Alabama in NYC

When you think of Alabama, what is the first thing that comes to mind? I won't fault you if you draw a blank. However, after being invited to the Art of Alabama Food photography and tasting event last week in Chelsea Market, I can definitely say that this southern state ranks high on my culinary list! And no, not everything was fried!

I love a good food event, and this one certainly did not disappoint. I was initially apprehensive that I was going to walk into a room full of good-enough-to-eat photographs without a single edible morsel to nibble on, but thankfully my worries were nixed when I walked in and found several representative dishes and a full open bar.

First up was a Sassy Slider from Lulu's (Gulf Shores, AL), which I wish I a) took a better photo of and b) had room for 5 more! These things were not your typical slider. The beef was fresh and tender and it was topped with bacon, bbq sauce, and pimento cheese (that was the kicker for me). I thought the pickle and tomato on top was awful cute as well.

Lulu's Sassy Sliders

Next up was a BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potato Skin with Alabama White Sauce from Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q (Decatur, AL). Now, I've always known BBQ sauce to be red or brown, but white?! This took things to a whole other level. The chicken was moist and I mean, who can resist a potato skin with bacon and cheese? But the white sauce, which was very peppery, truly rounded out the dish. I would highly recommend you scope this out.

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Potato Skin with Alabama White Sauce

A dish I most certainly associate with Southern-style cooking, Bouillabaisse, made an appearance courtesy of the Hot and Hot Fish Club (Birmingham, AL). This was a fairly typical dish, except for the addition of the only-available-in-Alabama tiger shrimp--those puppies were LARGE! The crunchy bread with spicy rouille was also vital for scooping up the remaining broth.

Hot and Hot Southern Bouillabaisse with Spicy Rouille

I only had a bite of the next dish because I can't really eat raw red onions, but the West Indies Salad with crab from Compleat Angler Seafood Grille & Bar (Orange Beach, AL) was just so pretty!

West Indies Salad

Last on the savory list were the raw oysters with celery root whipped cream and caviar from TRUE (Montgomery, AL). I like oysters, and you know they have to be fresh. TRUE's take on serving these bivalves was unique, although when you swallow an oyster whole, I don't like to get too fancy with toppings in general.

Raw oysters with celery root whipped cream and caviar

Desserts were on the mark at this event; seriously, I took seconds of each of them! First was a PB&J in Phyllo from Cotton Row (Huntsville, AL); a dish which originated with the chef forgot to bring dessert to an event and quickly improvised using ingredients in the client's kitchen. The result is stupendous and ooey gooey! Next was Chevre Cheesecake from Belle Chevre (Elkmont, AL). OMG! You think you've had cheesecake before, but you really haven't until you have tried this. I'm still going to put ricotta cheesecake at the top of my cheesecake preferences, but using goat cheese give a whole other flavor palate which is super intriguing and the candied lemon blends perfectly. It took all I had not to ask for a pie to take home.

PB&J in Phyllo

Chevre Cheesecake

Serving the Chevre cheesecake

Drinks were fairly representative of the South, but I'm not exactly sure what made them Alabama-specific (does it even matter?). The first I tried was the Donnie Draper with Bootlegger Rye, bitters and orange, essentially an Old Fashioned. I also had a few sips of the Bloody Mary made with Lulu's Perfect Pepper sauce and garnished with pickled okra and an olive. Can't say I've ever had a Bloody Mary outside of brunch hours, but it was very tasty.

Donnie Draper

Bloody Mary

Here are a few shots of the event, complete with an energetic jazz band:

  

The Art of Alabama Food exhibit will be traveling the country, but until you can get your fix, I'd recommend checking out their website, which will direct you to some excellent restaurant recommendations and even recipes!

FLASH GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to a Screening of Romeo and Juliet on Film

In case you don't remember, Orlando Bloom (swoon!) was recently on Broadway starring with Condola Rashad in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Well, the higher powers that be decided to capture the last week of performances on film and put together a cinematic experience that people all over the country can enjoy. The film will be in theaters February 13-16, in time to celebrate Valentine's Day with your sweetie.

