James Beard Food Awards

Food & film, great idea for a food awards theme. While the show had some highs....lifetime achievement awards for Cecilia Chiang which was fascinating and the tribute to Prince's fried chicken in Nashville was also memorable. The lows included the JBF logo in back of the stage being quite hard to see and the script so small at the bottom of the screen you could not see the location of the restaurants up for awards. Also, did not see Like Water For Chocolate food scenes(among the best in film) in the mélange- hello production! Where were the best chef nominations for some groundbreaking Brooklyn restaurants like Battersby or revival of old school Italian classics at Carbone's. On the love side, also, loved that Danny Bouien won as rising chef of Mission Chinese Food. As usual the show went on too long and they would not start food service till 9, silly. Food highlights, sushi and sake by Todd English, Crispy foie gras duck cigars, with a coconut laced shooter by Douglas Rodriguez (loved the Scarface suit). My new food obsession is Mindy Segal's(Mindy's Hot Chocolate, Chicago) brown sugar Tcho chocolate chip cupcake with vanilla bean and malted milk liquid center(pictured). This explosion in your mouth with light brown sugary frosting ranks as one of the best things Frannyonthego has ever eaten. BRAVO! GO!

Alchemy Texas

Straight outta Queens and conjuring up the old Pearson's which was coincidentally in the same spot. Alchemy Texas focuses on the Texas style 'cue of it's namesake. The "sports bar" locale is dingy and local, but the barbecue is rightous and some unusual cuts of meat are to be found here in the international 'hood of Jackson Heights. Smoked prime rib and frog legs are not usually found on barbecue menus. The smoked prime rib which he gave to me before it was fully smoked was "outrageous" and a definite treat. The brisket was also pretty amazing especially the carmalized ends. The sides of "Boston Beans", creamed spinach and potato salad were all very good. This is one unusual destination in "multi-culti" Jackson Heights brought to us by the John Brown Smokehouse people and definitely worth the trip. GO!

Rosemary's

Five-star sourced modern Italian with roof-top garden meets rehearsed, rude & odd service. This perennially popular corner joint serves it all a la carte, but the flavors are tops. Focaccia- housemade served with lardo, caprese or with stracchino cheese($8) is simply delectable. The chopped salad Siciliana $11 is a lemony mix of escarole, dried chick peas, roasted peppers and caperberries is a good start. The spaghetti pommodoro with a lovely fresh tomato sauce is perfection. Try to get your server with some fresh cheese or pepper is a task. The raw calamari($8) with almonds, celery and chili peppers packs a tasty punch. I have been here twice and the service ranges from competent to fake, phoney and chaotic, but the food served is worth the spotty service and sometimes tight quarters. GO!

Cammarerri Brothers Bakery/Cafe

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie.......the bakery made famous in the movie Moonstruck has opened an outpost on Dekalb in Fort Greene. The corner cafe boasts a vintagey feel and has more than just bread, and quiches, it has pasta, sandwiches like meatball sliders and an eggplant parm. sandwich. For the price of food at the "Flea" you can sit at a table and enjoy food on plates and drinks in glasses. The sliders are $3 each and with two you have a mini meal. The eggplant parm(skin on) for $5.50 on a lovely Cammareri Brothers roll was delicious. The large retro bathroom with it's faux window is uber-cool. While this location for a Cammareri Brothers Bakery struck me as unusual, it spreads the love running up Dekalb even further and offers a respite from the baby bumping carriages of the "Flea" on Saturday. GO!

Carbone

Do you like to sing Volare and Mambo Italiano with your meal? This old school throwback with new school updates scores a homerun in the food field though you will pay dearly for the experience. Food comes and comes and comes- starting with lovely parmigiano cut from the wheel, house cut proscuitto and tasty grandma bread. Next comes the bread basket- oofah. They season imported grissini in house and they are great. I ordered diver scallops- Sorrentina style- amazing! Table prepared Ceasar with house croutons was flavorfull. Beef ribs with cherry peppers are juicy and slightly spicy. The standout dish was the creamed escarole. The menu descriptions are limited, but this huge serving of pancetta filled, cheese topped escarole($12) is simply genius. The Torrisi Brothers hit high notes in the former Rocco space. No room for dessert which comes on a dessert cart because I was so stuffed in a good way. The food is a gargantuan family-style feast. Dessert looked a tad pedestrian. GO!

Darling Coffee

Darling Coffee is a coffeshop cum bakery in a spacious sunny shop in Inwood. I saw it on the travel channel and it was worth the trip uptown for it's sumptous baked goods. I went with sweet and savory....starting with a quiche- spinach, artichoke, mushroom and fontina. Dark, perfectly crisped crust, cheesey goodness. The hummingbird cake an amalgam of banana, apricots and hazelnuts was moist and good. The blueberry scone was also quite good. Best brownie in the universe might be here- chocolate with walnuts. Creamy with noticable toasted walnuts was simply divine. Lots of tables that were taken up by singletons on there laptops on Sunday otherwise great seating in the spacious shop. GO! GO!

