Sauteed Ramps with Pancetta

08. May 2003 Vegetables + Salads 0
I first heard of ramps while eating at The Tasting Room. I found out later that they are only available in the spring. Ramps belong in the leek family and they taste like onion and garlic combined. A co-worker told me she used to eat them raw as a child growing up in Virginia. We were in ...

Sichuan Shrimp

28. April 2003 Shellfish 0
One of my co-workers is an avid vegetable gardener. We were talking about his yard in the suburbs and he mentioned that he was waiting to harvest his chilis. A few months later, he gave me a bag of his produce, dried and ready to be cooked. It was a beautiful bounty and I was ...

Buttercups with Peashoot Leaves

05. April 2003 Fish 0
I had no clue why the Chinatown fish store I went to called the fish buttercups but I needed some type of flat fish to replicate the dish we ate while in Amsterdam. It was Michel’s birthday and he had invited his family to visit from the suburbs. We joined them and a few of ...

The Tasting Room

08. March 2003 American, Lower East Side 0
72 East 1st Street on First Avenue 212/358.7831 about $150 for two, with two drinks, without tip ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ When people ask me for my top five restaurants in New York City, I rank Sushiden on five, Tom Colicchio’s Gramercy Tavern on four, Snack on three and Mario Batali’s Babbo in second place. I ...