Le Fooding D'Amour: J'Adore Mostly

David Chang saucing pork

On Friday night, in Greenpoint's backyard (aka Long Island City), we went to the Le Fooding D'Amour Paris-New York event at P.S. 1. Hundreds of ticket-holders waited in line after line to sample delectable bites from three New York-based chefs and three Paris-based chefs, each at their own station, prepping on folding tables and cooking on grills. While it may not have been their very best work, being served pulled pork by David Chang, chicken necks by Wylie Dufresne, and fried corn with scallop butter by Sean Rembold from Diner was a thrill. (Check out David Chang's interview with Charlie Rose from last summer. We just happened to catch a rerun of it!) Oh, and the General Greene's Salted Hazelnut Gianduja ice cream was to die for. All proceeds went to Action Against Hunger.


The scene in P.S. 1's front yard


Barbecued sirloin steak by Christophe Pelé


Wylie Dufresne serving grilled chicken necks


Cute illustrations of all participating chefs projected on the walls


Fried corn on the cob with scallop butter, by far the best thing there


Sean Rembold's still life


Happy girl with ice cream

Are You Pouring on the Pounds?

I am so thrilled about the new ads from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Yay Bloomberg! Since the federal government subsidizes poor eating primarily by way of corn, with obsolete policies that are insanely unfair and extraordinarily greedy, it is exciting to see this question all over the city. For a great treatise on the issues surrounding food policy, read Michael Pollan's letter to Obama from last October in the New York Times Magazine.

On the subject of ads, the terms "local" and "farm fresh" and other similar phrases are being abused lately, usurped actually, stolen. In this vein, even McDonalds commercials feature stop-motion dancing vegetable montages to convince us that there are ingredients behind their food-like concoctions. It's scary. Do we have to legally define these terms so that corporations don't lie to their consumers? Because they can use the word "local" to describe basically anything from anywhere without repercussions. Where is the regulation? We have to be vigilant about our consumption in order to truly shop locally. Listen to THIS wonderful conversation with Patt Morrison on NPR's 89.3 about what local really means.

Optimistically, I hope, at least, that this trend makes people reconsider what they put in their bodies and where they spend their money, and that it doesn't just alter the way they are sold the same old mass-produced product.

Made in Greenpoint

Note Greenpoint cookie on platter above

On Saturday, the Greenpoint Food Market was born. In a church on Russell Street, a motley crew of picklers, bakers, soda, liver mousse, and soup-makers gathered to sell their goods. A Greenpoint beekeeper was selling honey with comb. And I had a refreshing homemade lime rickey on ice from Pumkin and Honeybunny. The highlight though was Sugarbuilt cookies. So intricate and beautiful and tasty too. This woman is an icing queen. The skulls are truly amazing but, of course, I bought that cute Greenpoint cookie!

Bring on the locally, sensibly, sensitively, creatively made food...


gorgeous!


how wonderful is this logo?

Angels Share

On Stuyvesant Street, hidden up a flight of stairs and through a brightly lit, bustling restaurant is the dimly lit and serene Angel's Share. Despite or maybe because of the fact that there are so many places to can go for a drink in the city, it is always hard to find the right spot. Lucky for me, there is this little bar where your ears won't suffer and people aren't packed in like sardines (they only seat parties of 4 or less). Overlooking 3rd Avenue, the window seat might be the best in the house, but facing the bar is also a treat with skilled bartenders shaking elaborate cocktails and painted angels overhead. Angel's Share is a welcome bit of respite and sophistication.

Wheels

We got a car! It's a Subaru Imprezza in Acadia Green and I'm in love. Now, I can access all corners of Brooklyn, New York State, and beyond. I am looking forward to seeing fall foliage and picking apples. Also looking forward to take-out from favorite Williamsburg spots. And I will still do most of my shopping at The Garden, but Fairway, watch out, here I come!

Go Del Potro!

This is an amazing match. Mere miles away in Queens, Juan Martin Del Potro, who is not even 21 years old, is going into the 5th set of the finals of the US Open tied 2-2 with Federer. How will this end?!?

Simply Salmon

After seeing her make them on TV, I had to try Ina Garten's Grilled Tuna Rolls. I actually ended up making the rolls with wild salmon. It worked perfectly. This is an easy, delicious, and healthy recipe. The dressing is savory and spicy and the combination of the fish and avocado is a match made in heaven. If you are not into hot dog buns, you could just put the dressed fish and avocado over greens or rice and I think it would be wonderful.


Toasted sesame seeds, scallions, and red onion in my favorite bowl

Over the Bridge

The Inaugural Pulaski Invitational Road Race and BBQ was a huge success this Labor Day Weekend! Mike and Tom orchestrated a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon road race on Greenpoint's own Pulaski Bridge. A new tradition is born. The race consisted only of going back and forth across the bridge which connects Greenpoint, Brooklyn to Long Island City, Queens. (I came in last in the women's 5k and am proud of it!) The day was beautiful. The bridge was steep. Spirits were high. And of course the kielbasa was plentiful. Polam International Meat Market provided the meat, the house-made horseradish, the kraut, and the pickles. And I added some asparagus for the color green. We ran, we ate, and we ate some more. Summer has been everything good, but I'm really looking forward to fall.

A Vegetable Garden Grows in Greenpoint

I spotted this wonderful urban garden on a Greenpoint corner this weekend. I don't know the gardener, but I wish I did! Those sunflowers! And that basil and that kale look so hearty. I'm inspired to plant something on my front stoop. More on that soon...

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller's Secret Garden

Maine is full of secrets, and a really good one is the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden in Seal Harbor. Designed in the late 1920's by renowned landscape designer and local Mt. Desert Islander Beatrix Farrand in close collaboration with Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and John D. Rockefeller, Jr., it is a historic piece of pristine but complex landscaping. In this unique garden, inspiration from the east surrounds inspiration from the west. Tucked seamlessly into the vast and lush natural setting, the garden has been passed from generation to generation and remarkably, remains in its original location, in close to its original form. (The 100 room Rockefeller residence it once accompanied, called The Eyrie, no longer stands.) This very secret garden is only open to the public for a few days per year at the peak of the bloom. I feel lucky to have experienced it two years in a row.