at the sign of The Pink Pig

Tapas Twice in Chelsea: Salinas, El Cid

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  August 29, 2011]

My skepticism about whether tapas make economic sense in New York has never abated, despite the popularity of the genre.  Indeed, I now have Tertulia on my list, Sean Mullen's ersatz Asturian sidreria.

Kind of funny, because Barcelona has a street lined with ersatz Asturian sidrerias, which are pretty much student-only territory, cheap 'n' cheerful.  But important matters: Salinas.

Back To London, The Home: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  August 29, 2011]

Dragging myself away, with some difficulty, from the mussels and terrines and Bresse chickens of Lille, I was back in London for a couple of days before flying back to New York.  Best place to take my appetite, I decided, was The Lindsay House.

Upcoming: Hammer & Claw Crabs, Bar Basque Pinks, AD's 55th At Adour

I am one of those people who often thinks that crab is better than lobster.  I buy the crab roll at Luke's much more often than the lobster roll.  There aren't enough crab feasts in NYC, so I will be accepting an invitation to the Hammer & Claw shindig.  Three days of all-you-can-eat crabs and beer.  Okay, one day will be enough, but it should be fun.

Bar Basque  has a good value tasting of 15 vino rosados on Monday, August 29, 6.30-7.30pm, $25.  This is followed by a dinner with wine pairings from the tasting. 

Adour, which I favorably reviewed recently, is celebrating Mr. A.D.'s 55th birthday throughout September by offering a menu of five of his international restaurants' signature dishes.  At $115, it is not much pricier than the regular tasting menu.

Quick Bites: DBGB, Slight Return

[Pigging by Wilfrid: August 22, 2011]

I have reviewed DBGB more than once before.  After all, it's on a route I traverse constantly, it's relatively easy to drop into for a quick bite, and at the end of the day one has to review whatever it is one has recently eaten.

It's not as if someone is paying me to sample every new restaurant opening in town.  At least this gives me the opportunity to point out the excellent veal tongue.

Why Lille?: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  August 22, 2011]

Why Lille?  A good question, easily answered.  Lille, on the border of Belgium, is a north-eastern French city barely a stones throw from the white cliffs of Dover but - unlike Boulogne and Calais - not heavily trafficked by British day-trippers.

Calaid and Boulogne are port towns, of course, and therefore easy ferry jaunts for gangs in track-suits looking to get pickled on French wine and pick up a few thousand cigarettes (for personal consumption only).  Lille is further inland and has no guide book attractions.

At Richard Neat in the Oxo Tower: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  August 18, 2011]

Richard Neat.  A very good British chef indeed.  At least, he served me some remarkable meals at a series of locations, beginning at Pied à Terre on Charlotte Street where was the opening chef in 1991.  He's currently at the Park Café in San José (it says here).

Ten years ago, I ate his imaginative, ahead-of-its-time food at London's extraorinary Oxo Tower, once headquarters of the gravy company. 

Chefs for Seals

[New York Peasant by Wilfrid: August 18, 2011]

Some weeks ago, I attended a lavish event on the top floor and roof of the 10th Avenue event space, Skylight West. The guest of honor, Nigel Barker, the fashion photgrapher and America's Next Top Model judge.

He brought his latest photographs of adorable, wide-eyed, cuddle-worthy creatures.  Not models, this time, but seals.

Add Adour To Your List Again

[Pigging by Wilfrid:  August 15, 2011]

Shortly after Adour Alain Ducasse opened its doors, I did it the inestimable favor of publishing a review which was also a parody of Alain Robbe-Grillet.  I guess I was relishing the freedom of blogging.

I did enjoy it.  As for returning regularly, the restaurant fell into an awkward crevice between being easily affordable and being a top-notch destination (not unlike Picholine).  When prepared to pay Adour prices, I tended to look toward Corton or Eleven Madison Park instead.

Veritas, Then London: Ten Years Ago

[Pink Pig Time Machine by Wilfrid:  August 9, 2011]

A return match with Veritas to start the week.  My diary is terse on the subject of the menu, annoyingly opaque on the question of wine.  It was wine-friendly food of course:  a foie dish followed by squab, then some cheeses.  That's all I can tell you.  I do wish I could tell you much more about the  1964 Aloxe-Corton which accompanied it.

Just goes to show, ten years ago I never imagined I'd be broadcasting details of past meals over the Interwebs or I might have taken better notes.

The Cheese: Brebirousses d'Argental

[Pigging by Wilfrid: August 9, 2011] It's not often I come across a French cheese I don't recall eating before. Look at this jewel-like treasure I found at Formaggio in Essex Street Market.

Brebirousses d'Argental, no less, a ewe's milk cheese with a natural bloomy rind - not washed despite the pigment.  The past is soft becoming very runny at room temperature.