the Good Fork

Brooklyn's restaurant scene is growing by the day. In a trend that seems counter-intuitive with the economy the way it is, restaurants are sprouting up at an uncanny pace. Williamsburg, Carrol Gardens and Park Slope have some really fantastic restaurants such as Marlow & Sons, Blue Ribbon, Applewood, Egg, The Grocery, Al Di La and Chesnut just to name a few. The Good Fork, located in an unassuming building on the sometimes desolate Van Brunt street in Red Hook, deserves it's place as one of the Brooklyn's best restaurants. And is also a quintessential "Brooklyn restaurant."

What I mean by a "Brooklyn restaurant" is, a place with very relaxed, casual atmosphere and yet very serious food-which is how most of the restaurants here are. Not just a place to eat, these restaurants clearly want their customers to be comfortable. Since opening in 2006 husband and wife team Sohui Kim and Ben Schneider have received praise from critics and gained a somewhat religious following with their diners. Initially, the attention came in part because of the lack of restaurants in Red Hook. But over time, the Good Fork's accessible, seasonal menu and somewhat wallet-friendly prices have elevated it to be one of Brooklyn's top dining destinations. Rave reviews from the New Yorker, The New York Times, GQ and Bon Appétit certainly helped. It was when Chef Kim appeared on Bobby Flay's Throwdown on the Food Network (where she beat him in a dumpling challenge), that national recognition came. Our waiter told us that people from all over the country come just to try the dumplings that beat Bobby Flay. On a recent visit, with a large group, we were seated in the quaint back garden at a large wood table under a tent which was reminiscent of a birdcage. With a Buddha statue seated behind me and the incredibly friendly staff, it all came together to create a somewhat whimsical atmosphere.

These dumplings are famous for a reason. The light airy wrapper and the perfect pork and chive filling combine to make the best dumplings I have ever eaten.  

The Korean style "steak and eggs", with kimchi rice and greens

 Bacon wrapped pork tenderloin with creamy hominy grits, AV kale (from Added Value Farm in Red Hook) and spicy apricot compote

 Homemade pappardelle with lamb ragu, parmiggiano and herbed ricotta

 Caramel tea flan with almond brittle

 You will not be disappointed at the Good Fork. Everyone at our table certainly enjoyed themselves. I strongly recommend a visit. But make sure to get an order or two of the dumplings.

Nate Appleman

It came as quite a surprise a month ago when James Beard Award winner for Rising Star Chef, Food & Wine magazine Rising Star Chef and award-winning cookbook author Nate Appleman abruptly left his acclaimed restaurants in San Francisco, A-16 and SPQR. Rumor had it that he was headed to New York. Speculation as to where he would land caused rumors to run rampant among the food community. Some even suggested that he might be one of the contestants for the next Iron Chef. He seemed to have a keen interest in local pizzerias (that are popping up everywhere) going so far as to ask those who follow him on Twitter what the bets pizzerias in NYC were. Early in August he did a one night only gig at Williamsburg's Motorino. Yet his permanent plans remained a mystery. 

Just after the opening of Minetta Tavern, owner Keith McNally was interviewed by the Restaurant Girl. During the interview Mr. McNally revealed that his next project, already in the works, was to be a pizzeria on Bowery set to open in December called Pulino Pizzeria.

Word came this past week that the two had joined forces. With a stable of restaurants that includes, among others, Balthazar, Pastis and Morandi, this is an impressive move for McNally. And one that I find very exciting. Having always been an admirer of all of the McNally restaurants and having read so much about Appleman, including his cookbook, I hope that this marriage is made in food heaven.

About The Tapeworm

Created and written by Jason Greenberg. Graduate of New York University and the French Culinary Institute. Lover of all things food.

This blog is intended to make mouths water, minds work and get more people into their kitchens.

 

Alex Stupak, pastry chef WD-50

Every week at FCI there are chef demonstrations and events that take place in the school auditorium. Unfortunately, these events are all at 3:30pm and because I work, I cannot usually attend (although each demo is recorded and available at the FCI library.) On a recent Tuesday, however, I made a point to be there when Pastry Chef from WD-50, Alex Stupak, was going to be demoing. At only 29 years old, he has quite a resume. Before taking the job at WD-50 in 2007 (where he replaced Sam Mason who left to open Tailor), he was Grant Achatz's pastry chef at Alinea in Chicago helping open the restaurant. Well having worked with Achatz and now Wylie Dufresne can mean only one thing: molecular gastronomy. 

