It was the last night in New York.  A full day of walking, playing tourist and basically trying to fit in as much as possible.  My feet were hurting.  Flu had completely wrapped it massive germy infested arms around me and I was not feeling great.  One thing on my list I still really wanted to do and had not achieved as yet, pizza.  I wanted to try New York style pizza.

Not really feeling like venturing far, with luck, Rustic Pizzeria was just a couple of blocks away from my hotel.

I love the way New Yorkers do pizza, Aussies have a lot to learn.  The fact you can buy by the slice is awesome, no need to buy a whole pizza.  Pick and choose as your taste buds desire.

The pizza is pre-made, you choose which slices you would like and they are popped back in to the pizza oven to finish cooking.  Pizza the way I love it, not heavy on toppings, served piping hot with a thin and crisp base, perfect!

I decided two slices would totally fill me up.  The slices are like they are from a pizza made for a giant.

I chose a slice of nice simple mozzarella, basil and tomato and a slice of pepperoni.  Simple and totally delicious.

Sara xxx

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Yes, still New York posts heading your way with a couple more to come.

Russ & Daughters was on my definite hit list when I was planning my trip to New York. I had seen Russ & Daughters on various food shows previously but it was a pod cast that I had subscribed to, “The Bowery Boys”, that really made me want to go visit.

If you are heading to NYC I strongly suggest their pod cast. The Bowery Boys are about the history of NYC which is presented in an entertaining way. The history to NYC is amazing and I really had a great feel of how the city was built after listening to them, and will admit my favourite ones were their Halloween specials, spooky New York, very cool.

There are two main things I love about Russ & Daughters beside the food, the rags to success story and the fact that “Daughters” appears in the business name.

Joel Russ emigrated to the USA from Europe, like so many Eastern European Jews, in 1907 and settled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This area was the centre of immigrant Jewish culture in NYC. He started his business selling polish mushrooms which he would cart around on top of his shoulders and sell. Eventually enough money was saved to buy a pushcart, then a horse and wagon.

He married Bella and they had three daughters, no sons. In 1904 Joel can finally afford to open his first store and then starts to sell salted/cured herring/salmon along with other produce. He does well and moves to larger premises in 1920, Russ & Daughters current location, but the store is called J Russ National Appetizing Store.

His three daughters learn the business and work with their father. Apparently men would come to see Joel’s beautiful daughters just as much as the great produce, and they all meet and married their husbands through the business.

Now this is the part that I love about the history of Russ & Daughters. In 1933 the business name is changed to Russ & Daughters Appetizers. It is the first time, it is believed, in history that the word “daughters” is used in a business name. As a woman I really appreciate what Joel did. Nobody acknowledged their daughters in business back then, but Joel Russ having three and no sons, did. Back in the day it was preferable to have “sons” in the business name, even if that resorted to referring to your son in law.

Russ & Daughters is still a family business run by the Russ family. The fourth generation is now working there. The Smithsonian Institute declared Russ & Daughters a part of New York’s cultural heritage in 2000.

Enough with the history lesson for today, but I do appreciate a good success story.

I visited on a Sunday and the place was packed. Packed with people and packed with produce. Quite honestly I was blown away with variety.

They have a range that I have not seen elsewhere, caviar, smoked/cured salmon, specialty smoked fish, herring, bagels, salads as well as dried fruit and sweets. Plus they stock other deli items to accompany your fish purchase.

I was gobsmacked by the range of cream cheese alone, plain, scallion (spring onion), vegetable, green olive, horseradish, caviar, lox, plus a tofu range of cream cheese that includes plain, scallion and lox.

Caviar, they have the real deal, plus trout roe, salmon roe as well as green wasabi roe. Blinis and crème fraiche are also available to accompany your caviar purchase, and why not pick up a mother of pearl spoon to serve with while you are there.

So many different types of smoked salmon, Irish Organic, Gaspe Nova, Danish, Scottish, Norwegian, belly lox, gravlax, pastrami cured, kippered salmon, Western Nova and pickled lox.

Their specialty smoked fish includes sturgeon, trout, chubs, sable, whitefish, mackerel and tuna.

The shop itself is not that big, it is actually quite long and narrow, but it is packed with an amazing range of smoked, cured and pickled product.

Of course I could not visit Russ and Daughters and not buy a bagel. As tempting as it was to try some of the produce I hadn’t seen before, I decided to keep it basic. Smoked salmon, horseradish & dill cream cheese and red onion. The bagels are made to order and the salmon is thinly sliced off the main fillet for you as the bagel is made.

I can honestly say that this was the best smoked salmon bagel I have ever had in my life. The bagel itself was wonderful. The salmon, incredible, so soft, flavoursome and just melted in your mouth. The dill cream cheese and onion, delicious. Also add to the equation that I am sitting on a bench in front of the store on East Houston Street while I munch away. Magical, pure pure magic. Special memories are made of this.

