Thursday, March 25, 2010

Trattoria Cinque Specials!

Trattoria Cinque is updating their weekly specials! Monday through Friday, from 5pm-7pm, they will offer apertivo, an Italian tradition eating various snacks while having a drink. A rotating selection of bruschetta, fried seafood, pizzette, fried vegetables such as olives, zucchini flowers or artichokes, pickled vegetables and cheeses will be available.

Also on Monday through Friday from 5pm-7pm, there will be a $20 artisanal pizza and 2 Peroni special. Chose from a variety of pizzas- Perfect to share!

Trattoria Cinque Presents The 2010 World Cup

It is custom in Italy for fans and their guests to visit the local trattoria before a big football game. Proprietors pass around antipasti (salumi and cheeses), bread and light fare to fans gratis, while passing around jugs of wine. Trattoria Cinque will continue this tradition during the World Cup 2010. Make sure to stop by with your "Azzurri kits"!
Trattoria Cinque is located at 363 Greenwich Street.

Great Review of Last Year's Taste of Tribeca

Our friend's over at Slash Food posted a great review of our lamb cook-off from last year's Taste. Was lamb the new bacon last year? What food trends will Taste of Tribeca 2010 debut this year? Buyy your tickets at tasteoftribeca.org and find out!

Taste of Tribeca's Tip for the Perfect Mashed Potato

This article first appeared in Tribeca Citizen on March 20, 2010. We appreciate being allowed to reprint this article.

In anticipation of Taste of Tribeca, the benefit for P.S. 234 and P.S. 150 on May 15, I’m asking the neighborhood chefs who are participating for cooking tips that mere culinary mortals might use at home. Henry Meer, chef and owner of City Hall, shares the method behind City Hall’s luscious mashed potatoes.

First, scrub the potatoes. Use Yukon Golds, and leave the skin on—it’s where the nutrients are, and besides, I love the flavor. Set a pot of cold water, with a little salt, to simmer. Never boil your potatoes—instead, you want a long, low simmer. If you boil them, all the starch ends up on the bottom of the pot. Now the real key is that all the ingredients have to be hot. So the milk and butter should be brought to boil and combined with the potatoes while still hot, then mashed with love. If the potatoes or milk are cold, it’ll make the potatoes pasty, not creamy, fluffy, and yummy.* Garnish with fresh dill and olive oil, and season to taste.

City Hall is at 131 Duane (between Church and West Broadway); 212-277-7777, cityhallnewyork.com.

* Tickets are now on sale at tasteoftribeca.org. And if you buy before May 1, you’ll get a discount.
** Meer insisted I try City Hall’s mashed potatoes, and I can vouch that they are indeed all that. See for yourself….

Monday, March 22, 2010

Taste of Tribeca Tips

This article first appeared in Tribeca Citizen on March 18, 2010. We appreciate being allowed to reprint this article.

In anticipation of Taste of Tribeca, the benefit for P.S. 234 and P.S. 150 on May 15 (tickets are on sale now via the website), I’m asking the neighborhood chefs who are participating in the event for cooking tips that mere culinary mortals might use at home. Here’s one from Rachel Thebault, owner and head confectioner at Tribeca Treats—who, it bears mentioning, has a cookbook, Sweet Chic, coming out in October, with a foreword by Isaac Mizrahi.)

When planning a dinner party, do you often skip a homemade dessert because it’s too time-consuming? You may not know it, but many desserts freeze remarkably well, so you can do most of the work one or two weeks in advance. Cookie dough is one of my favorite things to freeze, because you can make it all beforehand, portion it out, and then freeze it. (I use a small ice-cream scooper to form little balls of dough; after letting them freeze a bit on a tray—so they don’t stick—I stack them in an air-tight container. The key to freezing desserts is to make sure that whatever you freeze is wrapped as air-tight as possible—it keeps the flavors more fresh.) When it comes time to serve, pop the frozen dough straight in the oven. You’ll then have a plate of warm, fresh-baked cookies to offer your guests.

For something even more decadent, cheesecake also freezes really well. Spend a Sunday baking a cheesecake (or several mini ones), let it set in the refrigerator overnight, then wrap it and freeze it for a week or two. Let it thaw in the fridge one day before your party. Your guests will be very impressed. If you forget to plan ahead, of course, you can always visit your local bakery….

Tribeca Treats is at 94 Reade, between Church and West Broadway; 212-571-0500, tribecatreats.com.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

St Petersburg State Ballet and Dinner!

The St. Petersburg State Ballet will be appearing at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, 199 Chambers St., from March 19 through March 21 with a program of four short ballets. During the weekend of March 19-21, patrons with a St. Petersburg Ballet ticket stub can save 10% off their party's bill at Acappella (northern Italian cuisine) and/or enjoy a prix fixe dinner package at MEGU (Japanese) for a reduced rate of $50. Ballet tickets range from $35 to $55. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Kind Farewell from Karen and David Waltuck

Dear Fellow PS150 Enthusiasts,

Voila a fond farewell to our wonderful neighbors and neighborhood. After thirty years of successful business, we are sad to share the news that despite all our efforts, the plans to renovate and re-open Chanterelle will not come to pass.

We shall certainly open another restaurant in the future...it may well be another Chanterelle...but that said, we will always feel special about being part of the Tribeca Community and the school that gave our daughter the perfect beginning...

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the many people who have become dear friends and supporters through the years, to our loyal and loving staff and to our endlessly encouraging family.

Through good and bad times it is a thrilling, passionate and rewarding journey. We are proud to be a part of this creative industry in this unparalleled city of ours and look forward to what we will bring to you in the future...

Karen and David Waltuck

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Marc Forgione

Time Out New York let us know that Tuesday night is a pork-lovers paradise at Marc Forgione. Every Tuesday, from 6- 9:00 PM enjoy all-you-can-eat suckling pig sliders. Click to read the details on TONY.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Tamarind Tries TriBeCa

Trendy Flatiron Indian restaurant, Tamarind, is coming to TriBeCa. At some point later this month Zagat's Top Rated Indian restaurant hopes to open a mammoth two-story, 11,000-sq.-ft. sequel at 99 Hudson Street (a space which until 2004 was the sports bar The Sporting Club).

Wouldn't it be a great way to introduce themselves to the neighborhood by hosting a table at Taste of Tribeca?