simon says french food blog

THE NEW YORK CITY BURGER ATTACK – PART II

 

By Joe Ray

Our gang watched late-summer jazz in Madison Square Park, but eyes rolled when we saw the line at the Shake Shack. It snaked hundreds of feet from the order window out through the park gates.

“What about the secret burger place?” said Maria.

We all stared and she smiled and dragged her toe in the dirt like she might not share her secret. It was rather sexy.

We got her to spill the beans and six of us bolted uptown by bike and subway to the … Parker Meridien. A burger joint in one of the city’s fanciest hotels? Hard to figure.

The lobby was everything you’d expect: high ceilings, artwork and fancy bars and restaurants … but it smelled like burgers.

Sure enough. A David Lynch-esque floor-to-ceiling curtain juts out into the lobby concealing the secret space. Approach and you’ll notice a skinny corridor with a neon-sign hamburger and a right-pointing arrow at the end.

Inside, it’s night and day; the space looks like a cross between Arnold’s Drive-In from “Happy Days” and my fraternity house basement. The burgers are great -you get to choose the cooking temperature and usually, you can elbow your way to a just-opened table right when they call your order number.

A good burger joint in one of the city’s fanciest hotels. Go figure.

Count on around $15-20.            

Burger Joint – MAP
119 W 56th St
New York, NY
+1 212-708-7414

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-Trotting.

New York: Clean-Cut Corton

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

The most sought-after table in New York is called Corton and you immediately know why: a refined cuisine that delivers smart clarity free of any aggressiveness: vegetable salad, variations on lobster and a deconstructed Vacherin enhanced by litchi, honey and earl grey… The customers are reserved (a nice change from the vociferating hordes) and the wait staff anxiously watches over the tables. There's no denying that they're doing their utmost…

Corton: 239 West Broadway;  (212) 219-2777.  www.cortonnyc.com Map

New York: A hidden address where one night Madonna…

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

After dining at Locanda Verde, I went for a long walk through the city. New York City gives you the urge to walk for hours. Sometimes I stop only after three hours, feeling satiated. I didn't want to go back to the hotel, I was expecting more from the city. So I went for a late dinner. Prosper and Martine Assouline had mentioned a place not in the guidebooks: Monkey Bar (60 East, 54th St.; (212) 308-2950). I strolled in and was lucky enough to get a table. I liked the restaurant, not for its gastronomic interest, but for its handsome atmospheres. Frédéric Malle told me that the last time he went there, the dining room - which usually rustles copiously - suddenly went silent. Madonna was walking in. That evening I kept silent, but she never came. I was happy sitting there, with my river salmon and my glass of Italian white. I needed nothing more… except maybe Truman Capote, de George Plimpton, an "oral biography," meaning a succession of personal accounts. Truly good reading. Leaving, I photographed the stairs then headed for bed.

Map

 

KILL SOUP DUMPLING!!!

NEW YORK CITY

By Joe Ray

Years ago, when I cooked at the Left Coast’s Betelnut, a hidden army of wizened Chinese men would come in to roll dumplings in the basement. These quiet, artistic men were lost in their craft, turning dough into flat discs that, with a twist of the fingers, would encase whatever filling they put inside them: crustaceans, meat, vegetables, love.

They would make what seemed like thousands at a time and, unlike the other cooks in the kitchen, once that task was done, so were they.

Lucky bastards.

My first visit to Joe’s Shanghai was part of a get-to-know-you weekend with a former sweetie’s parents a decade ago. Then as now, there’s a reason the grease-splattered walls are festooned with pictures of mayors and glitterati with their arms swung around the owners: Joe’s dumplings are the bomb.

Instead of searing something (like a steak) and hoping all the tasty juices stay inside, here, the pork and crab goodness is held neatly inside the dumpling.

Skewer one with a chopstick and sip the juice that fills the spoon, or take a bite and blush as it runs down your chin.

Shudder with happiness as you swallow. 

Joe’s Shanghai - count on about $10-15

http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/ - while on their site, do not miss the “Kill Soup Dumpling” video.

Three Locations – I went to Chinatown - MAP

9 Pell Street
New York, New York 10013
+1-212-233-8888

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

New York: Locanda Verde - Italy goes green

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

The crowd was wall-to-wall at Locanda Verde tonight (377 Greenwich St.; (212) 925-3707). I showed up early - 7 p.m. -to be sure I'd get a table and chose a seat at the bar for a sweeping view of the bustling restaurant. It was a gorgeous day and the light poured into this vegetable centric restaurant - as many Italian restaurants are these days. You get colorful and exuberant dishes like the one shown here. After strolling the neighborhood at sundown, I downed a glass of wine went off to seek further adventures.. Map

New York: Trapped by my own foolishness...

