Why Adda Could Be the Most Exciting New Indian Restaurant in New York

“Even the late Anthony Bourdain — as dedicated to singing his hometown’s praises as he was to ferreting out great food no matter where it hid — could not offer much enthusiasm for New York City’s collection of Indian restaurants. “I cannot recommend any Indian restaurant in New York,” he told Vogue India last year. “I’ve been spoiled.” While the excuse feels somewhat lame, and Bourdain may have been forgetting some standout spots, it’s telling that his comment went more or less overlooked by New York’s legion of culinary defenders, largely because they tend to overlook the city’s Indian restaurants, too — and rarely give the cuisine the same respect that’s afforded to others.

That’s not to say New York City is actually devoid of great Indian food, but it is true that Indian chefs in New York have a difficult time breaking through to mainstream awareness. Adda, which just opened, but is still hiding in Long Island City next to a 7-Eleven and across the street from CUNY’s La Guardia Community College, may be one new restaurant that helps move the needle. The room is so bare-bones casual that it can feel like dinner at a friend’s house that comes with a bill at the end, and an all-day student special takeout lunch box costs just $6.43, but the cooking by chef Chintan Pandya is likely to open more than a few eyes to what “Indian” cooking can really be.”

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Queens’ Best Thai Restaurant Will Expand to Manhattan

“If you were to draw up a map of the city’s essential restaurants, you’d have to include Ayada. The Elmhurst spot is, some argue, New York’s best place for Thai food, and an anchor of a local community that’s blossomed around it. A decade after opening, the food remains invigoratingly great and the space unquestionably charming. Owner Duangjai “Kitty” Thammasat remains totally committed to the restaurant; when she travels, such as to visit Thailand, her sisters help run it. It’s a bit of a surprise, then, that Thammasat will expand out of Queens and into the Chelsea Market this fall.”

“The second Ayada will be in the location of the old Chelsea Thai, a 1,300-square-foot space with seating for 45. The designer is the same one behind the original restaurant, Thammasat’s longtime friend Francisco Diaz. “We’re trying to save as much of the essence we have here already,” says her daughter Ayada Thammasat. (She did compromise with the Market’s operators on an open kitchen, something she’s meeting them halfway on.) “She likes how the restaurant is now and she wants people to, I guess, incorporate themselves into her culture, as well, instead of her changing too much of it.”

Read more here.

Energy drinks get a healthy makeover with help from MatchaBar

On Tuesday, MatchaBar released the first sparkling matcha energy drink. The brand is known for its ceremonial grade matcha, which can be found in 1,000 retailers nationwide as well as its three namesake cafes in New York and Los Angeles. Available in regular or sugar-free, the new product contains 120mg of caffeine per can, which is similar to a Red Bull.

The difference, of course, is the ingredients. It incorporates tea as well as antioxidant-rich juice extracts, thereby making a healthier version of its more chemical-laden competitors. See a MatchaBar story below.

 

To celebrate the new launch, MatchBar partnered with Whole Foods and Facebook for a social media campaign dubbed “Gift The Hustle.” Fans can now send a coupon for a free can of MatchaBar Hustle through Messenger to their friends, redeemable at the nationwide retailer.

 

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How to Survive Year 1: A Reflection With 2018 JBF Best Chef Nominee

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“What advice would you give other chefs looking to open their own restaurant?
Can I say “don’t do it”? Is that allowed? In Chicago, and across the country, every day there are new restaurants opening. Whether you are a chef or ops/FOH person, you better make sure you have a strong partner doing it with you. I would never recommend doing it without that. And be really f**king sure there is nothing else on this planet that you could do with your time. You should only open a restaurant if there is nothing else that is going to make you happy. It’s so hard and it’s so uniquely challenging and the competition is fiercer every day for guests and also for team members. The craziest thing is when you see somebody open a restaurant that does not have a chef partner and then you watch chefs go in and out; anyone without a strong partner is probably doomed for failure.”

Read the full interview here.

Anthony Bourdain’s Biography Will Be Released in 2019

Anthony Bourdain was a man who was often at work: on Parts Unknown, on a business venture, or on a manuscript for a new book. So while it may not seem much of a surprise that Bourdain’s story will continue, today there’s news of a forthcoming biography that sounds like it will follow a nontraditional format, and one that’s particularly suited to the late writer and television personality’s unpredictable life.

To read more click here.

