Maestro

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

Inspiration Prevails at Natalie’s in Camden

Natalie's talented and engaging Executive Chef Geoffroy Deconinck

I recently had the exquisite pleasure of dining at Natalie’s Restaurant, and meeting the new executive chef, Geoffroy Deconinck. Elegant and sophisticated Natalie’s has been winning awards and turning heads since 2007. Surrounded by the drama of the craggy Maine coast, the restaurant’s sizzle, style, and flair are legendary. With the arrival of this handsome and somewhat serious Belgian, award-winning Natalie’s has been refined and re-imagined – beautifully.

From Pemaquid and Gay Island oysters to sweet, delicate Roasted Maine Lobster, right on through to Crème Brulee, peach sorbet and berries, his meals are thoughtful, adventurous, and flawless. Sommelier Alex Marchesini’s wine pairings complement the menu perfectly, as does his lilting Argentine accent.

Roasted Maine Lobster

Deconinck delights in a challenging and generous vision of cooking, preparing lamb “three ways” or duck “two ways” – playful, complex, and flavorful. His hand is steady with a velvety puree of avocado or grilling a tender cut of beef.  He wants diners to “smell the stable” in local lamb or “taste the farm” in Seal Cove goat cheese. His savory seaweed salt mix, created for James Beard, is a sensory surprise. More seaweed than salt, it captures the briny essence of the ocean with characteristic Deconinck flourish (laboiteaepice.com), yum. •

Chef Deconinck honed his craft with the amazing Daniel Boulud at Café Boulud, Daniel, and Bouley in New York City; Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée in Paris; and  L’Epicerie in Belgium.

Recent awards and honors include:

 • AAA four diamond award-winning restaurant – 2011
• Nominated New Best Top Chef by Food & Wine Magazine – 2011
• Recognized by the James Beard Foundation – 2011
• Wine Spectator Award of Excellence – 2010
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A Feast Grows in Brooklyn

Posted on September 13, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

My brother Josh is one of my favorite people in the world. He directs the Gowanus Music Club in Brooklyn. This summer he was kind enough to share a small taste of his neighborhood’s vibrant food scene with me.

The Brooklyn food community suddenly resembles Portland, Maine, where I live. Neighborhood bistros offer herbs and veggies lovingly picked from rooftops, fire escapes, and delivered fresh from the farm. Brooklyn CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) harvest and sell farm-fresh produce the same way we do here in Maine.

Rucola

Rucola restaurant sits on one of the many adorable streetscapes of historic Boerum Hill, my brother’s neighborhood. Undaunted by the hipsters sipping espresso, I stopped into Rucola for a peppery arugula (“rucola”) salad with simple vinaigrette and Parmigiano curls – delicious. Plus a beautiful stuffed artichoke with herbs, lemon and breadcrumbs that took all morning to deconstruct and savor – satisfying and memorable.

Beware: co-owner Julian Brizzi’s signature cocktail, the Basil Bite, is densely flavored and possesses enough gin and Cynar to trip up the most intrepid traveler. Find Rucola at 190 Dean St. in Boerum Hill.

Saul

Another impressive Brooklyn eatery is chef Saul Bolton’s eponymous restaurant on Smith Street where seasonal ingredients rule.  Their dense and meaty grilled octopus is served with pork belly, grilled scallion and jicama and emboldened with Sriracha, honey, lime and sesame—a rich, seasonal delight. Saul’s lovely heirloom beet salad with fennel, topped with hazelnuts and apple vinaigrette, tastes like a summer in Maine.

Scallops, chorizo, white bean puree and pinenuts at Saul

I can’t wait to go back and taste his pan-seared scallops with white bean puree, kale and pinenuts – maybe this fall if it’s still on the menu.  You will find Saul at 140 Smith Street in Boerum Hill.

Thanks, Josh, for a delicious time in your neighborhood!

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Montreal State of Mind

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

Layla Zoe, Canada's Queen of the Blues

We arrive at the Montreal Jazz Festival for five blissed-out days and nights of music. The extraordinary lineup from June 24 to July 4 has something for all ages and musical genres – it’s a star-studded celebration. From morning performances for kids to late nights at L’Astral, this is the biggest, hippest and most peaceful music festival in the world – just ask the Guiness Book of Records.  

