Eating Manhattan, Part 1 / by Pamela Hinkley, TDR CEO
New York on 20,000 calories a day:
December is a thrilling time to visit New York- crisp air, beautiful decorations, gorgeous families bundled up in scarves and mittens, and the sound of many languages. Air Italia must be running a super deal because there was so much Italian being spoken, we thought we had landed in Milan.
Friday night: our pilgrimage to a Danny Meyer joint, the Bar at the Modern at MOMA. Swanky interior, signature gorgeous flower arrangements. The food: an upside down tuna tartare with a sweet crisp matched perfectly with a delicate Alsatian Chasselas; ribbons of pumpkin on goat cheese and greens; saffron tagliatelle with red micro salad sprouts; creamy eggs and lobster in a canning jar. We finished with simple lamb and squab accompanied by an earthy southern Italian red, Terre Nere Etna Rosso, of the grape variety Nerello Mascalese.
Saturday- the local F train to Brooklyn to find all the cool things ET raves about. Started at the Ham Bar (see photo) at Stinky Bkln where all these beautifully displayed ham varieties are hand chipped. But it’s really the cheese that occupies center stage. We ordered a barley fed Midwestern cut that had beautiful deep color, perfect fat ration, and mild saltiness: $80 per pound, thank goodness we didn’t need a full pound! I was glad to find a chocolate bar from Mast Brothers, a neighborhood artisan roaster I had been reading about, and chose their 74% Madagascar with sea salt. Grainy, but intriguing. We asked where to get good coffee, and they sent us to D’Amico’s. It looked like a place out of a Seinfeld episode, but the coffee was not so hot. Stopped by a new wine shop and asked if there were any food spots in the hood we shouldn’t miss. They sent us to Sahadi’s, and it was so cool. Very old school- packed to the rafters with inventory and very busy. Nothing groovy in the modern sense, but really cool in the sense that they weren’t even trying to be cool.
Worked out way to hipster haven, General Green for brunch. Mike ordered a yummy skillet egg concoction that came with a perfect biscuit, and I enjoyed a chorizo scramble with tons of scallions. The beautiful people were there, cool music. The highlight was our next stop in Williamsburg, Marlow & Sons. This kooky little bodega is a bit disorienting when you walk in, but make your way to the back for oysters and a quirky small menu. We had swordfish salad and ravioli with a charming southern French gamay. The room was super cool as only an old space can be, and felt like a favorite old sweater. We easily could have stayed, but grabbed a car service back to Midtown so we could freshen up for dinner.
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