Austria takes Manhattan

On the top of the Ramscale South Loft with awesome views of Hudson river and under a marvelous sunset, Austria showcased its cuisine and its wine to member of the press for an exclusive event entitled Austria, in Good Taste. Guests experienced high-end Austrian cuisine paired with unique Austrian wines.

The exclusive Pumpkinseed Vanilla Custard with croquant and sweet pesto was made by chefs Wolfgang Ban and Eduard Frauneder of Seasonal; chef Kurt Gutenbrunner of Wallsé created its unique in taste "Tirol Milch" buttermilk mousse with Murfelder rhubarb and "Gegenbauer PX Vineger"; chef Adreas Goller from Café Kinski offered the magnificent sweet cheese dumpling with plum preserve and Austrian apricot whipped cream; and the zweigelt-braised ribs with apple balsamic vinegar were courtesy of chefs Andrew Chase and Erwin Schrottner from Café Katja.

Guests had the chance to try some of the unique Austrian wines - Grüner Veltiliner, Gemischter Satz and Riesling paired with Austrian cheese including the spicy-sweet Berglandmilch Moosbacher and the traditional gruyere-style hand cured Rupp Dorfkäse.

The tasting event was organized by the Austrian Trade Commission in NY as a kick-off party featuring Austrian ingredients available at The Food Emporium  for the “Austrian Food Weeks” in NYC from May 21st through June 3rd.

The outstanding food of Michael Psilakis

Lentil Salad

Red pepper salad

Peas, mushrooms and sauté  onions -cooked

Seafood yiouvetsi (orzo with seafood)

Halvas (tahini based sweet)

The Wines of Greek Tasting is already behind us with some great wines and more bitter comments. Despite the controversial perception of Greek wines in the US market by press, trade and top wine experts and why they sell or not, everybody agreed on the following: that the food provided and its presentation was exceptional, if not stunning. Compliments of chef Michael Psilakis - a Michelin star awarded chef- the food was appealing, fresh, tasty and balanced without being overwhelming or extreme. Creating signature dishes of Greek cuisine with a twist, Psilakis impressed the most demanding and often unsatisfied palates. The octopus salad casserole was well-balanced but not "very Greek", the lentil salad fresh and light, following mostly the Middle Eastern tradition (and avoiding the traditional Greek lentil soup) and the red pepper salad was served with grilled garlic, olive oil and fresh herbs (unusual for Greek restaurants). There was also a bowl of chickpea salad with tomatoes and parsley, a mix of mushroom, carrots, pickled peppers and haricots verts and the obvious and far more expected (and not so traditional in Greece) lamb with roasted potatoes. But the most outstanding of all was the seafood yiouvetsi (an orzo dish paired with meat in mainstream Greek cuisine rather with fish), a bold differentiation but a great surprise to my taste. I also found impressive and I welcome the baked mushroom mix with sauté onions and peas - a spring but cooked and not served fresh salad dish.

Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, except for the wine tasting stations, was "decorated" accordingly: large bowls of Greek yogurt paired with Cretan thyme honey; large vases with cherries, grapes and figs gave away a far more colorful presence;  baskets with pistachios, walnuts and roasted chickpeas mixed with golden raisins and cinnamon sticks; plates of feta and kaseri dishes with matching quince and preserves; dates and Cretan crunchy bread and finally the original Greek halva (a tahini-based sweet) - they well all stunning, tasty and unique food elements in a wine tasting event.

Is this the path Greek food should follow to become for attractive in the USA or the locals in the country will never forgive the chef?

I would opt for the first. The Greek cuisine is of high quality with exclusive flavors and tastes. Presentation is also paramount and a plus. Guests are still talking about it.

Queens - a Taste Of The World

Ceviche with popcorn!

Marinated Cucumber Salad

Floresta's spicy meats and the chocolate banana on the left!

Deluge's tuna, seaweed and soba noodles!