Sara xxx

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I sit, ponder and plan where I will eat, what I will see and do before I head overseas.  Even when it is for business I try and work out what I can fit in. Of course my research is just a guide and some things are achieved and others aren’t.The joyof travel is finding something not expected. I expected fantastic food in NYC and I had plenty of it, but a chance conversation lead me to a restaurant that is regarded as a hidden jewel, and well hidden it is.

Sakagura was established in 1996 and is now one of the top sake bars in the USA. If you didn’t know it was there you would just walk right past it. Why? The entrance is actually an office building which looks like it is closed in the evenings. You walk in to the foyer and wonder where on earth you are meant to go next. You then find the stairs that you are to proceed down, walk along a corridor and then find this magical oasis. Tokyo in the basement of a NYC office building, amazing.

Funnily though once I returned back to Sydney I saw Sakagura on an episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain was discovering the non touristy side of NYC that he loves. Well done me for finding it before being told about it by a celebrity chef.

Besides having a reputation for sake they also take that care and pride in their food. This was an unexpected treat of a meal and I would have to say some of the best Japanese food I have had.

The staff are very knowledgeable in regard to sake (which would be expected) and more than willing to help the novice decide what would best suit their pallet. Myself being a novice with sake I tried their sample set which included three sakes they thought I may like. It is fun to compare the different sakes and then decide which one you prefer. I settled on a dry sake served cold.
It was so hard to decide what to have to eat as everything on the menu sounded so fantastic and a little bit different.Kamo Roast Negimaki: Sliced chilled roast duck wrapped around scallions with an accented basil sauce.

Holly molly this was to die for. The duck was just seared and served thinly sliced. It had a slight smokey flavour to the meat and the finely sliced green onion cut beautifully through the layer of fat on the duck.
Tatami Kwashiorkor: Dried sardine crackers, fried crisp and served with a spicy mayonnaise dip.

The spicy mayonnaise was sesame based and I didn’t find it at all spicy. The crackers reminded me of a Japanese style prawn cracker, nice and fishy, but not overpowering of sardine. Even though the mayo was not spicy it made a lovely companion to the crackers.

Uzaku: Grilled eel vinaigrette served with thin cucumber slices and wakame seaweed.

Sakagura Special – Stewed Diced Pork: How can you go past the words special and diced pork?

This was the most tender pork belly I have ever eaten, melting in your mouth <Homer drool>. The broth was a light cleansing pork broth, with a hint of wasabi, which suited the richness of the pork belly.

I had no room for dessert, but I just had to have some anyway. As I had noticed Black Sesame Crème Brulee with Black Sesame Ice Cream on the menu. Bwaaaaaaa!!! They had just run out. So I opted for my next choice.
Sake Manju:  Sake Lees Bun stuffed with Red Beans served with Green Tea Sorbet.

The dessert was beautifully presented and the black sesame twist in my sorbet was a pleasant surprise and visually stunning. Sadly this was not my highlight of the meal and I sulked slightly as I watched the person next to me scoff down a delicious looking crème brulee, bwaaaaaa!!!If you do find yourself in NYC, Sakagura is well worth the visit.

Sara
xxx


211E 43rd St B1F
New York NY 10017 [Between 2nd& 3rd Aves]
Tel: 212.953.SAKE [7253]
Fax: 212.682.1951

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A very belated post from my New York trip back in January this year and there are more to come!

My foodie world has been and still seems to be totally in love with David Chang and his baby Momofuku.  When I was in New York I decided I had to eat at one of his establishments, seemed a very obvious thing to do, so I decided the Momofuku Ssäm Bar would be my target.

This place is renowned for their bo ssäm, which consists of a whole butt of pork, dozen oysters, kimchi, rice and bibb lettuce.  The dish is designed to be shared with a minimum of 6 people.  So sadly I wasn’t going to be trying it, but the table next to me was so at least I got to see what it looked like

I had high expectations of Momofuku, for me it was a bit like a hyped up movie you go to see, it’s a good movie but you walk out wondering what all the hype is about.  Sadly that is what I thought of Momofuku, the food was great, please don’t get me wrong in that respect, but it definitely wasn’t my best meal in New York.

