Best Food 2012 by LifeSauce

Another year has allowed me more remarkable and unique dining experiences. In myriad ways, culinary adventures in Miami, New York, Chicago, Washington DC and New Orleans standout in my mind. Some restaurants are long-standing local favorites that have endured over the years, serving-up goodness to fill bellies and warm hearts, while others are establishments of trained chefs who have earned prestigious accolades. A couple of restaurants in the list tug hard on the pocket strings, but prove to be worth the cash if possible. A handful are easy on the wallet and out of this world—a little something for everyone.

Chicago
Spiaggia Cafe's polpette, or meatballs, are airy and hearty. In a cooking class hosted in the restaurant's ballroom overlooking Lake Michigan, a special few of us had Chef Tony Montuano walk us through preparing meatballs like his grandmother used to. The cafe is a more casual scene than the award-winning Spiaggia known for it's high-end Italian cuisine.








Miami
Yardbird, just off Lincoln Avenue in South Beach, has been praised by The New York Times and GQ for its exquisite Southern cuisine. Bon Appétit magazine listed it as one of the Fifty Best New Restaurants of 2012. Yardbird Executive Chef Jeff McInnis was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for Best Chef, South. Surrounded by historical Art Deco architecture, hipsters and trendsetters, it's easy to enjoy the decadent, wholesome menu items.




The deviled eggs with smoked trout roe are extraordinary, not too salty and a soft texture. The fried chicken on a biscuit sandwich has been, clearly, practiced and made to perfection. After the dozen or so biscuits I tried in the South, the lightness of the middle and easy crust on the outside 'takes the cake', if you will. Typically I'm not one for fried chicken. And of course I've tried a few recipes in my time, so I can tell this: the chicken at Yardbird will make you want to dance out of your seat, or run chicken run, as they say at this flourishing hot spot. The breading is thick around the bird, seasoned right with a touch of spicy punch and moist on the inside. It's served with homemade pepper jam, which I think puts the 'cherry on top' of this quality sandwich giving a Southern belle-like sweetness to the entire dish.












New Orleans
Mother's has been around for all of this Southern city's ups and downs, serving blue and white collar clientele regularly. The Ferdi is fantastic. A little much for me, but a great big sandwich of slow cooked pulled beef and sliced ham make this one palate pleaser. The atmosphere of the place is slow and easy, just like The Big Easy. Be prepared to wait at most times of the day. Get there early for the famous black ham.




Chef John Besh offers an innovative take on a traditional étouffée that simply melted me at his restaurant Lüke in New Orleans, his home town. With a touch of saffron and cream served over pasta and shrimp cooked perfectly, the dish is Su-perb. I haven't tried putting this one together at home yet, but will in 2013.




New York City
Vezzo in Midtown proved to make delicious pizzas, so delicious in fact that I returned in my few short days in Manhattan - yes, even with so many other options around the island. Here's why.




Vezzo has a small individual sized pizza on the menu that is just the right size without having much leftover. There's an organic Malbec on the menu that's $8.00 - a bargain in the concrete jungle (I had a hard time finding a Sauvignon Blanc for under thirteen).




The Caesar salad is simple, clean romaine lettuce and cool creamy dressing, not a lot of anchovy or garlic. Pepperoni at Vezzo is big and crisps nicely in the oven. The spot offers all of my favorite toppings—broccoli, feta, jalapeños and sun-dried tomatoes. I think it just might be my favorite pizza in the world now.












San Diego
Slater's 50/50 has fast become a hit in San Diego and its newest location in Pasadena. Started by a duo of UCSD grads, the signature patty is a combination of ground beef and ground bacon. There's a plethora of toppings to choose from including the house bacon ketchup and over one hundred beers on tap.




Washington DC
Proof in Washington DC came highly recommended by my hosts who explained the charcuterie boards to be exquisite. Again, I tried the deviled eggs here. They were great with the smoked fish. My favorite discovery though ended up being the side dish of broccoli bagna cauda. Bagna cauda is a sauce made with butter and anchovy paste in northern Italy typically used for dipping raw vegetables. Executive Chef Haidar Karoum of Lebonese descent has created a perfect spin on this old traditional dish by tossing the veggie in the sauce with crisped garlic slices.




Best view: Cape Town's Salt in South Africa, an excellent place for a local, crisp Sauvignon Blanc




Experience(s) of the Year: Chicago's Moto and Tru.






I am truly grateful for each experience listed here. Cheers to a wonderful 2012 and a happy and healthy 2013—and more!

