Japanese Sea-style Barbeque Finds a Home in New York

Robataya
Cuisine: Japanese
Price Range: Inexpensive

East Village
231 E. 9th Street
(between Stuyvesant St & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 979-9674
www.robataya-ny.com

Robataya, a Japanese barbeque restaurant, just opened in the East Village at 231 E. 9th Street, on Monday. The stylish eatery is touting the new and trendy Robata (short for Robatayaki) grilling method. A cooking style born in Japan on the open charcoal pit, Robata chefs share a passion for simple yet robust flavors, much like those appreciated by the American barbeque aficionado.


Similar to the increasingly popular Korean BBQ restaurants appearing all over New York, cooking Robata barbeque is done in large communal cooking areas, usually in front of the diners. However the theme, one could say, is simplicity of flavors and ingredients. Where Korean BBQ restaurants often slathers on spices and sauces to most of the cooked meats, Robataya will hold to the Japanese tradition of letting the ingredients speak for themselves. While still offering a variety of choices, the ingredients will typically be cooked with only teriyaki or imported Noto Japanese sea salt.


Some traditional Japanese restaurants in New York (Megu for example) have adopted this style into their repertoire of cooking methods, however Robataya is the most recent and most focused attempt of importing the style thus far. The owners are currently importing choice menu items daily from Japan and other areas, including foreign delicacies like, enoki and eryngi mushrooms, Australian Kobe beef, stingray fin, and premier smelt.


The minds behind Robataya have truly tried to capture the essence of the cooking style in the décor. Using a carved wooden table to enwrap the grills and cookware really brings a patron into the experience of crafting these dishes. The chefs also personally deliver the cooked meat right to your plate via the oar-like paddle. The tool is derived from the cooking style’s heritage as a fisherman’s impromptu beach restaurant.


Robataya plans to serve Japanese beer, sake, and shochu, but no liquor license yet, so it’s still BYOB for now. Hours of operation; 6:00pm-10:45pm Sun.-Thurs. and 6:00pm-11:45pm Fri.-Sat.
Full Menu
and Photos via NYMag

Local Farmers Gaining Popularity With the Government

The NY Times Diner’s Journal picked up on the US Department of Agriculture dolling out almost $65 million in new provisions to help get locally produced food into the hands of wanting consumers and large institutions alike.


Government support of locally produced food is a critical step in sustainability, so it’s a step in the right direction to see action specifically geared towards getting local food into schools, (one of the initiatives many provisions) which is a huge market. Of course there are numerous hurdles in changing the food delivery system in such a vast and regulated market such as school lunch programs.


The USDA’s new campaign, called “Know your Farmer, Know Your Food,” is not just a bundle of money but the promise “to break down structural barriers that have inhibited local food systems from thriving.”


While Big Farm should not regulate the local food market, which in recent years has managed to set up successful farmers markets in countless cities across the US, the idea of having the government jump on the sustainable farming bandwagon is always a welcome one.


Laid out in the release are the announcements that “$3.4 million in funding for collaborative outreach and assistance programs to socially disadvantaged and underserved farmers.” The money is supposed to help crop producers employ direct marketing.
One way in which farmers can directly market to people with a passion for local, organic food that is catching on in city’s like New York and elsewhere, is Community Supported Agriculture.

This method of distributing fresh produce requires an initial investment where you buy into the harvest of a farm for a set price at the beginning of the season, and each week the participants take home equally weighed out bounties. While this concept is growing in popularity the most effective way to get the freshest local produce is still at a farmer’s market where they regulate the maximum distance from which the food can come from.


There is certainly a trend among Americans towards sustainable, organic produce. Consumers are now more conscious of where their food is coming from and the wasteful processes that may have brought it to them. Hopefully the USDA will take further steps to help balance the kinds of food that end up on peoples plates, starting with the school system isn’t a bad approach.

Brew Born at Sea

New British brewing company, Brewdog, known for its rather original brewing processes, is now shipping their latest creation, Atlantic IPA. A beer totally fermented on the high seas.


