at the sign of The Pink Pig

Burrell And Iuzzini By Induction

[Free stuff by Wilfrid:  February 15, 2012]

Hard to resist an invitation to eat dinner made by Ann Burrell and Johnny Iuzzini, whether cooked on a pile of burning twigs or Electrolux's swish induction ranges.

But the occasion was indeed a celebration of Electrolux induction cooking (#iheartinduction) for which Burrell and Iuzzini are spokespeeps. (Facebook page.)

North End Grill Is A Keeper

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  February 13, 2012]

Although Tabla eventually stumbled, and became the first restaurant Danny Meyer ever had to close, it's hard to argue that it was anything other than a success over most of its twelve year run.

No surprise, then, that Meyer has given Floyd Cardoz a curtain call at a big and brilliantly equipped new location, and that it's off to such a rousing start.

To Barcelona: Ten Year Ago

Quan a la falda et miro de Montjuïc seguda...  Well, it made me as happy as the poet, Jacint Verdaguer, to be flying into Barcelona one morning in February, ten years ago.  A weekend indulgence apparently, New York to Barcelona and back, eating up a few air miles.

I stayed at the Oriente, one of the older hotels on the lower part of the Ramblas, below Liceu, down towards the water: cool, dark and quiet. 

Are Republicans Voting With Their Hearts Or Heads?

[The Cunning Tower by Kim Davis:  February 9, 2012]

I don't often use this platform to write about politics, but I have a question racing around my mind this week, and I need to let it out.  Are voters in the Republican primaries following their hearts or their heads?

Their hearts - for the most part, anyway - seem to tell them that they need a candidate who consistently and sincerely espouses a set of conservative values.  Continuing to perceive the Obama administration as a liberal aberration in the country's history (it's hardly that, but it's the perception which matters), they search for a strongly contrasting conservative voice.

That voice isn't heard from Mitt Romney.

The Toucan, The Lion, And Me

[Free stuff by Wilfrid:  February 6, 2012]

The Toucan and The Lion is such an earnestly adventurous little spot that I almost wished I'd visited anonymously so I could give them the big critical cheer.  As it is, Tabitha, the charming owner, invited me along.

Together with her partner Craig and the enthusiastic service staff, they gave me quite a night out.  Suffice to say I'll be going back - as a paying customer.

Quick Bites: Ristorante Aglio

[Free stuff by Wilfrid:  February 6, 2012]

I was happy to accept an invitation to explore the menu at Aglio, a romantically lit trattoria on a Tribeca strip which has become quite the Italianate restaurant strip:  Bread, Petrarca, White & Church, and so on.

Aglio's challenge is to differentiate itself from its neighbors.  The setting and service make progress in that direction.  The food, though pleasant, needs to catch up.

Easing Into February: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine:  February 6, 2012]

I mentioned last week that I was just getting busy posting on eGullet ten years ago, with no intention whatsoever of becoming any kind of "food blogger." 

I refer to it again, because it was eGullet - or rather the enthusiasm of co-founder Steven Shaw - which sent me to Bid.

Quick Bites: Karczma

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  February 3, 2012]

A fellow gastronaut joined me recently to explore the gin palaces and low dives of Greenpoint.  To line our stomachs against the challenge, we resorted to Karczma on Greenpoint Avenue, just off the neighorhood's main crossroads.

We found portions worthy of gargantua at remarkably low prices.