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Chelsea's GastroMarket haven near High Line

Tradeshow food is terribly bad and superbly overpriced. No matter what city you're in – even Manhattan – there's little effort, it seems, in producing something more to serve than a stodgy stomach filler. Sadly the same can be said for the majority of airports.




Therefore we were fortunate for a full hour and a half break for lunch within the conference program at an event held in New York City's Javits Center. After days of rain and cloud covered skies, the city was finally glistening in the summer sun and its people were eager to catch some warming rays and fresh air. We were stuck inside four walls. No windows.




Outside, nearby, good is what we needed to perk up for the afternoon discussions. The expo hall is located just north of Chelsea; walking south from Javits along the Hudson after work the night before, I noticed the sign at Jezalin's GastroMarket offering a 'patio in back'. If it was sunny eventually, the place had potential to be an obscure gem. Mental note.




And wow, indeed it is precious — very. Tall trees lined with green leaves backed by the bright sun cast dancing shadows on the large wooden deck out the back of the building on Tenth. The sun poked happily through the open spaces between the brown branches. A breeze dusted our skin with warmth. This patio immediately welcomes you to relax in the midst of the grind.




GastroMarket's menu is full of sandwiches loaded with a combination of a few of the right things. If we weren't already hungry, our stomachs were growling after a few reviews: The Spaniard, Turkey Petit and Tartufata Melt. The vegetarian options are plenty and sound as incredible as any layering including meat.




This is The Texan sandwich. A whole grain hard roll is stuffed with slow roasted beef brisket and topped with sour pickles and onions. It comes with homemade barbecue sauce, and I also asked for the creamy horseradish sauce to try. The brisket was tender, the pickles crunchy, the bbq sauce sweet and the horseradish had just the right zip.




GastroMarket offers a number of homemade salads as a side item. Since I love beets and enjoy finding new recipes for the root veg, I tried the mix. It was a bit creamy and had some chopped walnuts to add a crunch. The salad was good, but I'd probably try something else next time.




Each table is laden with a GastroMarket pub bottle holding fresh flowers adding to the natural charm outside. Inside the wooden bar and stone walls give an Old World feel.








Entrances to New York City's High Line can be found both North and South of the restaurant, which also makes it a great place to grab a sandwich to take to the park and enjoy. The High Line is a public park built on the defunct elevated Manhattan train line first built in the 1930s.




The owner of the place got started with Jezalin's gifts located inside the Limelight Shops also located nearby in a gorgeous, historical Episcopal church built in the late 1800s. The gift shop specializes in putting together exquisite, unique, quality and exclusive presents for those only interested in luxury.












The Limelight is probably most famously known for housing one of the hottest NYC nightclubs in the 1980s and nineties where debauchery and wild fun occurred nightly.




Needless to say GastroMarket suited our needs completely, and after filling our bellies with well-prepared food while taking-in the enchanting patio atmosphere, we marched back to Javits satisfied. For anyone attending an event at the center, I highly recommend taking the extra steps to this gastronomical spot. You won't be disappointed.
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Urban Booty at NYC Flea

On my final Saturday morning in New York City I was ready to go on one more exhilarating adventure, so I rented a bicycle. In a bird's eye view we must look like small two-wheeled ants hustling through cracks of a constantly moving yellow brick road.


It only took a few blocks of dodging the ubiquitous yellow cab flying down Eighth Street, nearly moving into Madison Square Garden, before I ditched down 39th. Preparing for my next move I could see that 39th ended with what looked like stalls and a flea market. Score! Turns out I stumbled my way into Hell's Kitchen Flea Market, aka. HKFM.


Located in the Chelsea neighborhood of west Manhattan, the flea market is a nice walk through the High Line from the south side of the island, and even has a shuttle that runs to a sister trove on 25th. The High Line is a gorgeous upcycled elevated rail line, boasting gardens, unique views, pop-up bars and food trucks hidden amongst the concrete jungle.





HKFM fills Thirty-Ninth with both spruced up and still dilapidated treasures of all sorts, 'urban booty', a trove that seems long as the river Nile floating you by bits and pieces of world history.


In 2007 HKFM was listed as one of the Top Ten Shopping Streets in the World by National Geographic. Other markets I've been to that are included in the list are:

Plaza Dorrego, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Portobello Road, London, England
Temple Street Night Market, Hong Kong, China

If you get to the Plaza in Buenos Aires, walk around the corner to the San Telmo market. Stop at the always packed grill stand just outside for a Choripán.









The market's blog Fleaspeech includes announcements, new vendor introductions, latest finds and news. Follow HKFM on Pinterest where organizers frequently post photos of inspiring fashion - celebrities, designers, models, artists, singers, dancers - and interior decor. The Hell's Kitchen Flea Market pinterest board is appropriately called Market Muse.