A buzzy environment, authentic tastes and well-presented foods were the top features of Queens, a Taste of the World  last night. The event that was held at the Mets Citi Field showcased more than forty Queens restaurants and food vendors; sample dishes reflected the multi-ethnic character and culinary diversity of Queens.

From German sandwiches to Austin's Steaks and Mexican tortillas, guests experienced mouthwatering and decent portions of foods from all over the world . I was particularly impressed with Floresta's sausage and steak topped with spicy sauce paired with a chocolate dipped banana and a cookie. Gabbana Restaurant innovated with its ceviche topped with bits of popcorn, London Lennie's amazed with its oysters served in their shell and De Mole Restaurant offered its signature pollo with mole poblano on a tortilla chip. La Fusta Steakhouse gave out steak with its homemade sauce and its beef espanadas and Deluge suggested the tuna, seaweed and soba noodles pots. A rather different taste and also presentation was the marinated cucumber salad courtesy of Vetro together with their chocolate fudge dessert. I stayed away from the sweet offerings with the exception of a quick stop by Zaharenia's for a small chocolate treat.

But I'd rather stop here than say more. I will allow the photos to say the last word.

Pocket Art Champagne Launch Party

Celebrate New York's finest emerging artists with the Champagne Launch Party of Pocket Art books at the new location of Phaidon Store.

Where: at Phaidon Store, 83 Wooster Street
When: on Thursday, May 20th from 6:30pm.
RSVP at rsvp@nascentartny.com - today is the last day!

Events at Artemide, Molteni & Dada and CITE - Design Week

Here is a list of events for the upcoming Design Week, celebrating innovative and cool designs and even cooler furniture. Click on the pictures to find the RSVP addresses.

Those events are worth attending as combine both the fun element with the intellectual and artistic pleasure. And a glass (or two) of champagne!

Meatpacking Design District New York

It's again this time of the year and the Design Week is coming up in the City. It's into the frame of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair that the entire city will be buzzing the following weekend (starting from Thursday night even): new, sleek designs, cool furniture, innovative materials and plenty of parties and bubbly!  For the detailed agenda of events click here: http://www.meatpackingdesign.com/event-agenda. It seems that there will be an "Open House Day", on Sunday 5.16.

BKLYN DESIGNS 2010 Opening Party

I would dare to declare it as one of the best parties of 2010. I don't know if it was the awesome building in Brooklyn, the set-up of the food, the people and the buzz or all those elements together - the result was a delightful and fun party in an amazing Brooklyn building. A great thank you to the New York Magazine which was the sponsor of this event. Take a peak from the pictures here:

Brooklyn Uncorked

Brooklyn Uncorked, this locally-held, coming-together of winemakers from Long Island and New York based food artisans aren't just about eating and drinking. It’s about community.

I was one of the attendees yesterday, in a crowded BAM, where the event took place. Except for the buzzy atmosphere, "interesting" wine and mouthwatering samples of major restaurants, guests had also the chance to talk to Long Island wine producers, chefs and pastry specialists. I tried the Pulled Pork Po' Boys with coleslaw and pickles offered by the Tipsy Parson restaurant; Pierogi with ramps from Watty and Meg restaurant; Cheese on crackers by Stinky Bklyn and also freshly-made soft caramels from Liddabit Sweets. I also had numerous other bites whose names I can't recall but they were all amazingly presented and exceptionally tasty.

On the wine front, I made stops for a glass of crispy Pinot Blanc and Rieslings at Clovis Point, Gramercy Vineyards, Macari Vineyards & Winery, Martha Clara Vineyards, Palmer Vineyards, Raphael, Roanoke Vineyards and Waters Crest Winery. I am now convinced that a wine tasting trip to Long Island is a must do this summer!

Brooklyn Uncorked was organized by Edible Brooklyn, along with its sister publications, Edible Manhattan and Edible East End, with support from the Long Island Wine Council and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation.

Gallery Night on 57th Street

GALLERY NIGHT ON 57TH STREET

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

from 5:00 to 8:30 p.m.

