NEW YORK CORNER

 

    I wouldn’t say the ground shook, but when my friend and colleague, long-time Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema, recently declared Portland, Oregon, to be America's best food city among ten ranked, Facebook and the food media’s collective eyebrows shot through the roof, followed by a good deal of sputtering derision.

    Sietsema says he ate, drank and shopped at 271 “restaurants, bars, food stores and farmers markets” in 60 days--that works out to a dyspeptic 4.5 per day and suggests an expense account overload that perhaps only the Post’s new owner, Jeff Bezos, could float (although Amazon’s founding city, Seattle, didn’t even make the cut).  In Portland Sietsema “relish[ed] the abundant quirks: lines for (stellar) breakfasts, even midweek, and strip clubs inclusive enough to offer vegan fare,” along with raspberry milkshakes and Walla Walla onion rings, while admitting that fine dining in Portland is as rare there as Maine lobsters.

    To each his own, but for Sietsema to rank New York at number 8 on his list is nothing short of an astonishment, as if he’d said Marseilles was France’s best fashion city, or Pisa was the center for Italy’s auto industry. Of NYC he writes, “New York just has more, not better. I found some egregious examples of what was called 'fine dining' there that were a huge rip off," though his three-dollar hot dog at Gray’s Papaya made “a lasting impression.”  

    Let me count the ways in which NYC reigns supreme as America’s greatest food city, where:

 

• There have been more master chefs whose influence has been greater than anywhere else, including Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the late Gilbert Lecoze, André Soltner, Wiley DuFresne, Larry Forgione, Daniel Boulud, Michael White, David Bouley, Dan Barber, Mario Batali, Alfred Portale, David Chang, et al.

 

• There have been more restaurateurs whose influence has been greater than anywhere else, including John Delmonico, Pio Bozzi and John Ganzi, Joe Baum, George Lang, Nick Valenti, Sirio Maccioni, Warner Leroy (left), Keith McNally, Charles Palmer, Tony May, Danny Meyer, Buzzy O’Keefe, Alex von Bidder, and Drew Nieporent.

 

• The first restaurant opened in America (1831)—Delmonico’s (below)—and it’s still thriving. The Delmonico steak, Eggs Benedict, Lobster Newberg and many other dishes were created here. Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first cablegram across the Atlantic from a table at "Del's," and in 1868 the restaurant gave the stamp of approval to the idea of women dining unaccompanied  by men, which created the "ladies lunch."

 

• The first pizzeria in America—G. Lombardi’s in the Village, still going strong on Spring Street.

 

• There are, for what they’re worth, more Michelin stars than any other American city--77, with six awarded three-stars; Chicago has 22 total, San Francisco 50, including wine country restaurants--and eight of the San Pellegrino  "100 Best Restaurants in the World." (The Michelin Guides do not cover Portland, OR.)

 

• More promising cooks studied and staged before gaining national reputations as eminent chefs elsewhere—not least as graduates from the kitchen of Le Cirque, whose alumni include Daniel Boulud, David Bouley, Terrance Brennan, Alain Sailhac, Rick Moonen, Jacques Torres, Sottha Khun, Sylvain Portay, Michael Lomonaco, Alain Allegretti, Pierre Schaedelin, Bill Telepan, Alex Stratta, Geoffrey Zakarian,  et al.

 

• There are more notable woman chefs, including Zarela Martinez, April Bloomingfield, Gabrielle Hamilton (left), Daniela Soto-Innes, Lauren DeSteno, Melissa Weller, Angela Dimayuga, Ann Redding, Anita Lo, et al.

 

• Not just one Little Italy, in Manhattan, but another in Brooklyn, and—the best of all—Arthur Avenue, in the Belmont section of the Bronx.

 

• Italian-American cuisine was born in the kitchens of the millions of southern Italians who immigrated to NYC from 1880 to1920; so-called “Northern Italian Cuisine” was pioneered at places like Romeo Salta, Il Nido, Parioli Romanissimo, Il Monello, Orsini's, Gianmarino, and Il Menestrello.  White truffles were first introduced at Barbetta.  The first upscale Italian groceries were in NYC, including Balducci’s and the Arthur Avenue Food Market. The first EATaly outpost was also here. Dishes like melon and prosciutto, penne alla vodka, spaghetti alla Caruso, shrimp scampi, steak pizzaiolo, veal parmigiana, spumoni, Italian ices, and lobster fra diavolo became Italian-American standards for menus both in the U.S. and Europe.