After meandering through the stalls (one kind keeper watched my bike while I browsed his vintage clothing, pin, jewelry and purse collection), my pedals and slender seat carried me into Central Park...



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Manhattan Adventuring

Arriving in an overcast New York City at 9:00am after catching a 6:00am flight out of Milwaukee could easily keep one's juice level at a minimum for the day ahead. However, when adventure awaits, it's hard to listen to aching retinas and under-rested muscles. All I needed was a cab, umbrella, an espresso, my camera and some solid walking shoes to guide the way -- and I was off!




Clinton Street Baking Co. on the Lower East side of Manhattan Island is listed among many leading travel and food magazines as one of the best breakfast spots around, known acutely for its homemade biscuits and blueberry pancakes. The write-ups warned of a likely waiting time, so it didn't surprise me when locals and tourists were pouring out of the red entry way to this narrow spot just south of E Houston at 10:30am on a weekday. 'Forty-five minutes,' said the small framed dirty blonde-haired waitress with a dainty gold chain around her neck.




'Okay,' I thought. 'No problem. I can just bum about for a bit.' Except that I had writing to complete, interview questions to draw up and prep work to do for the weeks ahead.
While contemplating my next move, Pause Cafe, the tiny Moroccan inspired coffee house directly across Clinton caught my eye. Coffee first. My latte was very good and the antique quarter circle bench in the tight entryway was just the spot to sip into a decision while taking in the city air and its inhabitants.

This street construction worker absolutely humored me and confirmed for me both where I was, and that Hollywood stereotypes depicting such locals are spot on. Holding the 'slow' sign for drivers to obey, many behind the wheel did as they pleased and the pedestrians too. He goes, 'Eh! Whata ya doin? You got special privileges or somethin I don't know about?'




Yea, I'm in New York baby. *big smile*

By the time I finished I had decided to walk across the island, which is only 2.3 miles at its widest around 14th Street, to Soho where I discovered the independent McNally Jackson bookstore on Prince Street. By this time the rain had picked up nicely and I was ready to situate in a nook and get some things completed.




The bookstore is not large by any means, especially when compared to the now extinct Borders chain, yet it still boasts two floors and its own fantastic cafe. The front windows completely unfold, so while enjoying the aroma of printed pages and freshly ground coffee beans, it felt as if we were still a part of the bustling street, small gusts of wind engulfing us. The smell of rain on asphalt winning over once in a while. The patter of rain drops forming puddles along the curb set a working pace.




A wooden bench carried along the wall of the cafe where patrons could pull down a hinged top that served like an arm chair of some older classroom desks of yore. It was full of people reading paperbacks and e-versions, some studying alone or in a group, others piling through a stack they'd pulled from the shelves that are, funny enough, organized by country. The only tough part about the place is the lone restroom.




Prince Street started to get more crowded. I took this as a signal that it was the end of another work day. Pleased with my accomplishments, I gathered my things to take on the gray sky, the falling water droplets, the well formed streams rushing along the curbs and the tourists and locals moving wildly around during this city of 8 million's rush hour.








After discovering a number of cute boutiques in the neighborhood, most notably Love Adorned filled with great jewlery pieces by various designers, fun little ceramics, handmade scarves and other odds and ends, (check the adorable ceramic sardine can and blooming air plant I picked up), my clothing was rather wet and I was ready for a rest before making the long trek north to Midtown.








That's when I stumbled into the LEED gold certified Crosby Street Hotel set on a quieter cobblestone street in Soho. Immediately the lobby charmed me. It's filled with lovely, bright paintings and tasteful 3D art, some of dogs, some abstract and charming furniture. The drawing room to the right is absolutely superb, set with magenta velvet couches and two fireplaces with paintings of Jack Russell terriers hanging above the mantles.




From there guests can exit into the exquisitely adorned terrace garden, a calm haven from the buzz of the wet chaos out front. With large metal fixtures draping one side, looking like a swarm of fireflies when lit, large wooden ornaments, candles, unique sculptures, tables and benches, I'd nearly forgotten about the rain. It is such a peaceful diamond and a sanctuary I returned to later in the week for a glass of wine and serene reading in the shade from the sun. One of these days I'll be an actual hotel guest rather than a visitor breezing through.












It was time for me to figure out a dining spot, either something on my way to my hotel on 29th or near it. There was no sign that the rain was going to let up. I did figure something out and found many other great restaurants too. And while I didn't make it back to the bakery, I still have the spot dog eared for next time.
I'll share my NYC foodie finds in more detail soon.
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