La Côte Basque Reinvents
Famed Cassoulet Survives
The red neon sign on the side of the building still reads La Côte Basque, but the lavish flowers arrangements and sunny murals of seaside towns are gone. In their place comes a Belle Epoque brasserie with new black leather banquettes and waiters in bistro aprons instead Read More
The other night, I was having dinner at a hot new restaurant on the Lower East Side when the California chef, Jeremiah Tower, stopped by for a glass of champagne. As we observed the youthful crowd pouring through the door, Mr. Tower-who revolutionized American food with his California cuisine at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse before Read More
¡H-Ola! Godfather of Nuevo Latino
Is Back, With a Low-Carb Menu A friend of mine was once on a train in Bolivia when it hit a cow. The passengers gave a whoop of joy and dived for their machetes. Within minutes they had butchered the animal, wrapped the pieces in newspaper and tossed them on Read More
Bastion of French Haute-Cuisine
Inspires Nostalgia, Revelation
Americans have always had a hearty dislike for the French, even before Dominique de Villepin came along. So I shouldn’t have been so surprised when, in the name of doing their bit for the Iraq war, people started boycotting French cheese and wine, and even New York’s Read More
A Neighborhood Spot
With Universal Appeal
The first hint that we were in for something special at Crispo came with the prosciutto we snacked on with our drinks. It was sliced by the chef on a big red hand-cranked machine in the back and served with chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and ripe figs. Read More
Midtown Newcomer Keeps Chinese
Tradition in the Kitchen
Cinnabar, a new Chinese restaurant on the West Side of midtown Manhattan, is not some neon and Formica hole in the wall where you hunker down with a pile of paper napkins and a bottle of Tsingtao and order by number. It’s a fancy Cantonese and Read More
“Why is this dish called chicken chicken curry?” asked my companion, squinting at the menu.
“It’s big,” replied the waiter.
“So if it were even bigger, would it be called chicken chicken chicken curry?”
“Yes.”
CafféAdulis, named for a lost African city, is an eccentric and oddly endearing restaurant that has Read More