Personally, I don't like the term "molecular gastronomy", it feels cold and meaningless. Apparently, Chef Stupak agrees. For those of you who don't know, molecular gastronomy, in a nut shell, is thinking about food in scientific way or the scientific modification of foods. It's a way of using modern technology or commercial ingredients such as xanthum gum or agar-agar to change texture or flavor profiles of foods. It is incredibly exciting to see an entire food revolution take place before our eyes. And molecular gastronomy usually brings with it a very high level of creativity. I think there is no clearer way to see "food as art" than with some of these creations. You need to look no further than what the Brothers Adria are doing at el Bulli. And as Chef Stupak said "At WD-50, it's not only about how, it's about why." At his demonstration Chef Stupak froze balsamic vinegar with liquid nitrogen and then wrapped it in soft serve vanilla ice cream (which is actually a classic combination that he admittedly stole from his wife who is pastry chef at Del Posto). It was incredible, to say the least. He mentioned something interesting which was that lately he decided to start using vanilla ice cream at the restaurant because people were expecting such interesting and outrageous flavors (see below) that using vanilla was actually the most unusual flavor he could choose. Below are some photos of more of his work. I can't wait to get to WD-50 again to actually taste these creations.

Chef Stupak's Everything Bagel Ice Cream

tuille

Cheesecake

Peach puree, soy milk, strawberries and buck wheat ice cream 

 

Burger Tasting Results!

Well it was tough making it through 12 burgers (not really), but we persevered and the votes are in.

First, the judges

And the humble cook.

I served each blend in rounds and I did not tell the judges which one they were eating.  I asked each judge to put any of the available toppings on their burgers, but to be consistent and add those toppings to each round of burgers. Every burger was cooked on a grill and topped with American cheese. Crispy bacon, tomatoes, caramelized onions, mayonnaise, ketchup and lettuce were the other offered toppings. 

The overwhelming favorite of the Pat Lafrieda burgers was...... the brisket blend. The brisket burgers were the first round. Which got me wondering if the judges prefered it because it was the first one and they were hungry. No, I have more faith in these sophisticated burgers experts. In second place, was the original hamburger blend. And to my surprise, the short rib blend came in third. Another surprise was that those who voted for the brisket blend, had the short rib burger coming in a close second. The texture and flavor of the brisket is what set it apart from the others. Each burger definitely had its own texture and flavor, with the fat content being considerably different on each blend.

Thank you to all those who participated and a big thank you to Tom and Emily for hosting. Stay tuned for the next tasting. What it will be, I have no idea. It's going to be difficult to top a burger tasting, but I'll think of something.

And the empire expands....to midtown?

From this week's New York Times Dining Section:

David Chang of Momofuku will take over what had been Geoffrey Zakarian’s Town for what probably will be a Southeast Asian-inflected place, yet unnamed: Chambers Hotel, 15 West 56th Street.

Hey, the man knows what he's doing. To think he only graduated from the French Culinary Institute around 5-6 years ago.

An interview with Chef Chang from Food & Wine magazine

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/interview-david-chang

Mussels

Mussels are sort of like chili. Well, not really. But there are endless ways to make them and the ingredients/flavors are really up to whomever is making them. All you need is some sort of liquid to steam open the mussels. Other than that, its up to you. In level 1 at school we had a shellfish day, where we prepared mussels using white wine, shallots and parsley. Pretty boring if you ask me. I felt like screaming,"Where's the garlic?!" For a memorial day party, we wanted to do moules frites (mussels and fries), so this was a perfect opportunity to make mussels the right way. If you look for recipes for mussels, you'll find ones that use curry, lemongrass, heavy cream, fennel seeds, coconut, among many others. I decided to use shallots, lots of garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, white wine, parsley and tomatoes. And of course you need some crusty bread to soak up that amazing leftover sauce. Unfortunately, I was too busy to taste any of them, but I think its safe to say that empty bowls, smiling faces and most importantly, a newly converted mussel enthusiast, means you did a good job.

