New York's Great Restaurateurs.

Elaine Kaufman, like other great restaurateurs , had one of the best places int he city. Her namesake eatery drew all sorts of luminaries form writers to actresses to even Martha Stewart. Yesterdays New York Times celebrated her life in their Critic's Notebook, written by regular Sam Sifton. Not surprisingly he wasn't the only one, Elaine had several fans, among them Woody Allen and Liza Minnelli.


New York City an d its' environs are a great place to be a foodie and a celebrity. Restaurants throughout the ages have catered to both. There was Demonico's during the city's Gilded Age which hosted the enormous appetite of Diamond Jim Brady, there was and still is Sardi's which fed great Italian specialties to both the pasta lover and stage lover alike . There was the famed Joe Allen's which served steaks to real life Don Drapers the early Sixties.These colorful hangouts provided good cheer along with good wine and gourmet food to New York's masses.

Mr. Sifton goes on about today's restaurant owners/ There is , of course, the famed Bobby Flay and Mario Battali. They are chefs and the best , yet unlike Ms. Kaufman their fame comes form the Food Channel. People the world over know them and want to try their dishes. However they concerned with food , not with greeting th e customer, -nor with knowing the regulars by name. great restaurateurs were different. They cared about who ate there. They made sure guests have a good time. Today's are more like going to see a rock star in concert. Let them do their thing.Admire them but , don't get too close.

There will always be great place to eat in Manhattan , There's no shortage of excellent chefs. yet there is a shortage of restaurant owners who truly care about their customers Hopefully the trend will reverse itself.

Cookbooks The Ultimate Foodie Gift

Everyone , especially foodies, love receiving cookbooks as a holiday gifts. There's something exciting about opening up a book on our favorite things or on exotic cuisines. We long to make them and now have the recipes to do so. Not only that but cookbooks always have the best glossy photos in them. Coffee table books are fine but its; recipes books that steal the show.

Today's New York Times had an interesting buyer's guide put together by Times regular Julia Moskin. Ms. Moskin also included some recipes such as sauteed chicken with roasted grapes form the cookbook, Radically Simple (Rodale Press) by Rozanne Gold and mustard batons, savory mushrooms sticks from Dorie Greenspan's My French Table (Houghton Mifflin , publisher)Including these int eh article should give potential cook buyers a leg up on what to get their favorite cooks. There are other one s as well, featuring tapas, The Book of Tapas by Simone and Ines Ortega as well as a whole range of Indian themed ones,. The famed Indian chef, Madhur Jaffrey (Knopf) also has one out simply titled At Home With Mahur Jaffrey. there is also one on Indian street cooking as well, Street Food of India by I.B. Taurus.

Cake , bread and cookie bakers should also rejoice at the new books out now. There are some that I would live to get under my tree. The Gourmet Cookie Book put out by Houghton Mifflin is right up my alley. it includes recipes form 1941 to 2009. Another is Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson, featuring the recipes of that famed San Fran bakery Tartine . Boston;s famous bapastry chef, Joanne Chan g , the owner of Flour Bakery has put out a cookbook of her best cake recipes entitled Flour. (Chronicle) Again this looks like a great gift too.

There;s nothing like giving a foodie a cookbook for Christmas or any holiday. it's a fun way to spend hours reading the recipes and then the thrill of executing them. The best part is trying and tasting all those delicious dinners and desserts brought to life.

Crostoli - A Fried Holiday Sweet

Around this time of year we get in undated with sweets.there are endless cookies and scores of cakes. In th e midst of all this home baked goodness there's the crostoli , a fried sweet treat. it's a light an dairy alternative to all those snaps and tortes. One bite is crunchy, sweet and downright heavenly.

Crostoli is an Italian treat however the Poles make their own version called krusciki. The Piedmontese Italians also have a thinner version called bugie . It's basically a simple egg rich dough that's then fried. In Ital crostoli are a big carnival food.They can be made and then cooked on the spot being served piping hot. The Tuscan version requires Marsala wine for a sweet kick. while the Polish version is whiskey and sour cream laced. Some recipes just call for an egg, sugar and flour mix without any alcohol. However recipes vary from family to family. the one universal is that they all have powdered sugar dusted on them. (which creates a heavenly sweet cloud when you bite into one)

Crostoli can also be made plan and served with various sauces for dipping (hits was popular at the famous crepe chain The Magic Pan decades ago). You can make bougie or crostoli, ,nix the sugar at the end and serve with sweet dips. Most popular are chocolate along with apricot and raspberry dips. You can also sprinkle them with just cinnamon for Mexican vibe.

Instead of baking sweet treats this holiday season, think about frying them. crostoli are a different holiday sweet that everyone will enjoy. Not only that they are just heavenly to eat, light an airy as spun sugar.

Saint Nicholas Day Treats

Today is Saint Nicholas Day or Little Christmas. it;s was the original Christmas before martin Luther declared that December 25th should be the day commemorating the Christ Child's birth. However it is still a time of treats from savory to sweet. Children all over the world are given food gifts, in anticipation for the big day late on this month.



St Nicholas Day traditionally has candies and cakes however there are some savory treats associated with this day The Bulgarian make a carp dish called ribnik, and it's the fish baked en croute in a type of pastry dough. Why? The kindly saint is thought to be the protector of sailors and fishermen. Ribnik is usually eaten with cabbage and grape leaves or peppers,beans and more bread.. The Dutch also hugely celebrate this day and serve boiled chestnuts with butter and salt.



