Archives for category: Restaurants

Eataly does it again

December 14, 2013 //

Those clever people at Eataly have done it again, this time in Chicago.

Eataly Turin produce section with the salad bar adjacent to the produce display

I first discovered the concept when H and I were doing a case study for M&S on the original Turin site. The old vermouth factory adjacent to the building that houses the Salone del Gusto was a vast space housing all the necessary zones to showcase the best of the slow food movement. Founder Carlo Petrini of the Slow Food Movement created Eataly with local businessman Oscar Farinetti as a place that would support the sale of all the local slow food producers but in a more commercial environment.

The unique element of the concept was combining the ability to buy the product there to take home or to have a massive team of chefs on hand who were creating dishes to eat in. This juxtaposition of the raw material and the finished product was handled with inimitable Italian style so that the whole experience was one of food discovery, showcasing the best producers and their wares.

To be fair, not everything was perfect and during the morning and afternoon, the somewhat empty space was cold and aloof in places just feeling unconnected but when the Italians came in for lunch or dinner, the place transformed into one which was vibrant and inspiring.

Seasonal produce in the New York shop

Enter Mario Batali and the Bastianich crew in the US. In partnering with these guys, the Eataly concept got a new lease of life translating the principles into a central New York hub which addressed the coldness and vast space by the very fact it was centrally located in the Flat Iron district. What the Americans did was add in a pace that simply didn’t exist in Italy. From morning to night, this place is packed. There is a constant buzz around each area that is much more sporadic in Italy. The preparation, cooking and eating in seems to have a new lease of life either at the stand up tables central to the deli area, or alternatively in the well regarded restaurant and everything in between.

New Yorkers stand and snack in the deli zone

Making fresh pasta in store

Design wise, there are things I would do differently, but you really can’t criticise. Everywhere you turn, there are people making products in front of you and the displays are inviting and abundant. It was inevitable that this formula would go further and further, and a couple of weeks ago Chicago opened. Sited on two floors, this is the next evolution and one that is going from strength the strength. There is a new nutella bar to indulge in and a nice balance of space with a central atrium which gives it more breathing space than NYC.

In its first week, Eataly Chicago was reported to have welcomed 120,000 visitors and 80,000 diners. In fact, the launch week was so outstanding that they had to close for a day in order to restore themselves into serviceable order. How wonderful. I just love the open, honest approach and the genuine appreciation expressed in the latter posted on their website:

“Dear Chicago,

What a week! We have never felt more welcomed! More than 120,000 visited our new location, more than 80,000 dined with us at our restaurants and more than 30,000 Chicagoans purchased our food and enjoyed cooking it at home. Never, ever has another Eataly been as successful as our new outpost in Chicago…therefore we say: THANK YOU, CHICAGO!

You have understood and grasped our “experiential” concept and our love for all things Italian and local, along with our priority for high quality food, and passion for education.

Because of this deep understanding of our manifesto and what we believe in, we have decided to close the store on Monday, December 9th, in order to preserve our standards of quality and service. We want to pay back your love and passion for Eataly Chicago by providing you the best food and the best service.

See you all bright and early on Tuesday at 8AM at our Caffe Lavazza!

Thanks again Chicago,

The Eataly Team”

Good luck Eataly Chicago. Congratulations and I can’t wait to see the first UK outpost which is rumoured to be in the making as I type.

Tags Bastianich, Carlo Petrini, Eataly, Mario Batali, Slow food movement

Categories Food, Restaurants, Retail

Tish’s dishes

December 11, 2013 //

We went to newly opened Ember Yard yesterday for lunch.

A blurry pic of the kitchen and Mr Tish at the helm

I have always been a fan of Ben Tish’s food especially at Dehesa. He keeps it simple with good ingredients and nice combinations. His courgette flowers stuffed with goat’s cheese and drizzled with honey is a dish that is truly memorable. Amazing how a small drizzle of honey can transform something.

I have seen him on Saturday Kitchen a few times and can honestly say he is one chef that leaves me wanting to make what he has presented. I replicated his pan-fried hake on the bone with Arbequina olive oil mash, surf clams, chorizo and flat parsley for Mr & Mr Jones to much applause and loved making the Chorizo-stuffed squid with sage, potatoes, peas, capers and aïoli with my niece for dinner one weekend. Both were easy to make and tasty classic combinations.

