September 24, 2007

New York Noshing

In New York City this week for a few days, finally getting a chance to be a judge on "Iron Chef: America." I never realized how much work went into producing this one-hour show. In addition to the actual 60 minute competition, there are set-up shots, the introduction of the challenger, plus a solid hour to an hour-and-a-half of judging. My co-judges - Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief of Food & Wine Magazine, and Alex Guarnaschelli, the Chef-Owner of Butter in New York - were just wonderful to work with, and even though the secret ingredient was not something we were necessarily craving, it was fun to see all of the behind-the-scenes that went into this major production. (It's slated to run on New Year's Day nationwide, so check your local listings).

Even though it was a short trip, I did manage to fit in a few meals. I finally had a chance to check out David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar. Having visited his Momofuku Noodle Bar a couple of times - and falling in love with his pork buns and ode to ramen noodles, I was excited to see the same commitment to pork at the Ssam Bar. He has a small section of the dinner menu devoted to country hams from around the country, but it's the ssams that people come for, and these Korean wraps are truly addictive. The hangar steak is grilled to a perfect medium-rare, fanned out on the plate, arriving with ginger, scallions, assertive kimchi and crunchy bibb lettuce to wrap it all up.

I also slipped into Fatty Crab for a few snacks. This meatpacking district restaurant - conveniently located next to my hotel, the Gansevoort - has a very casual vibe, offering tastes inspired by the street foods of Indonesia and Singapore. The watermelon pickle and crispy pork salad sounded more interesting than it actually tasted, but the noodles (Ikan Masak Lemak with Vietnamese mint) Chicken Claypot and fatty duck were excellent with a cold beer.

The biggest disappointment from the trip took place in Brooklyn. Having just read Frank Bruni's two-star review of Peter Luger's in The Times the week before, I figured they would be on their toes, since Bruni essentially eviscerated their service staff for being incredibly rude. I asked one of my food writing idols - Alan Richman - to join me on the expedition (that's him with me in the picture), along with my college friend, Barry, who now works for the New Jersey (soon to become Brooklyn) Nets basketball team. We ordered the infamous porterhouse for two, and sadly, it didn't even taste like a prime specimen. Having devoured my share of grass-fed, corn-fed, Choice, Prime and aged beef in Chicago, it was pretty clear the meat buyers were snoozing the day they purchased whatever it was we were served. We also tried the famous "lunch-only" burgers, ordered medium-rare, which arrived well past medium. It's really unconscionable when an institution dedicated to the business of beef consumption shows such a disinterest in its product. Sure, the waitstaff was much friendlier than I remember on my first visit, and we got a table right away at lunch, but I'm not schlepping that far - and paying that much - for a second-class steak experience ever again. Like so many other institutions around the country - Pat's and Geno's Steaks in Philly, Mr. Beef in Chicago and Joe's in Miami - I'm afraid Luger's has entered the pantheon of what I will, from this point forward, refer to as the "Lazy Legends Hall of Fame."

New York City is also leading the nation in the resurgence of the cocktail. While Chicago has the Violet Hour, I really wanted to see what master mixologist Julie Reiner has created at the Pegu Club downtown. Every drink is crafted from an old recipe, and takes quite a while to create. Bitters, juices, even the ice is customized and made from scratch. If you want to see what else Julie is capable of, definitely check out the Flatiron Lounge, a jewel box of a room with a retro, art deco feel and some of the best cocktails in the country.