Restaurant Review : Eataly

If you've been keeping up with my Halloween countdown and array of ghostly goodies, you can only imagine how exhausted I was by the end of the month of October. This past week, I have been detoxing with a lot of sleep and a lot of vegetable broth and water. Ok, I'm exaggerating--I have been eating, but I've been slowed down quite a bit.

So, when my friend Lucy contacted me and asked me if I would be available for dinner, I jumped at the opportunity to eat something delicious and healthy that I did not have to cook myself.

We both work in downtown Manhattan, and decided upon the popular and iconic Eataly, located at 200 5th Avenue on 23rd Street, right across from the Flatiron building and on the same block as the Institute for Culinary Education. When I attended my cooking class at ICE, a woman in the class urged me to visit Eataly: "You're right across the street," she said. "It would be a terrible shame to miss it!" That day, as I emerged sleep-deprived and laden with baked goods, I lacked the enthusiasm to go, but this was the perfect opportunity to have a catch up with a friend over dinner and see what all the fuss was about.

Eataly is so much more than a restaurant: it's a market selling meat, fish, cheese, pasta, bread, sweets, beer, coffee, vegetables, and olive oil (to name a few), and a collection of specialized restaurants each serving a different array of meticulously-prepared foods.

As the Eataly website describes, the founder of Eataly Oscar Farinetti wanted to "make high‐quality Italian foods available to everyone, at fair prices and in an environment where people can shop, eat and learn." His partners, the award-winning Mario Batali and Lidia and Joe Bastianich, have collaborated to create a true dining experience that transports you from the heart of Manhattan to the bustle of an Italian marketplace and piazza.

Lucy and I decided to eat at the fish restaurant, Il Pesce. We got seats at the bar that overlooks the kitchen, and each enjoyed our choice of delicious and not-too-pricey seafood. I had the Spiendino di Polpo, a skewer of octopus, fingerling potatoes, and cipollini onions with a fresh lemon taste and a side of crimson beets. Lucy had Mantis Shrimp served in a delicate green pesto with a side of brocoli raab. The quality and presentation of the food was superb, and the flavors welcome and unexpected. Though we had thought of going to the gelateria afterwards for dessert, we were both too full, and instead decided to check out the Caffe Lavazza, which serves coffee, tea, beer, and aperitifs. I had a cold and generous espresso served with Amaretto, and Lucy enjoyed a hot chocolate that was like liquid happiness. All in all, it was a meal worth waiting for.

There are a variety of restaurants and food counters at Eataly, each serving a specialty for--what I would call--fair prices:

Manzo: The most formal dining experience at Eataly, serving a dizzying array of meats, and both modern and traditional Piedmontese beef dishes.
Birreria: A rooftop restaurant and brewery, serving beers brewed on premises with a fantastic view of the New York skyline. Make sure you get there early to avoid a waitist!
La Piazza: A vibrant and bustling (also, standing) eatery serving wine, charcuterie, and cheeses, from Salumi & Formaggi like Prosciutto di Parma or San Daniele from Salumeria Rosi and prosciutto cotto from Parmacotto.
Il Pesce: A fish restaurant with a wide choice of whole fish, shrimp, soups, oysters, and daily specialties from chef, Dave Pasternack. Sit at the bar to get a close-up view of the kitchen and to watch your food being cooked.
Le Verdure: A restaurant for those who appreciate a simple harvest, with plates of colorful seasonal vegetables.
La Pizza & Pasta: The Italian classic, refined.
Lavazza Caffe: A stunning coffee bar serving a wide selection of high-quality and inexpensive (compared to most coffee in New York) coffee concoctions, served with or without alcohol.

In addition to these above restaurants, you can take a look at the take-home and to-go options at Caffe Vergnano, the Pasticceria and Gelateria, Venchi Cioccolato, La Pizza & La Pasta to go, the Rosticceria, and the Paninoteca.

Photo courtesy of Mario Batali's website.

Alice's Teacup Pumpkin Scones

You read that correctly. This is the recipe for Alice's Teacup Pumpkin Scones. As in, the actual Pumpkin Scone recipe from the famed New York bakery and tea-parlour, Alice's Tea Cup.

I love Alice's Tea Cup. I am pretty sure that every woman loves Alice's Tea Cup. What's not to love? As an Alice in Wonderland lover, I love not only the spectacular creations that come from the kitchen--from their famous scones to crisp tea sandwiches, tea-infused cocktails, and grilled items-- but also love the decor, ambiance, and whimsy of the place, which welcomes children of all ages for tea, parties, lunches, and dinners. It is a decidedly feminine environment, great for a girls' night or tête-à-tête with a friend, but it's also lovely for couples' lunches and brunches, as well as drinks. I have brought members of the male sex to Alice's and, despite their apprehensions, they survived and emerged pleased and well-fed.

