Rouge Tomate, the Belgium imported restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, had a booth in the tents during Mercedes–Benz Fashion Week where they handed-out delectable fresh and seasonal mocktails prepared by Rouge Tomate’s mixologist, Rainlove Lampariello. Guests were lining-up to try the concoctions — two were served at a time and nearly everyone I saw came back for seconds.
The restaurant is located in the heart of Manhattan at 10 East 60th St. between Madison and Fifth Avenue and features modern American dishes under the direction of Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman. Born in Belgium, Rouge Tomate is the first American restaurant to follow a specific, proprietary nutritional guideline called SPE (Sourcing, Preparing, Enhancing). The restaurant houses a registered dietitian on staff, Natalia Rusin who works hand-in-hand with the culinary team. Learn more on Rouge Tomate’s website!
September 23rd, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in General, News | Comments (0)
Named for the Latin spice blend whose bright orange color heavily inspired the restaurant’s décor, Sofrito is a Puerto Rican restaurant brought to the Upper East Side by a former detective JR Morales. It’s hard to imagine that I unknowingly lived just a few steps from this eatery for so long because it has one of the area’s most uniquely inviting interiors. With near nightly live Latin musical entertainment, the longest bar in the city (measuring up at 100 feet long), a delectable list of cocktails and plenty of lounge and restaurant space the venue has got you covered from the early eve through the late-night hours.
Given that the space was designed by Stephane Dupoux (also of Buddha Bar, the Gansevoort Beach Club, and Cielo), it’s little surprise that it’s swank (it could easily be confused for one of the big meatpacking district eateries). Sofrito evokes the natural beauty of Puerto Rico with its grasscloth wallpaper, neutral color palette, sculptural wood artwork, a sleek and almost futurist bar that has backlit changing lights.
For the food, Morales paired up consulting chef Ricardo Cardona (also of Mama Juana and Hudson River), and with the young and talented Andres Ortega.
We started our meal with a plate of mixed appetizers that included flaky, crunchy Empanadas filled with ground beef, fried savory plantains topped with octopus, and crispy fried shrimp and calamari. The standouts were the plantains which were cooked to perfection. The bread that was served when you first sit down is also worth noting – a garlic, challah-esque delight!
The appetizer was paired with Sofrito’s signature Mojito which is a blend of Rum, Malibu Passion, Passion Fruit Juice, Lime and Mint topped garnished with sugar cane. Though Sofrito’s wine list is comprehensive and affordable, with many bottles under $40, it’s their cocktails that are truely the most noteworthy. Besides their
Mojito, they’ve also got some sangria which Morales claims is the “best you’ve ever tasted,” thanks to some punchy additions, which include brandy, peach schnapps, melon liqueur, rum, and triple sec. It’s listed alongside other drinks including the Cocotini, a Puerto Rican favorite that blends Malibu Rum, Coconut Milk, and Pineapple Juice.
For the main course we had a baked red snapper which was served with rice and beans, along with as flank steak paired with garlic shrimp and rice. The stands out were the rice and beans and the shrimp. The rice had a wonderful nuttiness do it and the beans were perfectly cooked, while the shrimp were delectably large and perfectly seasoned – a must try at Sofrito.
As for desserts they range from tropical to decadent. Empanaditas de Guayaba y Queso de Crema consist of guava paste and cream cheese stuffed inside piping hot crescents of sweet dough. Tres Leches is only mildly sweet but heavenly in its soft, spongy texture, while a Pudin de Pan de Chocolate, or Chocolate Bread Pudding, is rich, gooey, and irresistibly topped with caramel and vanilla ice cream – this delicious option is the one we opted for. At $5 it’s arguably one of the best dessert deals in all of NYC and the hearty portion is more than enough for two.
The bar scene, which carries on late into the night, is accompanied by live Latin music five days a week. The Sofrito House Band, a five-piece group that plays musica sabrosa—merengue, salsa, bachata—plays live every Friday and Saturday, while Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays see a rotating cast of characters. Regulars are known to break into improvisational performance—and sometimes these impromptu performances feature the likes of Jaime Foxx, Marc Anothy, and Jennifer Lopez, who are all known to frequent Sofrito when in town.
Sofrito is located at 400 E 57 St. at First Avenue, and is open for dinner from 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM on weeknights and from 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM on weekends, with late night music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday. For more information on private parties and reservations, please call 212-754-5999 or visit www.sofritony.com.
July 29th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in General, News | Comments (0)
Sonoma Syrup Co., a maker of pure and natural classic American infused simple syrups – though there is certainly nothing simple about the complex taste of their balanced varieties — are handcrafted in small batches. All their products are made without artificial colors or flavors and they come packaged in beautiful glass bottles. The syrups can be used to sweeten a variety of beverages — including wine. I recently taste-tested their No. 24 Acai Black Currant with Champagne and it not only was a great complement it enhanced the flavor of the bubbly goodness (in this case a bottle of Pommery Blue POP, NV — though I would recommend using a Cava or Prosecco over Champagne). The Acai Black Currant syrup is full of antioxidants and though it adds palpable sweetness it is relatively low in sugar (it is lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar). This particular syrup was, in fact, selected as a Silver Finalist for Outstanding New Product in the 2009 sofi Awards from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trace, Inc. For sweeter notes their No. 3 Lavender is relatively high in sugar and while it would work with sparkling wine, it would make a much better complement to an iced tea, margarits, or a marmalade.