To start off with I had the cracked Jonah crab claws.  The crab claws were sweet and juicy and they were accompanied with harissa mayonnaise which had a nice deep flavour to it.
There was no way I wasn’t going to order these babies, steamed buns.  Light and fluffy steamed buns filled with pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumbers scallions.  They come with chilli cause on the side which I actually forgot to put on.  The pork was melt in your mouth, loved them.
Honey crisp apple kimchi, jowl bacon, maple labne and arugula.  The apples were delightfully crisp and infused with the kimchi flavour.  The maple labne was mapley sweet but not overly so. The bacon was crispy with lines of fat through it.  The dish was a lovely combination of sweet, savoury and salty.
Sichuan beef tendon served with green mango and peanuts. I really liked the concept of this salad.  The beef tendon was paper thin, there were lots of peanuts, but for some reason the dish was slightly lacking.  Maybe if they hadn’t been so light handed with the mango, I think this may of helped as the dish really relied on it.

When you dine out it isn’t just about the food, service is also a major point.  Sadly even though the restaurant was not that busy I felt rushed my whole meal, plates being cleared before finishing, that sort of thing.

Would I recommend the Ssäm Bar?  Sure, the steamed buns are wonderful, the food is good, but sadly did not live up to the hype.  If I was there with a party of 6 I would really love to try the bo ssäm


Sara
xxx


Momofuku Ssäm Bar
207 2nd Ave. NYC 10003 | corner of 13th + second

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This was “the” restaurant on my eat list for New York and when bookings opened 1 month prior to my arrival I booked.

I was surprised when I mentioned to foodie friends of my excitement of visiting WD-50, that a few of them had not heard of the restaurant nor it’s chef Wylie Dufresne. I first caught wind of Wylie on Top chef where he introduced contestants to molecular gastronomy. To me he is the American version of Heston Blumenthal, he is part scientist, part artist and pushes the boundaries to create incredible food.

Since then I have seen him appear on many programs including Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, where Anthony commented he was quite surprised that Wylie was working in the kitchen still as he could quite easily have his own tv show, book deals etc. He is a hands on chef and is generally at the pass of his restaurant most nights. He loves what he does and that is reflected in his food.

Wylie Durfresne (on left)

WD-50 was awarded a Michelin star in 2006 and has retained that through to the present day and has many other accolades.
The toilets, just don’t drink too much or you will never find the doors! BTW you are looking at them.

Bathroom mosaic by Tim Snell

I was early for my reservation, you put it down to being eager and getting a cab no problems or my need for a drink after nearly not arriving in NYC (that story to come in another post – let’s say Sara was a little stressed). My table was ready but I decided to have a cocktail at the bar to start. WD-50 are just as well known for their incredible cocktails as well as food. Now for the embarrassing bit, for the life of me I can’t remember the name of what I had, but it was delicious and included sake, coconut water and other various ingredients.

While at the bar Wylie came up and started to taste and discuss new editions for the cocktail list with his maitre d’ and mixologist, do they have it with the egg white or not, do they infuse this etc etc, was fun to listen to. It was like watching a bunch of mad scientists which were giggling over their experiments, most enjoyable.
WD-50 offers either a la carte or a degustation menu. I opted for the 11 course degustation as I wanted to try a variety of his dishes. I chose to have the wine pairing as well. The other wonderful thing about WD-50 and the degustation menu, is that it is explained to you that if there is something on the menu that you don’t want they will substitute it for you, they are flexible, nice.

Sesame Crisp Bread

This was brought at the start of the meal. I am not sure what they officially call this, but wow it tastes sensational. Paper thin, crisp sesame bread that is just so moreish. You can’t help but continuously break pieces off to nibble on knowing you have lots of courses coming. Hey, lets face it I have no self control either if something delicious is sitting in front of me.

Sweetbread
Sadly no picture as when I started the meal I was a little overwhelmed and nervous (had been a journey getting there), but by the time the third course arrived I had composed myself.
Coated and fried veal sweetbread with pickled turnip, ginger dipping sauce, dusted with carob and olive powder. A lovely and light start to the degustation menu. Wine: Prosecco Bortolotti NV (Veneto, Italy)

Everything Bagel
The above image was taken by Niall Kennedy

This dish totally blew me away. You are presented with a mini bagel which is actually made out of ice cream, it has poppy seeds on top, coloured for looks and it tastes like a bagel. It LOOKS like a bagel, incredible!!! This is accompanied with smoked salmon threads, crispy cream cheese and pickled red onion. When you put the combination of the above in your mouth you are eating a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. The textures are amazing. The method of making the bagel is the inspiration for my hot cross bun ice cream
Wine: Prosecco Bortolotti NV (Veneto, Italy)

Foie Gras
The above image was taken by Niall Kennedy

This was actually the first time I have ever eaten foie gras, and I have to say it wont be my last. The foie gras is served with a centre of passionfruit sauce on a bed of Chinese celery (both fresh and freeze dried) and topped with shredded green onion. When you cut in to the foie gras the passionfruit centre just oozes out. The foie gras was so smooth and tasty. The passionfruit sauce was a very interesting pairing with it, I enjoyed it, it was sweet, but I can see how some would not be too thrilled with it paired with the foie gras. Again the textures of the freeze dried celery danced in your mouth, that crunch, wow.
Wine: Riesling Spatlese Selbach 2008 (Saar, Germany)