Montmarte

Montmarte is a charming, French feeling spot in the old, beloved Gascogne space. It is intimate & urbane and since recently opening, fills a void in Chelsea. The food is updated French classics and tasty. Bread is from Sullivan St. bakery and goes well with soft butter. The amuse bouche of scallop & pistachio was lovely. I went with the skate($26) which is served with winey, mustardy cabbage. The dish was tasty, but arrived awfully fast which is usually a red flag in a restaurant. The potatoes souffle($10) with goat cheese was like fried potatoes on steroids. So delicicious and a good counter-balance to the skate. I was full and passed on dessert. Montmarte inherits the small, but sweet garden from Gascogne and will be beloved in warmer months. GO!

Salvation Taco

Salvation Taco is my taco salvation. The large room plus lounge in rear serves Mexican street food elevated to a whole new level. The friendly host said, "Sit wherever you like." on a quiet Wednesday. The server also friendly and quite knowledgeable helped to make my meal memorable. The menu is divided into snacks, tacos and desserts. Starting witht the tomatillo and jicama salad($5) the limey, crunchy jicama is a bright start to the meal. I went with the al pastor, fried fish with mayan mayo and skirt steak with pecan and chipotle- tacos are $3, $4 and $5. The al pastor was my favorite just the right zing and leaving me wanting more. The dessert(don't miss) chocolate pudding($7)with a slice of candied orange and housemade whipped cream is so divine you may lick the dish. Bravo April Bloomfield! GO! GO!

Pennsylvania6

Swanky spot in the shadows of Jack's and Penn Station. A bar cum restaurant that has twenty beers on tap and a fine menu to boot. There are booths and banquettes and lots of afterwork commuters swinging by for an apres work cocktail. I went for chow and enjoyed the fixin's. I sat at the bar where the large overhead screen played soccer. I went with the soup and a sandwich is a clever take-off of French onion soup wit a grilled cheese baguette on top. For $9 this was a tasty value- hearty soup with gruyere topped baguette. Also, mega tasty is the corn souffle($8), a dish of cheese corn with some poblanos for zing. A comforting meal- at Pennsylvania6 and happy to have fine eating in a part of the 'hood bereft of decent eating establishments. GO!

L'Apicio

Sleek and sexy spot off Extra Place- "the little foodie street". The restaurant impresses visually, with a large open wine closet off the main dining room. Service here is attentive and professional. The bread with plain oil is a yawner as nothing distinguishes it from any other upscale Italian. Many good menu choices abound and I went with arrancini, calamarata pasta, brussel sprouts with pancetta and a dessert of chocolate cake with fresh stracciatella ice-cream and caramel. Total bill was about $52 with tip- no drink. The arranci with fontina were tasty though not dark and a little olive oily like my palate prefers. Pizza Roma on Bleeker has a good one. The best part of the savory was the brussel sprouts- fried, lemony, bacony, delish. The calamarata- with calamari sauce and round squid shaped pasta did not blow my mind. The molten chocolate cake did though with house made ice-cream, macerated cherries and a lovely crust- this was a winning dessert. A good spot for a girls night out or a date to impress. GO!

Fletcher's Barbecue

Barbecue was beckoning on Sunday in lieu of brunch. Fletchers is one of the new New York barbecue joints creating a second barbecue renaissance. Beginning with Hill Country and before that Blue Smoke, barbecue is enjoying new blood- no pun intended. Fletchers teams up a former advertising guy with a Rub veteran. The restaurant is situated in the ever growing Gowanus food strip next to Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Shop. The result is a melange of 'cue styles all quite flavorfully smoked. I went with 5 wings for $5 which were a close second to Hill Country's mega flavored chicken. The bean menage a trois was smoky with bacon at $4. The cole slaw- uber crunchy and also a reasonable $4. Most sides are $4 which is $2 cheaper than Hill Country. The mac & cheese with cheese sauce poured over it to order was pedestrian. The open seating feels spacious. Only gripe was the house barbecue tasty like a denser, darker duck sauce and none too complex. If the sauces were amped up it would be a definite........ MUST GO!

Maysville

Monstrously flavored food from the Char4 folks on the edge of the Flatiron. They are known for their large and varied selection of bourbons, but they have interesting beers and wines as well. Lunchtime fills up slowly and the food rocked out. A Full Sail Amber was a nice balance to the smoky sandwich ordered. I went with the pulled pork with fried kale on a dark ciabatta roll. This came with whiskey pickles and housemade bbq potato chips($14). The smoky slightly spicy pulled pork with the fried kale was mouth awakening. The whiskey pickles were pickled root veggies and the good chips made for a great meal. To top it off, I ordered the bread pudding with cherry bourbon vanilla ice-cream($9). The surprise was a smudge of chocolate and candied pecans. Simply DIVINE! MUST GO!