PANAME

For Parisians, "Paname" is the insider's nickname for their hometown, a telling indicator that this restaurant is intended for Francophiles in the know. Chef-owner Bernard Ros taps into the city’s casual bistro ethos, offering classic, reasonably-priced cuisine—

some traditional, and some invigorated with modern tweaks "pour le neighborhood,” he imparts on a recent night. Dinner is served in a white-clothed dining room trimmed with banquet tables, art deco mirrors and large, Erté-esque paintings. 

Absolutely everything on the menu is made in house except the crusty baguette, which comes from a trusted baker in Queens. You'll want it for the escargot ($10), which retain their signature garlicky punch but are ingeniously nuzzled into tiny hollowed-out potatoes, waxy and dense to amplify their buttery herbed pesto. Entrees are numerous, from pastas to proteins: a filet of market-price sole's light breading gives it a salty crunch of crust, with playful spritzes of sauce across white porcelains plates to add bright
flavors and colors alike. It reminded me instantaneously of my first meal in Paris: the nostalgia speaks volumes.  Scallopini swaps out the usual veal for slices of Niman Ranch pork ($22), tender enough to render a knife unnecessary and smothered in an umami-rich reduction of meat juices and mixed mushrooms.  A small bouquet of steamed vegetables accompany most dishes, but if you're vegephilic, you might want to start with a produce-centric option, such as the asparagus salad or the beets with chevre chantilly.  The asparagus are crisp and fresh, although the overall dish is a little lackluster.
 The beets, too, are fine examples, but their goat cheese could've been a little more chantilly-ed: it was basically just a little glob of goat cheese- a fairly ubiquitous combination.   Perhaps order a side dish of roughage... at only 4$!!! it's worth it even if they might not be anything to write home about.  Vegetables, perhaps, are not Paname's forte, but there are myriad other things on the menu that more than make up for this privation.





After the mains, a plate of pleasantly bitter little chocolates or a variety of biscuits might come complimentary, but don't let that dissuade you from ordering desserts ($10), all plated with flamboyant panache. There is just as much variety on the sweet end as in the savories: the molten chocolate cake and flourless chocolate torte are both classic, fudgy and decadent. A tarte tatin is the winner though, upending traditional proportions with a plump whole apple perched atop flaky pastry in a
 moat of rich, sugary-bronze housemade caramel. Even the seasonal sorbets are profoundly flavorful. It's a lucky spot to have if you're local to upper Midtown West, and even if not, well... it's a lot closer than Paris.



 

1068 2nd Avenue (bet. 56 & 57th Streets) 

tel  (212)207-3737

Revisit: THE DUTCH

Five years later, there's been no lapse whatsoever in the quality of The Dutch.  If anything, I enjoyed this visit more than the last, which is a notable feat, especially given that Andrew Carmellini's expanding empire now includes nine eateries and has ventured into Miami, plus two cookbooks.  I was seated at a different table this time which gave me a prime vantage point into the open kitchen, where a very handsome set of chefs (none of them the boys noted at the bottom of the menu, A.C., Luke and Josh), but obviously a capable set of talent that flawlessly upholds their legacy.  Pretty easy on the yes, too... which never hurts.

But lest not handsome chefs distract from their handiwork: everything was as up to snuff as it ever was.  We sat down to a warm board of crusty sourdough and a mini-loaf of perfect cornbread... just sweet as summer corn but not sugary, a moist, knobby crumb and rampantly
corny. A simple crock of chilled snap peas played their textures in different forms: toothsome orbs, julienned shells and whole pods, their freshness emphasized by chewy, salty nubs of lamb bacon and
 a salty-sweet glaze.  Milky burrata paired with a relish of crushed cerignola olives so fresh they tasted not of olives but simply of green.  Kissed with lemon and spread on warm rusks make for simple, luscious open-faced delights.

