Kim's B-day lunch

I've wanted to go to The Modern for quite some time; but sometimes its hard to make that trek uptown. My sisters birthday was the perfect excuse to hop on the 4 train and head uptown to the MoMa. Unfortunately, I didn't get to visit the museum; but I can save that for a date. We ate in the Bar Room at The Modern, because we pursued a less fancy atmosphere then the Dining Room allowed. The Dining Room is an elegant space overlooking the sculpture garden offering a prix-fixe menu. The Bar Room is a more casual space although still pretty stunning. The Bar Room offers small plates of rustic, Alsatian cuisine. Gabriel Kreuther is the executive chef and overlooks food coming from both rooms. Chef Kreuther's vision and execution was brilliant and greatly impressed my family. Lunch at The Modern was incredible.

Here is what we had

Tarte Flambée Alsatian thin crust tart with crème fraîche, onion

and applewood-smoked bacon 14.

Warm Lamb and Goat Cheese Terrine with toasted pistachios

and watercress 16.

Spicy Steak Tartare with quail egg 16.

Grilled Diver Scallops with red pepper, corn, toasted almonds

and saffron-roasted garlic emulsion 22

Alsatian Buckwheat Späetzle with Yellowfin tuna paillard crudo,

roasted foie gras, pine nuts and black pepper gastrique 25.

Duck Confit à l’Orange with cauliflower and fingerling

potatoes 20.

Sepia risotto with Pancetta

But not only was the food excellent, but so was the service. From the front door to the presentation of our check, I found that the staff was so welcoming and professional. But Danny Meyer wouldn't have it any other way! I think its safe to say that The Modern is one of the best restaurants I've been to in awhile. I'd definitely suggest checking it out. Fellas---take a girl to the galleries at the MoMa then end your date in the Dining Room at The Modern. She will be impressed and probably take advantage of you for dessert. Just make sure you like her because this is not a cheap date!

Summer Recap

It seems like we just started summer and now its almost over. With football season around the corner, many New Yorkers will spend their weekends in the city rather than in the Hamptons or the Jersey Shore. I too am guilty of fleeing the city whenever possible to escape the bounds of this concrete jungle for a more open environment. Open in the sense of boundaries, open in the sense of horizons. Cool beach breezes are more desirable than hot subway platforms any day in my opinion. Late work weeks and trips outside the city have kept me busy, but I do want to recap some great summer moments before the excitement of fall hits.

Early in the month, Corey (a co-worker) and I gave a beer presentation at work. We covered some basic beer knowledge that we thought it was important to know. Before the presentation we were given the opportunity to meet with chef Nick and discuss some possible beer/food pairings. During this meeting, the kitchen at Maialino prepared a variety of food to taste with our artisanal beer selection. Our first course included a bunch of our smaller, fried dishes including baccala, octopus, artichokes, and zucchini. It also included one of my favorite bar snacks--sweetbreads and mushrooms wrapped in prosciutto. We found a lot of good pairing combos, but thats probably no surprise considering beer and fried food go hand in hand. Our second course consisted of a few of our pastas including the tonnarelli, picci, vongole, and carbonara. This was definitely the hardest course to make solid pairings. Our next course was our entree course and included the spigola(sea bass), maialino (suckling pig), pollo diavolo (chicken), and spezzatino (lamb). Somehow we managed to move on to dessert where we had great success with the Verdi stout and the chocolate tort. After all said and done-- we ate some great food, drank some good beer, and made some good pairings in the process. It was an educational process that turned out to be one of my best food adventures of the summer.

It gets better! Garret Oliver, head brewer/partner of Brooklyn Brewery, was a guest speaker at our presentation. Not only was it cool to hear him speak, but Corey and I got to have dinner with him afterwards. We sat in the bar area of Maialino and the kitchen cooked for us. They sent us out an array of food including pork ribs, lamb ribs, agnolotti, picci, bolognese, animelle, meatballs and a few other goodies including dessert. Not only were we enjoying some great food and beer; but we were doing it with one of the most influential brewers in the country. Garret is a pretty big deal in the world of brewing, so it was awesome to pick his brain. Signing up for this beer presentation was the best thing I've done in awhile.

Another great summer moment was a trip to the Boardy Barn for my roommate J-blow's bday. Boardy Barn is said to be the ultimate Sunday fun-day spot with tons of beer, dancing, and smiley-face stickers. Boardy Barn is rumored to sell more beer than Yankee Stadium--I don't know if thats true; but if so then thats impressive. It was raining, but that didn't stop our 34-person party bus from pulling up to this Hampton Bays hotspot. I believe the Barn is only open on Sundays, so people flock here rain or shine. You probably won't leave the Barn dry anyway, so weather doesn't really matter. Just plan on throwing out your clothes and being extremely hungover for work the next day. The Barn brings out your inner party animal and reminds you of your wild college days. Boardy Barn is open till Labor Day so you still have some time to check it out. Whether you're on your way back from the Hamptons or you make a special trip, Boardy Barn is worth the trip and probably the best sunday fun-day experience you will ever have.

On a more educational note, one of my favorite summer experiences was on a work field trip to Liberty Farms in Pennsylvania. Liberty Farms, one of our purveyors at Maialino, invited us for a day on the farm. After a tour of the property, we ate lunch. Chef Nick and some other BOH staff made a delicious tomato salad from the 50+ varieties planted on the farm. Scallions, basil, and olive oil brightened up the salad and made it something to remember. After lunch, we were put to work. Picking potatoes, thinning beats, and picking basil were just a few jobs that I got to help out with. It was a great experience to see where our food comes from and see the care that goes into it. A farmer is a farmer because they love what they do and it really shows in the quality product they produce. If you are ever given the opportunity to work on a farm, I highly suggest it. Its back-breaking work, but there's something cool about farming your own food.