The standard order from Alice's is a pot of tea and two scones. You choose from any of their hundreds of varieties of teas and from their daily selection of scones, which includes standard and novelty flavors. Old-faithfuls include buttermilk, pumpkin, ham and cheese, and some kind of berry, whereas novelties range from coconut to oatmeal cranberry and various chocolates.

Pumpkin is one of my, and everyone's, favourites. It's just so good. And here it is, courtesy of my friend Liz who obtained it by clandestine measures (or perhaps just read the Alice's Tea Cup Cookbook which I should have bought ages ago).

Just in case you're interested, here's the Amazon product page:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061964921/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=8537715684&ref=pd_sl_j1i67kwfs_b


Tea and scones from a recent Alice's visit.

The Recipe:

The scones:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2-1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsps ground ginger
2 tbsps ground cinnamon
1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1-1/4 cups buttermilk
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (all pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

The glaze:

2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Then, with clean hands, work the butter into the dry mixture until it is thoroughly incorporated and has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the buttermilk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract into the well. Still using your hands, combine the ingredients until all the dry mixture is wet, but do not knead!

I am warning you now: you might want to get some disposable latex gloves for when you're handing the dough. It is, without exaggeration, the most unruly dough I have ever encountered--very sticky, impossible to work with without having it attach itself to you, and hard to flatten into a disk in the next step.

Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and gather the dough together, then gently pat the dough to make a disk about 1 1/2 inches thick. Make sure you four the surface well, or it will be hard to work the dough. Using a 3 or 3 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (or an upside down glass or cup), cut out as many scones as you can and lay them on a nonstick baking sheet. Gather the remaining dough together lightly to cut out more scones--just don't knead the dough too much, and make sure to keep it floured. You will be rewarded with the lovely scone texture when they're done!

Bake the scones for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the scones cool slightly on the baking sheet (about 20 minutes) before glazing them.

While the scones are cooling, prepare the caramel glaze: Place the butter, brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium head and whisk gently until the mixture is smooth. Just as the mixture comes to a light boil, add the heavy cream and reduce the heat to low. Whisk well for 2 minutes, or until the glaze is thickened and smooth; then remove the pan from the heat.

To glaze a scone, hold it by the bottom, dip the top in the warm caramel glaze, and place it back on the baking sheet.

Restaurant Review : Balon

I had the pleasure of going to a beautiful wine bar and restaurant on the Upper East Side the other day. Located at 81st street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in Yorkville, Balon is an excellent and cozy spot to linger with a glass of wine and to enjoy some spectacular food. 81st street on the East Side is a restaurant goldmine: four of my favorite food-haunts are located within a one block radius (there's Yuka, a high quality all-you-can-eat for $21 sushi bar; Alice's Teacup III, for tea and scones; and Luke's Lobster, for expensive but mouth-watering seafood and lobster treats). I would pass Balon when I went to these other restaurants, and every time I passed, I wanted to go in.

The ambiance is what first caught my eye. On a warm evening, the bay windows are opened above an iron grille decorated with vines and christmas lights to reveal a modern, minimalist interior decorated in warm tones offset by warm lighting. The interior is garden themed, and guests are welcomed to sit back in wicker chairs at tables decorated with bright roses. My friend and I were seated in the window seat for two, where we stayed for over 2 hours without interruption.

The wine list is impressive and offers wine either by the glass or the bottle. While it might be described as expensive, it is by no means overpriced for the quality of the food, ambiance, and service. Wines range from moderately priced to pricy (from $9 to $18 a glass), giving patrons a wide choice. The food selection is impressive and expertly-crafted. Entrees are in the $20-$24 range, but you can enjoy a dessert for $10.



My friend and I each opted for a glass of wine and a dessert. She chose the pumpkin bread pudding with a glass of prosecco, while I had a glass of Crozieres red accompanied by a molten chocolate lava cake.

Both were, to put it plainly, incredible. My friend and I agreed, without hesitation, that that was one of the best desserts we had ever had. My wine was excellent and the serving size was not skimpy. My dessert was ample and to die for.

Balon is excellent for a special evening with friends, or if you're looking for somewhere quiet where you can linger for hours. I would not hesitate to go back, and hope that I have an excuse to do so soon.