NYC Dining: Cafe Cluny

Cafe Cluny
281 West 12th Street, New York (West Village)
(212) 255-6900

Web Site: http://www.cafecluny.com

A few weeks ago I had a business lunch with a colleague in the publishing industry. He lives in the West Village, and suggested that I hook up with him near his house and we eat lunch there. He suggested Cafe Cluny, a small yet warm little French restaurant which is in the same restaurant group as The Odeon and Cafe Luxembourg. I was in the mood for a light lunch as I had dinner plans that evening as well, and I was told that the dishes at Cluny were not heavy, so this seemed to be the perfect place to go to.

Cafe Cluny is on a rather unassuming corner of West 12th. It doesn’t look like much and you could easily pass it by without giving it any notice at all. Don’t do that! By all means, go in.

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Ultimate Chef Bergen County: Roquefort

It’s time again for another episode of  Ultimate Chef Bergen County!

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After defeating Chef Carmine Spinazzola from South City Grill in the Lemongrass Battle, Chef Christine Nunn of Picnic Caterers returned again to the Chef Central demo kitchen to compete in the Ultimate Chef Bergen County finals.

Her opponent was Chef Joe Macri from Hennessy Tavern in Northvale, formerly of Candela Restaurant in New York City, which closed in July of 2007.  Macri is now making updated tavern-style food, so he was a perfect opponent for Christine, who specializes in classic French cuisine.

To match these two together, the judges picked an ingredient that couldn’t have been more well-suited for either chef — ROQUEFORT CHEESE!

Roquefort is a blue/green veined and very strong stinky cheese from the Aveyron region of Southern France made from sheep’s milk. Like Stilton and Gorgonzola, it is one of the most well-known and popular types of Blue Cheeses.

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NJ Dining: Nisi Estiatorio

Nisi Estiatorio Restaurant
90 Grand Avenue, Englewood NJ

Web Site: http://www.nisirestaurant.com

Englewood has traditionally been a restaurant town, but like any town in Northern New Jersey that is dependent on shopping and dining, it has suffered greatly with the economic downturn. People are dining out less and less — myself included — and when we do dine out, it’s usually at lower-end more casual dining choices. The high end restaurants in Bergen County are now few and far between.

So I was bewildered when I heard that the former space of 90 Grand Grille was to be occupied by a new high-end restaurant, a Greek Fish House. Wait, an expensive Greek restaurant, just a town over from Axia Taverna in Tenafly? Did we really need two of these, and so close to each other? I admit, I was skeptical, but Rachel and I were invited to dine there, and to sample the cuisine.

Nisi’s storefront on 90 Grand Avenue in Englewood.

The bar dining area has a warm Mediterranean atmosphere, which I found particularly inviting with the sub-freezing weather.

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Ultimate Chef Bergen County: Lemongrass

It’s time for another episode of Ultimate Chef Bergen County!

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On January 10, 2009, Chef Christine Nunn of Picnic Caterers returned to Chef Central’s demo kitchen in Paramus with the hope of  victory — after being narrowly defeated by Chef Ken Trickilo in last year’s blood orange battle.

This year, her opponent was Chef Carmine Spinazzola from South City Grill in Jersey City. The theme ingredient was Lemongrass.

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Viva Daisy! (Updated, with video)

Daisy Martinez, star of “Viva Daisy!” which premieres Saturday, January 10, 9:30am on Food Network. Click on the Picture above to watch the promotional video (Source: Food Network)

Web Site: http://www.foodnetwork.com/viva-daisy/index.html

I’ve been keeping this news under wraps for longer than I can remember, and now I’m finally relieved I can tell everyone about it — my friend Daisy Martinez is going to become the star of her own show on Food Network — which will be produced by no other than Food Network’s #1, Rachael Ray herself.

I first got to know Daisy in the spring of 2006, after approaching her to do a podcast for Off The Broiler.  I was a big fan of her PBS show, which featured an intelligent, educating,  full-spectrum view of Pan-Latino cuisine, and found her bubbly and Brooklyn girl personality intoxicating.

Daisy only did one season of Daisy Cooks! on PBS, but I  knew some day she would be a huge star, so I started consulting for her and helped  her launch her own website, DaisyMartinez.com, as well as her personal blog, Boriqua Blog. I hope you head over there and see what we’ve accomplished over the last two years — It’s a goldmine for anyone who wants to cook bold, Latin flavors, or who wants to know the real Daisy behind the camera.

I’m privileged to be one of the few who will be able to say “I knew her when.”

Good Luck, Daisy — and break a leg!