One of my awesome readers will win a pair of tickets to the screening at a theater of their choice! I'm doing things on a tighter schedule than normal, so pardon the inconsistency with my other giveaway formats. The first person to comment below with their email address and favorite love story wins the passes! I'll be in touch soon after. Enjoy!

Free Cheese...FREE CHEESE!!

Life without cheese just wouldn't be life. I should really frame that quotation and hang it in kitchen. Anyway, don't you agree though?

One of my favorite cheese stores in the city, Murray's Cheese, is celebrating the opening of their 100th nationwide store by giving away free delectable creamy goodness in the form of grilled cheese sandwiches to the first 100 people who visit their flagship West Village store (254 Bleecker Street) on Saturday February 1 starting at 11 am. Their website says they will have other snacks to nosh on and beer will be poured.

In addition, Murray's is hosting a contest to win one of 10 $100 shopping spree in their store. You can enter here. So who's ready to get their cheese on?

AWESOME ALERT: It's Coming!

Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls! (On second thought, leave the kiddies at home...). Start prepping your salivary glands now as the Village Voice's 7th Annual Choice Eats tasting event is on the horizon!

Last year the event continued to amaze, featuring bites from Luke's Lobster, Del Posto and Fay Dah (my favorites!), and the 2014 event (in a new venue downtown!) is sure to be a smash. It will be held on Tuesday March 25 at Basketball City on Pier 36.

General admission tickets are $60 and include access to the event from 7-10 pm, while VIP tickets ($85) allow you to come an hour early and snag a fancy giftbag. Considering the wait to get in is usually around the block, I'd highly recommend a VIP ticket! Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 1/29, but you can get yours now using the presale code EATSPR. This event ALWAYS sells out, so I'd encourage you to act quickly.

The first round of restaurants will be released tomorrow, but the sponsors include Stella Artois, Great Brewers, Southern Wine & Spirits, Whole Foods Market, Asahi Beer USA, Barefoot Wine & Bubbly and Hot 97. The charitable partner is Slow Food NYC. To get you super excited, here's an official photo of Laura and me from last year's event - we're featured on the official advertisement!

For the first time, Choice Eats will be accepting volunteers to assist The Village Voice team on-site at the event. All volunteers will receive a free general admission ticket to The Village Voice's 3rd annual Choice Streets Food Truck Tasting Event to be held in May 2014 (specific date TBA). To apply, you must be 21 years or older and fill out this application.

Superb Sushi on Smith

I could live on sushi, no joke. There's something about it that is so different from any other cuisine; perhaps it's the freshness or the fact that something so simple could taste so good, but I love it. So when I was invited to Aji 53 in Cobble Hill for dinner, of course I said yes!

Co-owner Kevin welcomed my friend and I on a cold January evening and proceeded to trick us into thinking it was summer with some sake sangria. I was a little hesitant at first because I'd never thought to mix rice wine with fruit, but the combination actually works quite well!

Sake Sangria

Our couple of courses, served by an adorable waitress who had the most clever t-shirt on (it was a picture of a smiling bowl soup with chopsticks in it and a word bubble saying "Miso happy!"), were not on the menu. Seasonality dictates what kind of fish the restaurant can order, Kevin explained. So while they will always stock staples like salmon, tuna and yellowtail, certain specialties are not always available. With that said, we had the Bonito (seared baby tuna served with fresh wasabi yuzu sauce) and Yellowtail Shots (sliced yellowtail sashimi wrapped around grilled whitefish, asparagus and lime sauce in a shot glass). The fresh wasabi on the bonito was like nothing I'd ever had before and I would highly recommend you make an effort to try some. This was not your typical pistachio green paste. The Yellowtail shots were incredible too. The mix of the raw and grilled fishes was unexpected, as were the asparagus and lime.

Bonito

Yellowtail Shots

Next we had our first off-the-menu, the Ocean River ($11) which included spicy lobster and avocado wrapped in salmon and served with ponzu sauce and truffle oil (something I'd never expect to find in a Japanese restaurant, but was perfectly satisfied with the result). This was probably the most typical sushi house appetizer we had, but still very different. I really liked it!