So I have to say I was excited to see what the impressive Mr Tish was going to do with his new place. As ever, it was Spanish influenced tapas, which is always a good thing but the hook for this new opening is the custom built charcoal grill. It seemed to me that the chef is, as ever, spot on with the concept as this year has to be the year of smokey flavours and simple charcoal cooking.

The interior was lovely with more vibrancy than some of the other concepts and a nice sense of Spanish colouring. I really loved the vibrant oil painting covering the main wall, copper lighting and nice mixture of tables supported by pink/red leather seating. There was a buzz in the place and the open kitchen was there for all to see. The lovely Mr Tish was also at the pass taking a hands on approach to his new place.

Anchovies served on a hot coal with a waft of sherry

The menu has may of his classic dishes plus some new ones to showcase the grill. We tried a few of the smokey centred dishes and liked some of the presentation such as these house smoked sherry cask anchovies which were served on the hot coal. The star of the show was the wood roasted gratin of root vegetables, smoked ricotta and idiazabal cream quite simply because it had a strength of smoke which other dishes were missing.

But the new thing for me, and the interesting fashion which I think will be coming through more and more is the grocery element. Just as that honey brings out the flavour of the goat’s cheese in the courgette flowers, so the chorizo ketchup literally transformed the smoked Basque beef burger. I think alternative ketchups along with other preserves that add a sweetness or heat or indeed sourness are going to be gracing more and more menus. It is the very essence upon which Asian food is based to combine sweet, salty, sour and bitter in perfect partnership but the European style doesn’t tend to pack the punch over all those elements….until now, that is.

Tags Ben Tish, Dehesa, Ember Yard, Saturday Kitchen

Categories Design, Food, Restaurants

Grandma knows best

November 21, 2013 //

I have just finished reading Marcus Samuelsson’s book “Yes, Chef”.

Daunt Books in Marylebone High Street

I like to read books relevant to where I am travelling which is why I love Daunt books so much as they make it easy to choose books that are set in a specific country. And they are a wonderful, traditional book shop at the same time, with free canvas bags to boot, ideal to carry those hefty wares. So all in all the perfect literary retail experience.

For this trip it was the USA and I picked up “Yes, Chef” at the local Barnes and Noble – another lovely book shop experience, complete with perfect little pick me up gifts.

Marcus is a New York based chef, but what is fascinating is his story and how he ended up there. He was born in Ethiopia from a tiny village called Abruganda, and was almost certainly going to die from TB by the age of 2 years old had his mother not pushed herself to walk him and his sister many many miles to the hospital in Addis Ababa despite losing her own battle against this disease on her arrival there.

The orphaned Marcus and his sister were lucky enough to be adopted by Swedish parents, of all things, and found themselves growing up in Gothenburg with a wonderful family. As ever in a chef’s life, the first cooking influence came from home and it his Swedish Grandma Helga who was the inspiration, teaching this Ethiopian boy the tricks of perfect Swedish cookery…. meatballs, cured fish, soups, breads, etc.. He also had an innate sense of what it was going to take to make it as a great chef in this very challenging world having a great attitude ingrained from his unassuming, principled parents. He kept his head down, had what appears to be a wonderful work ethic and really grafted to make it as a black man in a predominantly white world.

Inside Red Rooster

I visited his NYC restaurant, Red Rooster, in Harlem, a couple of years ago with Mr and Mr Jones. We had it on our very long list of places to see in New York having read a lot about it in the press. We were sat in a lovely corner booth next to a very vibrant man who was clearly in the middle of a meeting over lunch. This man was dressed in the most fabulous mustard coloured slim legged trousers compete with funky mustard and maroon checked jumper and quirky co-ordinated hat which perfectly topped off the outfit. He just emanated energy and passion and we couldn’t help overhearing his knowledgable conversation which was all about the food world, including what was happening in London. In between he could see me paying a lot of interest both to him and his food and he kept offering us tasters from his plate! It wasn’t until much later that day when I looked up the chef that I realised I had been sitting next to the man himself all along. This larger than life character was indeed Marcus Samuelsson.

