QUICK BITES

I'm enjoying the lively discussion re: corkage fees at BYOBs. Poster 93Chambertin makes gallons of valid, smart points.

BUT: I'd like to hear comments/thoughts from a BYOB owner who charges a corkage fee or a restaurateur with a liquor license who refuses to allow diners to bring special bottles not on his/her wine list for the cost of a reasonable corkage fee. We need to understand the other side in this debate.

Hey, wine geeks - where's your competitive spirit? Rise to the occasion of my challenge (a few blog entries back) to explain what wine you enjoy partnering with what fast food. The cookery book that's the winner's prize is a truly excellent one. I stand by my rose with cheesesteaks and I dig the poster who offered "555'' with Popeye chix.

I'm going nuts with the local scallops. Hope to have some cooking ideas for you a week from today in Foraging.

A last nibble before I take off for chow scouting: If you're looking for a new option in casual fare, check out my Eat Out column this coming Friday in Jersey Alive! It's grub I've not found before in these parts. And it's a whirl of deliciousness.

cheers,
Andy
5.30.07

STRAWBERRY HARVEST

One of our favorite field researchers just got back from picking strawberries at Silverton Farms. Organic strawberries, mind you. This gal is super-consicentious about keeping pesticides out of her family's meal-stream.

"The picking is still very good,'' our field researcher reports. "We asked, and some rows of berries haven't even produced (fruit) yet, so there are a couple more weeks of berries ahead.'' She was out picking with three assistants, ages 8, 5 and 3. They were far from alone at the organic farm located at 1520 Silverton Road, Toms River Township.

The owners of Silverton Farms, Tom and Audrey Nivison, have set down hay to make some of the pathways easier to navigate. But our field crew reports that "it can be a little rough out there for kids.'' Nonetheless, the quality of strawberries is "excellent -- and there are very few bugs this year. The berries are in really good shape.''

The price is right, too: If you pick your own strawberries, you pay $10 for four pounds.

"We stopped on the way home and bought some heavy cream,'' the head strawberry picker reveals. "The kids are plowing through the berries right now.''

For info, call Silverton Farms at (732) 244-2621.

Have you been out doing the pick-your-own thing yet this year? If so, what and where?

cheers,
Andy
5.29.07

POPPING OFF ON CORKAGE FEES

Is it a coming trend or simply a statement being made by a restaurant or two?

I'm talking about corkage fees at BYOB restaurants. Several readers recently have spoken to me about being assessed corkage fees without warning at a specific BYOB restaurant. They are not only annoyed, they are boycotting the restaurant. Their wine was opened and poured by a server at this restaurant without an offer of an option to -- well, DIY, so to speak.

Now, it's true restaurants without liquor licenses that allow diners to bring their own bottles do have to invest in wine glases, corkscrews, wine buckets and the like. This is seen by some BYOB restaurateurs I've spoke with as a significant expense for which there is no compensation.

However, the concept of corkage fees far more frequently applies to restaurants WITH liquor licenses that allow diners to bring their own wines for a relatively modest charge -- less than it would cost to buy a modest bottle of wine on the list. Here in New Jersey, I've been lambasted by reservations-takers at places with liquor licenses for even asking if I could bring a special bottle of my own NOT on their list and pay a reasonable corkage fee (say, $25) as compensation. I've only made these inquiries of restaurants with particularly poor wine lists at bloated prices.

OK, so let's discuss this and hear all sides:

Diners, do you think corkage charges at BYOBs have a place? Or not? Why? Do you think restaurants with liquor licenses should allow you to bring special bottles not on the restaurant's existing list for a corkage fee, as is custom in many other places?

Restaurateurs with liquor licenses, do you offer the option of BYOB with a corkage fee? Restaurateurs at BYOBs, do you assess a fee for those who bring their own wines and, if so why? If you don't, why not? And what would prompt you to change your policy?

Looking forward to hearing from y'all,
Andy
5.25.07

THE CHALLENGE

Every sommelier on the planet can tell you what luxury wine to partner with what luxury food. But it takes a palate of ingenuity and imagination to advise on which wine goes splendidly with which – well, let’s just be blunt and to the point here - junk food.

That thought came to me this evening as I was taste-testing a bevy of cheesesteaks and Jersey-wiches for a future Eat Out column. Though I was tempted to whip up a milkshake to slog 'em all down, I decided instead to pop open a new rose I’d just bought at Spirit of ’76 Wines and Spirits, Route 71 and Stockton Lake Boulevard in Manasquan.

Cheeseteaks and rose, perfect together.

Down the road a couple of weeks in Eat Out, I’ll give you the deets on the sandwiches, but I will tell you right now about the juicy, fruity, berry-rich 2005 Montes Cherub Rose made in Chile from the syrah grape. There’s a faint, discreet tickle of effervescence to it, making it a delightful picnic wine. But it’s also the right wine for shaved-beef cheesesteaks, with or without, garlicky, pepper-laden, however you call 'em. The Montes rose sells for about $11.99.