Nikki Yanofsky

Our first “big event” is Montreal’s own Nikki Yanofsky and a sell-out crowd of her fiercest admirers and dewy-eyed fans. Nikki debuted at the festival five years ago and delivered an astonishing be-boppin’ performance as a 12-year-old. Today, her “backup band” – the 50-piece L’Orchestre Metropolitain – warms up an enormous crowd whose enthusiasm stretches three tiers high. Nikki slams into “I’ve Got a Crush on You” with a sound as big as Saskatchewan. Between sets, her baby speaking voice is a surprise. “Awesome!” she chirps. She’s adorable, gracious, and talented, delivering her flawless “Bienvenue Dans Ma Vie” in French to the delighted Francophone crowd.  She then proceeds to kick the Beatles’ “Oh, Darling” clean out of the park.

The amazing Francois Bourassa

We missed the phenomenal sold-out tribute to the late great Bill Evans with four of Montreal’s finest musicians, Michel Donato on bass, saxophonist Frank Lozano, drummer Pierre Tanguay, and amazing pianist Francois Bourassa. Word on the street: magnifique.

It Just Keeps Getting Better 

We stayed at the OPUS, an upscale boutique hotel on the corner of Sherbrooke and St. Laurent, steps from the jazz festival, Place des Arts, and minutes from Old Montreal. The OPUS combines modern design and chic Montreal style – we loved our black and white room, and everything we needed was within easy walking distance.

OPUS is also known for the late-night hipster scene at Koko bar – and there is a velvet rope. Complimentary cocktails made us feel more like VIPs, but the kitchen closes early (midnight), and you may get a little wobbly.  Koko is packed with fashion-forward hipsters, so be warned – unless this is your demographic and you can hold your liquor like Hemingway, find another spot for the wee hours.

Montreal’s Little-Big Bands

Back at the Place des Arts for festival darling Susie Arioli, whose brand of smooth Quebec jazz lifted her from “delightful” to “don’t miss” somewhere around 2008. Her little-big-band style and swinging drumwork is as charming as ever as she croons “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Blue Skies,” and a special tune just for her dad, “The Way You Look Tonight.” Some day, when I’m awfully low, When the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you…
 And the way you look tonight.

Kim Churchill

Aussie guitarist Kim Churchill ripped up “Shoulda Quit You” by Led Zeppelin and received an overwhelming ovation. We caught his set three nights in a row and never tired of his muscular guitar, surfer-boy looks and bare feet, coo coo ca choo.  This singer-songwriting-one-man-band from Downunder got our attention – we’ll be tracking his career and hoping to catch another thunderous performance sometime soon.

Bluesman Alex Wilson is another up-and-coming guitar master who manages to blend the bluesy sound of Muddy Waters and Jimmy Page with the dazzling guitarwork of Jimi Hendrix.  Alex has talent to burn so do check him out. The after-hours outdoor concert scene is highly recommended. You’ll see acts and performers that will delight and astonish – and best of all, for free.

The French-Cuban duo of Richard Galliano on accordion and Gonzalo Rubalcaba on piano perform Piazzola tangos, jazz rhythms and melancholy compositions like “Oblivion.” Sometimes dark but always soaring, this seamless musical collaboration ignites sparks.

Ouch: Somewhere between Nikki Yanofsky and Gonzalo Rubalcaba I broke my arm. But even that didn’t dampen my enthusiasm or appetite – see below.

Tasting Notes

A restaurant meal can provide respite from cold, rain, or blistering sun.  This year we had perfect weather, however – not too hot, not too cold – just right for hanging out on the Place des Arts. So between all this musical magic we decide to sip, savor and explore the gustatory offerings onsite.

(With one exception: A short excursion to the bounty of Jean Talon Market for savory buckwheat crepes, a basket of berries and a green market stroll. We can’t do Montreal without Jean Talon. Check out Supermarché L’Olivier, left, and all those olives, wow, it’s worth playing hooky.)

Le Balmoral Bistro represents the high end of onsite dining.  Try the the Caesar salad with shaved parmesan, anchovies, bacon, and giant caperberry. The Stanstead rabbit confit-style croquettes with Dijon dipping sauce are rich, dense, flavorful and local.  The grilled hamburger was a bit of a disappointment – we found we fared better (and cheaper) on the appetizer menu.

Balmoral shared their recipe for refreshing rosé sangria with two of our favorite flavors – Cassis and Campari – delicious.

1/3 cup Triple Sec
1/3 cup Cassis
1/3 cup Campari
One sliced lemon
One sliced lime
One sliced grapefruit
Maraschino cherries
1.5 cups rosé wine
1.5 cups apple juice
sparkling water to taste
Serve over ice
 

Colorful mango flowers on a stick are a great way to rehydrate, and they’re cute. A funky taco truck offers pulled pork and vegetable tacos,indescribably messy and delicious. (They offer a crab taco too, but bear in mind that Montrealers have a love affair with mayonnaise.)  Surprise! The onsite hotdogs are outstanding.