Ocean River

Next, we were taken on a worldwide tour of food, but always hearkening back to the influence of Japan. First up was the Blue Crab Fajita ($10), although it seemed like more of a quesadilla to me, it was comprised of fresh blue crab meat, red onion and cream cheese in a tortilla and baked. I'm not typically a fan of cream cheese in my sushi (whoever invented the Philadelphia Roll was clearly not in their right mind), but this worked. Maybe because it was baked? Maybe because this wasn't really sushi? I don't know.

Blue Crab Fajita

We also sampled the Aji Sandwich ($11), by far the most unique sushi menu item we had. It was eggplant tempura (reminiscent of eggplant parmesan) layered with spicy lobster, spicy tuna and salmon sashimi all glazed with miso sauce. YUMMO!!

Aji Sandwich

In his initial invitation, Kevin talked up the slow braised, sake marinated Beef Short Ribs ($11), and I was excited to try them. The verdict was a thumbs up from both my friend and I, but they are a bit heavy so I would not recommend eating them after a whole bunch of other appetizers like we tried to do. I felt bad even leaving one bite of these because they were delicious, but the dish was very rich and I had to put my fork down especially since I knew we weren't done yet.

Beef Short Ribs

We couldn't leave a sushi bar without trying at least one specialty roll, ok make it two. We had the Boerum Hill Roll (price n/a; spicy crunch scallop and cucumber topped with salmon and avocado and served with yuzu aioli) and the Aji King Roll ($15; king crab, avocado and shrimp roll tempura fried and then sliced, topped with spicy tuna or spicy yellowtail and served with the chef's special sauce).

Sushi Rolls

Aji 53 is a solid sushi option among the many restaurants on Smith Street. It's got something for everyone, whether you're a traditional sushi type of diner or someone who's willing to take risks and mix cuisines. The prices were affordable, the service was superb and the restaurant was spacious and eye catching. I would watch out for the bathroom lock, however, as it didn't seem to quite work for me and I ended up holding the door while I was in there. One small glitch, however, I would highly recommend Aji 53!

A Truffle-tastic Tasting

'Tis the week of feasting and boy have I feasted. It all started with one of the best blogger dinners I've ever been to at Bagatelle in the Meatpacking District. 

I'm not going to lie, I've always been a little weary of the Meatpacking, whether for fear I would not fit in or because I'd be scared to go home to an empty bank account at the end of the night. While you're not going to be particularly frugal if you go to Bagatelle for dinner, I felt very welcome upon walking in the front door. What first caught my eye was all of the 'out there' art that adorned the walls of the restaurant. It was highly entertaining.

One of my favorite pieces of art from Bagatelle

Fellow blogger friend Laura with a colorful sculpture

The main dining room

They even have a DJ under a fabulous chandelier

Headed by chef Sébastien Chamaret, Bagatelle offers a menu inspired by the South of France, and parties like it as well, closing the blinds after dinner and throwing a hopping party (as told to me by a friend who was recently there for a bachelorette party). I decided to get my own party started with a Girl from Lima ($14), a cocktail combining jalapeno infused pisco, passion fruit puree, lemon juice and mint. Because I neglected to read the "jalapeno infused" part, I was a little shocked at how spicy this drink was and didn't think I'd be able to finish it. However, I warmed to it, and would highly recommend it!

Girl from Lima

I don't know about you, but when I typically go out to dinner, I don't order the entire menu, but at this awesome event, they practically sent out everything the kitchen was cooking up. For appetizers, we had the Pizza a la Truffe Noir with black truffle, flat bread, crème fraiche, scamoza ($22); the charcuterie board ($24) which came with a variety of house-cured meats and whole grain mustard; Salade Bagatelle with hearts of lettuce, parmesan cheese, fresh garden herbs, and mustard vinaigrette ($13); Tartare aux Deux Saumons ($17/$25) fresh & smoked Scottish salmon tartar, shallot, salmon caviar, dill crème fraiche, olive oil crostini; Haricots Verts et Canard Fumé string beans, radicchio, smoked duck prosciutto, truffle vinaigrette ($18); foie gras creme brulee (off-menu); and finally the Tartare de Thon Bagatelle ($19/$29) ahi tuna tartar, avocado salad, lime soy vinaigrette, taro chips.

