Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

23 Jan 2013

Parm – New York City

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Following our stroll through The High Line and a festive deep-fried breakfast, The Astronomer, Sonia, and I headed to Parm for a late lunch on our first full day in the city. Here at this quaint spot in Nolita, Chefs Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone celebrate and “elevate” Italian-American cooking in all its red sauce glory.

With quite a bit of buzz surrounding the restaurant, including a 2-star review in the Times, I was more than a little excited to experience what all the hubbub was about. Plus, I hadn’t eaten any parmigiana, be it meatball, veal, or eggplant, since graduating from college, so it was high-time I got my fill.

We arrived sometime past 2 PM and waited a quick minute before being seated. Sonia’s dined here just about a dozen times, including the night before, so she led us through the restaurant’s greatest hits. I also cribbed some notes while reading Pete Wells’ write up, so we were all set on the ordering front.

We started with a slew of appetizers, including warm-from-the-oven “Pizza Knots ($5)” sprinkled with crumbly Parmesan and fresh parsley. Whereas classic pizza parlor “knots” are doughy, greasy things that have a way of hijacking one’s stomach, these were lighter specimens with a definite crust and fluffy innards.

While I could’ve gone for seconds, the portion size allotted us only a knot each. Perhaps this was for the best considering how much food was coming our way.

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Recipe

21 Jan 2013

Nước Chấm – Vietnamese Fish Sauce Vinaigrette

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Of all the family recipes I’ve learned over the years, this nuoc cham is without question the most essential. From com tam (broken rice) to banh cuon (pork and mushroom crepes) to cha gio (deep-fried spring rolls) to thit nuong (grilled pork), nearly every dish in the Vietnamese culinary cannon depends on this sweet and sour “mother” sauce to season, spice, and delight. When paired with a lackluster nuoc cham, even the most carefully prepared dishes can fall disappointingly flat.

This recipe comes from Aunt Phuong, the premier nuoc cham artist in my family. While garlic, chilies, lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce are all standard ingredients, her use of Coco Rico soda in place of water takes the vinaigrette to the next level. Though mostly mild in flavor, the coconut-tinged soda brings a crisp sweetness that water doesn’t possess. The soda’s carbonation fades just as soon as it’s combined with the sugar, so no worries about bubbly nuoc cham. Stir, stir, stir…

When stored in an airtight container, the vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for up to four months.

4 large garlic cloves
2 Thai red chillies
1 can Coco Rico soda (12 ounces)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar (77 grams)
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Trim and finely mince garlic cloves and chilies. Set aside.

Combine sugar and soda in a medium-sized bowl, stirring briskly with a large spoon to dissolve sugar completely.

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Restaurant Review

18 Jan 2013

Doughnuttery – New York City

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The Astronomer and I devoured a platter of street meat at the corner of 53rd and 6th the moment we arrived on Manhattan soil this past December. It was well past midnight and well below forty degrees at the time, but one forkful of the chopped lamb smothered in white sauce and none of that seemed to matter. Plus, the less-than-ideal conditions made for no lines and instant gratification.

We followed up our late-night snack with a good night’s sleep and awakened the next morning ready to explore and feast some more. After meeting up with my sister-in-law Sonia and strolling along The High Line, we made our way to Chelsea Market for breakfast at the Doughnuttery.

I was alerted to the existence of the Doughnuttery by a press release that serendipitously landed in my inbox a few days before the trip. The stall, which debuted in early December, is a collaboration between pastry chef Katie Rosenhouse and her business partner Evan Feldman.

While the Doughnuttery’s batter and flavored sugars are original creations, the deep-frying setup is fairly commonplace. I encountered identical machinery at Seattle’s Street Donuts back in 2011, as well as at my office building’s holiday party last year. Still, it was pretty mesmerizing watching the tiny O’s being made.

Here, doughnuts are sold by the half-dozen or dozen and are fried-to-order in trans-fat free shortening. There are over a dozen flavor possibilities including “PBCP” (peanut butter, cayenne, and pretzel), “Paris Time” (lavender, pistachio, and vanilla sugar), and “Cacaoboy” (cacao nibs, mesquite and black sugar). “Dough Dips” include pumpkin beer caramel, toffee sauce, and raspberry balsamic.

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