Those appetizer courses are judiciously sized, fit for one plus a bite or two to share with a tablemate.  Entrees tend more generous: in fact, none of us could finish our, and certainly not for lack of enjoyment.  Roast chicken could have been listed "For Two".  Served in a cast-iron skillet and festooned with a thatch of dandelion leaves, the bird was deeply bronzed and lavished in a garlicky yogurt sauce studded with fava beans and kicked with Moroccan spices.  Black sea bass was a showcase of spring: gossamer
 furls of new rhubarb added the acidity normally imparted by decidedly non-locavore lemons, precious fiddleheads were abundantly strewn across a bed of lusciously waxy discs of brilliant purple potatoes, themselves alone worth ordering the dish for.   The menu is pretty big, there were two other fish entrees to choose from, another chicken preparation (their "famous" fried), a lamb and a pork, and three versions of beef, from which we choose a grilled hanger steak fashioned into a sort of deconstructed bibimbap, sided with a spicy kimchi fried rice crowned with a wobbly egg.   We got a side dish of "Bang
 bang" portabellos just for the fun of it, and they were well-grilled with a good zip of heat, a handsome flourish a microgreens atop,but not particularly exciting beyond that. 



But perhaps they were saving the exciting for the desserts, which I had been saving room for all evening.  Both prior visits  deprived me of pie: the first time, A.C. sent out a lemon tart and a piece of chocolate cake, leaving no room for pie (if there exists such a state), and the second time a prior postprandial engagement cut us off short.  So this time, there was no avoiding it: a gorgeous, fat slice of blueberry with a creamy ricotta ice cream drizzled with lemon-thyme syrup.  Blueberry is not my favorite pie, but this one was plump with big, juicy beauties, no hint of gumminess and an exceptionally thin, flaky buttery crust that showcased the buxom fruit.  A pie worth waiting for, for certain, and a restaurant that warrants repeat visits.

131 SULLIVAN STREET at the

CORNER OF PRINCE STREET.

tel.  212-677-6200

BEST OF FANCY FOOD SHOW 2016

Okay, this is very subjective an non-comprehensive.  This massive show is so vast you could never sift your way through all the misos and matchas, salts and sausages, chocolates and challahs to even make a dent in assessing all those on display.   But here are some highlights from what I experienced, in no order.

1.  In addition to the charmingly clever name of the company ("We eat" in Italianglish, but also it sticks that little "ti amo" onto the end), these mild, sundried chilies are addictively good.  They are so light and crisp they basically dissolve on the tongue, snacky as a potato chip but virtuous without frying or salt, plus a font of vegetable goodness.  Strangely enough, however, I couldn't find them for purchase on their website, so maybe they're a good thing yet to come.  In the meantime, you could partake in one of their lovingly curated Italian food boxes delivered straight to your door.  You can go low-risk with just a one month box  ($59), or commit to six months at $54 per box).  So yeah, they're not cheap, but they're filled with premium goodies like an artisanal hazelnut cake, numerous varieties of Torrone Piemontese, and precious olive oils varietals.  And who knows?  Maybe in due time, those dried peppers will arrive in your subscription box.  www.Eattiamo.com

2.  Perfect Pie.  Need I say more?  Made from The Crustmaster Bill Yosses (dubbed so by POTUS Obama himself when he was the pastry chef at the White House), these pies, both sweet and savory, are everything you have ever desired in pie.  Savory truffled chicken pot pie balances humility and decadence all baked in a buttery latticework crust.  Piefruit pie (otherwise known as rhubarb) is my absolute favorite, but I could nor would shake no stick at the homey apple, the fruit sweetened just to amplify it.  Presidential, indeed.  www.perfectpie.com 



2.  arteasan White Tea is flavored with mango, holy basil and chamomile, but it is the passion flower that comes through along with the smooth, mellowness of the tea.  Whether it actually reduces stress and anxiety medicinally is probably scientifically unproven, but a few sips of the tea itself had me lapsing into such a pleasant, comfortable ease that I wouldn't argue against the point.  Clean, pure and refreshing practically non-caloric beverage (just ten calories for the entire bottle).  www.arteasan.com