Nyk’s, just a heartbeat offsite, is a friendly alternative when you can’t manage one more beer in an S.A.Q. tent.  Nyk’s beer selection is extensive, servings are messy but generous, service is good humored – but if you have concert tickets, make sure you watch the clock because they won’t. I’d recommend the moules et frites as an authentic Montreal flavor – and tasty, to boot.  Plenty for two.

Something for Everyone

This festival engages and entertains all ages. Kids are as blissed out as their parents. Music is the main event: children boogie, twist, wiggle, and shout – and their parents share the joy.

Closing Night with the B52s

The closing event features legendary party band, the B-52s. The temperatures are balmy and it feels like a pleasant night aboard ship … with 100,000 other people.  The B-52s open like a runaway train with “My Own Private Idaho.” Kate and Cindy, in shades and up-dos, belt out “Love Shack” and their beloved platinum hits (Rock Lobster) with bounce and verve – they really deliver. Their classic songs are anthems, as familiar as suburban angst and shopping malls. A perfect way to spend the 4th of July. Outstanding fireworks!

Our Last Treat

We stayed an extra day just to see festival favorite Sophie Hunger perform with Eric Truffaz at L’Astral. This 25-year-old singer-songwriter, aka “Switzerland’s best-kept secret,” powers my favorite folk-rock-rant, the “Sophie Hunger Blues.” And I could listen to her “Birth Day” all day long.  Sometimes I do.  She is brilliant, as always, and provides a perfect ending to an outstanding festival.  In short, FIJM 2011 – amazing.  •

Nyk's moules et frites ... all over until next year

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When in Rome…Take a Walk

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers
For Eleanor and Malcolm who are on their way to Rome. Here is our favorite walk, “off the beaten track,” through Campo de’ Fiori, Piazza Farnese, the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere.

Hang a left at Via Giulia

Dear Eleanor and Malcolm:  It’s springtime.  Slip away from the crowds and discover a different Rome starting with Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, a vibrant outdoor market with flowers, fish, vegetables, fresh herbs, fruits and cheeses – among the oldest in Rome.

Don’t miss the statue of Bruno, the monk burned at the stake in 1600. Have a coffee and watch the locals, housewives, students, tourists and ne’er do wells crowding the piazza – endlessly fascinating.  Do watch your wallet.

Walk to the Piazza Farnese, the quiet piazza next door.  Fiori and Farnese are like brothers – one rambunctious and colorful, the other solemn and introspective. Piazza Farnese is great when you need some breathing room. It’s perfect after a spat.

From Farnese, head down via Mascherone toward the river. Hang a left onto the picturesque via Giulia (top photo and below left), with its hanging vines and ancient stone walls.

You will emerge on via Lungotevere as you approach the small Jewish Ghetto neighborhood. Don’t miss the recently restored Portico d’Ottavia, Piazza Mattei and Piazza Cinque Scole, where you’ll find the wonderful Sora Margherita restaurant, our favorite. Arrive early and ask Mauro Ziroli for a reservation, or call 066 874216. He will do his best for you.

Take a little time to explore Rome’s grand, imposing synagogue – or check out its small museum.  If you take the time to explore this wonderful neighborhood, you will leave with an indelible impression of the “sapore” and history of ancient Rome.

Don’t miss the Fontana Tartarughe (turtle fountain) – my favorite in all of Rome – in the tiny Piazza Mattei. It is very different from the famous Bernini fountains of Navona and Trevi, which of course you must see. But please do not miss the Tartarughe — it is pure delight, a joy.

Cross the river via either the Ponte Sisto or Ponte Fabricio to Trastevere. From Fabricio, the oldest bridge in Rome, you will cross a small sunny island, l’Isola Tiburtina. Take a minute and look down the river – and up.  Spectacular.

Winding narrow streets and medieval architecture give Trastevere a bohemian ambiance – a unique, funky vibe all its own. Lately, Trastevere’s beauty has been somewhat obscured by graffiti.  I am hoping it has improved for your visit.

Follow your nose to Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere, with galleries, restaurants, shops and cafés clustered around the beautiful cathedral at left. Her mosaics are amazing – the best in Rome – and there is always something groovy going on in the piazza. •

NOTE:  If you begin this walk at the Pantheon and head through Piazza Navona to Piazza Campo de’ Fiori, you will see even more. Me, I always begin and end at the Pantheon. That’s how I tell my soul I am in Rome. But that’s another story . . . 
 