This unique ale has quite a story to it, to say the least. Apparently one of the brewery’s founders has a buddy with a massive fishing troller, so he loaded up 8 barrels of an original 1856 IPA recipe and set out into the North Atlantic fishing waters. For two months the barrels, strapped to the posts of the ship’s deck rocked through the stormy waters. Some tumultuous white squalls washed the deck with 60 foot waves, and one barrel was lost at sea.

The high-gravity, extra-hoppy, India (or should I say Atlantic) Pale Ale is ready for its limited edition debut. Only 960 bottles were made, so if you’re interested, act fast. If I was a pirate this would be my beer of choice, it just represents reckless endeavors for originality and flair and I respect their will to really recreate the essence of IPA style. One born out of necessity for the long seafaring travel between Britain and its colonies.

Garment Factory Floor Clippings, Find New Life

New clothing brand Looptworks launched its first limited edition clothing line today. However, this collection is unlike no other; every scrap of clothe, every button, every zipper, is 100% pre-consumer (never worn) excess.


The eco-friendly company was founded in Portland, Oregon as a designer brand fixed around their self-described philosophy of “upcycling.” A new concept they describe as gathering the unused excesses from other garment makers and creating limited edition runs of clothes made with exactly zero new materials.


According to their website, “every week, the average textile factory produces 60,000 pounds of pre-consumer waste.” Looptworks is an effort to clean up this mess and capitalize on the opportunity. By using otherwise trashed, quality fabrics to design limited runs they have shortened the design cycle to weeks instead of months. Because of this method, every article produced is inching closer to the last.

Looptworks has added a personal touch numbering each product from a single source in succession so that just how many garments would have gone to waste from a single find can be seen.


Founding partners Gary Peck, Scott Hamlin and Jim Stutts, have experience working at apparel companies like, Nike, adidas, and Royal Robbins, and have brought these influences to Looptworks.


The current line-up of 17 stlyes has an urban flare, including graphic tees with sustainability mottos. Future styles are of course impossible to determine, as the company is totally reliant on what they can find in the heaps of excess from textile factories in Malaysia, India, and elsewhere.


Initially the clothes will only be available at Looptworks.com, but the company plans to move products into specialty retailers in the near future.

Track Review: "Pursuit of Happiness" Kid Cudi, Feat. MGMT and Ratatat

“Pursuit of Happiness,” the third single off Man on The Moon: The End of Day is the newest track from rapper and indie cohort Kid Cudi.


Kid Cudi’s Midwestern down-and-out nature shows through in one of his more eclectic and relaxing tracks.


“Crush A Bit; Little Bit; Roll It Up; Take A Hit.” The first line pulses with a slow and entrancing delivery setting the tone for this song. From this point Kid Cudi takes us on a spiraling journey through a daydream, hazy from a cloud of smoke. The chorus by MGMT “I’m On The Pursuit Of Happiness And I Know/ Everything That Shines Ain’t Always Gonna Be Gold,” takes over and flows into the theme of the song with a purpose. This one song, appearing later in the album, cools you down, as it should.


The aptly titled “Pursuit of Happiness” is an anthem to blunt smoke, binge drinking and the search for a good time. While the theme may not be groundbreaking, any fan of Kid Cudi or trip-hop will enjoy the comforting melodies.


Kid Cudi certainly knows the right people to put together a synth-pop song that’s an easily singable foot-tapping track. The combination of Ratatat’s production with brain-melting synth’s in hand, and MGMT laying down a chorus hitting on a melody both haunting and beautiful, the finished product is begging to be played while lying back enjoying some choice greenery.


Man on the Moon: The End Of Day by Kid Cudi, releases on Sept. 15, via G.O.O.D./Universal Motown.

New Food Label Makes Junk Food Look Healthy

There is now a fairly established trend in the current recession: a lot more people are dining at home, and thus shopping at supermarkets more often. So any help to make choosing our own food healthier for our bodies and wallets is appreciated.

However, the organization doing the research and setting the guidelines probably shouldn’t be funded by the companies making the food.


