Maialino NYC

when prosecco would brace, muscato unlace and fransciacorta overwhelm, where could one turn to celebrate chef's newest space a week after its opening in early December? with gift-giving budget in mind, a spritzy 07 Costantini Frascati 'villa dei preti' showcased fatty, pistacchio-laden mortadella whose delicate emulsion and creamy bits of fat metlingly dissapeared, smokey proscuitto sheen with chestnut-fatted gloss, tender yet crispy artichoke carciofini fritti, exquisite wedges of crema di lopez, perfectly balanced, nutty la tur, piping hot, spicy guanciale, musky scallop crudo, and, oh, the animelle d'abbecchio...sweetbreads whose superbly preserved luxe texture was especially well-executed...

Czar Nicholai Cafe with Demoiselle tet de cuvee

what oh what begs those dreams from which one wakes truly salivating? could it be buttery, soft scrambled quail egg "en coquille" studded with tartufo d'alba shavings, creme fraiche, smokey tiger eye and 5 Oz's of Czar Nicoulai golden reserve osetra caviar? lighter-than-air champagne blinis whose fluff besets smoked sturgeon, lavender, lemon and chervil mousse, brandied trout caviar and satiny laura chennel Chabis d'affineur croquettes? dozens of california estate osetra accented, sweet, musky kumi oysters brimming with liquor? it is this blogger's assertion that begging commences with the bay area sea air swathing its salty sweetness round the pier while billions of resplendent Demoiselle tet de cuvee stylized Reims chardonnay and pinot noir bubbles form a rich mousse echoing the frothy surf...the veritable stuff of dreams

Blue Hill and bubble bliss

After talking with Chef at this years JB awards, the already inevitable tasting at Blue Hill was undeniably more attractive...

The fog, scented with fall, hung heavy in the crisp fall night, when, a few months ago, simplicity and decadence inextricably met beneath the rafters in Chef's immaculate space nestled in the beautiful Stone Barns acres...there were moments in which, as the Som primed each sancerre-reminiscenct tulip of Larmandier-Bernier's blanc de blanc, 'Terre de Vertus' 1er Cru, the gods of locale must certainly have been undone at its quiet perfection...yes, it was not a Dr. Frank's Celebre...there should have been at least the slightest drop of remorse on our parts at the break from taste of place at one of its most hallowed temples...yet with each stunning course after another (veal bone with rich marrow and osetra caviar, house-made speck-wrapped raw butter-griddled golden kombocha squash, Berkshire jowl and belly with house smoked sweet potato, lemony just-picked baby heirlooms displayed on a mounting of stainless and wood, etc etc etc) it must have been the immortals that, instead, wept...

pink bubbles at Per Se

H. Billiot Fils NV Brut Rosé from teensie weensie lil producer in Champagne's epicenter...Village Ambonnay...the perfectly pink beginning to a perfectly leisurely lunch...luxe texture, persistent pinpoint perlage, crisp and fruity yet almost creamy finish...100% pinot noir at its bubbly best.... Chef's dishes almost sang as, in multitudinous succession, they arrived... a perfectly polished staff delivered service unparalleled (well...my favorite, Jean-Francois at Gotham, Miami, might still have them beaten)...Sundays are my favorite day...11:30am...enjoying this sumptuous flute of divine liquid without a second fleeting whisper of a thought...with Maitre d' and staff abuzz all around delivering dishes...saucing and rearranging...while my bubbles and I drifted absolutely away