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Jazz History: Lena Horne at the Waldorf

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

Lena Horne was beautiful—the essence of a star. But because of race she never got the dramatic Hollywood roles she deserved. In the mid-1950s, the sultry and professionally frustrated actress left Hollywood to focus on singing—a brilliant move. Her career’s “golden phase” was born on New Year’s Eve 1956 with a show at the Empire Room at New York City’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel—a little piece of jazz history.  •

Listen …
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Meet Me At The Waldorf

Posted on April 15, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

The Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, “the queen of hospitality and luxury,” is a total immersion in Art Deco glam. I look in the three-paneled mirror in my dressing room (yes, I have a dressing room) and am surprised not to see Bette Davis looking back. Nope, it’s just me.

This Park Avenue landmark was the first hotel to offer room service, a game-changer for the industry. Visiting luminaries as diverse as Herbert Hoover, Marilyn Monroe and Bugsy Siegel stayed here. The great Cole Porter wrote his jazzy standard, You’re the Top (“you’re a Waldorf salad”), here in 1934.

We make our way to Balaboosta restaurant in “Nolita” and order everything from the small plates menu – plus a few specials. The do-it-yourself hummus arrives in mortar and pestle. We get busy crushing the whole chick peas on top. The crispy cauliflower with lemon, currants and pine nuts wows us with flavor-texture contrast. A tasty bruschetta of grilled Halumi cheese with roasted peppers and tart arugula gets a solid rave. The shrimp-avocado ceviche was hot and cool, smooth and silky. We ate so much we had no room for the legendary boneless organic half-chicken under a brick with Israeli couscous and dried apricots – but we’ll be back.

Our girl’s night out included several glasses of nicely paired wines and a tray of decadent desserts. Let’s just say the chocolate volcano did not disappoint. Service was attentive but not smarmy. From start to finish we felt welcomed, appreciated and abundantly comfortable. Highly recommended.

Mosaic floors at the Waldorf-Astoria

All this and a taxi back to the Waldorf, a schmoozy unwind in the piano bar, and a great night’s sleep. S’wonderful.  •

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Look Who’s Talking

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers
Check Out: Frantic For Food Carts
“On a recent trip to Puerto Rico I found myself diving into a rotisserie chicken that I bought from a van on the side of the road. At one point I looked up, salty, tender meat in my bare hand, and thought, ‘Why, oh why, can’t Boston accommodate my impulsive need to buy and devour an entire chicken?’ Well, it seems that my wishes were sent to some sort of higher power because this week Boston unveiled the winners …” to read more
by Jessica Margolis-Pineo, public relations coordinator at the AMP Agency in Boston and world class daughter
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Pizza, Passion and Proust

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

“…the smell and taste of things remain poised a long time, like souls, ready to remind us, waiting and hoping for their moment…”

I got a card yesterday from Tracy Medling. Tracy is a great painter and a great friend. We both moved to Portland from New Haven  in the late 1970s.  This morning I saw one of his paintings in Portland Magazine – three luminous red tomatoes.

Tracy and I grew up as next-door neighbors in a row of brownstones in New Haven’s Wooster Square. Wooster Square is famous for its pizza – the aroma hangs over the neighborhood in late afternoon like a smoky Neapolitan fog.

Immigrants from Naples and the Amalfi Coast settled in Wooster Square around the turn of the century. In 1925, Frank Pepe (left) opened his Pizzeria Napoletana (“Pepe’s” in New Haven-speak), and created a unique pizza characterized by a charred thin crust and luscious oblong contours.

Young Salvatore Consiglio learned the art of pizza from his uncle Frank Pepe. In 1938 he opened his own pizzeria a few doors down Wooster Street, and the eponymous Sally’s Apizza was born. The competition is friendly – all in la famiglia. But a heated debate rages among the locals as to which of these neighborhood eateries is superior, a culinary rivalry sometimes referred to as “pizza wars.”

In my own little epicurious opinion, Sally’s is the champ, senza dubbio. But I have an enduring attachment to Pepe’s signature pizza, the White Clam, made with fresh Rhode Island cherrystone clams, mozzarella, olive oil, fresh garlic, oregano … and bacon. No tomatoes, please – this is classic “White Pizza” and when you eat it, you hear the angels singing.

Legend has it that this divine pie was developed in the mid-1960s when Tracy and I were kids in New Haven. About the same age as Proust when he ate the sweetly iconic and clichéd Madeleines dunked in linden-flower tea.