David Chang Teams Up With Netflix for New Series ‘Ugly Delicious’

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Momofuku emperor David Chang is headed to Netflix next month with a new show that will use food as a springboard for exploring the big ideas of authenticity and identity. Dubbed Ugly Delicious, the series will feature Chang eating and drinking with chefs, writers, artists, and entertainers at beloved restaurants around the world, all while discussing the traditions and shared experiences inextricably tied to comfort foods.

Read the full article here

Event: Wine Dinner at Tavo Restaurant

On Tuesday, June 27th, Tavo–the West Village’s new Latin restaurant–is hosting an exclusive four-course dinner curated by Executive Chef Juan Suarez de Lezo. The tasting menu will be paired with wines exclusively selected by Sommelier Dean Fuerth.

During the evening, diners will experience Spanish wines from Catalonia, Rías Baixas, the Canary Islands, Montsant, and Galicia.

The menu is as follows:

First Course: Mackerel with cucumber, basil, and smoked trout on almond gazpacho paired with Vina Moraima, Albarino, 2015

Second Course: Fingerling Potatoes four ways paired with Venus La Universal, Venus Blanc, Montsant, 2013

Third Course: Pork Cheeks in poblano with cauliflower and seasonal vegetables paired with Adega Algueira, Fincas, Ribeira Sacra, 2013

Fourth Course: Lemon Cheesecake with ginger ice cream paired with Bodegas Los Bermejos, Malvasia Dulce, NV

Tickets are $85 a person. Guests are more than welcome to arrive at 6:00PM for cocktails at the bar. For more information, click here.

Ladies’ Night at Verde Curated Greens

Verde Curated Greens, which Grubstreet called a “Fine-Casual Game Changer” is hosting a ladies night with it’s chef, Mariana Villegas, the founders of design firm MP Shft and Fare Resources Operations Director Kate Barney.

The event is produced by BKBF Productions,  which began with twelve women, ages 29 to 58, getting together over dinner in a Brooklyn apartment.  These collaborative monthly events are designed to bring women together for an agenda-free hang.  BKBF partners with different women-run or owned businesses as co-hosts.  Their goal is to create safe female-only spaces where women can make new friends or find help on business or personal issues.

Anyone who identifies as female is welcome.  The free event is tomorrow, Thursday the 6th, from 7-9PM at Verde Curated Greens: 22 West 25th Street.  For more information, click here.

David Chung’s Unified Theory of Deliciousness

 

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David Chung wrote this month’s cover story for Wired Magazine articulating his “Unified Theory of Deliciousness.” His articles explains the theory of applying “strange loops” to food, dishes like bolognese and mapo tofu having fundamental similarities, and people liking dishes that remind them of other food they’ve liked in the past.

What separates decent dishes from the “truly slap-yourself-on-the-forehead ones” is for the second – “you don’t just respond to the dish in front of you; you are almost always transported back to another moment in your life.”

He also presents an interesting paradox that the perfectly seasoned dish will taste both under- and over- salted at the same time.

Read the full article here

 

Pastrami Is the Priority at These Old-School New Jersey Delis

For all the talk of authentic Jewish delis going extinct, a few still take great pride in their pastrami.  A pastrami sandwich at Harold’s New York Deli Restaurant in Edison, New Jersey weighs 20 ounces.  The triple-decker at Harold’s weighs in at 3.5 pounds!  Sharing is thankfully encouraged with no fee.

The owner Harold Jaffe says that the deli sells 8,000 pounds of pastrami a week (all of which is made at the restaurant).  Mr. Jaffe learned the business by working at the Carnegie Deli in Manhattan for ten years.

Customers enjoy bar that offers slices of rye bread, half-sours, spicy pickle chips and health salad (cabbage mixed with oil and vinegar).

The Kosher Nosh is another deli located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, and has been in business for 40 years.  The store is run by Avi Friede and Haim Peer, both originally from Israel.  Mr, Friede says that by selling pastrami, lox, corned beef and other traditional deli foods, he is getting back to his Eastern European food roots.

Hobby’s Delicatessen and Restaurant in Newark, New Jersey was purchased by Sam Brummer in 1962 and passed on to his sons Marc and Michael.  The sons were taught to buy quality goods, prepare the goods well, provide excellent service and be a mensch (a person of integrity and honor).  The pastrami sandwich is the restaurant’s best seller, even with a 12-page menu.  According to Michael Brummer, there is one thing as important as properly steaming and slicing meat: schmoozing.

Please click here to read more…