This time last year, Alfred Portale was in the middle of his fourth decade as the chef of Gotham Bar & Grill. The loftlike dining room still looked so much like 1985 that it could have served as a set for “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” in the unlikely event that any studio wanted to…
In Turkey, winter is the season of salep. In the streets, peddlers pushing carts sell the hot, milky drink traditionally made from ground orchid tubers. Between classes, students warm their cold fingers around flimsy paper cups filled with steaming salep. On the ferry across the Bosporus, businessmen sip it with one hand and check their…
Aperitif liqueurs, both imported and domestic, continue to gain in popularity. Select, an example from Venice that’s been around for 100 years, hit the American market late last summer, and, with its ruby color, suits a Valentine toast. The blend of botanicals includes a good dose of juniper and was created by the brothers Mario…
Just when you’d like your next cookbook to transport you to a beach lounge, tall drink in hand, along comes “Beyond the North Wind” by Darra Goldstein, a writer and scholar whose specialty is Russian food, to show “how a harsh climate, poor soil and limited availability of foods” can inspire a cuisine that suits…
This simplest of smoothies, fairly thick, deliciously tart-sweet and fragrant, makes no claims of enhancing your immune system, ridding your face of wrinkles or saving your marriage. Made with high-quality Alphonso mangoes and Ronnybrook Farm yogurt, this new mango lassi is made by Monsieur Singh — a company founded by Karan Gera, an entrepreneur —…
First, there was “Sideways” the novel, and then the Academy Award-winning film about a guy who takes a friend on a California wine tour to show that pinot noir is better than merlot. Now it will be onstage presented by the Peccadillo Theater Company and Close Quarter Productions. Called “Sideways the Experience,” it was adapted…
Running a street food cart is backbreaking work: schlepping around a heavy cart, then standing behind it for hours on end. Quitting the job would seem to be a gift to aching feet. It hasn’t turned out that way for Mohamed Attia, who left his smoothie and halal-chicken-over-rice carts last year to become the new…
Good morning. It’s Caucus Day in Iowa, and a chunk of our newsroom is hunkered down in Des Moines, getting ready to report what’s happening into the night and early-morning hours of Tuesday. I hope you’ll follow along on our home page, and participate in our efforts to understand the news of the day and…
The classic Italian dish bollito misto is no stranger to strong opinions. Essentially a large pot of boiled meats and vegetables and beloved especially in northern Italy, the dish seems to be fairly straightforward. But every cook makes bollito slightly differently, insisting that his or her method produces the best brodo (the savory broth that…
Welcome back to Five Weeknight Dishes. For some recipes, American cheese is a gift from the gods. Take macaroni and cheese, for one; queso, for another. And it’s the key to from-scratch Hamburger Helper, which I stirred together at the last minute on a blustery evening this week. (I knew my kids would like it…