ABC Kitchen

Last night, my boyfriend Joe Wickes and I were treated by our friend, event designer Mark Rose, to dinner at the brand new ABC Kitchen (Executive Chef, Dan Kluger), the new Jean-Georges hot spot committed to organic and local meat and produce. It was a total knockout!

We began with interesting and homespun cocktails like ginger margarita and basil daiquirires, while taking in the decor. White square tables with white, round-backed Grandma chairs — occasionally a long wooden farm table for large parties — and antiqued light bulbs suspended from the ceiling. Everything is warm and dim. The back wall of the large space offers a peek into ABC Carpet and Home (that’s where all the furnishings came from) and a great shot into the kitchen. Since a little of this rustic thing goes a long way, the homey feel of the design is balanced by the waitstaff — all in thrift-store plaid shirts and jeans — attending to customers in a formal and very attentive manner.

Appetizers started with an amazing Peekytoe crabtoast, which was basically a crabby bruschetta; hearty toast topped with chunks of crab and a smooth aioli. The ramp toast with goat cheese, a special, makes you think there just has to be more than ramp spread, cheese, and a dandelion on that bread…gold, perhaps? The chicken liver toast, cooked with pancetta, was so subtle and flavorful, that even a pate’ hater (my boyfriend) had to admire it. Pretzel dusted calamari was an irresistible crunchy version of a favorite.

We shared the pea soup, which immediately impressed with an unusually bright color. It was an electric green broth with whole peas, but mint and lime zest gave it an interesting heat. I admit this was one dish that didn’t blow me away; it was a very inventive and economical use of flavors, which is a theme to ABC’s entire menu.

For the entrées, simplicity was the name of the game. A Flying Pigs pork t-bone in an apple-meyer lemon sauce was complimented beautifully with sautéed swiss chard. A side of asparagus with jalapeno and sliced mushrooms was a salty delight. But stealing the show, decidedly, was a special entree, a cavatelli with spring vegetables. This demanded a call to the waiter to explain every detail. As expected, not many: small slices of asparagus, fava beans, cooked together in the pasta water. But the lemon and dill infused in the dish brought it all home. This was the winner, and I wish I could recommend it, but it’s not a part of the regular menu…not yet, that is. Indeed, Jean George said the menu will change frequently.

The desert selection reminded me of the cocktail menu with its country-kitchen tone. A brown butter, chocolate ganache and hazelnut tart took my breath away. But we couldn’t help asking for a favor: we just wanted one scoop of the salted caramel-peanut ice cream from the sundae dish, and you can only imagine…

The surprise of the night was when we were finishing out cookie plate, and a diminutive man in a white chef’s coat appeared right outside the kitchen talking to a staff member. It was, of course, Jean-Georges himself, who gamely stopped at our table so we could babble about how wonderful everything was. He took it in good humor, but didn’t want to steal the glory from our neighboring diner, the woman who designed the handmade bowls and plates. Very gracious, and what a thrill.

Reservations are becoming impossible, so run! This is a lovely date spot, too.

My Meat Sauce

My grandfather use to be very secretative when it came to his sauce, actually when it came to his food in general. Now my meat sauce isn’t really his recipe exactly but it’s close. What’s the key? Pork. Its amazing what pork can do to a red sauce.  The below is not a typical meat sauce nor is it a bolognese (no carrots or celery).

Ingredients

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

1 cup of red wine

2 pork braccioles (thin pork cutlets wrapped up with parsley, cheese, and prosciutto)

2 minced shallots

1 minced garlic clove

6 links of plain sausage meat (remove casing)

1 cup of sliced mushrooms

3 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

In a pressure cooker saute shallots and garalic in olive oil until translucent. Cook sausage meat in with onions and shallots. When sausage meat is browned, add tomato paste and stir.  Then add the mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, red wine, and braccioles.

Now set your pressure cooker on low and cook for the appropriate times on your pressure cooker (mine is about 15-20 minutes). Let your pressure cooker cool and when it is ready, remove the lid. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for an additional 30 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Double Crown

Double Crown has an interesting theme. It explores the culinary dualities of Indian and Southeast Asia after the the British Empire’s influence. What could that possibly mean you ask? Well it means Bowery’s got a hip new spot (relatively new) that features Bangers and Mash, Butternut Squash Curry and Braised Pork Belly with Ginger-Lychee dressing. Confused? Dont be – Brad Farmerie (thats right the one currently on The Next Iron Chef) executes it well.

