Posted by Carey Jones, October 6, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Claude, of the West Village’s Patisserie Claude, is a man you take one look at and immediately trust in the kitchen. In fact, if I were to draw a cartoon chef, it would look something like Claude: white-clad, grey-haired, and somewhat rotund. A little bit grumpy. And very, very French.
While I’d rank his croissants and éclairs among the best in town, his petite quiches are the tastiest item in his modest little shop. The quiche is one of the oldest and tiredest food clichés. But Claude’s, served warm from the oven, hardly resemble the rubbery yellow slices found elsewhere. The crumbly, buttery crust alone is memorable; it reminds you, with every bite, that Claude is first and foremost a pastry man. But that crust can barely hold back the silky egg inside—salty, creamy, barely set, and perfectly dotted with tender mushrooms. Or ham. Or spinach. Or endive and gruyere…
Patisserie Claude
187 W. 4th Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-255-5911
Posted by Zach Brooks, July 22, 2008 at 6:00 PM
Photograph by wEnDaLicious
Vanilla profiteroles served with a side of warm butter sweet chocolate sauce. Wow.
L'Absinthe
227 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10065 (nr. 3rd Avenue; map)
212-794-4950
labsinthe.com
Posted by Zach Brooks, June 27, 2008 at 6:00 PM
You've read the New York Times goodbye, and the mammoth New York Magazine piece. Reality has sunken in, and the tears have finally stopped flowing. Now there's only one thing left to do: eat your last meal at Florent, before it closes on Sunday. We read the news on Eater that landlord Joanne Lucas plans to re-open her father's R&L Restaurant on Tuesday, the original occupant whose sign still adorns the top of the storied bistro. And word is very little will change food wise, but considering that we always loved Florent more for the man than the food, we find little consolation in the news. If you feel the same way we do, you may want to stop by the restaurant this weekend and have your last meal with the man. 69 Gansevoort St., New York NY 10014 (nr. Washington St.; map); 212-989-5779
Posted by Sarah Wolf, June 17, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Sweet Corn Ravioli with Alaskan Spot Prawns and Spring Garlic. Cooked by Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar & Grill, in tribute to Michel Guerard. Photograph by Kathy YL Chan
The rink at Rockefeller Center was mobbed with the hungry and the curious last night at the annual Citymeals-on-Wheels fund-raiser. They came to mingle, to network, to drink, and to stuff their faces: this year's theme, "Crème de la Crème," brought in thirty star chefs to cook in tribute to the French masters who trained them.
Eater got the inside scoop (so to speak) on the gossip, and Gothamist took pictures of the chefs (including one of David Burke and our own Ed Levine!). But we spent the night focusing on one thing only: our plates.
Our favorite dishes—all from New York chefs, for some strange reason—after the jump.
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Posted by Ed Levine, April 9, 2008 at 4:00 PM
Alain Ducasse: Soon to open a branch of famed French restaurant Benoit in the U.S.
Florence Fabricant's piece about the premature obituary written for French food in New York doesn't emphasize enough the reason French food went into eclipse here and everywhere else in the country. It wasn't the food. People never stopped loving roast chicken, steak frites, and duck a l'orange. They just couldn't stand the pretentious settings for the food and the often haughty, condescending attitudes that came with it. Long live delicious, deeply satisfying French food. Death to the side order of attitude.
Memo to Alain Ducasse: We all welcome the idea of a branch of Benoit in the States. Just don't bring the attitude here. One more thing, Mr. Ducasse. You're right about Keith McNally's genius in combining French tradition with the understanding of who his customers are. But you would do well to make everyone feel welcome and special at Benoit, something Mr. McNally doesn't always do at his restaurants. Look to Danny Meyer for that kind of inspiration.
Posted by Ed Levine, October 30, 2007 at 10:01 AM
Well, I finally got Serious Eater Adam Kuban to stop at Trois Pommes (it's a block from his house, so I don't think it was an unreasonable request), and I have to say that Emily Isaac's bakery is already a top ten New York bakery, and it's quite possible that it could make it into my top five or even—perish the thought—my top three. And I have seriously high standards for bakeries and a bad jones for good baked goods. Serious Eaters, if you've been, let me know what you've tried.
This is what Adam brought in:
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Posted by Ed Levine, November 9, 2006 at 10:32 AM
Thanks to the tireless eating efforts of Serious Eats readers I have discovered a couple of other apple turnovers worth eating.