3.  Off the Cob Chips are off-the-charts corny!!  Seriously amplified corn taste in a crunchy chip, because they use non-GMO sweet corn with just a sprinkle of sea salt, these would be excellent vehicle for just about any chip-friendly salsa or dip, but I can't imagine a better one for eating brand-shucked naked.  I mean the chip, naked.  I mean the chip without any adornment... it's up to you whether you want to wear clothes or not when you eat them.   www.OffTheCobChips.com


3.  Somebody's Mother's Chocolate Sauce's caramel sauce is gonna make you wish that somebody was you.  This stuff is so good you could eat it like pudding.  Rich and caramelly, I could see dipping apple slices or pretzel sticks, or getting way fancier by layering it in a millefeuille or some sort of trifle.  Added bonus that the website mashes up the letters of the name so "smothers" comes into the conversation.  Smother pretty much anything in this and mothers all over world will be proud.  "Naturally rich.  Velvety.  Perfect as a topping.  Cold. Or hot.  Especially good in the middle of the night."  Precisely.   www.somebodysmothers.com

"Pop!" goes the Boba.

4.  Bossen Bursting Boba are delightfully buoyant little pearls of juice, encapsulated in a seaweed-extract bubble that keeps them afloat in juicy fruit syrup.  Like the tapioca beads in bubble tea, but much lighter and not at all chewy, they burst fruitiness into your mouth or whatever they're festooned upon.  Each "boba" has just a single calorie, the individual portion-sized cups are only 30 calories, so they're as guilt-free as they are fun to eat.  The kiwi and blueberry were my favorite flavors.  www.BossenStore.com

5.  Admittedly partial to all things Oregon, this Honey Mustard Dressing from Pure Wild Oregon is profoundly good (as well as ANYTHING they do with marionberries).  Sweet and tangy with a kick of mustardy heat, it'd make fetching bedfellows with anything from crudites to a char-grilled frank.  Beaver Brand might be more famous for their horseradish mustards, but this one I find far superior.  Pure Wild Oregon




6.  Super yum for this flavor of Graeter's Ice Cream.  Personally, I like my ice cream with "stuff" in it... chunks and swirls and gobs- anything to contrast with the luscious creaminess of a good, custardy ice cream (as is Graeter's).  All their other flavors never wowed me.  The chips of chocolate too brittle, the others good, but plain.  But then in swoops Cheese Crown, a thick cheesecake ice cream tumbled with cinnamon-sugar hunks of danish and melting flakes of fondant icing.  Ben & Jerry, watch yer back.   Graeter's Ice Cream

7.  I try never to drink my calories: I'd much rather eat them.  So sugar-free sodas, unsweetened iced tea and coffee, flavored seltzer are my usually go-to (non-alcoholic) tipples of choice.  But I'll have to make an exception now for Cawston Press's Rhubarb soda.  It's ridiculously tangy and pert with 12% pure rhubarb juice, sweetened with fresh pressed apple juice and sugar.  I mean, since you can't drink pie, this the most refreshing and titillating rendition of rhubarb imaginable.  Cawston Press





8.  I'm not a big kombucha fan.  I usually find it either a little raw-alcohol tasting or too vinegary.  Revive Kombucha turns that on its head, though.  The Revive brand is almost annoyingly healthy: organic, vegan and raw to add to the the inherent healthfulness of kombucha to begin with.  The winner of their line, though, is Ascend, a Vitamin-C boosted white tea blend with added Lysine for its cleansing properties, probiotics to boost immunity and assist in digestion, and a sugar content that is ultra-low to boot.  It is remarkably
 smooth, less "zingy" than most kombuchas I've tried, and purely invigorating. They were serving it on tap a the Show, otherwise I would've shlepped home a case.  A case of their bottles, that is, which they reuse and recycle in a Bottle Exchange program that has salvaged 75% of their bottles distributed in the past five years.  Drink this and save the world.  Revive Kombucha