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

I was tempted to keep this one to myself, but what the heck… Truth is I enjoy walking in the footsteps of the people I like during my travels. This time, in New York, I could have filled a bus with people I like, and the writer Tom Wolfe would have been among them. You know, a dandy, always dressed in white, a bit of a poser but a fantastically talented novelist. I like the guy. I tried to make an appointment with him, but he's writing at the moment and it couldn't be done. No matter.

I did however go to one of his secret boutiques, a place called Tender Buttons (143 E 62nd St; (212) 758-7004). They have thousands of buttons to choose from and cufflinks as well. I walked in cautiously and, after a few circumlocutions, found myself gazing down at the cufflinks: blue enamel, moons and stars. His! I'll be... The owner looked at me as if to indicate they weren't cheap. Who did he take me for? Well, I mumbled in English, nay my good fellow, wrap those up for me, will you… I ended up with a bill for an amount I will keep to myself following my piece about the Subway franchise and poverty. To be honest, I walked out of there wiped out but quite pleased!

Map

 

If you like dim sum, make reservations now!

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

 

I was beginning to stagger and chant to myself  "No, no, no, no…" when Jeffrey pushed me into a dim sum restaurant called China Town (380 Lafayette street, (212) 533-7000).

 

People know him there, so the chef arrived his eyes glowing with delight and asked us to trust him - I know this sort of diabolical setup only too well! Sure thing: five minutes later the table was covered with all sorts of extraordinary food. The chef's name is Joe Ng and his thing is to develop the art of cooking inside his dim sum. It's a whirlwind of dishes and believe me, it's exquisite.

 

Although I'd been standing on the brakes, exhausted by Jeffrey's tricks, I found myself wolfing down these delightful compositions made of crunchy vegetables and peanuts, crab and spinach, or bacon, shrimp and salmon… There was a bit of everything - steamed, fried or crispy - even a tiny dim sum that was staring at me with its little eyes… Or was that the fourth beer? When it was time to part company with Jeffery, I looked at my watch when we left - 4:30 p.m.: a threehour lunch!!!… 

Map

 

Look! Daniel Boulud's new place...

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

After Katz's we went to take a look at Daniel Boulud's brand new DBGB (299 Bowery; (212) 933-5300).

Not bad… Effective. But interestingly, offshoot restaurants of big-name chefs don't appeal to me. Probably just means I'm a an old fogey… 

While we were at it, Jeffrey took me to a great address for smoked fish - notably the latest catches of "Holland herring." The shop is super, packed of course, but fascinating if you're into that style. Luckily, his friends weren't working that day and we managed to avoid the tasting - we had another wicked place to go explore: a fabulous dim sum restaurant. Until then, here's the smoked fish address to tide you over: Russ & Daughters, Appetizing Since 1914.

179, East Houston street (212) 475-4880 www.russsanddaughters.com/   Map

DID SOMEBODY SAY NEW YORK?

 By Joe Ray

NEW YORK CITY

Time to toot our own horns!

Last Friday, Simon Says was mentioned in the New York Times 'Diner's Journal' section - our third NYT mention in less than a year! - read it here.

Next, my NYC food and drink centric story and photo set - "Small Wonders" - ran Sunday in The Boston Globe's Travel section.

A blurb...

Across the river, I walk into Fort Defiance, a new bar that’s a subway, bus, and world away from Manhattan in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood .

WHAM, WHAM, WHAM!!! Behind the bar, St. John Frizell, the owner, clubs a cloth bag of ice with a large wooden mallet to make a drink called the prescription julep, an 1857 recipe that blends cognac and rye whiskey, which are poured into a metal shaker cup and topped with a sprig of mint and a cherry. If it sounds a bit froufrou - like there should be a little umbrella shading the ice - instead, it looks perfect, almost serious, like something to pay attention to while you drink it.

Read the whole story here.

New York: Katz's mad boost

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

My friend Jeffrey Steingarten from Vogue magazine asked me to meet him on East Houston Street (205 East; (212) 254-2246) in front of Katz's. It was a rainy Saturday around lunchtime, so I stepped in out of the rain…

Holy smokes! It was like the subway in Paris during a strike in there. How many of us were there? Hundreds! In clusters, clots, conglomerates! I wondered why Jeffrey had insisted we meet here. It all became clear to me when we stood in line. It was super-sized, an all-American immersion. For someone who eats like a bird - a starling, let's say - I found myself standing in front of a wall of lard, a cascade of calories. Jeffrey has always dreamt of seeing me add a few notches to my belt.