Summer was filled with a ton of great food moments from going out to new restaurants to BBQing down the shore. Fresh, local seafood at Blue Claw Seafood Market or trips to the Chicken or the Egg are going to make me miss summer.

Photos of Summer

Song of the Summer

I knew I had to eat at The Dutch after Sam Sifton coined it the "song of the summer" in his two-star review in the New York Times. Critics such as Sifton and New York Magazine's Adam Platt praise Andrew Carmellini's new Soho venture from concept to execution. Carmellini, owner of Locanda Verde, teamed up with Luke Ostrom (co-owner of Locanda Verde) and Josh Pickard (Lure Fishbar/Chinatown Brasserie) to bring his interpretation of elevated American comfort food to the corner of Sullivan and Prince.

My friend Amanda and I were lucky to get last minute reservations at the new Soho hot-spot. Upon arrival, the hostess took us from the bar room through a zig-zagged hallway to our table in the main dining room. Although the dining room had a sexy, elegant feel it was still comfortable and far from stuffy. We were seated at a corner table overlooking the whole dining room--maybe the best table in the house? Books on the windowsill and the fireplace gave a real, homey feel to the restaurant. The service was good. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable, but not overly chatty which is OK with me. I also really liked that he let us sit and finish our wine before presenting our check. He could have easily dropped the check after declining dessert, but he let us stay till our glasses were dry.

Our first impression of the food was one of excitement as we loved the jalapeno cornbread. I've had jalapeno cornbread before, but this might have been my favorite. The bread was served warm with only a little jalapeno kick showed allowing a great balance of sweet and spicy. We skipped the oysters, "snacks", and appetizers and straight for "seconds". We split the scallops entree as our appetizer and I'm so happy that we did. Not only did I get to introduce Amanda to scallops, but Carmellini's interpretation was brilliant. Sweet corn, bacon, and chipotle added great flavor without overtaking the delicate sea scallops. What an awesome start! Next, Amanda got the grilled Swordfish with a summer beans and pine nuts while I got the Pecan Duck, which was accompanied with celery and organic dirty rice. Amanda's swordfish was good, but I was happy with my duck. The duck was perfectly cooked at medium rare and was packed with great flavor. The pecans not only added a nice flavor, but textural component. The duck and Oregon Pinot Noir sang in beautiful harmony as I savored every bite.

As per usual I am was too full to order dessert. I read some food things about their homemade pies, but I couldn't do it and Amanda agreed. Overall, The Dutch was quite a scene and proved to be an awesome time. The food proved Carmellini's genius, the service smooth, and the atmosphere comfortable and exciting. There are so many factors that go into a flawless dinner service, but The Dutch pulled it off and that's why it could be called the "song of the summer".

East Village

After work on Friday I met up with my friends Caitlin and Christa for a much-needed drink. I met them at BUA on St. Marks between 1st and A. The place was pretty packed with a diverse crowd. We sat in the back room on long oak benches and took in the scene. It was quite enjoyable to watch a Russel Brand look-alike try to bring my friend Christa home while I sipped my bourbon. Some in the crowd had a picture of sangria, so that might be a special. We only stayed for a drink before the girls got hungry.

We continued the night at 7A Cafe which is a on the corner of 7th and Avenue A --weird! The only thing this spot had going for them was the 90s hip-hop selection playing in the background. These throwbacks caused a minor dance party within the booth. The food was pretty bad though. Granted my chicken fingers and fries were OK, but how could you mess that up. Something that they did mess up was the grilled cheese Caitlin got even though the server warned us that they took it off the menu because too many people were complaining. But seriously, how can you fuck up grilled cheese? 7A used multigrain bread and one slice of American cheese that was hardly melted. It was painful to see this abomination of an American classic. The mozzarella sticks were decent while the chili dip was a huge failure--who orders chili dip at 4am anyway? Yep, the same chick talking to the Russel Brand weirdo. There are so many late night eats in NYC--skip 7A and head somewhere else.

Meat Sweats

Last Saturday I attended one of the greatest festivals I've ever been to--Meatopia! Creator Josh Ozersky created Meatopia which was dubbed the "Woodstock of Edible Animals". The meat-fest showcased the talent of over 45 chefs from around the nation while giving guests a great variety of tastings from whole roasted pigs to grilled goat. Tickets were kind of pricey, but it was totally worth it. Tickets allowed you 4 hours of eating not to mention picturesque views of Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge Park and live entertainment. The lines were short and most stands still had plenty of food by 7:30 when Fields and I got there. Tasting portions were big, almost too big. its probably a good idea to share and go back to some of your favorites. I think I was full after 7 stands or so. We got our second wind and tasted some more awesome food before we decided to head out around 9:30. An awesome way to spend a Saturday in NYC. Good company, music, meat, and beer--enough said. Learn more about Meatopia at www.meatopia.org

Sundays on Stone Street

Just like last Sunday, I ended the weekend at Ulysses on Stone Street. This cobble stone street is an awesome place to sit outside and cap off the weekend. Not only is it nice to sit outside, but its even better when your drinking beer and eating crabs. Ulysses offers a crab bucket for $20 bucks on Sundays; which comes with a bunch of crabs, corn on the cob, and red potatoes. You could beast a bucket by yourself or share with a friend! Either way you're in for a treat. Stone Street Sundays is where its at!