The Tasting Panel magazine

September 2016

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26  /  the tasting panel  /  september 2016 WHERE WE'RE EATING W hen you live in a city, you have the time and oppor- tunity to eat around and find the best of the best. But when you travel, and have perhaps a weekend in a distant city, dining is a bit like Tinder—you swipe right and hope for the best, which is why I always feel lucky—blessed, indeed— when I happen upon a destination that dazzles. Not at random, of course; research and reason are required. But still, when you're in a city, not your own, you do have to hope for the best. In choosing the Great Northern Food Hall in the grand Vanderbilt Hall in New York's Grand Central Terminal—well, that was easy. The Food Hall is the creation of Claus Meyer, one of the founders of Noma in Copenhagen—oft referred to as the best restaurant in the world. The chances of winning Powerball are better than getting a reservation at Noma. But the Food Hall is open to the world. It consists of five food pavilions and a bar offering craft beers, wines and Nordic cocktails (lots of akvavit). There are rich pastries to have with coffee; a landscape of thick, crunchy breads; and lots of open-faced smørrebrød—open-faced sandwiches topped with warm brisket, lamb breast, pork loin, beef tartare with chive mayo, pickled herring with dill crème and, of course, juniper-smoked salmon with fennel and apples. And it opens early in the morning, so commuters are very well fed. And speaking of being well-fed, New York can disappoint, but it can also amaze. The many restaurants of Mario Batali—he of the orange Crocs—are singular amazements, from Del Posto, to Otto, to Babbo, to Lupa, to Eataly (now with two branches), to my personal favorite, the seafood-obsessed Esca, in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, which has been gentrified beyond recognition. There are some 20 orders of crudo on the menu: wild Alaskan Ivory King Salmon with pickled young fennel, blackfish with pine bud syrup, pumpkin swordfish with crushed almonds and much more, all as fresh as at any sushi bar. And where else can you order gambe di rana (crispy frog's legs with marinated summer beans) and cannolicchi (roasted razor clams with charred tomatoes)? Sit on the outside patio and dine on the sea among the noises of the city. And speaking of seafood—well, of course it's what we eat in Boston—especially at the Island Creek Oyster Bar in the Hotel Commonwealth. Last I was there, they had a selection of more than a dozen local oysters—Howland's Landing, Rocky Nook, Ichabod Flat, Moon Shoal—with local tastes from the waters of New England. There were local beers too, many of them. But there was a chill in the air. And a Hot Toddy on the menu. In Beantown, around the corner from Fenway Park, across from the sprawl of Boston University—a Hot Toddy with a platter of cold, briny goodness: Tinder can't compare. The raw bar selection at the Island Creek Oyster Bar in the Hotel Commonwealth, located in Boston. PHOTO COURTESY OF HOTEL COMMONWEALTH Great Northern Food Hall's smørrebrød—open-faced sandwiches topped with warm brisket, lamb breast, pork loin, beef tartare with chive mayo, pickled herring with dill crème and, of course, juniper smoked salmon with fennel and apples. OF FOOD HALLS AND SEAFOOD by Merrill Shindler Fishes and Loaves PHOTO: SIGNE BIRCK PHOTO: SIGNE BIRCK Claus Meyer at Great Northern Food Hall in New York's Grand Central Terminal.

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