My favorites were both of the tartares, although I always favor salmon. The fish was fresh and super flavorful. I was very intrigued by the foie gras creme brulee, but I still concede that foie gras is an acquired taste. Hence, I only had a couple of bites as it was very rich, but I would definitely say it's worth a try. The salad was simple and fresh, but I might opt for one of their other more creative salads next time. The truffle pizza was OMG amazing and not just because I like anything with truffle.

Pizza a la Truffe Noir

Charcuterie board

Salade Bagatelle

Tartare aux Deux Saumons

Haricots Verts et Canard Fumé

Foie Gras Creme Brulee

Laura with the Tartare de Thon Bagatelle

After all that, I honestly thought that was the entire dinner and was ready to put on the coats and head home. But no! Chef Sébastien came out to answer questions and explain a bit about his background in preparation for the main courses. Yes, plural main courses, because, why not?

I'll start with the pasta and fish dishes. First we had more truffles (!) with the Gnocchi Truffes à la Parisienne de Nicolas ($25/$36) homemade gnocchi, black truffle pesto filling, truffle sauce; Calamars Snackes au Beurre Aille ($18) sautéed calamaris, tomato confit, polenta fritter, garlic butter; Coquilles St.Jacques Rôties au Parmesan ($36) thyme & parmesan crusted scallops, artichokes mousseline, cabernet demi-glace; and the Filet de Saumon Sauvage Grillé ($28) grilled wild salmon filet, asparagus hollandaise sauce.

I could have eaten the entire vat of gnocchi, no joke, it was that good. Do you SEE the giant truffle shavings spread over the top?!?! Other favorites from this course were the onions that accompanied the salmon. Yes, the salmon was good to but it didn't feel particularly special. The onions, however, were of the giant cippolini variety topped with chantarelle mushrooms. Yum! I would also highly recommend the scallops as they were seared perfectly with a fragile parmesan crisp that will melt in your mouth.

Gnocchi Truffes à la Parisienne de Nicolas

Calamars Snackes au Beurre Aille

Coquilles St.Jacques Rôties au Parmesan

Filet de Saumon Sauvage Grillé

Now for the meat! We sampled the signature Poulet Fermier Rôti et Truffé ($30) truffled roasted chicken, country style potatoes, chicken jus and the Côte de Boeuf - Pour Deux ($95) natural fed grilled black angus bone-in ribeye (26 oz), pommes frites, spinach and roquefort salad – for two. You may remember me saying I like to judge a restaurant based on it's chicken before, and according to that rule, Bagatelle passes with flying colors. The truffle sauce was decadent and the chicken was moist and crispy on the outside. The beef was tender and cooked to a nice medium/rare. The French fries that came with it (do you see that giant pile of them!?) were among the best tasting potato wedges I've ever tasted. 

Poulet Fermier Rôti et Truffé

Côte de Boeuf - Pour Deux

As for sides, we sampled the mixed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, and roasted Brussels sprouts & 

butternut squash with candied pecans ($9 each), with the latter definitely a favorite all around the table.

 

Hahaha, you think the feast is over? No way, Jose! (Or should I say no way Jean Pierre?). The chef sent out five different desserts for us all to share. Wowza! In picture order, we tried the Apple Tarte Tatin, Floating Island, Profiteroles with chocolate drizzle, chocolate mousse, and brioche and pear bread pudding. The floating island was the most interesting dessert; meringue-y and literally floating in a vanilla sauce and topped with almonds, it almost felt healthy (haha, yea right). My favorite was the tarte tatin, a classic done right, although the brioche and pear bread pudding was a close second.

Apple Tarte Tatin

Floating Island

Profiteroles with chocolate drizzle

Chocolate mousse

Brioche and pear bread pudding

Head to Bagatelle the next time you feel like you deserve a culinary treat. My perfect meal would be the salmon tartare, truffle gnocchi, scallops, cote de bouef, and the apple tarte tatin. Don't forget the Girl from Lima!

Good food is better with great company! Head to Laura's and Dave's blogs for their take on our dinner (and even more pictures!).