A new health program called Smart Choices, an independent organization funded by some of the largest processed food companies in world, is putting its stamp of approval on products that meet a conspicuous set of guidelines. The labels which have started appearing on the shelves of supermarkets are being heavily criticized as misleading consumers.


The New York Times reported that Smart Choices may be misleading consumers into viewing processed foods as equally healthy to fresh or natural food sources. The seal can still be obtained if an otherwise nutrition-less food has added ingredients like fiber or vitamins. Another critic said this practice could mislead consumers into thinking these foods are healthier than they really are. Smart Choices does not require the use of any whole grains in a product to get the “check” on the front of the box as long as a few choice ingredients are added during the food’s assembly.

Froot Loops cereal’s approval was particularly ragged on in the article. At 14 grams per serving, the Kellog's staple has a higher sugar content than some cookies (43% of the total weight of the cereal is sugar).


In the article, The NY Times interviewed chairman of the nutrition department of the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter C. Willett. “These are horrible choices,” Mr. Willett said, and “It’s a blatant failure of this system and it makes it, I’m afraid, not credible.”


Smart Choices President, Dr. Eileen T. Kennedy, says that all the food that gets “checked” lives up to the dietary standards determined by the Food and Drug Administration. This of course includes Froot Loops, which are, after all, healthier than doughnuts.


“The checkmark means the food item is a ‘better for you’ product, as opposed to having an x on it saying ‘Don’t eat this,’ ” Dr. Kennedy said. “Consumers are smart enough to deduce that if it doesn’t have the checkmark, by implication it’s not a ‘better for you’ product. They want to have a choice. They don’t want to be told ‘You must do this.’ ”


The ten companies that have signed on to the new program for a fee of $100,000 are Kellogg’s, Kraft Foods, ConAgra Foods, Unilever, General Mills, PepsiCo and Tyson Foods.


So dear consumer, don’t be fooled. Reese’s Puffs, no matter how much it looks like cereal and tastes like candy, will never be good for you.

Urban Oasis for the Beach Minded

Soho
Saturdays
31 Crosby Street
(near Grand Street)
New York, NY 10013

Saturdays, an aptly named Swiss Army Knife of locations, is a café/surfshop/garden-lounge at 31 Crosby Street. Set up railroad-apartment style, the progression of coolness is evident as the storefront flows back into a garden sanctuary.


Part-owner Josh Rosen, a former professional snowboarder, turned fashion wholesaler, turned restaurateur, acquired the space just over a month ago. While it’s certainly a work in progress the coffee’s brewing and Saturdays is open for business.


A surfer in his free time, Rosen has always had an interest in coffee and so opening a café seemed natural. “Essentially the neighborhood needs coffee,” said Rosen. The laidback vibe of Crosby Street is what drew him to this spot, “It’s the fact that there isn’t a lot of stuff,” he said. “We have high fashion, amazing galleries, a few nice restaurants, so it’s an amazing place.” It’s the lack of big brand name stores that lets Crosby Street stand out even as it is surrounded by retail-oriented Soho.


The theme of Saturdays is definitely surfing, which is obvious upon seeing beautiful customized surfboards displayed in the shop. Rosen plans to sell them, along with all the necessary accoutrements that belong in a surf shop.


One of the draws of this location is a bit of a hidden gem, go through the clean, modest coffee shop, through what will be a fully stocked surf shop, and you’ll end up in the garden. In what Rosen describes as a combination of urban and modern design themes, “There will be a ton of different green elements,” he said, “to create a really sharp looking garden. It’s going to be smart, the lines are nice, it will definitely feel welcoming.”


Rosen designed this space for surfers, but he wants it, “not to be so traditional and Southern California,” he said. But rather, “make it a little more thoughtful for the New York customer.” He wants to see New York embrace surfing in a way it hasn’t done so, his desire is for a presentation “that’s sleek,” he said, “a space where people can come and take a Taschen book off the wall, and chat about waves.”

Greenwich Village is Turning Taste Buds Green

There are a lot of restaurants in New York touting organic, locally grown food. There aren’t so many restaurants that have their very own farm supplying them.