 
 

• Not just one Indian food neighborhood—“Curry Hill” in Manhattan—but many flourish, especially in Queens, along with America's largest Chinatown, Korean grocers everywhere, Russians in Little Odessa, Ukrainians and Uzbeks in Brooklyn, Haitians in Flushing, Dominicans in Washington Heights, Chino-Latino in Cuban neighborhoods, and every other kind of food culture imaginable.

 

• Many of the most legendary saloons in America reside in New York, including P.J. Clarke’s, McSorley’s Old Ale House (right), the White Horse, the King Cole Bar, ‘21’ Club Bar, the Blue Bar, the Oak Bar, the Landmark Tavern and Pete’s Tavern.

 

• Hunt’s Point Terminal Market in the Bronx stretches across 113 acres  and is the largest food exchange in the world, with 50+ merchants,  10,000 employees, sales of more than $2.4 billion a year, catering to more than 22 million people worldwide.

 

• Citymeals-on-Wheels began in NYC in 1981, last year delivering 2 million nutritious meals to more than 18,000 frail, aged citizens in every borough of New York. In addition, nearly 19,000 volunteers collectively spent 67,397 hours visiting and delivering meals to their neighbors.

 

• More notable New York eateries are in movies and TV shows than anywhere else, including Hollywood.  To name a very few:  P.J. Clarke’s, `21’ Club, Luigi’s, The Russian Tea Room (left), Minetta Tavern, Carnegie Deli, Katz’s, Elaine’s, The Modern, The Rainbow Room, The Stage Deli, Delmonico’s, Café des Artistes, Capsouto Frères, Chumley’s, Il Cantinori, Tavern on the Green, Market Diner, Café Carlyle, the Oak Bar, Raoul’s, Serendipity 3,  and many more.

 

• The most fine dining restaurants—every one packed every night, despite the foodie media saying fine dining is dying—are in NYC, including Gotham Bar & Grill, Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Masa, Per Se, Del Posto, Marea, Daniel, Aureole, Lincoln Ristorante, Gramercy Tavern, La Grénouille, Gabriel Kreuther, Bouley, Jean-Georges,  more than all other major USA cities combined.

 

• The first delis, where Jewish-American food was born, and bagels, knishes, the Reuben sandwich, blintzes, pastrami, bialys, and other dishes became NYC standards. (To this day, it is impossible to get a good bagel outside of NYC, with the exception of one or two spots in L.A.)

Both Jewish and Italian cheesecakes were perfected in NYC.

 

• The Manhattan, the Cosmopolitan (right), Long Island Iced Tea, the Bloody Mary,  the Rob Roy, and the Daiquiri were introduced to America in New York.

 

• Where, as in Napa and Sonoma Valleys north of San Francisco, there are 25 wineries in the Hudson Valley and 50 on Long Island within two hours’ drive north of the city.

 

•  Hot dogs were, if not created in NYC, first promoted in Coney Island at Nathan's.

 

• Chocolate fondue was created at Chalet Suisse.

 

•  Pasta primavera was created at Le Cirque, which also made crème brûlée an international staple dessert.

 
• France's la nouvelle cuisine landed in NYC restaurants like Dodin Bouffant, La Tulipe, The Palace, Le Plaisir,  The Quilted Giraffe, and others.

 

• The Power Lunch was established at The Four Seasons Grill Room (left)  and The Power Breakfast at the Loews Regency Hotel.

 

•  The singles’ bar was born at places like Maxwell’s Plum, Yellowfingers, O’Neal’s Balloon, The Ginger Man, and T.G.I. Friday.

 

• Although invented in Philadelphia, the Automat had its greatest success and influence in NYC.

 

• Japanese negimaki was created at Nippon, and Rocky Aioki opened the first Benihana of Tokyo teppanyaki concept here.

• Szechwan and Hunan cuisine were introduced at places like Shun Lee Palace, Uncle Tai's, and Peng's, which introduced Gen. Tsao's chicken to America. 

 

• The template for the New York-style steakhouse was created at Palm, Christ Cella, Pietro’s, Peter Luger, Bruno’s Pen & Pencil, and Spark’s.  Every steakhouse in America now copies them. 

 

• The template for French restaurants was set at the 1939 New York World’s Fair at Le Pavillon, copied and carried further at places like La Caravelle, Le Lavandou, La Côte Basque, La Grénouille, Le Chambertin, Georges Rey, Les Pyrenées, Le Quercy, Le Lavandou, and Le Périgord. 

 

• Le Bernardin (below) introduced seafood “carpaccio,” which became the basis of all crudi and raw fish dishes outside of sushi on menus. Vichyssoise was created by Chef Louis Diat at the Ritz-Carlton.