Now, here’s my challenge to you. Tell me what wine you like with what bona-fide junk food. State the food, the wine and your reasons for making the match. Do so right here in my blog, under the comments portion of this entry. Deadline: One week from today, i.e. Thursday night, May 31. I will announce the winner – the person who makes the most convincing case for his/her match – on Saturday, June 2 and ask that winner to e-mail me (clurfeld@app.com) his or her home mailing address so I can send them a copy of one of my favorite cookbooks as a prize.

Have at it, folks. And tell your friends.

Cheers,
Andy
5.24.07

RIDE 'EM HIGH

I never thought there was much of a need for a cowboy cookbook, but then ol' Robb Walsh comes out with this book and danged if I'm not reading it. And even thinking about cooking from it.

Then again, I'd read almost anything Robb writes 'cause he is the funniest son of a gun west of the Delaware. But "The Texas Cowboy Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos'' (Broadway Books; $17.95) isn't meant to make you roar; it's lively, all right, but it digs deep into the Texas cowboy culinary vernacular and brings a documentary-like sense of reality to a maligned and mythical culture.

The recipes that Robb, who is the food critic for the Houston Press, brings to the fore are so appealing, they almost made me change plans for our Memorial Day Weekend festivities and go with a cowboy-themed menu: Cane Vinegar Pork Chops, Barbecued Cowboy Steaks, Jalapeno Corn Bread, Jicama and Carrot Coleslaw, Hill Country Peach Pie, Roasted Ancho Pecans.

You know, I may have to sneak those Roasted Ancho Pecans in there somewhere, right?

cheers,
Andy
5.23.07

WHAT'S COOKING

Last night, we were cooking English peas, beautiful little peas that we'd just shelled and set in a small saute pan. I was going to do them in an itty-bitty dab of butter and something else - only I couldn't quite decide what that something else was going to be.

My pal Katalin came into the ktichen and saw the peas. "In Hungary,'' she said, "we put parsley in the new peas.'' Katalin motioned to the bowl of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley on the kitchen counter and continued: "Parlsey, exactly like that.'' I grabbed a handful of the fragrant parsley and tossed it into the peas. "Anything else?'' I asked Katalin. "Yes,'' she replied. "Black pepper. A little bit of black pepper.'' Since a peppermill also was nearby, that was easily accomplished.

One taste made me awfully glad Katalin had spoken up about how the cooks in her family prepared a simple dish such as peas in her native Hungary. I felt as though I'd traveled, even though I was right here at the Shore, at the home of friends I see every week.

The local lands are starting to yield some pretty glorious bounties, and I don't seem to want to stop cooking. I bought some gorgeous baby spinach and cooked it down with a bunch of other veggies (broccoli, carrots, spring onions) in vegetable stock, whirred it all together in a food processor, then added some seasonings and heated the thick puree of a soup till the flavors fully melded. I spooned it into bowls and squirted in a lot of fresh lemon juice just before serving. That lemon juice woke up the bright flavors of the vegetables in the soup like the sun wakes the Earth.

Over the weekend, I e-mailed my friend and colleague Shannon Mullen that I couldn't seem to work up the same quivering heights of enthusiasm for the new car I'm getting this week as I could for ramps or a certain brand of sweet onion I've been scoring in these parts. He told me I should write about this on the blog. Which then would have to be re-named, "Confessions of a Really Weird Woman.''

Or, as my 12-year-old cooking buddy Matthew likes to call me, "Crazy.'' Short for "Crazy Lady, the Cook.''

cheers,
Andy
5.22.07

SOURCING SEAFOOD

Today's seafood report from the state Department of Ag's Jersey Fresh folks offers the following info on fishes from our local ports. FYI: I'm only including those items deemed to be of excellent or very goood quality.

Black sea bass: Supplies are very limited with excellent quality.
Bluefish: Supplies are good with excellent quality.
Fluke: Supplies are limited with excellent quality.
Ling: Supplies are very good with very good quality.
Monkfish: Supplies are limited with excellent quality.
Monktail (day boat gill net): Supplies are very good with excellent quality.
Sea Scallops (day boat): Supplies are very good with excellent quality.
Skatewing: Supplies are very good with excellent quality.
Swordfish: Supplies are limited with excellent quality.
Tilapia: Supplies are limited with very good quality.
Tilefish: Supplies are very limited with excellent quality.
Weakfish: Supplies are good with very good quality.
Whiting: Supplies are very good with very good quality.
And also:
Topnecks, cherrystones, chowders (clams): Supplies are limited with excellent quality.
Cape May salt oysters: Supplies are very good; available on a daily basis with excellent quality.

I've got to get me some skatewing. Nothing is finer than skate sauteed in butter and fresh lemon juice with a generous scattering of capers. Simple and sensational.

What's your favorite fish and your favorite way to prepare it?

