Behold the Gastropub

With the recent opening of The Spotted Pig on a quiet corner of West 11th and Greenwich Streets in the West Village, New York welcomes the first gastropub to its restaurant landscape. But what is a gastropub exactly? I turned to London-based Jackie at The Daily Bread for an on-the-ground definition. A correspondent of hers, with connections to one of the original gastropubs to open in London, provided the obvious answer (“a pub that serves high quality food”), along with some additional details in an email message that she passed along to me.

Gastropubs, he explained, tend to be genuine old pubs that have been overhauled, yet retain the character of a traditional English pub. The furnishings are simple, and the food is “usually Modern European, with a dash of sexed-up traditional British.” The prices, though moderate for the type of dishes being served, are higher than what you might expect for a typical pub. Moreover, “you probably order at the bar,” though the plates will be brought to your table, and like a pub, should you choose not to eat, you may drink without ordering food.

Street Fare: Restaurant Sign Detail, Upper East Side, New York City

February 26, 2004

Agenda: 2/25 to 3/2

1. Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viticulture, presented by the Culinary Historians of New York and featuring Dr. Patrick McGovern, author of Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture, Thursday, February 26, 6:30 p.m. cocktails/7:00 p.m. program, at the American Federation of Art, 41 East 65th Street, 2nd Floor. Members/$25, Senior and Student Members/$22, Guests/$30. For information call Linda Pelaccio at 212.334.4175.
2. Tea Tasting, teas paired with food, Sunday, February 29, 4:00 p.m., at KAI, 822 Madison Avenue (at 68th Street). $60/person (212.988.7277). [via New York Times print]
3. St. David's Day Single Malt Whisky Tasting, sampling of highland malts with John Hansell ("beginners and geeks welcome!"), Monday, March 1, at d.b.a., 41 First Ave. (between 2nd and 3rd Streets). $25/person (212.475.5097).
4. Globetrotting with The Little Wine Company, part of the "Tuesdays at Taste" wine tasting series, Tuesday, March 2, 7:00 p.m., at Taste Restaurant & Wine Bar (at Eli's Manhattan), 1413 3rd Ave (at 80th Street). $30/person (212.717.1999).

Ongoing Events:
1. 10th Annual Iberian Festival, featuring guest chefs cooking the regional cuisines of Spain, continues through Friday, March 5, at the Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Avenue (212.755.1400, ext. 305).
2. Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, a special exhibition of the utensils developed to serve these products when they were introduced through trade in the 17th century, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street. The exhibition closes July 11, 2004 (212.535.7710).

Cooking by Hand

Cooking by Hand, by Paul Bertolli, executive chef and co-owner of Oliveto Restaurant in Oakland, California, is a curious cookbook that, through twists and turns, weaves together cooking instruction with deeply personal reflections on food memories and essays contemplating the elements that contribute to great cuisine.

Editor's Note: Appetizers

The archives to the Appetizers, the daily links posted on the right column of this page, have been cleaned up and indexed by month (with category archives to come, eventually). All of the archives can be found on The Food Section: Appetizers (www.thefoodsection.com/appetizers).

n.b.: Like the main site, Appetizers have their own RSS feed for viewing posts using an aggregator:

The Food Section (RSS)
The Food Section: Appetizers (RSS)

Shopping List: Maya Kaimal's Fresh Indian Simmer Sauces

Cookbook author Maya Kaimal has created a line of heat-and-serve sauces that offer a shortcut to a home-cooked Indian meal. Her Fresh Indian Simmer Sauces come in three flavors: Tikka Masala (above), Coconut Curry, and Vindaloo. Combine one of the sauces with chicken or shrimp and vegetables, simmer for 20 minutes (or less), and dinner is served.

I mixed the Tikka Masala version with lightly sautéed chicken, carrots, onion, and zucchini, let it simmer uncovered over a low flame, and then served the dish alongside steamed basmati rice, but the flavorful sauces may also be put to other uses. As Florence Fabricant suggests, "Consider spreading the Vindaloo on a sandwich of cold roast lamb, slathering the Coconut Curry on fish before broiling it, or making huevos rancheros Indian style with the Tikka Masala on an Indian flat bread like nan." Mmmm.

Maya Kaimal's Fresh Indian Simmer Sauces are $4.99 for a 15 ounce container at Gourmet Garage stores, multiple locations.

Agenda: 2/18 to 2/24

Food Events in New York City

1. Demystifying Latin Ingredients: From Grasshoppers to Agave, a "Taste and Learn" event presented by Slow Food USA featuring Marissa Sanchez of Paladar restaurant, Monday, February 23, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., at the French Culinary Institute, 462 Broadway, 2nd Floor. $50/members, $60/non-members. RSVP by February 18; space is limited (212.965.5640).
2. Carnaval at Savoy, three course menu celebrating the history of Creole and Caribbean cuisine, Tuesday, February 24, 6:30 p.m., at Savoy, 70 Prince Street. $65/person (212.219.8570). [via Strong Buzz]
3. A Food and Wine Journey Through France: A Provençal Supper, Tuesday, February 24, at Paradou, 8 Little West 12th Street (between 9th Avenue and Washington Avenue). $75/person (212.463.8345 for reservations).
4. Mardi Gras Celebration, Tuesday, February 24, at 7:00 p.m., at Mara’s Homemade, 338 East 6th Street (between First and Second Avenues) (212.598.1110).

Ongoing:
1. 10th Annual Iberian Festival, featuring guest chefs cooking the regional cuisines of Spain, continues through Friday, March 5, at the Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Avenue (212.755.1400, ext. 305).
2. Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, a special exhibition of the utensils developed to serve these products when they were introduced through trade in the 17th century, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street. The exhibition closes July 11, 2004 (212.535.7710).

Pick'd

After returning from a long weekend away with the Web site running on autopilot, I was surprised to discover that The Food Section was selected as a Yahoo! Picks site.

Thanks Yahoo!.

Street Fare: Onions, Rialto Market, Venice, Italy

July 2002

Agenda: 2/11 to 2/17

Food Events in New York City

1. Extreme Chocolate Week, featuring an all-chocolate menu, lasts Monday, February 9, through Sunday, February 15, at SQC, 270 Columbus Avenue (between 72nd & 73rd Streets) (212.579.0100).
2. 10th Annual Iberian Festival, featuring guest chefs cooking the regional cuisines of Spain, continues through Friday, March 5, at the Roger Smith Hotel, 501 Lexington Avenue (212.755.1400, ext. 305).
3. A Celebration of the Gastronomy of Spain: Wine and Tapas, a tasting event of wines, cheeses, and tapas benefiting City Harvest, Wednesday, February 11, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., at Cipriani (110 East 42nd Street). $35/person (866.849.8703). [via Strong Buzz]
4. Wine & Chocolate Wine Trail Weekend, featuring tastings of wines paired with chocolate at participating New Jersey wineries, Saturday, February 14, and Sunday, February 15, noon to 5:00 p.m.