Whenever cooking mussels, there are two rules of thumb. First, any mussels that are open before cooking should by squeezed or tapped lightly. If they are alive (and they should be if you're planing on eating them), they should close when tapped or squeezed. Any that do not, should be discarded. Second, after cooking, if any do not open, they should also be discarded.

• Servings for 4-6
  


• 2 1/2 lbs fresh mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded*.
  


• 4 Large Garlic Cloves, chopped
  


• 1 cup dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc


• 1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
  


• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley 
  


• 1/2 cup chopped seeded tomatoes, seeds and cores removed.
  


• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  


• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
  


• 2 lemons, one juiced, one sliced or cut into wedges for garnish 

1. Add oil to stock pot and turn to medium heat. 
   


2. When oil is hot, add shallots and sweat for 3 minutes or so. Do not allow shallots to brown. 
   


3. Add garlic, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook for another minute or so.
   


4. Add white wine, parsley, tomatoes and lemon juice and bring to light boil. Add mussels. 
   


5. Cover pot and allow mussels to open. Stir or shake pan a few times during cooking. Approximately 6 minutes. Remove mussels with slotted spoon and reduce sauce until fully flavored.
   


6. Make sure to remove any mussels that did not open. Pour mussels and remaining sauce into bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices. Serve with warm bread. 

* Scrub and clean mussels to remove any barnacles or grit. If sandy, mussels should be soaked in salted cold water for a couple hours. If mussels are cultivated, this step is probably unnecessary.  De-beard mussels by pulling off any protruding filaments. This will cause mussels to spoil or die, so it should not be done until a few hours before use.

A Look Back (Levels 1 & 2)

Well I am happy to report that I passed the midterm. After taking our written exam, which was to write the ingredients and procedure to make beef consomme, I reached in and chose a piece of paper which assigned me to make the consomme and present it at 8:45pm and roast chicken grandmother style at 9:27pm. I'm not going to sugar coat it, it was really tough (I have a few burns and cuts to prove it). Even with the extra 45 minutes we had because we started class at 5:00 pm instead of the usual 5:45pm, it was still a struggle to get everything done.  But I did my best. Across the hall from our class in the bread kitchen, 9 graduates from our program sat and drank wine and awaited our presentation.It was a little intimidating, to say the least.  After we were all finished presenting, each student stood before the 3 judges who tried their food and were critiqued. Sound familiar? Anyway, when all was said and done it was an interesting, scary, tense, challenging experience. And I am very, very happy its over.  My grade was an 87. Level 4, which includes charcuterie, production (stocks, doughs), large volume a la carte preparations, and family meal begins on Monday.

Since I started this blog during Level 3, and now Level 3 is over, I wanted to go back to cover some of the terms, recipes, dishes, ingredients, techniques and such that were covered in Levels 1 & 2. As I have mentioned before, during the first two levels at FCI, each student has a partner to work with. Each class, for the most part, a new topic, ingredient or technique is covered. On the first day of class, we learned how to cut vegetables (julienne, jardinere, macedoine, emincer, ciseler, brunoise etc) and how to cook them, a l'anglaise (in heavily salted boiling water) or l'etuvee (in just a little water with salt and butter). We had a shellfish day, egg day, pasta day, salad day, cheese day (where we made our own ricotta and mozzarella), and a few weeks of pastry. We sauteed, grilled, fried, roasted and poached. We fileted fish. We butchered chickens. Below are a few pictures from things we've done. I hope to go over the best, the most important and the most delicious of them in future posts.