Blue Hill
75 Washington Place
at 6th Avenue
New York, NY 10011
(212)539-1776
www.bluehillfarm.com

 

Blue Hill is just such a restaurant. What would seem like just another organic eatery in Greenwich Village is something more. The restaurant owners are refurbishing the Blue Hill Farm to supply their restaurant with personally chosen ingredients, (rustic ingredients are already chosen form several farms throughout the New England region.) While the family farm is still in early stages of production, it already supplies the several restaurants under the Blue Hill name with grass-fed meats, vegetables and fresh milk.

Birdbath
145 Seventh Avenue South
at Charles Street
New York, NY 10014
(646)722-6565

Birdbath Bakery
233 First Avenue
New York, NY
(646)722-6565
www.buildagreenbakery.com

 

Another rather grand green technology experiment is going on in the village. Birdbath operates two bakeries in the east and west village and both locations are experiments in total sustainability. The shops feature such green building highlights as wind power, walls made of baked wheat, cups made of corn, and shelves made from recycled paper, they even used milk-based paint. Basically every possible aspect of the stores are making an attempt to further sustainability, they even offer a 25% discount if you arrive on a bike or skateboard! The cookies and cupcakes are all made from organic food, and the store design is a testament to the human capacity for creativity within limited construction means.

Savoy
70 Prince Street
at Crosby Street
New York, NY 10012
(212)219-8570
www.savoynyc.com

 

A local favorite, Savoy is a restaurant where having the most exquisite organic locally grown food is the paramount concern and owner/chef Peter Hoffman makes sure that’s the case. He has harvested relationships with countless food producers in the New York area and near by states to hand pick precisely where his food comes from. He says that going to a food producer and getting to know the grounds of creation really helps him learn how the way a food is produced affects the way it tastes.
These examples are by no means the only restaurants in the city that are experimenting with new and exciting innovations in sustainable cooking, but not so environmentally conscious restaurateurs could learn a few things from the sterling examples set by them.

Fashion and Food Blogger Imitates the Avocado

The fashion and food blogger Luxirare has quite a mysterious treat for us.


An artistic rendition of an avocado salad, this dish is stunning in its presentation.
The dish has allusions to an avocado sushi roll and the ingredients are also based in the Asian realm of spices.


Luxirare displayed her talents manipulating a soft fruit to bend to her will and inventiveness. The guide to making this dish (available on the blog), while certainly hands on, can be completed by anyone with the time and patience.


The base ingredients Luxirare recommends are two avocados, and one or two crab legs, depending on how many people are being served. The other ingredients for the salad are, lime, garlic, cilantro, crab leg meat, sprouts, dried cranberries, and red onion. The outer spice mixture is made of, red peppercorn, dried edamame, wasabe, sesame seeds, black sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds.


The final product, to a glancing eye, might seem like a slightly odd looking avocado, but beneath the seed and spice covered exterior is a carved up avocado stuffed with a vegetable-and-crab-filled delicacy.

“I played with the actual shape and textured skin of the avocado,” Luxirare said, “and brought that into consideration when I was making this avocado salad.”


She certainly did.

Eat-Pisode: Classic Thai with Style

Eat-pisode
Cuisine:Taiwanese

Lower East Side
123 Ludlow Street
New York, NY 10002
(212)677-7624 / (212) 677-7625

www.eat-pisode.com

Eat-pisode, a Thai restaurant located at 123 Ludlow Street, right in the heart of the L.E.S., blends a healthy portion of urban chic with traditional fare done right.


The spot is small enough to feel like you’re special just for knowing about it. Go on a Saturday night though, and it will be throbbing with dressed-up diners sipping wine at candlelit tables, being classy before another jaunt into the Lower East Side.


Perfect for a date or small group, Eat-pisode has an intimate air to it. If you plan on drinking, the restaurant is BYOB, just remember corking fee is per bottle so I’d go with a bottle of red over Red Stripe.


As you’re dining, the vibe of Ludlow Street flows in through the open entrance. It’s easy to people watch if you can take your eyes off the interior. Eat-pisode’s modern décor is subtle and charming. Sculpted walls, and small boxes of light inlaid amongst hanging paintings of rustic Thailand made me long for the Mekong River and a little fishing.