This seemed like the right place to start. Eating with our hands, we bit into "delicious" pastrami sandwiches with giant pickles. Since I was belly-down pleading for an immediate cease-fire, Jeffrey suggested I taste a celery drink. Ick… Why not marshmallow steak, chocolate leg of lamb and trout cinder blocks while we're at it?

Between two foaming bites, I asked Jeffrey why there is only one Katz's address in the world. He answered with his mouth full: "Probably because they're honest." I like Jeffrey's sense of humor. On the wall you can read the words "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army!"

Map  http://www.katzdeli.com/

New York - Hotel Chelsea - mythical and moth-eaten

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

New York's mythical Hotel Chelsea isn't intended for tourists, it's for pilgrims: Mark Twain, Tennessee Williams, Eugene O'Neill, Simone de Beauvoir, Vladimir Nabokov, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Leonard Cohen, Cartier-Bresson, Sid Vicious, etc. The guest book (dream on, there isn't one) would be the world's most stupefying. Anyway, reception is rough around the edges, the cleanliness is borderline grimy and the carpets worn out. It's best to stay in your fantasy world, conjure up silhouettes from bygone ages to roam the hallways, beached flower power peopled with friendly wrecks, dreamers in ironed jeans and unkempt pseudo-muses… Sometimes it's exciting to just sit in the lobby, but then the effect collapses like bad dope. A mind trip saved by your own mental images… Hotel Chelsea, 222 West 23rd St. (212) 675-5531; rooms starting at $190. www.hotelchelsea.com Map 
 

NEW FORMS OF PIE SLINGING

By Joe Ray

NEW YORK CITY

Alystyre had been wearing her brand new, straight-from-Barcelona pink espadrilles for about an hour when the waiter launched a pizza onto them.

You’d think it would happen in slow motion: the pizza wobbling back and forth in the waiter’s hand and both of them wide-eyed for the impending disaster. Instead, it was over in a flash with the pie on her shoes.

Spunto’s staff handled it perfectly. The manager whisked Alystyre away, dabbing her duds with a towel soaked in mineral water for a good 20 minutes. In the meantime, they sent a new pitcher of beer over to our table of six.

The pizza, particularly the thin-crusted mushroom version, laced with a judicious splash of truffle oil (something I don’t usually go in for) was the best we had while in the city, easily trumping the Lombardi’s we had on another night.

The bill, which included three pizzas, two pitchers of beer and a Coke had a big “X” through it. Normally, it would cost about $20 per person. Our total: $0.

We left a big tip.

Spunto - MAP
65 Carmine St.
New York
www.spuntothincrust.com
+1 212 242 1200

La Manual Alpargatera Espadrilles - MAP
C/. Avinyó, 7 - 08002 Barcelona
Tel. 93 3010172
www.lamanualalpargatera.com

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

New York: L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon - a manicured cuisine

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

Dinner at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, just off the Four Seasons Hotel's main lobby, has become one of the city's finest dining experiences. Sitting at the Japanese-style bar - there are also tables in the dining room for those who prefer them - one discovers Joël Robuchon's new generation of dishes. We've moved from clockwork formalism (punctuation of the points all around the plate like the minutes of time he wanted to master) to a refined, aesthetically pleasing cuisine, almost a sublimation of the products. Expensive ($120), but memorable. The food lovers sitting at the bar rejoice, clearly won over.

L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, 57 East 57th St. (212) 350-6658. Map  

New York: Momofuku, 21st Century Asia

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

I was still in a huff about having missed my flight the day before over some absurd passport business. I spent 6 hours at police headquarters and the next day - zoom! Off I flew. When I arrived, Stephen, deputy editor of Departures Magazine, was waiting for me at Momofuku Ssams Bar to put the pedal to the metal.

I'd asked him for "a new gastronomic experience." The result was 21st century Asian fusion: salad with bacon and sprouts, little pork buns... Vast restaurant, calm around 2pm, but in the evening the place is hopping.

As you leave, don't forget to pop into the bakery next door. It's actually Momofuku's laboratory and I have to say the cookies are to die for; especially the "compost cookie" made of potatoes, chocolate, coffee, butterscotch… Bam! First knockout.

Momofuku Ssams Bar 207 2nd Ave, New York, NY (212) 254-3500.  Map

Ten experiences in New York, starting first thing tomorrow morning...

By François Simon

NEW YORK CITY

Dear friends, get ready for a taste of the Big Apple… Starting tomorrow morning, I'll tell you about a dozen gastronomic experiences in New York. I'll try to check out as many as I can: Corton, Momofuku, Omen, China Town, Katz's, etc. - and Joe Ray is doing the same. Who knows? Maybe we'll cross paths! Fasten your seatbelts, doors to automatic, crosscheck… Ready for take-off! (Photo F Simon from the 59th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel). 
 

