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EDITED BY ROBIN
RAISFELD AND ROB PATRONITE
Week of October 1,
2001 |
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Roundup
Dining for
a Good Cause
Even as we begin to return to some
semblance of normal life and old habits, it's nice to
know we can still do some good by doing what comes naturally
in this food-obsessed town: eating out, especially at
restaurants that are pitching in to the relief effort
by contributing to funds established for survivors of
those who perished at the World Trade Center. Following,
a few delicious ways to put your money where your mouth
is.
 Windows
of Hope
www.windowsofhope.org.
On October 11, hundreds of restaurants in New York (and
around the country), including Ouest,
Town, and virtually
everyplace else you were waiting for an excuse to try,
will donate at least 10 percent of that night's take to
a fund benefiting families of World Trade Center restaurant
workers.
Payard
To memorialize the Twin Towers and those who lost their
lives there, François Payard continues to include
their image looming over the skyline on his "New York,
New York" pastries, while donating a dollar per sale to
a charity benefiting families of the victims.
1032 Lexington Avenue, near 73rd Street
212-717-5252
Peasant
On October 11, chef Frank DeCarlo will prepare a special
five-course $100 prix fixe dinner. Not only will all proceeds
go to the Uniformed Firefighter's Association Widows'
and Children's Fund, but owner John LaFemina--who's got
eight relatives in the department--will match each dollar
raised.
194 Elizabeth Street
212-965-9511
Aureole
Every night through October 11, $10 from each dinner served
will be donated to Windows of Hope.
34 East 61st Street
212-319-1660
Divine
Bar
From October 1 through 5, this Financial District wine
bar will donate all profits from the sale of Oktoberfest
beer and tapas to local Squad 18 of the Fire Department.
55 Liberty Street
212-791-9463
Oyster
Bar
From September 28 through October 31, this Grand Central
institution is offering a $27 prix fixe for lunch and
dinner. For each one sold, $9 will go directly to the
Windows of Hope
Family Relief Fund and H.E.R.E. New York Assistance Fund.
42nd Street at Vanderbilt Ave. (Grand Central Terminal)
212 490-6650
Grapes
of Grief and Gratitude Auction
www.grapesofgrief.com
Morrell & Company invites the wine industry and private
collectors to donate bottles to be auctioned off on December
8 in a benefit for the New York Police & Fire Widows
& Children's fund.
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Object of Desire
Berry Treasure
As a brash young pastry chef at the Hudson
River Club and the Rainbow Room, Martin Howard reached for
the stars--or at least the planets, rendering one in chocolate.
(He's also produced a tasty Statue of Liberty, and a Marilyn
Monroe in billowing chocolate frock.) His new gig at Brasserie
finds him in a more restrained but no less inspired mood: His
luscious lime-blueberry parfait, served in a martini glass,
alternates layers of tart lime curd with grainy frangipane and
blueberry compote, beneath a soft cloud of vanilla meringue.
Brasserie
100 East 53rd Street
212-751-4840
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Underground Gourmet
Stylish Loafer
Bread,
another stylish, pint-size panini parlor in SoHo, has
given the Underground Gourmet even less incentive to
break out the George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine
he got last Christmas (instead of the fancy Italian
sandwich press he'd asked for). As at panini pioneers
'ino and Bar Veloce,
the three-month-old, 34-seat café's raison d'être
is, as the name says, bread, and all that can be crammed
between two slices and deliciously melded in a sandwich
press. Neighboring Balthazar
supplies the ciabatta rolls, baguettes, and rustic loaves
of pain au levain--the crusty building blocks for a
dozen or so terrific, beautifully presented Italian
sandwiches. If the high-quality meats and cheeses aren't
as ingeniously combined as at 'ino, the sandwiches are
much heftier, good news for the U.G.'s panini-pessimist
friend who gripes that "$7 is a lot for a sandwich the
size of a Ritz cracker." Sandwich standouts include:
Sicilian sardines with tomato and "Thai-pepper mayonnaise"
on a baguette with a hot and crispy crust but a soft,
moist crumb; aged Genoa salami with nutty Taleggio and
a swipe of olive tapenade on ciabatta; and rich Italian
tuna with lemon dressing on levain that might make you
renounce Bumble Bee and Hellmann's on rye forever. All
sandwiches ($6.50 to $8.50) come with a mesclun-and-cherry-tomato
salad saved from the humdrum by a tasty soy-sauce-touched
dressing. For carbophobes, there are more salads like
bresaola and shaved fennel, and a cutting-board plate
of cured meats and cheeses. One downside: a paltry selection
of wines, which are served in juice glasses. But owner
Luigi Comandatore promises a more serious cellar soon,
as well as minestrone, rabbit stew, and an expanded
downstairs kitchen. (20 Spring Street; 212-334-1015.)
-- ROB PATRONITE
Bread
20 Spring Street
212-334-1015
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Bites & Buzz Archive
Week
of September 24
F&B's frites; The Dining Room's foie gras;
Nobu tells all; Gael's great escape
Week
of September 17
Osteria del Circo's new chefs; Gael's pre-theatre dining
picks
Week
of September 10
Spots for surf 'n' turf; AZ's visiting chefs; Gael
on Teodora
Week
of September 3
Killer tomatoes; Saturdays at Ducasse; Chef Gary Robins
at Mi; Gael on Danzon
and
more ...
Photos: Patrick Rytikangas; Carina Salvi.
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