Last night, half jogging from the West 4th subway station I made it to Charles only to be told I was the first in my party to arrive. Wow, Charles has come a long way since I came to see the space with John DeLucie (see Behind the Experts) months ago. It was empty and stripped to the bone. Next came the menu tasting with owners Doug, Cobi, and Sean. Caroline and I tasted Chef John McCallister's seasonal New American fare in the early summer - his menu lasted, he however, did not :(
In September they hosted the Purple Magazine party and a month later I helped arrange a private pre-opening event for Culinary Insiders. So, after months of watching this space and menu take shape, I finally got to sit down to a meal with my college girlfriends.
Greeted by Cobi, Sean and one of my regular waiters at The Waverly Inn, I instantly felt at home. We started with octopus and tuna. Upon having my first bite of Alexis' grilled octopus starter I knew it had John DeLucie written all over it. When you watch our upcoming episode at The Waverly Inn, you will know why. The tuna was seared nicely but the plate looked like it took a long bath in extra virgin olive oil.
After bitching about old friends, weighing the pluses and minuses of our respective boyfriends and husbands, getting into a heated debate over the results of the election and drinking some overpriced Woodenhead Pinot Noir we dug into our main dishes. My braised short rib was cooked PERFECTLY, Natalie's Charles burger was delightful but she was disappointed by her somewhat soggy fries. Another highlight was Alexis' seared diver scallops - just like the octopus it was well executed and neither rubbery nor chewy.
The best part of the meal, besides the company of course, was our dessert. We ate bites of the warm dark chocolate cake and apple tart in a flaky crust. Congrats to the female Sous Chef in the kitchen who only has five years of experience, but truly impressed us.
While the entrance of the restaurant is discrete and there is no phone number a la The Waverly Inn, the modern, dimly lit interior was buzzing with people. So much so that we were all uncomfortably bumping into people getting to and from our table. We ran into Caroline and some friends heading to the bar at Charles. Instead of fighting the crowd, we continued our high from our dessert sugar rush and hopped over to Bobo for the post-dinner drink above, only to find out that Chef Patrick Connolly (see Behind the Experts) had gone home for the night. Hopefully, not to lament over his one star from the NY Times. Don't worry Patrick, we think you're golden.
Standing on the corner of 7th avenue we were trying to figure out why there are 30,000 cabs in NYC and none of them wanted to pick up three women in 3.5 inch stilettos. Welcome to life in the Big Apple.
My earliest memories of tea were watching my parents have a few cups before getting out of bed! My parents have always been big tea drinkers but it managed to skip me. No tea, no coffee...(I have enough energy to bounce off walls without the caffeine)...until I met Tea Sommelier Chris Cason (see Behind the Experts). I met Chris at a NY fashion designer's home & he was wooing the crowd by shaking up some tea cocktails. Tea with vodka? Who knew? Don't judge, just drink! While spirits are not my thing, green tea has become a part of my life (Dragonwell is a favorite).
In Teatime with Tavalon (see Video) Chris Cason teaches us about tea and quells our fears on loose leaf tea. Before you know it, you will be making SmarTEAinis at home (using our Featured Promotions).
In addition to keeping the Behind the Burner flame lit, Divya Gugnani and I maintain hectic social calendars to keep up with all of our culinary friends.
Last week was no exception. First, we celebrated my birthday at Downtown Cipriani, the very same SoHo spot where Divs first told me about her " Behind the Burner idea. After enjoying my favorite endive salad, salmon with leeks, and tagliardi, we headed upstairs to sip Bellinis and enjoy some Karaoke.
The following evening we attended a special Diwali party in honor of the Indian New Year. It was so much fun to spend it with Divya and Sharon Abramzon (catch her co-hosting an upcoming segment at One if by Land) at a private party in the home of a lovely Indian family. The authentic meal was absolutely divine and I lost all control of self discipline as I went back for seconds. Fortunately I saved room for dessert because our gracious hostess surprised me with not one, not two, but four birthday treats: chocolate raspberry ganache, strawberry cheesecake, lemon tart and dark chocolate brownie walnut cake. I tasted all of them and savored every morsel.
The next night Divs and I headed to the Pranna restaurant opening--Southeast Asian fusion food housed in a massive modern space on Madison. We ran into Pastry Chef Jehangir Mehta, mingled, ate and ran--we were launching the Behind the Burner beta site the next day!
After a sleepless night of making sure www.behindtheburner.com is flawless, our beta site was up and running!!!
Time to celebrate! Divs and I changed in the office and rushed to the Free Arts charity event at Saks hosted by Amy Sacco (see Behind the Experts). We were exhausted, but would never let an old friend down, especially for a good cause. Let's face it, when the nightlife queen sends you a personal email to attend her event, you show up! Memories of nights spent dancing on tables at Amy's Bungalow 8 flashed before me as I ran into old friends at her party. Two Italian friends, talked me out of going home afterwards and whisked me off to a festive meal at...Downtown Cipriani. I'm glad that I love Cip's because I end up there quite often. As I softly chewed my tender branzino I reassured myself that all the chatter in my favorite romance language will be put to good use Behind the Burner where we feature some great Italian culinary giants. Then it was off to Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel where an exclusive scene amidst priceless Basquiats and Warhols awaited us. Damien was running the tight door as usual and I secretly wished we would be denied entry for once so I could catch some zzz's. Not a chance. After breezing past the velvet rope and entering a room full of beautiful people who seemed much more rested than me, I bolted directly to the bar to investigate new mixology trends that could be useful Behind the Burner, the center of my universe!
When I arrived home, still answering emails on my blackberry since the taxi ride, I barely managed to give my doorman a weak smile, too tired to speak a proper greeting. Yawning in the elevator, I realized that the friendly guy next to me looked familiar... Suddenly energized we began chatting--it was Lon Symensma, Executive Chef at Buddakan! In my elevator? Turns out this Behind the Burner Expert lives nine floors below me! I jumped out on his floor, sleep could wait, it was time to strategize with the chef--we have a segment to plan!
A few hours later, the next morning, I was back at Behind the Burner headquarters. I told Divya that I really needed to leave the office by 9 or 10 that night so I could get enough sleep for kick-boxing the next morning--exercise is a must considering all the irresistible food we are privy to at Behind the Burner. Divs responded, "I want to get out of here by 9 too because I really want to cook a special dinner tonight." Spoken like a woman with a pure culinary heart!
A few weeks after the idea for Behind the Burner was born, I went to visit Chef Kerry Heffernan at South Gate. I explained the idea; the concept of coupling educational and entertaining content with commerce and how I wanted all of my culinary masters to serve their secrets to our audience. He looked at me in complete bewilderment (sort of like I had two heads) and then wished me lots of luck. Weeks later, I introduced him to Caroline and before anyone could blink he introduced us to a premier purveyor for fine chefs, D'Artagnan (see Featured Promotions), and we were ready to film.
When I met Kerry Heffernan for the first time (at a Momentum Women event- GO CESLIE!), I knew he was in a class by himself. He commands a strong presence in any room. He is a true professional in every sense of the word; his descriptions of ingredients and preparation are given in meticulous detail. Read his Q&A Behind the Experts and you will know what I mean! Thanks Kerry for your unique ability to teach and share your intense talent for turning a piggy from the market into a mouthwatering meal (see Video.)
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