SEEN FROM ABOVE

By Joe Ray

NEW YORK CITY

Across from Buddakan, we seek solace on top of Hotel Gansevoort. Fat chance. Up top, a hundred drunk kids in Prada are dancing their brains out while some dude plays drums on a bucket to accompany some loud music. Fun for another night.

We taxi north, walk through the Hudson’s lobby and get in the elevator. It lets us out on a deck halfway up the side of the building and we find a quiet nook. The city floats so calmly at our feet, it doesn’t matter that we’ve ordered another incredibly expensive and poorly-crafted drink. We’re paying for the view and the calm.

Worth every penny.

Hudson Hotel - MAP
356 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019, United States
+1 212-554-6000
www.hudsonhotel.com

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

HOT ICE IN RED HOOK

Red Hook, Brooklyn.

By Joe Ray

I was late for an interview at Fort Defiance.

I took the subway. I took a bus. I ran.

I was also hungry.

While I was running, I passed the Brooklyn Ice House and it was about that time when I smelled the barbecue.

The owner was sitting on a bench out front with some friends and I asked if I could get a quick pulled pork sandwich. Truthfully, the three of them looked so relaxed and friendly, I just wanted to sit with them for an hour.

The owner brought me inside - fantastic and saloon-like, a bar and a place to hang out. I watched a father and daughter sitting at in the corner, playing Rock’Em Sock’Em Robots.

My favorite part? At a serious beer bar, I asked what the owner would recommend to go with my sandwich.

“PBR”

Pabst Blue Ribbon.

She could have said something that cost twice as much - and I would have enjoyed it - but for a guy who’s running late and might not have a ton of time to appreciate what he’s eating, she stuck with something good. And cheap. My whole mini-meal cost $7. Woohoo!

Good thing she didn’t ask me to marry her.

Brooklyn Ice House - MAP
318 Van Brunt Street
Brooklyn
+1 (718) 222 1865

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

BURGERS FOR BREAKFAST -- THE NEW YORK CITY BURGER ATTACK PART I

Manhattan,
By Joe Ray

“The Shake Shack?” asked a friend, “That place is a gimmick.”

I brought another friend when I went. We had burgers for breakfast.

That might be a bit of a stretch, but not by too much. We got there at around 11. On a nice day, the Shack has a line that stretches clear across Madison Square Park. I have no idea how long you’d have to wait, but I’ve got no desire to find out.

We ordered two cheeseburgers and two black and whites and, feeling generous, I told my pal I’d pick up the tab.

“Twenty three dollars,” said the woman at the register.

Ai-yeeee!

It’s still worth it as a special treat. Plus, it’s a good burger and I had struck out looking for really good burgers on a recent trip to the Pacific Northwest. It’s not perfect, but there’s a friend, a seat in the park and a happy mouthful.

Shake Shack - MAP
Madison Square Park (not to be confused with the faraway Madison Square Garden)
www.shakeshacknyc.com

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.

FIRST WE TAKE MANHATTAN

By Joe Ray

NEW YORK CITY

Celebrating Eating The Motherland’s 100^th (or so) post, we’re heading to New York!           

Want dining as entertainment? All the show you need is on display at Buddakan. Outed by “Sex and The City” and now (Fortunately? Unfortunately?) full of mini Carrie Bradshaws, I’m not normally a big fan of this form of pomp and glam, yet here I ate it up; it’s impossible to stand at the top of the stairway and not look slack-jawed into the dining pit.

For its part, the food is up to the task, but the food is not why you come. Buddakan is an East Coast cousin to Betelnut – the San Francisco beautiful people restaurant where I once worked as a cook – it’s high end Asian fusion that’s very well thought out like long beans with shrimp and soy and a rather exquisite Peking duck salad served French style with frisée and a poached egg.

There are a few cracks showing. A pricey martini arrives with miraculous speed from the packed bar yet it’s barely cold. I’ll leave more than half of it on the table at the end of the night.

Later, our astute waiter asks about our appetizers.

Me: I really liked the duck.

Him: Yes, the duck salad is quite good.

We both intentionally left out the short ribs.

These are quibbles. We were here for the show and got it in spades – Carrie might have to elbow her way back in, but she won’t be disappointed. Dinner also turned out to be rather reasonably priced for a special treat kind of place – about $50 per person with drinks and a doggy bag full of lunch for the next day.

 

Buddakan - MAP
75 9th Ave, New York, NY‎
(212) 989-6699‎
www.buddakannyc.com

 

Food and travel writer and photographer Joe Ray is the author of the blog Eating The Motherland and contributes to The Boston Globe's travel blog, Globe-trotting.