We started the meal with the spicy pork stuffed lychees. These were delicious  – I highly recommend ordering them even if you’re going in just to have a beer or two. The sit in a light coconut sauce and hit all the major tastebud flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, and a light sour. Keep in mind, they only come 3 in a plate so if you’re in a group order at least 2 or 3 plates. They will FLY!

Then we got the entrees: Twice Cooked Chicken, Bangers and Mash with WOW WOW sauce, and the Butternut Squash Curry. The Twice Cooked Chicken was so incredibly moist – I mean incredibly. I didn’t have to use a knife at all for my entire meal. Granted, the broth was a bit watery but the chicken itself was flavorful and in the end I guess thats what counts. The Bangers and Mash was very vinegary due to the wow wow sauce, which I happen to like but some people might not. The bangers were also a bit dry (emphasis on ‘bit’). The Butternut Squash Curry was a great vegetarian entree, meaty consistency, flavorful, and filling. All in all – the entrees were solid – especially the chicken. In terms of

Twice Cooked Chicken

side dishes we ordered the brussel sprouts and the pickled cucumbers. Both were great choices. The brussel sprouts were a little more charred than I usually like them but the flavor – OH the flavor – was excellant. Spicy and slightly sweet with that delicious mini-cabbage taste I’ve grown to love over the years. The pickled cucumbers with yogurt sauce were an excellant contrast considering most dishes had an element of heat.

Now its time to discuss the desserts. We chose 2: the panna cotta with goat milk ice cream and the hot fudge brownie sundae with shitaki ice cream. The panna cotta was delightful but I had a problem with the hot fudge sundae..mostly because it WASN’T HOT! DO YOU HEAR ME DOUBLE CROWN? I’m sorry, a cold brownie and cold chocolate sauce do not a hot fudge sundae make. Its ice cream with chocolate sauce at that point..which is ok…just don’t call it a hot fudge sundae. So when you visit Double Crown make sure you DON’T order the sundae.

In summation the dinner was a delight. The flavors weren’t quite Indian, or Southeast Asian, or British – which is exactly why I enjoyed it. If you are in the area make sure you go AND don’t forget the awesome gin joint next door. You have to go through a ‘hidden’ door in the back of the restaurant (pretty koooooool) and then you can enjoy the latest cocktail to enthrall NYC: gin and jam. Housemade jams, served in a little teaspoon alongside gin and lemon over crushed ice.

316 Bowery
New York, NY 10012
(212) 254-0350

http://www.doublecrown-nyc.com/

Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Roasted pork tenderloins are a bit tricky – they can easily dry out in the oven if you leave them in too long. I usually try to counteract this by browning the pork on the stovetop and then roasting it covered in foil. You should defintely make this – even if its just 2 of you – the leftovers can be used for salads, sandwiches, and even breakfast.

1 lb. pork tenderloin

2 tbs of garlic powder

2 tbs of paprika

1 tbs of ground cumin

1 ts. of sea salt

1 bunch of sage

4 tbs of white wine vinegar

1/2 cup of water

 

For Meat:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

- Combine all spices (except sage) and roll tenderloin in spice mix.

- Brown the meat in a frying pan on each side for approx. 4 minutes each

- Remove meat from the pan and place in baking dish with water and vinegar. Place most of the sage underneath the pork (this will make a delicious broth for gravy) and place 3 springs of sage ontop of the meat. Wrap the dish in foil.

- Bake for 60-75 minutes (depending on the typical ‘hotness’ of your oven).

For Gravy:

- Warm 1 tbs of butter in the pan you used to brown the meat

- Add 1 tbs of Wondra to the butter and mix until melted.

- Slowly add the drippings from the baking dish into the mixture and cook under medium heat until thick

- After gravy is thickened, wring out the sage that rested on the bottom of the pork into the gravy. The juices from the sage should be a dark green and will add wonderful flavor.