Potatoes rissoler

Vegetables a la Grecque

scallops

Lobster poached in butter

duck a l'orange

pork chops

Grilled filet mignon with maitre d'hotel butter and shoestring fries

Grilled rib eye, pommes frites with sauce choron

Stuffed eggs, chimay style

Apple Tart

Butter

Crepes

Pate choux with chocolate sauce and whipped cream

genoise cake

cheese day

fresh ravioli with fresh tomato sauce

Confit bayaldi

Midterm or Bust

This Friday, August 7th 2009, we will have our Midterm at FCI. At the end of Level 3, the halfway point of the program, we come to class and will have our 8 recipes [see my earlier Escoffier post] narrowed down to 4. The board in the front of class will read something like, "Section A: Consomme and Grand Mere and Section B: Skate and Apple Tart." Any of the 8 recipes we have been working on may appear on the board . The only thing we know are the pairings, garde manger (appetizer) and saucier (meat or poultry) will be together and poissoiner (fish) and patissier (pastry) will be together. Then each student will reach into a pot filled with papers and will pick one out. This will assign you to either section A or B and will also assign you a time to have both dishes done by. On our mock midterm a few weeks back, I choose A1 which meant I was doing consomme, 4 plates to be presented at 8:37pm and the grand mere chicken, 4 plates to be presented at 9:12pm(or something like that). Once we are ready to present, we put all four plates on a tray and they are presented to Chef Jason, our lead instructor, and two recent graduates of the culinary program of the school.

The possible dishes that may be on the midterm are Garde Manger: Beef Consomme or Poached Eggs with Hollandaise Sauce on a bed of diced vegetables; Poissonnier: Sauteed Skate Wing with a lemon and caper brown butter and croutons or Fillet of Barramundi in White Wine Sauce with Mussels and Shrimp; Saucier: Roasted Chicken Grand Mere style or Sauteed Pork Chop with a Green Peppercorn Sauce, Watercress Salad and Pommes Darphin; Patissier: Apple Tart with whipped cream or Lemon Tart with Rasberry Coulis.

If a student does not pass the midterm, they may be allowed to take it once again, but if you fail, you have to repeat Level 3. Gulp! Let's hope my next post bears good news!

The Barramundi

The lemon tart

 

The pork chop

A Better Burger?

the "Frenchie" at DBGB

The burger trend that has hit New York, and apparently the entire country, seems to be in its third or fourth wave since the db bistro burger (ground Black Angus top sirloin, filled with boned short ribs braised in red wine, foie gras, preserved black truffle, and a mirepoix of root vegetables) made its debut a few years back. With the opening of DBGB, Daniel Boulud's beer, burger and sausage restaurant, the Minetta Tavern's Black Label Burger, the Burger of the Month Club, Shake Shack opening at Citifield, etc. it is in full swing once again.Even Saveur magazine has cover story this month entitled "The Burger Bible." But this time around, these are not your average burgers. The Black Label burger at Minetta Tavern is made with a dry aged beef blend made esepcially for Minetta by Pat LaFrieda meat purveyors and costs $26. Of the three burgers at DBGB, one, named "the Frenchie" is topped with pork belly another with pulled pork, named "the Piggie." But is topping a burger with pulled pork or filling one with foie gras too much? In my opinion, yes. Maybe I'm a purist but I still think that J.G. Melon on the Upper East Side, the Burger Joint in Midtown and Dumont Burger in Williamsburg are some of the best burgers around. They are just simple. Good ingredients, prepared well. Nothing fancy.(I'm a sucker for In-N-Out burgers on the west coast and usually will, and have, done anything to get one.) Of course I enjoyed both burgers at DBGB and very much loved the Black Label burger. But, I probably enjoyed the burger at Dram Shop Bar in Park Slope (two patties, sloppy and delicious) as much as any of these other burgers. Five Guys has a respectable fast food burger. I actually found myself getting impatient while waiting for my order, thinking it was a fast food place. Then I realized that each burger is made to order. Which sort of takes away that fast food quality and the burger was anything but fast foodesqe.

Recently New York magazine compiled an interesting, and mouth-watering, list of 82 of the cities burgers. Take a look. It's sure to make you really, really hungry.

http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2009/07/the_burger_register_new_yorks_82_most_notable_burgers.html#photo=67

What's your favorite burger?

I highly recommend you read this great story about the much regarded and hyped Black Label burger, from a blog called A Hamburger Today. Definitely check this out

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2009/03/secrets_of_minetta_taverns_black_label_burger_1.html

Pat LaFrieda and Sons are in fact now offering the hamburger blends that they provide to many restaurants, to the public for the first time. The three different blends are the short rib blend, the brisket blend and the original hamburger blend. They are available only through Fresh Direct. In the next few weeks I want to have a burger tasting of these blends. Make all three with the same toppings and condiments and see which is the best one. Let me know if you're interested in coming.