In other fish-related news: Those of you who are fans of restaurateur Marty Grims, perhaps from dining on the Moshulu in Philly or at his LBI spots, Plantation and daddy O, might want to note that on May 22, he's opening a year-round, seven-day-a-week place right on Egg Harbor Bay in Somers Point. It's called The Inlet. It's sounds big (400 seats) and seafood-oriented. And it's got a dock-and-dine feature, with 20 slips available.

cheers,
Andy
5.16.07

NIBBLES AND BITS

Squawk, squawk: I've been scouting around for casual eating spots with worthy grub, and have hit on a couple of dandy places. One, at which I found a juicy and delectable rotisserie chicken, will be featured in this Friday's Eat Out column. I'd despaired of ever finding a good rotisserie bird. If, like me, you've plucked your way through dozens of dried-out specimens, you'll understand what I'm talking about. Also coming in a future Eat Out: Turkish pizza.

Have to have it: I'm looking at the current Sur La Table catalog and longing for the OXO mango splitter. It claims to "seed and slice fruit in half with one simple press.'' As someone who routinely mangles mangos in the slicing, I'm hoping this will be my ticket to making the most of one of my favorite fruits. My pal Mikey, age 4, will be ever so grateful if I score this OXO mango slicer and find it works as promised. Mikey, you see, is the world Mango Eating Champ.

These just in: Baby arugula and baby spinach, that is. Jersey Fresh crops. The state Department of Ag reports the harvest is just starting this week and the quality of these primo spring greens is good. Have at 'em. Toss arugula with a fruity vinaigrette (maybe mango, maybe raspberry) and partner spinach with some creamy goat cheese or a mild blue. Toasted, candied nuts and/or smoky bacon amp things up nicely. Strawberries are starting!

What are you finding out there? And where are you finding it?

Cheers,
Andy
5.15.07

CATCHING UP

I sort of don't know where to begin, so I'll begin at the end. I feel like I've been away from you all for a long while.

Before I left New York City a couple days ago, a few of us, circling the Times Square area and waiting to see if our pal Pete could be sprung from work for a little chowing, walked hither and yon, thinking about Sushi Yasuda, but deciding that was beyond our NYC-depleted wallets, wondering about a new Italian place, but deciding that was too involved, rejecting barbecue, because it was touristy.

Put a bunch of food critics in a room, or merely on a sidewalk, and there are no easy decisions about where to eat.

But once someone, I think it might have been John T or Brett, said, What about that Turkish place?, we all united. We may have taken a rather circuitous route to Akdeniz, at 19 W. 46th, but we got to the skinny storefront and experienced bona-fide taste-bud arousal. There's nothing like zucchini pancakes, grilled octopus, fried calamari, Turkish meatballs (they're flat, not round) and a load of lamb to stop the arguing and start the chewing.

Anyway, this came somewhat on the heels of a totally sublime lunch at a swanky new Greek place called Anthos, at 36 West 52nd. I'm telling people it's nouveau Greek, cause it's got many of the familiar-to-Greek ingredients, but they're all refreshed, refined and rejuvenated. It's seasonal to the minute, too, with artichokes, ramps, sorrel, rhubarb, green garlic, favas, lovage, white asparagus and nettles threaded through the menu du jour.

Here's what I had for my raw meze starter: Tuna, with ruby grapefruit, fennel and coriander; yellowtail, with artichokes and crispy grape leaves; Taylor Bay scallops, with Mutsu apple, ramps anmd young chickpeas; Nairagi (a sweet, yet mild fish), with rhubarb, sorrel and chevre; cobia, with spring legumes and green garlic. Wow. All pristine, all doing justice to a country where water, water is half of everywhere.

I thought a couple of the fish entrees (which we passed around) were a tad overcooked, but that didn't prevent the concepts from speaking smartly. Olive oil-poached Atlantic halibut set in a fava broth shouts the season with ramps and morels; a generous dollop of caviar, a swish of yogurt, and you can't help but feel enshrined in happiness.

On Sunday night, we went to L'Atelier Joel Robuchon, over in the Four Seasons on East 51st. The next night, it won the James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant. Though I have to admit I was quietly rooting for David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar to take home the Best New prize, L'Atelier is as close to perfection as I have had in this time zone. (Chang won, deservedly so, the Rising Star Chef Award.)

If you read what I wrote last fall about L'Atelier - well, I can't ask you to pardon the repetition, since there's always lots and lots new from Robuchon and his crew. This time the charms came from dayboat scallops in seaweed butter, served in their shell; cod poached in basil oil; caramelized quail stuffed with foie gras; sauteed asparagus and morels with soft egg and potato-chip-crisp Serrano ham; foie gras-filled ravioli in an Asian-herb broth; and steak tartare, with delectable hand-cut fries. If you can skip a mortgage payment without losing your roof, go. And, as I've said before, sit at the dining bar.

Will it seem too-too-too much if I told you that, after the Beard Awards' ceremony and reception, a gang of us went down to Ssam Bar (Second Avenue at 13th) to feast on roasted pig shoulder? We'd special-ordered it. It's my fantasy food. Don't miss the fried Brussels sprouts. Or the oysters. With that scallion-ginger sauce. If you want to throw someone a great 10-person eating party, that pig is your ticket. Invite me, maybe??


cheers,
Andy
5.11.07