Today, Sally’s looks almost exactly as it did back in the day. The “blue” portrait of Frank Sinatra, the knick-knacks, the mementos. Our favorite waitress, Sal’s wife “Flo,” is now a grandmother, but she still holds court at Sally’s. (Flo served us pitchers of warm yellow beer before we were exactly legal and for this she is much beloved.) That’s Flo on the left. I think she really liked the neighborhood kids – it sure wasn’t the size of our tips.

The pizza still arrives hot with its signature charred bottom on a big metal tray lined with parchment paper – wonderfully chewy and crisp with black bits that get all over your smiling face.

They say you can still get Birch Beer soda here, another obscure Proustian memory with a peculiar wintergreen tang.

So. Despite its humble ethnic origins, this ripping regional Wooster Square specialty has earned prestigious prizes, including a highly coveted James Beard award. It has also been immortalized in “Doonesbury” by our former neighbor, Gary Trudeau. But for me, the smell of Sally’s and Pepe’s pizza wafting across the park will always capture the essence of childhood – delicious and dangerous, bountiful and endless.  •

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That Ain’t Chump Change

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

Note to self: New Haven is a long way to go for dinner.

But the occasion was my Dad’s 85th birthday, which in New Haven-speak, ain’t chump change. After plotting with my co-conspirator, Jacob, we agreed on Union League Café, a lovely, old-fashioned “club” on Chapel Street with a sophisticated vibe and impeccable service.

The surprise went off without a hitch. Surprises are overrated about 88% of the time, but for whatever reason, this one worked. We relaxed and recovered in the main dining room in the dappled light of antique stained glass. The restaurant is French – not ooh-la-la French, more French style – so we indulged in classic steak frites and asparagus. Sauces arrive in their own little boats – Hollandaise for the asparagus and Bearnaise for the steak, nicely flavored with tarragon. Lovely.

We lingered over signature marmalade crepes with candles and “Happy Birthday” written with chocolate in someone’s scrolly hand. New Haven is a long way to go for dinner, but love sometimes involves a bit of travel, no?

“There’s something like a line of gold thread running through a man’s words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.” – John Gregory Brown

P.S. Rushed for the late train to Boston and awakened daughter Jess in the North End after midnight, ringing her doorbell – payback is so satisfying. Discovered that Café Nuovo on Salem St. has spaghetti carbonara on their breakfast menu, and the rich taste of Rome powered me back to Portland the next morning, fully recharged. Huge thanks to Chris without whom I couldn’t have managed any of it, period.

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Date Night: Caitlin’s Baked Kale with Cheesy Polenta

Posted on March 19, 2011 by Epicurious Travelers

By guest writer Caitlin Shetterly

This is the first meal I ever made my husband, Dan. And it’s the perfect meal for the feast of getting to know a new person. It’s easy, light and requires no skilled labor so if you’re nervous or want to focus on what the other person is saying, this is your dinner!

  • 1 bunch green leafy or black lacinato kale
    coarse salt–kosher or sea.
    pepper
    good olive oil
  • 1 package polenta–I prefer the kind that comes pre-made in that sausage wrapper
    butter
    Parmesan, freshly grated.

Red wine, something easy (and not too expensive) like a nice French table wine, maybe a Bordeaux.

Take the kale and wash it, cut off about an inch of the ends and put  it layered one leaf thick over a thick bottomed casserole dish. Sprinkle GENEROUSLY with olive oil and also be loose with your hand as you sprinkle the salt. Add a little pepper and set aside. Preheat the oven to 450. When it’s hot pop the kale into the oven.

Have a glass of nice red wine.

As the kale starts to crisp along the edges, start cooking the package of polenta as per the instructions and make sure to use a fork or a potato masher to break up clumps. While chatting, continue to stir the polenta so it stays creamy. Then, when it’s got no chunks and all golden and bubbly, stir in a big hunk of butter–2-3 tablespoons.
By now the outer edges of the kale should be very crispy–in an almost potato chippy way –and the center of each piece should be very hot and soft. This means it’s ready.
Pull the kale out and grate 1/3 -1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan into the polenta.

Serve steaming puddles of polenta on simple, non-fussy plates and pile 2-3 leaves of kale per plate on top of the puddle. Serve more wine and sit down to enjoy together. I usually have some extra coarse salt and a pepper grinder on the table.
Now, forget about the food as anything more than sustenance for the ultimate journey of the evening – the gift of enjoying each other!  •

Editor’s note: Guest writer Caitlin Shetterly is the author of Made for You And Me – the subject of  yesterday’s post.  Caitlin simply rocks.
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