9.   Sue me for my passion for brussels sprouts, but these are the BOMB.  Spicy and pickly and downright addictive, Divina brand's Spicy Pickled Brussels Sprouts are a virtuous treat, perfect appetizer-type snacky vegs that would pair so well with a
 cheese or charcuterie board, and add a novel touch at the same time.  They are, unfortunately, only available wholesale by the case.  But maybe if word gets out, they start 'em up for retail.   Food Match/Divina



10.  Marco Canora isn't always there for you.  In case of an emergency (recipe- or cold-annihilating-wise), you're good with Nona Lim's Vietnamese Pho Bone Broth.  This stuff would make an excellent cooking base, but is delightfully nourishing and delicious on its own as a soup or beverage.  Like Marco's, there're no additives or preservatives- it's all made from homemade stocks of fresh and local produce and ingredients.  Nona Lim.


And as an honorable mention, I cannot leave out Big Fork Brands pork and uncured bacon sausages.  Problem is, I wasn't paying enough attention at the moment I sampled it, and I don't know which one I liked the best.... but I DEFinitely had a preference, and I kind of think it wasn't the Award Winning Hickory & Applewood smoked version (although it could've been), but the flavor profile made me think it might've been the Cracked Pepper one.  Regardless, I think I can pretty safely recommend any and all of these dogs.  Nitrate, nitrite, MSG, preservative, hormone and antibiotic free,  they leave out all the bad stuff and pack in as much porky goodness as absolutely possible.  Big Fork Brands




 

GILLIGAN'S

I rarely desire to eat outside.
  There are a handful of days in New York city where, weather-wise,  al fresco dining is even marginally attractive, and even fewer venues conducive to those days.  But then we find a place like Gilligan's, abutting the Soho Grand Hotel.  Frondy ferns and wooden fences protect from noisy traffic, gritty gusts of wind, slobbering foreign dogs and noxious fumes from exhaust pipes and sidewalk nicotine-fiends. Wide canvas umbrellas stretch above providing shade and that carefree, vacation resort feel, and string lights that make any venue feel festive.  It's actually quite transporting- might even feel a bit like that uncharted desert island.






The attractive staff is chipper and attentive, clad in nautical stripes and red canvas sneakers, all of which Gilligan himself would approve.  The menu is pretty brief: it's more snacks and drinking nibbles, but you could easily fashion a legitimate meal out of the offerings as well.  And a tasty meal it can be.

If you make it there while summer is still in full swing, don't miss the frozen watermelon margarita.  It'll definitely bring out the kid in you, for both it's juicy, fruity flavor and a tequila punch that could leave you acting like a third grader on summer break (nothing wrong with this).  They have almost as many cocktail options as menu items, and a short, but very sunshine-friendly wine list, plus organic juices.




For food, we just tried a couple of simple plates, but if I came back for a proper dinner I would head straight for the roasted prawns and the whole branzino.  They're not trying to do anything too fancy here: simple is best if you were stuck on a remote tropical island, and so reiterates Gilligan's philosophy.  We did enjoy some lovely little roasted beets, tumbled with nicely bitey arugula and a smear of very garlicky, salty horseradish creme fraiche.  In fact, saltiness seems to be a recurring theme, and garlic features prominently as well.  Tuna crudo is milder, swathed in a smooth avocado puree and a flurry of cilantro.  They spike it with just a couple of rings of chili which give the avocado even more purpose.  The pizza we tried, of
which there are three revolving seasonal flavors,  brought back the salt and garlic theme in full force, plus an additional punch of cheesiness from parmesan and ricotta.  Actually more of a flatbread than a pizza, the crust was still pliable with a nice chew, if little char, and long ribbons of translucent summer squash subbing in for sauce.  It definitely encourages a glass of wine, of which I might recommend the California Chardonnary ($16) or even a nice glass of Prosecco ($14).

