On the Road
by SHERRY HOFFMAN
TAKING A BITE OUT OF THE
BIG APPLE
Quark XPress Demo Local foodies sample, dine and nosh in the city that never sleeps.
Champagne wishes and truffle dreams. That was the theme of our long weekend in New York City. We spent two days at the Javitz Center at the Fancy Food Show, tasting many of the 140,000 products representing 88 countries. We stayed at the luxurious New York Palace Hotel and then on our last day, gathered some of the best food on the Lower East Side. It doesn’t get much better than that, folks. Sponsored by the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, the show gives anyone with a dream, a product and some dollars for a booth, the opportunity to attract the attention of major distributors or supermarkets. Some go home empty-handed, some products wind up on the shelves of chain stores and some win the grand prize—a mention on Oprah. Consider Bacon Salt (baconsalt.com), the buzz of the show for the past two years. Three guys had one or two too many beers at their local pub, when they decided that
everything should taste like bacon. Seriously, even vegetarians salivate at the smell of frying bacon, right? The guys needed $5,000 in startup money. As it happened, one of their kids won just that much on America’s Funniest Home Videos. Shazaam! It’s now one of Oprah’s favorite things and if it’s not on a shelf near you, wait a minute. It’s fabulous and it has a hook: no calories, no fat and it’s Kosher because it’s made from soy. Every year a few ingredients seem to find their way into seemingly impossible pairings. Last year it was chocolate with pop rocks. This was the year of the truffle. Many people think truffles taste like dirt. If they do, give me a spoon and let me loose in my backyard. Gourmet Attitude (laboutiquedelatruffe.com), a truffle importer, has a line of products that include among other things, truffle honey (4.23 oz/$19). It’s a strange combo but oddly compelling. I haven’t figured out what to do with it yet but for now, I’m eating it out of the jar with a spoon. They also make white truffle oil (3.38 oz/$21); truffle carpaccio, slices of black truffles in olive oil (2.82 oz/$35), and a white truffle cream (2.28 oz/$27). Just add a touch of butter and you have a very impressive—yes, I slaved for hours—pasta sauce. See page 00
00
Home & Design 2009 | LIFESTYLE
njlifestyleonline.com
THAT NIGHT
w. to eat our way through half of the sho Day one took about six hours for us the gastrices into the Betty Crocker Clinic for We thought about checking ourselv ce.com) New York Palace Hotel (newyorkpala impaired, but opted for the opulent ly. on 50th and Madison. We chose wise ry n I walked into the lobby. For a luxu I knew I entered a special place whe s back to royal treat. The original structure date get-a-way, the New York Palace is a d staircase rd Mansion. Its lobby features a gran the 19th century when it was the Villa in the 1970s turn. The 55-story tower was built with elegant appointments at every York City icon. and turned this mansion into a New the ng something) feature of the hotel is The most impressive (and that’s sayi ceilings, m. It is literally a gold room, with gilt Roo d Gol yle e-st anc aiss Ren ry -sto two walls and wainscoting. onal ossible to explain them all but my pers There are so many amenities it’s imp it hard to ns and there they were. They make benchmark for luxury is Frette line get out of bed. e, is that once led to the carriage entranc Just beyond the wrought iron gates teenth nine taurant. The 55-seat space mixes the the hotel’s Michelin two-star Gilt Res st confess our first choice for dinner, but I mu century perfectly with the 21st. It was ch felt whi sco k at the Gilt Bar. We dined alfre my gastro-power only allowed a snac mashed day and ordered calamari and truffle wonderful after being in the Javitz all I’ve seen. (Ouch). potatoes. Nobody knows the truffles a trip just to look around. It’s museum The hotel is magnificent and worth palace.com) quality... with a mini-bar. (newyork
Quark XPress Demo THE NEXT DAY
Our last day in the city belonged to the Lower East Side. A few years ago, my friends Debbie and Susan introduced me to the now de rigueur food tour and I, in turn initiated my traveling partner. First stop: Katz’s Deli (katzdeli.com) at 205 East Houston Street for pastrami that’s worth every bit of fat and each calorie. When you go, make sure you give the guy hand slicing the pastrami or corned beef, a tip. That way you get a taste while he’s slicing. Why wait? A few doors down is Russ and Daughters (russanddaughters.com). If it’s smoked fish you’re after, this is the place. The refrigerated case is also filled with so many types of caviar and a creamed herring that would have made my grandmother very happy. Next stop, Rivington Street’s Economy Candy (economycandy.com). This very small space is jam packed with every sweet imaginable, especially those you remember from when you were a kid: Necco Skybars, wax Coke bottles and Bit-O-Honey. But there’s also fresh halvah, a Middle Eastern confection made with sesame paste and sugar that’s also worth the calories. If you go, try the salted roasted almonds in the shell. It’s a quick stop at Kossar’s for bialys and bagels (kossarsbialys.com) and then the last stop on our tour is The Pickle Guys (nycpickleguys.com) on Essex Avenue, made famous in the film Crossing Delancy. If you want the quintessential Kosher pickle, this is the place.
njlifestyleonline.com
LIFESTYLE | Home & Design 2009 00
O n
T h e
R o a d
Considering that in April, a 3.3 pound white truffle sold at auction for $330,000, these products are a bargain. Don’t discount the yum factor of Susan Rice’s Truffled Popcorn (www.susanrice truffles.com). It’s Think about that on fresh Jersey corn. There were two standout olive oils, which is saying something because of the sheer variety presented at the show. The B. R. Cohn Company (brcohnoliveoil.com) produces Mandarin orange and blood orange olive oils that are superb. The oranges are added at the time of the pressing to create this refreshing finishing oil. I tried them on tomato and basil salad with delicious results. Figs were quite visible this year, in all incarnations. Remarkable were the Paris Caramels with figs and apples. (crossingsfrenchfood.com) An Italian fig marmalade that tastes more like fig honey is Marmellata di ficodindia and deserves to be Oprah’s favorite thing of the moment. Order it on the website and then pour it over Brie or Camembert, or alone on a crostini. (friddicelli.it) The logical progression here is to match figs and cocoa. Ficoco’s makes a fig and cocoa spread that’s brioche worthy. Think Nutella but not as pushy. (ficoco.com) And just because you need to know about this: Ciao Bella’s (ciaobellagelato.com) newest gelato is Key lime graham cracker. It’s a little bit of heaven. The Blue Crab Bay Company (bluecrabbay.com) has introduced what may be perfect bar nuts: Dune Buggies, sea salted almonds; Barnacles, a spicy snack mix with Chesapeake Bay seasoning; and Shuckers, toasted pecans dipped in sugar and Chesapeake Bay seasoning. Supremely crunchy. Pair any of these with the company’s awesome Bloody Mary mix and you never have to leave the house.
Quark XPress Demo HEADING HOME
Gastro-power to the Foodies! On the way home we opened the pastrami and noshed. The website addresses are just for your convenience. Reality beats virtual reality every time. There’s no substitute for the feel of Frette sheets. ■ 00
Home & Design 2009 | LIFESTYLE
njlifestyleonline.com