The day is really reserved for treats . Again the Dutch who are big on this holy day serve their kids spice cookies as well as a giant milk chocolate letter of their first initial. The Germans bake giant gingerbread cookies in the shape of the saint. they're later frosted with colored icing and given out. Since St Nicholas was known for his generosity, gold coins are given out. These are the foil wrapped milk chocolate discs all kids love and get during the holiday period.


Celebrate today with loved ones and the little ones in your life. Give them cookies or chocolates for this feast day of the man who would later be Santa Claus. Emulate his generosity too by giving extra treats for children in need.

Cold Weather Comfort Foods

This is th e time of year when a good dish of comfort food comes in handy. There's; nothing as soothing as a warm plate of pasta or casserole. Even better is when it;s followed by a treat that we loved growing up. What better than to end days full of hectic shopping along with work and family demands
To me the best comfort food is still spaghetti. There;s nothing as delicious or as comforting as a big bowl of spaghettini or even angel hair, covered with home made sauce. Of course there has to be a loaf of fresh Italian bread that can be dipped into any extra left on the plate. Nothing beats homemade sauce redolent with fresh (or frozen ) basil form the garden, along with fresh garlic. Another favorite of mine is pasta con burro, spaghetti with just butter melted on it. It's plain and simple but oh so good. I know a variety of FP's readers love a good baked mac and cheese and it;s perfect during these chilly days and nights. The best ones ar e made with sharp cheddar and have a layer of crumbled bacon throughout .Even casseroles if done right are yummy. There's nothing like a recipe that started with your gran or great gran.

Of course dessert is synonymous with the phrase. Most people usually associate a bowl of chocolate pudding with Reddi Whip (here the States) as the ultimate comfort. food. Then there are the stovetop or microwave s'mores that can be made in a snap (and eaten even quicker). if you want a more decadent version sub in Vahlrona chocolate for the Hershey's; although the last is good too. Another fave is the Pillsbury slice and bake chocolate chip cookis. make a batch for yourself before any holiday baking. They're th e ultimate treat, espeically with a tall glass of milk. .

There's nothing like our favorite foods during these cold days and nights.Like a warm, fuzzy blanket they embrace us and bring us back to our childhoods. Happiness is more than a warm puppy , it a warm dish of home cooked love.

Lush Foodie Gifts Part One

For the next three Fridays up until Christmas Eve I'll be writing about what luxury foods gifts you can get for yourself or for others.. Let's face facts - everyone love a rich bottle of something or a deluxe box of goodies. Today I'm gong to kick off the series with two of the most decadent items a foodie can dream of - champagne and chocolate. The most expensive and delicious champagne out there is the brand new Angel Champagne. The chocolate is of course Vosges - one of the world's most expensive. These are definitely splurge items but - oh are they good - Even together.

Angel Champagne is not only the lushest bubbly out there it,'s probably the most expensive.The cheapest bottle is a whopping $950 for a 750 ml. Most of their bottles range the in over a grand category. It's not just the over the top taste (this is the Jaguars of champagnes after all) but how the stuff is presented. Each bottle is coated with four layers of a platinum finished and then decorated with sterling silver labels and Swavroski crystals . What about the taste?is better than even Cristal? Yes! The drink's creators, the hot Mariah Carey and the even hotter Britalian (British and Italian) entrepreneur Stefano Zagni, tailored the drink to their palates. It's Angel's fruitier, more voluptuous taste that makes any connoisseur wanting more . This is the best an d most luxurious Christmas present to buy this year.

What would go with Angel? . Decadent Vosges chocolate!!!. This is not the stuff you pick up at your local CVS or Walgreen's. Vosges chocolate averages anywhere from $80 to &100 dollars for a box. The flavors are intriguing. They have a eggnog truffle made with Jamaican rum along with the mega expensive Grenadian nutmeg. Plum pudding truffles contains Armagnac in them What I like about Vosges is that they're not afraid of the trendy. They have a whole collection of chocolate covered bacon(Now that's decadent!!!!) This company also has a vegan and gluten free line too where chilis and even rare reishi mushrooms are mixed with this top premium chocolate.

The holidays are a time of special treats. if you have the money splurge on a small bottle of Angel Champagne and a box of Vosges truffles. better yet make these your own special gifts. Don't share them with anyone!

Angel champagne can be found at www.angelchampagne.com
Vosges chocolate can be bought at www.vosgeschocolates.com

The Warmth Of Port

Port is a great drink for this time of year. Its' warm, rich color is alluring and inviting.It has a sweet cinnamon taste with a dash of spiciness to it like a rich holiday cookie Port is also an excellent holiday drink as well, being the perfect dessert wine. You can serve it with dinner or afterward s with cheese or better yet homemade shortbreads.

It was the topic of the great Eric Asimov ( I really like his column) Pour, the Dining section's spirits column. He mentions vintage port which is big amongst affectionados.These are called tawnies because of their reddish brown color and have to be aged in wooden casks for at least ten years. This mellows them and softens their fieriness.A good tawny is about twenty years old.

Mr Asimov also throws in some interesting port recipes. They are Hot Port Sangaree and along with St Charles Punch and a cocktail simply called St.Valentine. The first is more of a hot mead like drink that combines the wine ,pomegranate ,molasses and Angostura bitters. The second is a punch famous at the St Charles Hotel of New Orleans.It sounds tasty with its' mix pf port, Cognac and lemon juice.. St Valentine is just port rum and Grand Marnier with a splash of lime. This last would be a good foil with extra salty appetizers.

Buy a lush bottle of port this holiday season.It is good on its as a dessert wine. It 's also good mixed with other liqueurs for a delicious and heady cocktail