I Know How To Cook

Well, not really. But it is certainly a goal of mine to learn how. As such, I’ll be using France’s culinary bible I Know How to Cook as a guide (published by Phaidon Press). It’s surprising that the book was just released in English, especially since the French have enjoyed its cooking tips and recipes for over 75 years.

I’ll try cooking a new dish at least once a month, and I certainly hope that those who try the food will enjoy it. Wish me luck!

More on Ginette Mathiot’s I Know How to Cook:

Examiner.com

Super Chef blog

The Wall Street Journal

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Exposing South Williamsburg's Café Moto

No other borough in New York City is as protective of its neighborhood secrets as Brooklyn. And Café Moto in South Williamsburg is one of those secrets.

Located almost directly under the J-M-Z train, the restaurant shows an unassuming exterior, with peeling walls and a rickety old bike hanging in place of a sign. Because of the narrow space, Café Moto can easily come off as stuffy. Instead, the live jazz entertainment (provided nightly) and laid-back neighborhood crowd immediately makes the restaurant warm and inviting.

For appetizers, my table had toasted bread with a gruyère cheese dip and the steamed artichoke. The dishes were simple yet flavorful, a perfect precursor to our main entrees.

I ordered the pork ribs rubbed with coarse black pepper and spices. It was accompanied with creamy mashed potatoes and a small salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette. Overall, the food was tasty and satisfying.

This, in addition to the ambiance, left me eager to return and try more of Café Moto’s food. This could be bad news for South Williamsburg residents. For if most diners left as pleased as I was, then their secret won’t last for long.

Additional tip: After your meal at Café Moto, walk a few blocks West to Trophy Bar for great music and drinks.

More on Café Moto:

The Anti-Tourist

Thursday Club NYC

Yelp Customer Reviews

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Depuy Canal House: A Stone House Frozen in Its Past

There’s nothing worse than seeing a legendary restaurant lose its way...attracting diners by boasting its stellar past, rather than the dishes it produces. Almost every Manhattanite will agree with me that there are many of them in New York.

Such is the story of the Depuy Canal House in Hudson Valley, NY. It is the region’s pride and joy, a stone house that has been serving food in one way or another since 1797. Located just two hours north of Manhattan, the restaurant received rave reviews from newspapers such as The New York Times and has been labeled as a “must see” in various Hudson Valley guidebooks.

Excited about its reputation for its innovative use of local products (its menu is prix fixe, changes daily), I visited the restaurant last March.

In short, the restaurant fell short of expectations. While the salmon I ordered was cooked well, the fish was drowning in a bland, orange, creamy sauce, which was said to have a “Japanese influence.” As a result of the slow wait staff, the dish was served room temperature. Perhaps more disturbing was that the same orange sauce was used to flavor my dining partner’s pasta dish. And though the dish was more palatable than the salmon, it did not deliver on the originality that so many write-ups have promised. Instead, it was reminiscent of pasta served in a sub-par Italian fast food restaurant found in the middle of Times Square.

So disappointing was the food that the slow service added fuel to our fire (we had a 20 minute wait between our appetizer and main course). In the end, with our water glasses empty, half eaten dishes sitting in front of us for awhile and an absent waiter, my partner and I decided to throw in the towel, calling an end to our dining experience at the Depuy Canal House. We paid and left the restaurant, even before our dessert was served.

One can only hope that the restaurant fixes its flaws and returns its attention to producing innovative dishes. The stone house and colonial décor are charming, but legacy can only take a restaurant so far. It must be reminded, that it’s the food—not its reputation—that’s the star.

More on the Depuy Canal House:

Chowhound
The New York Times
Yelp Customer Reviews

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