 

• Food and restaurants critics began in NYC newspapers and magazines, including Clementine Paddleford of the Herald-Tribune in the 1950s, Craig Claiborne in the 1960s, and Mimi Sheraton of The Times and Gael Greene of New York Magazine in the 1970s.

 

•  Though born in Portland, OR (!), James Beard, the “dean of American food writers” made his career and reputation in NYC as of 1947.

 

• The first molecular/modernist chef in America was Wyle Dufresne of WD-50 restaurant (now closed).

 

 

  

NOTES FROM THE WINE CELLAR

 

    As difficult as it is to believe but the illustrious house of Charles Heidsieck Champagne had been allowed to flounder over the last two decades.  Indeed, despite its reputation as one of France’s finest, sales had dropped 90 percent from 1990-2011, a fall due more to neglect than to any decline in quality.

    It was fortuitous, then, that a new owner,  Christopher Descours, Chairman of EPI (Europeenne de Participations Industrielles SAS), known for investing in long-term growth of prestigious properties, brought the Champagne company in 2011 and brought in Chef des Caves Cyril Brun this past year, formerly enologist for Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, to guarantee that the heritage of the Heidsieck family’s style of Champagne be maintained.  He also appointed a new Executive Director, Stephen Leroux (in 2013), most recently Director of Sales and Marketing at Bollinger, to oversee a long-term strategy to increase Charles Heidsieck’s market share without compromising quality.  The new ownership and appointments are already showing significant upward mobility in sales for the Grand Marque.

    The House traces its history to 1851 when Charles Heidsieck (left), at the age of 29, founded the brand and was the first to see a larger market for Champagne in the U.S.—he earned the nickname “Champagne Charlie.” For 125 years, through all the wars that raged in France, his family carried on his legacy before selling the brand to Remy Cointreau in the 1980s, which led to a fallow period for the Grand Marque.  Now, EPI has already reversed the effects of that neglect.

    (Piper-Heidsieck is a wholly different Champagne company, founded by Charles’ uncle Florens-Louis Heidsieck, so there has long been confusion in many consumers’ minds about the two names, especially now that EPI owns both labels.)

    I had dinner in NYC at Café Boulud with Stephen Leroux earlier this month, and I sensed that whatever heavy lifting he has to do, EPI has given him the carte blanche and resources to do it.  Leroux is committed to the amount of travel to restore old and make new connections necessary to bring the name of the brand back to prominence. Eminence has never been the problem.

     I tasted several of Charles Heidsieck's current releases over a three-course meal, where everyone at the table choose different dishes, so the point Champagne producers love to make—that bubbly goes well with everything over the course of a meal—was well taken, even if I was dying for a glass of good red wine with a main course of roast breast of pheasant.  Still with an array of other dishes that ranged from a coddled egg with white truffle shavings to a cardamom-scented kulfi pistachio cake with pomegranate coulis, the Champagnes showed to be beautify; match-ups.

    Remarkably, the non-vintage Brut Réserve (right) retails for just $65, which is a bargain for a Champagne of such enchanting complexity and sophistication.  The marque’s style has long been to blend reserve wines (which can be 15 years old, with an average of ten); the current non-vintage is 40 percent each of pinot noir and percent chardonnay, and 20 percent pinot meunier, with one-third of each new harvest representing 60 percent of the total blend, so that there is both a heritage and a stylistic consistency in each non-vintage bottle.  

     Charles Heidsieck 2006 Rosé Millèsime (left; $150),  just released, comes from a vintage of very ripe fruit and lower acidity, and again the three-wine blend of 63 percent pinot noir, 37 percent chardonnay, and 8 percent addition of red wines was aged for more than seven years. It has marvelous body, creamy, with just the right amount of sweet undertones and ripe fruit.

       The company’s promotional tasting notes for Charles Heidsieck 1995 Blanc des Millenaires  (below; $250) runs to purple prose—“A unique emotion, the impression of eternity” and so on—does nothing to detract from the serious refinement of this superb vintage, which has spent 20 years maturing at the marque’s Gallo-Roman chalk cellars in Reims that generate delicate bubbles.  The wine is then disgorged and spends an additional year of aging, as it acquires the finesse and dimensions that distinguish a great vintage. All these wines were made by the late Thierry Roset, before Cyril Brun’s arrival, so it will be interesting to see if there are any changes afoot. 
    Anything different at all, however, would be a betrayal of the label’s claim to consistency, which is what Brun and Leroux are promising those who have always loved Charles Heidsieck, those who have not tasted a bottle in years, and those for whom its excellence will be a revelation.

PAGING WILLY WONKA!