Sonoma Syrup Co., also makes premium artisan extracts including lemon, vanilla, almond, and organic vanilla extract that make a great addition to a variety of culinary treats including creme brulee, custards, tarts, muffins, curries, stews, cupcakes and weddings cakes — all of which would bear wonderfully with a variety of wines and cocktails.
Simple syrup is the most universal bar mixer and this particular range with its versatility and depth of flavor makes for a particularly good choice (love that their are no artificial flavors!). To boot, they’re especially useful for making cocktails with a limited amount of time and steps. Learn more on Sonoma Syrup Co. website!
July 9th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in Cocktail Tips, General, Mixology Training | Comments (0)
Like many food and drink enthusiasts, when I think about these things (food and drink) it’s very often regulated by the season and my mood (which usually has something to do with the season). When I think of winter spirits I think of the brown stuff: whiskey (bourbon, Scotch, Irish whiskey, the whole thing), brandy, etc. And I love these things in the winter–that slight burn in the back of your throat is pretty welcome on a cold evening, where it might not as much be in a mid-summer heat wave.
But sometimes it’s nice to part from the obvious, so long as the departure works. And winter gin totally works. I wasn’t sure what I wanted as a first cocktail last night with my steak dinner (of course I was going to have red wine with the actual steak) but an intro cocktail is a beautiful thing because you can just get whatever you want and don’t so much have to worry about how it’s going to pair with whatever you’re eating.
As it turns out, not only is gin a wonderful winter drink, but it also paired great with my beet and (thank you, not goat cheese) blue cheese salad. The gin cut right through the rich tanginess of the blue cheese and added an herbaceousness, which it always adds to anything, to the whole situation.
So that was an unplanned bonus, but what’s really great about winter gin is what I’ll call the “Wint-o-Green effect.” Sometimes when it’s cold you want something cool, increasing (rather than mitigating) the cool effect. That’s what gin does. It adds a crispness to an already crisp situation. And as I sipped my very dry Tanqueray 10 (the restaurant didn’t have my favorite, Hendrix) gin martini with a twist–and my very cool date was having one too–on a nice, cold, crisp winter March evening, I have to say, I was feeling pretty chilled out, which can be really nice on a winter day or, you know, any day.
(photo credit: pedromourapinheiro)
April 12th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in General | Comments (0)
Two things are back in New York and much of the country: Spring and absinthe. Put them together on a lazy Saturday with good friends and magic ensues. Walking to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of Chartreuse with a few friends, something more appealing (for both its exoticism and former contraband status) caught our eyes last weekend: absinthe. There were two brands available and we opted for the Lucid, prompted by it’s glowing recommendation in The Times.
With bottle in hand, we headed to our favorite BYOB restaurant in the West Village, serendipitously joined another group of friends and enjoyed a wonderful meal together. The group we joined was drinking some nice and otherwise exciting Rioja, but we had absinthe and were in no position to be jealous of anyone. Armed with sugar cubes and the restaurant’s endless supply of free tap water, we mixed our absinthe, sugar, water cocktails and apertiff turned into food pairing turned into dessert.
At one point one of our absinthe party proclaimed, “I’m so happy,” as if high. Indeed, the effect of the absinthe (which we drank with gusto but moderation) was a nice buzz, plus. They say the chemical in wormwood, thujone, taps into the same receptors as marijuana.
Much has been done in recent years to discredit the negative reputation of absinthe, that it causes hallucinations and craziness, but I can tell you that thujone adds a little somethin’ somethin’. We checked in with each other throughout the meal: “Anyone feel like cutting off their ear?,” and were continually assured, “No. I don’t want to cut off my ear, but I’m so happy.” Besides making you feel pretty nice, the Lucid stuff tastes great. You’ll first notice the anise/fennel qualities (as they’re a key part of the recipe). Then you’ll notice other, some vegetal, flavors. It’s subtle, complex and delicious. You would never believe it was ;62 percent alcohol, but you would do well to remember that fact while drinking it–a little goes a long way.
It is its palatability combined with its high alcohol content that makes it, I think, potentially dangerous. But, drunk with good friends on a beautiful day with an eye to moderation and proclivity toward pleasure, it’s hard to beat.
Erin Hollingsworth
(photo credit: danielleblue)
April 9th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in General | Comments (0)
While it isn’t quite the time of year where everyone walks down the streets of Manhattan in bikinis (OK, so that time never happens in New York–this isn’t South Beach), it is the time when people start buying bikinis, thinking about the weeks and months that lie ahead in which they will have occasion to wear them, if not on the sidewalk.
It’s also the season for margaritas, that great would-be South of the Border concoction. Funny thing though: Margaritas can pack over 250 calories each, making them in that regard rather beach unfriendly. Yes, nothing says Spring Break fun like the margarita. If the margarita were in your friend group, he wouldn’t be anyone’s favorite guy, but everyone would like him pretty well–it’s nice to have him at the party. Sweet, sour, tequila-y, full of flavor and available frozen or on the rocks but cold, always cold, there is something about the heat that makes you want the tequila, lime, citrus, triple sec concoction.
But, not only does the simple syrup (or worse, sour mix many restaurants use, or worse, premixed margarita mix you buy in the store) add tons of calories, the sugar is also really dehydrating. That’s why everyone always feels as bad as they look on their second day in Cancun–they’re super dehydrated. So, I’m not saying don’t drink margaritas, I’m not one of “those girls.” But, having more than one or two probably won’t make you feel that great as early as later in the day/night and certainly by the next morning if you keep drinking them.
Erin Hollingsworth
(photo credit: samsmith)
April 8th, 2009 by Beverage Blogger | Posted in General | Comments (0)
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