera Arroyo’s much-lauded cooking school. Bougainvillea flowers shower the white cotton bands hanging over the brightly laid out dining room table as we gather around the spacious island to hear about what we’ll be making today. But first thing is first- it’s time to shop for our ingredients.

I’ve always said Mexican food is the original slow food. You can’t rush a good mole sauce any more than you can a braised roast. Chef Pili (as she’s often called by friends) walks our group to the neighbourhood market called La Merced where ingredients are explained and examined. Chickens the colour of sunflowers? That’s because they eat Marigolds as part of their diet. Every kind of chile- dried and fresh, herbs like the eponymous epazote which flavours sauces and soups (and is known to fight any parasite that might be lurking in your system- hey, this a multi-purpose herb!) are purchased and then, it’s back to the kitchen.

Our group starts by plucking organic rose petals from thorny stems for Pilar’s spectacular Rose Petal Sorbet. Delicately pink, flavoured with fresh and dry rose petals, a hint of rosewater and almonds, it’s refreshing and elegant at the same time. Then it’s on to searing and peeling peppers for the soup while the sorbet sets, making a fresh salsa with avocado and peppers, and the filling for the stuffed peppers. Everyone is put to work while a happy hum of activity surrounds us all.

The group’s efforts yield richly delicious rewards- a lunch fit for a Rey with the gurgling courtyard water fountain serenading us while Catrina papier machier dolls (symbolic of Day of the Dead celebrations near our Hallowe’en) watch on with toothy grins. A shot of mezcal (Oaxaca’s answer to tequila) starts us off and we enjoy an al fresco lunch in the cradle of Mexican culinary creativity. The Australians, Dutch, Canadians and Americans in our group all agree, this is one of the most memorable meals we’ve ever had.

La Petraia -True Tuscany, True Luxury

Ethereal, fabled, stunning- these words dance around in my mind as we drive up the cyprus tree-lined path leading to La Petraia. A fully restored and expanded 12th Century farmhouse stands proudly in the distance while the bright purple blossoms of fragrant lavender beckons gently in the breeze, perfuming the air with nature’s aromatherapy. La Petraia, or “Place of Stone” is a special place, made all the more idyllic by Canadians Susan McKenna Grant and her husband Michael Grant.

The couple scoured a few continents for a place to call their own; it had to have architectural integrity, unpolluted land suitable for organic farming and it had to inspire in them a sense of wellbeing. In the rolling Tuscan countryside of Chianti Classico, they found these ideals and more.

After years of painstaking restoration, La Petraia is considered one of Italy’s best agriturismo destinations that also happens to be a bit of a hidden gem (until now). Bon Vivant travelers will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of this pristine working farm and what it takes to keep centuries-old Tuscan traditions alive. A guided tour of the organic gardens, olive groves and vineyards will wrap up with a walk past the forest where a special herd of Cinta Senese pigs might just “pose” for the camera. This classic heirloom breed (with their distinctive white band or collar) dangerously dipped in numbers until recently when folks like Susan started breeding the free range forest pigs, prized for their rich, lean flavour.

After working up an appetite, the group will be treated to a special “Afternoon Tasting.” Four courses of just-picked, farm-fresh fare will be created for you by Susan herself, who has studied with culinary greats in Italy and France. You’re in for a gustatory delight because I’ve had the pleasure of dining at La Petraia and had one of the finest meals of my entire stay in Tuscany that night.

Tuscan wines will be paired with each course and if you’re lucky, you’ll end your afternoon savouring a piece of heaven on earth as the rose-tinted sun sets over the ancient, verdant hills. And the best part? You’ve got three more days of exploring the region before saying arrivederci to Italia.

Getting Giddy over Tuscan Wines

For most people, a trip to Tuscany takes in the glory of Florence, the stature of Pisa and (maybe) the unique towers of San Gimignano. While all of these sites capture the imagination and offer an insight into both Italian history and culture, none of them fully encompass the essence of Tuscany. For this you must venture outside the city wall into the fame rolling hills of the countryside. You need to get a little dirt under your fingernails.

For me,Tuscany is a very sensual place, and not in a creepy way. The sun shines differently here and brings everything into sharper focus. The air is perfumed with the herbs growing wild in the hills around you. The sounds of animals are everywhere and birds welcome the morning with their song. OK. I know that was overkill. There is some truth to it though.

There is a special texture to the grape vines and olive groves that seem to line every road and adorn every hillside.

These two also supply the flavour of Tuscany. There is no greater gluttonous joy than simple bread with fine olive oil drizzled atop and a Brunello from Montalcino or a Chianti with which to wash it down. The bright acidity found in the Sangiovese grape makes it the perfect match for the richness of fine olive oil. It is also a wonderful accompaniment to the cured meats and risottos that fill local plates and bellies. It is amazing that in such a highly populated country, there is so much open countryside. Now, granted, you might have to watch your step if it is hunting season, but the fact remains that there is more than enough space and fresh air to go around.

I don't know whether it is the Italian sense of humour or the shear joy of being there, but I have one other sense of Tuscany that I would like to share. I don't remember laughing so much for a long time. I seem to laugh for no reason. There are two possible reasons. The first is that I love the Tuscan countryside. The second is that I am barking mad. I will leave you to be the judge next time you are there."

Modena’s Balsamic Vinegar- One of the World’s Sexiest Condiments

Few things say Modena, in Italy’s northern Emilia Romagna region more proudly and deliciously than a fine Aceto Balsamico (balsamic vinegar). And few have been making it for as long or as well as the Giusti family at the Gran Deposito Aceto Balsamico di Modena Giuseppe Giusti. A mouthful? Yes, but it sounds as seductive as it tastes.

Bon Vivants from across Canada taking a bite out of The Flavours of Tuscany tour will be guided through the gran deposito by the charming Claudio Stefani, a 17th generation descendant of Giuseppe Giusti himself. In fact, his family is credited with being the first to record the balsamic vinegar recipe in history and it doesn’t hurt that these vinegars are also listed in the book “101 Things to Buy Before You Die” as a must-try.

Deep burgundy in colour, luscious and infinitely complex, Giusti balsamic vinegars are like a rare, edible historical artifact that are meant to be savoured like a fine wine. Using generations-old barrels, the vinegars start out as grape must that is aged and reduced over years in the family’s beautifully appointed facility in Modena. Take a step back in time as you are guided by Claudio himself into the prized cellars where “Il Profumato” (the perfumed one), the Giusti White Label “Il Classico” or my favourite, the 10 year old “Il Denso” – which as its name suggests is sweet, thick, and sexy- are all created. A sampling of all five “Historical Collection” balsamic vinegars as well as two of the family’s “Traditional Balsamic Vinegars” will be lead by Claudio on site.

For the culinary curator, there’s the prized “Scrigno – Giusti Complete Collection” containing all five Giusti balsamic vinegars. The collection came to be as a special request from the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti. He asked for a unique prize that could be donated for a Red Cross charity auction in December 4th 2006 in Modena. The vinegar set sold for a handsome € 1100. Today, you can pick up a set of your own for a more moderate €180.

And since the Flavours of Tuscany tour is about giving travelers an intimate taste of the culinary landscape in that part of Italy, the group will head over to the Locanda delle Quattro Stagioni for a bespoke lunch featuring Giusti’s various balsamic vinegars. There’s nothing quite like a well-made ravioli drizzled with a thick and deeply intense balsamic vinegar to elevate a dish to Mount Vesuvius proportions. And this is just a taste of things to come.