A second helping of fun! You asked for it, and we’ve come to serve: Karol, David and I will be manning the mic and passing out plates at the next Food Obstructions, the only cook-off (we know of) based on a little-known film experimentation called The Five Obstructions. It’ll be held once again at The Gutter, on Sunday, December 6th, right in time for your awakening from that post-turkey roasting slump.
On Friday, as I sat in the converted shipping container outside of Roberta’s Pizza that’s home to Heritage Radio Network preparing for the first Cheap Date episode with my guests Keith and Rachel, we were interrupted by a series of loud, clanking noises coming from the roof above. “Can they stop farming now?” I think I muttered. But really, it was music to my ears. There is more than a tree growing in Brooklyn, or for that matter, cities all over: … Read More
A while ago, I was asked by the New York Daily News to cook a “romantic” meal for two that cost less than $15, including the bottle of wine. When the story ran, the paper concluded that I had given special meaning to the term, “cheap date.” While this might sound a little so-so, at best, for a single in New York, I’ve decided to embrace that title ever since. And I hope to give it new meaning each week, by talking about cooking and dating with a number … Read More
Whether you’re cooking for one or preparing a huge feast, there’s always some obstructions in your path — a too-small kitchen, not enough flour. Instead of cursing bloody hell, let’s have fun with that concept, and cook up something great given five obstructions. It’s a cook-off — yes, another one! — with a twist, and the first installment of the monthly series of them will commence October 18th, at The Gutter.
You can’t exactly sit through a restaurant meal and claim to have the best culinary know-how of a group by pooh-poohing this, or extolling that. Well, maybe you can to an extent, and many people do — and I have, too. But it’s much more convincing, in my opinion, if you walk into a social setting with your own homemade dish, and compare it against those of all the others in the room, who did the same. And that’s what … Read More
Okay, it’s not summer anymore, and Indian summer has not yet arrived. Instead, this is about the time of year people start taking flu shots, and sweaters and scarfs out from hibernation boxes and changing their sheets to flannel. I do all these things minus the flu shots. But I do have a good way to boost the immune — fresh veggies and bloody, bloody, antioxidant-rich beets. To keep that blood pumping.
So, we’ve mastered the art of French cooking, thanks to the wild resurgence of Julia Child via Julie & Julia (sales of her classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking have put it on the bestseller list!). Some of us may have even mastered the art of local cooking, by joining CSAs, shopping at farmers’ markets and growing food in their backyards, thanks in large part to Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food (he’s now receiving rockstar treatment at campuses … Read More
A couple weeks ago, I asked food bloggers to participate in Just Food‘s annual fundraiser party, Let Us Eat Local, by hitting their kitchens at home. The event, which takes place tonight at Prince George Ballroom, will feature small plates from many of the city’s most renowned restaurants, like Blue Hill, Gramercy Tavern and Jean-Georges. In celebration of Just Food’s mission, each restaurant was asked to present courses that showed off the local and seasonal harvest. But before they unveil … Read More
“I’m not really a cheese person,” I told Nick Suarez a month or so ago, when he mentioned that the next Brooklyn Food Experiment would be based on cheese. That might be a problem, we nodded. And it’s been my lifelong Achilles’ heel as a foodie. Pungent blue cheese makes my face contort as I strain to complete the task of getting it down. Fluid, stinky cheese like Camembert can stay out of my range. I’ll blame it on my … Read More
It really is the best time of the year to declare this. It’s a time of corn on the cob, grilled greatness without a cause, and trips to the pick-your-own berry farm. From Alaska to Hawaii, peaches to new potatoes, the late-summer sun is smiling on local produce, wherever you live. So let us eat it. On September, 16, Just Food will host its second-annual fundraiser gala. “Let Us Eat Local” will boast small plates from some of the city’s biggest … Read More