Eat-pisode offers up sizable, satisfying portions of spicy Thai favorites including, Pad Kee Mao, a variety of curries, and Pad Kha Pow with an amazing basil chili sauce. Their presentation can certainly be unique, as well. They served me some elongated spring rolls in a pint glass with a generous helping of perfectly sweet plum sauce garnished with carrot strings.


Mr. Pannawat Akkarajirapan, a waiter at Eat-pisode who has worked in six Thai restaurants said, “[Eat-pisode] is more authentic, and the best one I have been at.” A hideout in plain sight, Eat-pisode will become a regular spot for anyone enthusiastic about delectable, and affordable, Thai dining.

Mars Bar is having one of its periodic rises in popularity. A bar typically known for the local barflies who show up early to drink deep into the night has been playing host to celebrities looking for some city cred.

Drew Barrymore recently had a photo shoot for Nylon inside the grungy dive. Some rather odd photo outtakes appeared on the Internet, where regulars are sitting stoically in the background to be cut out of pictures entirely with blank-white backgrounds. One regular commented on the event saying, "I was there for the Barrymore shoot and the weird thing is they used white backdrops for the photos. If they wanted to block out all the graffiti, why go in there in the first place?”[EVGrieve] Like the last vestige of an ancient East Village, the sordid side of this city is easily blocked out with the razor edge of gentrification.

Last week, another entry in the 2nd Avenue bar’s long history, Penn Badgley from the TV show Gossip Girl, was interviewed by the New York Times writer David Itzkoff. Funny, Itzkoff chose John Varvatos and Other Music for the series of stops on the downtown tour, any other parodies of their former selves to exploit on the trip? Even young Badgley can see the irony, saying of the former CBGB, “At least they didn’t turn it into a bank.”

Mars Bar in a response of sorts has recently declared the East Village dead on the blood-red paint-splattered wall, written between twin images of prototypical yuppies, an investment banker and sweater-draped prep student.

Announcing the East Village dead now is really just pointless. Yes, the neighborhood is not the East Village of times gone by, but that’s probably a good thing. Pedestrians can walk around at night, in a miniskirt even, with little more than an occasional catcall. Uniformity will protect the masses as it sterilizes them. I say progress.

Images via [NYTimes] and [EVGrieve]

Hotel Gansevoort Hits its Stride with Tanuki Tavern

Some flavors from the pacific are appearing in the newly re-opened dining hall of Hotel Gansevoort under the command of restaurateur Jeffery Chodorow, mastermind behind China Grill and Ed Chowder’s House.

Tanuki Tavern will be an Izakaya (Japanese-style drinks and tapas bar) serving up sushi, and grilled selections, in the seized Ono space. The tavern officially opened last week, and has just had its extensive menu finalized.

In an effort to bring in quality dining, the team at Hotel Gansevoort is replacing Ono with the modestly priced but elaborate and exotic menu offerings created by Chodorow and crew. Eater posted their full menu, and it includes sushi choices across the board like hamachi, maine lobster, and wagyu, to a burger with pickled onions, thai-spiced fried chicken and pork belly bok choy. Tanuki will also have the coveted Hitachino white ale on tap, sure to please aficionados of the hard-to-find Japanese brand.

The newly re-designed space being overseen by Chodorow for weeks, is finally finished and running. Ono may not have had much success but Tanuki Tavern is going for a different crowd, with a menu accessible to vast audience.

A duel-level restaurant, the upstairs seating section will double as a lounge for the connected Provocateur nightclub –another ambitious project by Hotel Gansevoort– via soundproof pulley-operated glass doors.

Starting off with a well-executed restaurant and what is sure to be a popular nightspot, Hotel Gansevoort perhaps can find its niche. A difficult task in the crowded but bustling Meatpacking nightlife scene run by The Standard and Jane. The hotel has a classy vibe, and Chodorow’s China Grill is one of the better Asian-fusion restaurants in the city, it seems they’re making the right moves.

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