Scrambled Egg Ravioli
The square ravioli is served with charred avocado, kindai kampachi and teeny weenie crispy fried potatoes (may not have been fried, most probably another scientific technique). It is not only Wylie’s paring of foods but the textures he creates, amazing. Ok I will stop raving on about the textures, promise.
Wine: Riesling Spatlese Selbach 2008 (Saar, Germany)

Cold Fried Chicken
The chicken is cooked sous vide, made into a terrine and then cold fried, this makes it incredibly tender and tasty. Served cold with with warm buttermilk ricotta, hasselback caviar, fried chicken skin and honey tabasco sauce. Again a lovely taste and texture combination, crispy chicken skin with soft buttermilk ricotta, oh yes please! Then add the saltiness of the caviar…… Homer drool.
Wine: Pinot Noir Torii Mor (Oregon)

Langoustine
This was accompanied by red bell pepper threads, shiso puree, sourdough breadcrumbs, black vinegar sauce and red pepper with black sesame seeds. The red bell pepper threads were so fine and candied, amazing.
Wine: Pinot Noir Torii Mor (Oregon)

Beef & Béarnaise
I must admit when this dish was set down in front of me I must of looked a bit confused as it was not what I was expecting from the description. It was in fact large béarnaise gnocchi in a beef broth, this was accompanied with crisp snow peas, micro herbs and soft caramelised onion. The gnocchi was so soft and tasty, the beef broth beautifully rich and clear.
Wine: Bandol Domaine Tempier 2007 (Provence, France)

Wagyu Beef
This was not actually part of the degustation, I asked for a substitute for the lamb loin, black garlic romesco. soybean and pickled garlic chive. I am not fond of lamb. Saying that I did see the lamb dish and asked the person next to me what they thought, lamb tender and beautifully cooked to perfection with amazing tastes.
What I ended up having was wagyu skirt steak, long bean, tamarind and peanut butter “pasta”. The wagyu was rare, tender and flavoursome, the noodles and flavour combination worked well. I was very happy with the substitute.
Wine: “Doyenne, Aix” DeLille Cellars 2006 (Columbia Valley, Washington)

Now on to pastry chef Alex Stupaks’ dessert section of the degustation.

Vanilla Mango Ice Cream
The ice cream is frozen using liquid nitrogen, it is then shattered and served with finely diced mango, spruce infused yogurt, yuzu foam. liquid nitrogen makes for an extremely smooth ice cream due to the quick freezing. At this stage I am full, the dessert beautiful, but I knew I had 2 more following and therefore did not finish it all. It was hard sending a unfinished plate of perfection back to the kitchen.
Wine: No matching with this course.

Hazelnut Tart
Hazelnut & chocolate cream on top of coconut cream, candied hazelnuts, chicory foam, coconut powder and hazelnut streusel, sprinkled with salt. This was so melt in the mouth and creamy, heaven on a plate.
Wine: Commandaria St John Keo NV (Lemesos, Cyprus)

Caramelized Brioche
The brioche had a centre of apricot puree and was served with a butter cream ribbon dotted with thyme, almond foam, almonds and lemon thyme sorbet. I think they should serve the hazelnut tart last as it is the star of the three desserts, for me anyway. The brioche, a lovely dessert, was just out shone by the tart.
Wine: Moscato d’Asti “Biancospino” La Spinetta 2008 (Piedmont, Italy)

Cocoa packets & Chocolate Shortbread, Milk Ice Cream
This would have normally come with coffee but due to being extremely tired from travel and waddling full, in my case it was with the bill. Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow! Chocolate leather surrounding what I understand was chocolate feuilletine, loose crispy filling of yummness. I wish you could buy these by the packet. The milk ice cream was mint and rolled in the chocolate shortbread.

Overall I had an incredible first night in New York. At the end of the meal I asked my waitress if it would be okay for me to go and take a photo of Wylie at the pass. She went to talk to him and I ended up meeting him and having a small tour of the kitchen. He really is a nice down to earth guy that has incredible skill, imagination and pure passion for what he creates.

It must be a wonderful place to work as all the staff are just so friendly and delightful, you are made to feel right at home.

I wish I could share with you more on the techniques Wylie uses for each dish, because the textures and flavours are just amazing. Yes the textures………. I do suggest you have a look at the WD-50 website as there is a nice bit of food porn on there, and I know how us foodies love a bit of food porn

Sara xxx


WD-50, 50 Clinton St, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York

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