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EDITED BY ROBIN
RAISFELD AND ROB PATRONITE
Week of August 13,
2001 |
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Pollen counts:
Fennel pollen-dusted beef carpaccio at Petrossian.
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Roundup
Pollen: Nothing
to Sneeze At
Bees do it -- traffic in pollen,
that is -- and increasingly, so do humans. The powdery
microspores that fertilize plants and flowers are now
being used to flavor food by some of New York's more
innovative chefs. Fennel pollen is the most popular,
and the less species-specific bee pollen is also making
an occasional menu appearance. "Fennel pollen releases
a more delicate aroma than the fennel vegetable," says
Petrossian's Dave Cunningham. "You can get the same
flavor without using fennel shavings or fennel seeds."
Sample the flavor for yourself at any of the following
restaurants, or buy your own at Gourmet Garage. Or just
wait for a strong wind.
Petrossian
Beef carpaccio covered with shaved chives, shallots,
lemon and caviar powders, and fennel pollen, served
with caviar.
182 West 58th Street
212-245-2214
Thom
Steamed halibut in verjus with extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, lemongrass, lemon zest, lime leaves, and fennel pollen.
60 Thompson Street
212-219-2000
Arabelle
Morel flan with asparagus, sweet corn, and fennel pollen.
37 East 64th Street
212-606-4647
The Tonic
Lemon-and-fennel-pollen-crusted cod served with braised fennel, orzo, and a sweet garlic broth.
108 West 18th Street
212-929-9755
Babbo
Goat-cheese tortelloni with dried oranges and fennel pollen.
110 Waverly Place
212-777-0303
Sugar
Bee-pollen pound cake filled with dried fruit.
311 Church Street
212-431-8642
-- BETH LANDMAN KEIL
Best of the Week
The Parade of Rosés
Most establishments only serve one pink wine by the glass -- and it tends to
be the kind of plonk that gave rosé its rotgut reputation. This summer, Morrell
offers the Parade of Rosés, over ten selections from Sancerre (a unique,
strawberry-blonde rosé) to Muga (dusty and cleanly stated grape).
Morrell
Wine Bar and Cafe
1 Rockefeller
Plaza, at 49th Street
212-262-7700
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Dog-gone good:
Cornmeal-battered sausage on a stick at Good.
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Cravings
The Corn Dog
Days of Summer
August is a tough time of year for transplanted Midwesterners
nostalgic for tractor pulls, sheep-shearing races, and
giant-zucchini competitions. A few restaurants around
town, however, offer solace in the form of that indispensable
state-fair staple, the corn dog.
At Good, chef-owner Steven Picker serves his cornmeal-battered
chicken sausage on a stick with a honey-mustard dipping
sauce and watermelon-and-red-onion salad (available Sunday
nights only, through Labor Day); at Stepmama in
the East Village, an excellent classic version, sweet
and crunchy outside, juicy within, comes with a couple
of packets of Gulden's. And fatphobes will like the stickless,
dogless corn dogs made from soy, with or without a smothering
heap of meatless chili, at Veg-City Diner. Now,
if only someone would tackle the funnel cake.
Good
89 Greenwich Avenue
212-691-8080
Stepmama
199 East 3rd Street
212-228-2663
Veg-City Diner
55 West 14th Street
212-490-6266
Object of Desire
Dream Team
Late summer's star
ingredients -- fresh corn and ripe tomatoes -- meet on delicious terms at Le Zinc,
where chef de cuisine Michael Sullivan tops two discus-size corn cakes with a tart
red-onion-and-tomato salad and a generous dollop of sweet crème fraîche.
Le
Zinc
139
Duane Street
212-513-0001
Shopping
Terra Haute
What the makers of Terra Chips did
for obscure root vegetables like taro, parsnip, and yuca, they now hope to do for
Belgian-style pommes frites -- deep-fry them into crispy, eternal-shelf-life submission. The
new line of Terra Frites, made from Yukon Gold and European Bintje potatoes, is a
crunchy cross between French fries and those Durkee's potato-sticks-in-a-can, and they
come in four flavors: garlicky aïoli, touched with saffron and mustard; seasoned
salt; malt vinegar; and Américaine, tinged with tomatoes and sweet onion. Hold the
ketchup.
Eli's Manhattan
1411 Third Avenue
212-717-8100
Whole Foods Market
250 7th Avenue at 24th Street
212-924-5969
Also available at local health food stores
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Bites & Buzz Archive
Week
of August 6
Best of both worlds at Medi, La Fondita's tacos, Hamptons home cooking
Week
of July 30
Seven great ways to catch halibut, al di l�'s sweet
breads, Tonic boom, Hamptons price war
Week
of July 23
Green market tasting, Fiorucci's Fashion Cafe, Affordable
Hamptons dining
Week
of July 16
Fermentation in the Heartland, Proseccheria's pop culture,
Gael goes global
Week
of July 9
Citarella to go, Gael on La Fondita
and
more ...
Photos: Carina Salvi, Patrick Rytikangas(2), Kenneth
Chen(2).
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