There are no desserts on hand at Gilligan's (must be continuing the theme of desert-island hardship), so if you didn't take advantage of the slushy watermelon margarita pre-prandially, here's your chance.  I would love to see Odd Fellows swoop into fill that void, because this place has everything else going for it for this time of year.... still waiting on word of what happens once summer draws to a close and they find their way off that island.

 
310 West Broadway (keep walking south past the entrance of the SoHo Grand Hotel)
No Reservations
212.965.3271

MIMI

Don't let the fact that the female chef behind MIMI, Liz Johnson, who named her restaurant after her grandma, or that she's just twenty-five years old, or the quaint, diminutive location on Sullivan street deceive you into thinking that this is some dainty, effeminate eatery with salads and friandises.   Quite the contrary, MIMI is one powerful little juggernaut.  In terms of flavor and finesse per square foot, her impact would be hard to rival.  Ms. Johnson trained through some of the big names, from which Noma and Ma Peche might have imparted the greatest influence.  She brings a rustic, gutsy appeal to sophisticated, high-brow ingredients.  Sometimes, I had to ask our server what things were, which is pretty rare, but he fielded each inquiry with a noticeably relaxed, confident ease.  He was just as adept at offering suggestions, only with genuine pride and not at all pushy.

The menu divides into cold starters and warm ones, and then progresses onto larger plates.  A succinct but thoughtful list of French wine accompanies, if not guides, the whole affair.  A bonito appetizer, cut into thick, rough hunks, wallowed in an herby oil under a fragrant sludge of dried herbs.  The menu mentioned shishito pepper, but unless they were dried and pulverized into a rub, they went missing from the final product.  Similary absent are any tweezers involved in MIMI's plating: she is concentrating more on the flavors than frivolities, but the food is still very attractive.  Most, if not all, dishes are heavily sauced, though the overall effect
 is decadently balanced rather than overwhelming.  The focus is not necessarily always on the first ingredient listed on the menu, either, which can be a little confusing: a dish of porcini mushrooms camouflage among salty, oceanic medallions of ankimo, a smooth monkfish pate who's brackish
kick might overpower the fungus if not meted out discerningly.  This dish is more about the anikimo than the porcinis, even if the proportions of the ingredients are inverse.  Asparagus, that
harbinger of spring, are almost lost beneath a
 deliciously creamy scallop blanquette, studded with bright green peas.  Even the tips of the asparagus are trimmed off (unfortunate, as they are always the most flavorful bit), but this again illustrates that the point of the dish might be the sauce more than the stalks, emphasized by cured slips of briny scallop lolling over the creamy melange.




Main courses are  nicely sized, a rich yet delicate turbot filet more manageable than an impressive chunk of thick-cut cod, but the latter was so perfect of flake and its gentle honey lacquer that I almost wanted two.  It was topped in a generous pile of blistered shishitos, this time as I expected them; the Russian Roulette of vegetables, only the after-burn of which reveals the level of Scoville.  Two more of the peppers, selected for their size, come along for the ride, stuffed with a snowy brandade and delicately shrouded in a crisp golden-battered crust.  The best part may have been the taupe-colored sauce smeared across the white porcelain plate... I can't figure out its composition, but it tasted vaguely mushroomy, sweetened with the honey and rife with umami.  Two roasted clams smiled alongside, as they did with the turbot- a much more appetizing 
garnish than generic parsley.  Coated in a light, subtle cream, the Mediterranean turbot, an oily, fragile fish was somehow richer a lighter at the same time.  Thick discs of trumpet mushroom and a verdant saute of mature spinach round out the plate.


Desserts perpetuate the menu's precedent of substance:  there is a chocolate tart and a rum-soaked baba, both of which seemed a little heavy.  Pistachio souffle is on offer as well, but it not only requires the requisite twenty-minute prep period, but is also portioned for two, whereas a single portion of any of those substantial sweets would have been adequate after such an impactful meal.  If there is anything MIMI could add into the mix, it might be throwing a little freshness and light in with all that boldness.  It would only serve to reinforce her her talent....and grandma might approve.

185 Sullivan Street
tel.  (212)418-1260