At Balthazar (80 Spring Street (bet. Broadway and Crosby Sts.), 212-965-1785, the apple turnover is light but still substantial and incredibly buttery. The apple filling is soft but not mushy. The Balthazar apple turnover moves up to No. 2 behind Duane Park Patisserie's in the ELE Turnover Survey.
Down the street at Ceci Cela (179 Duane St. (between Hudson and Greenwich Sts.) 212-274-8447, the apple turnover needs a little more apple filling, though the pastry is mighty fine.
And speaking of Balthazar the bakers there make a mean chocolate cake doughnut made in the same machine the late, great Dreesen's Market.
Posted by Ed Levine, November 8, 2006 at 9:23 AM
A good apple turnover, like a good man, is hard to find. We're talking seriously good here: flaky, moist, buttery pastry, just firm enough, not too sweet, apples that have been cooked and carmelized before fill the pastry, and-this is key-the right ratio of pastry to apples.
Bad apple turnovers are ubiquitous in New York and elsewhere. You know the ones I'm talking about: hard, unyielding pastry, gelatinous apple filling that belongs in a Hostess Apple pie, and that disgusting white frosting that should be used as mortar.
The unquestioned apple turnover queen in New York is Madeleine Lanciani of Duane Park Patisserie, 179 Duane Street (between Hudson and Greenwich Sts.) 212-274-8447. Her apple turnovers are flakier than Robin Williams, and so buttery they would be banned from every cardiologist's waiting room I can think of. WARNING: In order to secure one of these turnovers you must get to the shop before ten a.m. I can't tell you how many times I've been disappointed when I waltz in there ship around noon.
New York's best unsung apple turnover can be had at Patisserie Margot (2109 Broadway (on 74th Street just west of Broadway) 212-721-0076. Nacole Jacam's turnovers are rectangularly shaped rather than triangular. But the pastry is light and crunchy and delicious, and the filling is cinammony and almost tart. I only wish the pastry to filling ratio was a little lower.
Claude,the impossibly French owner of Patisserie Claude (187 West 4th St. (bet. sixth and seventh avenues.) 212-255-5911, is so grouchy I always hesitate before recommending anyone going into his patisserie. I relent every time because his apple turnovers and croissants are so damn fine. Claude did smile at me last time I was in there, maybe it was because I bought one of everything he had out, or maybe he's just mellowing out as he gets older.
I can't think of another apple turnover in this berg worth calling out. Did I miss any?
Posted by Ed Levine, August 24, 2006 at 8:46 AM
I went to L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon at the Four Seasons Hotel on E. 57th St. last night for dinner. Spent $250 for dinner for two and was certainly not stuffed. Thank God my brother was paying. The dinner included two glasses of wine, one dessert, and six small plates. No coffee, not even iced tea for me.
A few amazing dishes; languostine fritter, gazpacho, sea urchin cauliflower cream. Others were merely good, and in no way special. One dish, foie gras ravioli in chicken soup, was deadly dull.
We got major attitude initially until I hit it off with one of our servers who used to work in a pizzeria in Staten Island. We compared Staten Island pizza notes. We both declared our love for Joe and Pat's. Said server even gave me a taste of the Alsatian pastrami cured and smoked in-house that's served with potato salad and foie gras. Katz's has nothing to worry about.
Maybe it was just too early, maybe we ordered wrong, or maybe this is another misguided line extension of one of the world's great chefs. At this point I don't feel the need to return. I would much rather eat at Daniel or Jean Georges for its incredible $28 two course lunch. You even feel full after you eat it.
Posted by Ed Levine, July 9, 2006 at 6:41 AM
My friend Maurizio, who loves fine dining more than hot dogs (I forgive him), told me that recently he's been eating lunch twice a week at Jean-Georges. Now Maurizio is not a rich guy, nor does he have a lot of time on his hands. So what has possessed him to eat at one of NYC's great gastronomic temples so frequently? Jean-George's two-course $28 lunch.
Photo courtesy of Eater.curbed.com
$28 for two courses at Jean-Georges? That's the fine dining equivalent of the Gray's Papaya Special of two hot dogs and a medium drink for $2.75.
According to Maurizio for each course they give you a choice of six items from the dinner menu. And each additional course is $14.
So instead of fighting the crowds for the privilege of eating a limited choice Restaurant Week lunch ($24.07 for the next two weeks, and Jean-Georges is not participating) head over to Jean-Georges, where the real deal best bargain lunch is being offered.
Jean-George, 1 CPW (between 59th and 60th Sts.) 212-299-3900