54 galleries located on 57th Street in New York City are pleased to announce that they will remain open to the public on Thursday, May 6th until 8:30 p.m. for a special Gallery Night on 57th Street event. I will consider :

Fuller Building 57 St & Madison

Marlborough Gallery

Bonhams Auction on Madison

Ana Tzarev Gallery

Forum Gallery

List of galleries:

Marlborough Graphics

Susan Aberbach Fine Art

A. Jain Marunouchi

Alexandre Gallery

Nailya Alexander Gallery

The Merrin Gallery

Amador Gallery

Jason McCoy

McKee Gallery

Arnot Gallery/Herbert Arnot, Inc.

Mika Gallery

Art Finance Partners

Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art

Babcock Galleries

Bernarducci . Meisel Gallery

Francis M. Naumann Fine Art

Bonni Benrubi Gallery

Pace/MacGill Gallery

Pace Prints

Bonhams

Pace Primitive

Maxwell Davidson Gallery

PaceWildenstein

DC Moore Gallery

Theodore B. Donson Ltd.

Rehs Galleries

Tibor de Nagy Gallery

Michael Rosenfeld Gallery

Saffronart

David Findlay Jr Fine Art

Scholten Japanese Art

Wally Findlay Galleries

Frederico Sève Gallery/

Forum Gallery

Gering & López Gallery

latincollector

James Goodman Gallery

John Szoke Gallery

Throckmorton Fine Art

Marian Goodman Gallery

TK Asian Antiquities

Howard Greenberg Gallery

Ana Tzarev Gallery

Greenberg Van Doren Gallery

Nohra Haime Gallery

Washburn Gallery

Hammer Galleries

Wendt Gallery

D. Wigmore Fine Art

Bill Hodges Gallery

Zabriskie Gallery

Edwynn Houk Gallery

Zone: Contemporary Art

Leonard Hutton Galleries

Marlborough Gallery

An evening of coffee and chocolate at Michel Cluizel

Michel Cluizel and Migration of Senses invite you to:

Les Mercredis au Chocolat

A Series of Tasteful Chocolate Events

Every Wednesday from 7pm to 9pm

Please join Wednesday, May 5th for a Michel Cluizel chocolate tasting and a discussion around coffee production, fair trade and coffee roasting led by coffee expert Jane Ganes-Chase & coffee roaster Chad Smith!

When: May 5th, 7-9pm

Where: Boutique Michel Cluizel, 584 5th Avenue, New York

What: Fabulous Michel Cluizel chocolate tasting and discussion around coffee production, fair trade and coffee roasting led by THE coffee expert Jane Ganes-Chase (J. Ganes Consulting) & coffee roaster "on demand" Chad Smith (Petrol Coffee Roasters). $25 per person.

RSVP at info@migrationofsenses.com with first and last name, as space is very limited.

Are New Yorkers victims of Food Trends?

I arrived at 2pm, in a sticky and warm Sunday, at the well-announced New York Gourmet Food Bazaar held in Hell Kitchen's Market.  I was really starving and craving for those Korean tacos of The Krave truck. But no chance. The line for this one was easily a 45-minute wait so I gave up very quickly. I hoped that my cravings for the Salty Pimp (which is a cone of vanilla topped with dulce de leche and sea salt, then dipped wholesale into melted chocolate) from the Big Gay Ice Cream truck will soon be satisfied but my hopes crashed as soon as I saw another 45-minute wait line.

What is going on with New Yorkers? Do they all follow twitter, Time Out, Food and NYC bloggers? Are NYC victims of food trends in the city? Or well-planned food publicity? I shouldn't write those words because I felt being a victim of the same trend I also create: I announced it in the previous posting (see here http://www.fullybooked.biz/2010/04/hells-kitchen-flea-market-gourmet-food.html) and I was there for my Sunday lunch.

Two things are certain: New Yorkers love their food and they like it from a truck. At least these days. And they surely need a wardrobe makeover (see picture below: You don't go out dressed like this!)