Fried Yardbird

Red Rooster was many years in the making in that it was a culmination of all his training and past experience as well as a nod to the traditions of restaurants embedded in the history of the neighbourhood he now calls home – Harlem. The menu reflects both his Swedish and American influences as well as featuring a number of dishes that Marcus says were demanded of him by the very fact that he had come to this rich cultural centre in the North of the city. Grandma Helga features in the Swedish parts of the menu along with other classics of America. We went with the Fried Yardbird which is classic southern fair served with white mace gravy, mash and bread & butter pickles. I am only sad that we hadn’t booked for one of the events they hold, in particular Sunday Gospel Brunch. Nevertheless we enjoyed ourselves there and I would recommend it as a place to hunt down when in the city.

It also struck me as somewhat coincidental that the only other chef I know from Sweden is Daniel Karlsson who was also significantly influenced by his Grandmother in his food education. Daniel specialises as a pastry chef and so he should with the talent that he has. I met him at Melrose and Morgan where he treated me to tasters of the most fabulous creations throughout the working day and it is lovely to see him now fully established in his place, Bageriet in Rose Street, Covent Garden. His Grandmother’s influence is clear both there and on his website and I for one am thankful that there is such a wonderful home tradition of cooking and baking in Sweden. Long may we all benefit from it.

Tags Bageriet, Barnes and Noble, Daniel Karlsson, Daunt books, Fried Yardbird, Harlem, Marcus Samuelsson, Red Rooster, Yes Chef

Categories Restaurants

The Grain Store

November 12, 2013 //

The man himself – Bruno Loubet

Bruno Loubet was my first chef crush.

I remember him turning carrots at the BBC Good Food Show many many years ago and I was in awe of someone who could be so passionate about a little orange vegetable. Many years later I was equally enamoured by another carrot loving chef, this time Dan Barber of Blue Hill. Dan was extolling the virtues of his carrots, grown organically at his Blue Hill restaurant on Stone Barns farm.

Course number one of our incredible meal at Blue Hill at Stone Barns

These little beauties demonstrate the benefit of great sourcing and respectful farming, which add up to something oh so much better. Our first few courses at that restaurant were all raw, eaten without cutlery and just super super tasty. No carrot has ever tasted sweeter and if you don’t believe me, listen to the podcast and see what Dan has to say.

But back to Bruno, I followed him ever since the food show, trying his various signature recipes and eating at his restaurants until he escaped to Australia. On his return, he went back to classic Loubet land at the Zetter hotel, but it was apparently only a toe in whilst he brought to us his new approach to food which is now well and truly launched at The Grain Store. It is said to have been 2 years in the making and a concept that he has wanted to create for many more years than that.

The overall premise is to respect the vegetable as much as the protein. This is not a vegetarian restaurant and nor would you expect that from a classic French chef, but Bruno certainly redresses the balance and that ticks lots of boxes for me. The decor is funky, the menu interesting and there are great cocktails to match. Partnering up with the equally fabulous Tony Conigliaro is another sign that Bruno has his finger on the current pulse. There is a great cocktail menu including some wonderful non-alcoholic ones. My French Blonde came complete in a brandy glass and was just fabulous.

Overall, I enjoyed the tone of the place. It is open, honest and just a little bit quirky. The designers have had some fun with this one and at times it is a little bit over done but it adds up to something different and I like that. The best bit for me is the kitchen itself which is at the heart of this vast space, with Loubet plonk in the centre conducting the orchestra. He is an imposing host at the centre of the modular pass with nothing separating the kitchen from the seating. It’s almost as if we are sitting in his kitchen somewhere in the country….and that’s hard to create in the middle of Kings Cross.

Loubet is trying to show us that we don’t have to eat meat to eat a meal. It goes back to the way his family ate and the truth is that most people shouldn’t be eating meat every day. Not only is it not great for you (or your purse) but it’s also not great for the environment. We shouldn’t need to breed the amount of animals that are projected to be needed just to suffice our appetites. Loubet understands this and is leading the way. Clearly people are following and I would recommend you do too.

Tags Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Bruno Loubet, Dan Barber, The grain store, Tony Conigliaro

Categories Restaurants

Eataly does it again

Tish’s dishes

Grandma knows best

The Grain Store

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