Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

12 Feb 2016

Fuku – New York City

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I was hoping to have this published on Monday, in time for Tết, because Vietnamese folks believe that everything that happens on the first day of the New Year continues for the rest of the year. Well, it’s Friday, which means that my wish for a little New Year’s luck to keep me publishing more frequently didn’t quite pan out. There goes the Year of the Monkey…

And now to the subject at hand: Fuku, Chef David Chang’s fast-casual fried chicken sandwich shop in the original Momofuku Noodle Bar space.

For $8, I received a big ‘ol slab of boneless fried chicken served between a squashed and wrinkly bun slathered with “Fuku butter” and dotted with pickles. The habanero-kissed batter was as crispy and spicy as hoped, while the meat of the matter was moist enough but not especially juicy.

Fuku - New York City

To further dress the sandwich there was “Ssam Sauce,” essentially thinned-out Korean chili paste (gochujang), as well as ketchup. I preferred the latter’s tangy goodness over the former’s sweet heat.

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Restaurant Review

26 Jan 2016

Sadelle’s – New York

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My trip to New York City coincided with Rosh Hashanah, which meant that my brother’s apartment was chock full of bagels, smoked fish, and bear claws, all of which were sourced from Sadelle’s.

An ambitious new-school Jewish deli from the folks at Major Food Group, Sadelle’s opened a few days prior to my arrival, and my bro and sister-in-law were early adopters.

Since I liked what I tasted, and I’ve yet to meet a Jewish deli that I didn’t love, The Astronomer, June and I made our way to Sadelle’s for lunch during our stay. The wait for a table bordered on tortuously long, but that’s par for the course when it comes to dining at a hotly anticipated restaurant during its first few days of business.

According to the New York Times, Sadelle’s was first imaged as a bakery for Melissa Weller, a pastry chef who experimented with bagels while working at Per Se. The menu has since evolved to include all manner of traditional Jewish appetizing during the day and caviar service at night. (more…)

Restaurant Review

13 Jan 2016

New York City Sweets: Cake, Paletas and more!

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When The Astronomer and I visited New York City in the past, we’d arrive with long lists of places to eat, sights to see, and people to visit. Traveling to The Big Apple with June last fall, we took a more laid back approach. Instead of filling our itinerary with lots of “stuff” to do, we spent our days wandering and snacking around TriBeCa and the East Village. Here are some of the sweet detours we took along the way…

A trip to New York isn’t complete without a doughnut from Chef Fany Gerson. She opened a Manhattan outlet of Dough in 2014, which made it much easier for us to get our deep-fried high on this visit. Making the trek to Bed-Stuy would’ve been pretty tough with a baby.

The flavor that caught our eye was the Tropical Chile, a giant yeast doughnut glazed with a chili-spiked passion fruit icing. It was tangy, hot, and sweet. Delightful.

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