Welcome to the second edition of The Goods, a semi-regular roundup of notable whatnots that recently struck my fancy. From elevated pantry staples to sustainable solutions; from out-of-the-way eateries to unusual culinary experiences; from beguiling books to creative folks doing noteworthy things with food, this is where you’ll see what’s sparking my imagination and inspiring my cooking these days.
J. Kenji López-Alt’s Miso-Sesame Vinaigrette Is, in Fact, That Good (on Anything)
I saw this sauce recipe in the Times yesterday and had to make it immediately. I didn’t follow it to the letter—I used dark miso instead of light, light brown sugar instead of dark, and less balsamic vinegar than Kenji calls for. In fact, I tossed all the ingredients into my NutriBullet without measuring, then blitzed them up, tasted, adjusted, and adored.
I had a container of silken tofu that expired in January. Except it hadn’t “expired,” it was just past its “best buy” date (by a lot), and I’ve written about this topic (Expiration Dates Are Misleading), so I knew that if I opened it and smelled it and it seemed pristine then I wasn’t in fact going to get sick. If more people were thus informed we would not, on average, be throwing away 40% of the food we buy. (More on that subject another time.)
If you haven’t used silken tofu, I highly recommend you explore. It’s got the texture of flan and a very clean, subtle flavor. You don’t have to cook it—in fact I like it best in its pure form, because the more you do with it the more it falls apart. I bought my first block after reading another New York Times recipe, Hetty Lui McKinnon’s Silky Tofu With Spicy Soy Dressing. Who doesn’t love a recipe that’s delicious and takes all of five minutes?
But back to Kenji’s sauce and what I did with it. I used my box grater to turn a watermelon radish and a carrot into a pile of colorful shards and strew them atop some gorgeous greens. I then carefully transferred half a block of the tofu onto the plate next to the salad and drowned the whole thing in the lively, savory sauce. I finished it with a scattering of sesame seeds, per the recipe.
I’m telling you, this sauce turned a simple salad and simpler protein into a delectable, craveable dinner. I could absolutely see making a jar of it every week to enliven all manner of dishes. Highly recommend!
Good Egg
How did I never think of this before? I had a little bowl of toasted sesame seeds left over from the miso-sesame extravaganza above, so rather than sprinkling my hard-boiled egg with the usual salt & pepper this morning, I rolled it in crunchy, savory seeds. And now there’s no going back.
The sweet little Easter-appropriate plate was given to me by my dear, recently departed friend Alice Claar. She and my mother went to college together, and after my mom died she and I became close in our own right. I miss her.
A Sri Lankan Feast Worth Ferrying For
When my great friend Lisa came to New York in March to stay with me and celebrate her birthday, she had a culinary excursion in mind. She’d had her eye on this particular adventure for years, but I’d always steered her away from it because, well, the place she yearned to visit is on Staten Island, for god’s sake. Staten Island is far.
This time, though, I agreed.
On Saturdays and Sundays at the much-touted Sri Lankan restaurant Lakruwana, an all-you-can-eat buffet costs $22.95—cash. This is the price of any single dish on the menu any other day, so it’s an extraordinary deal. And as Lisa knew from her research, it is a tremendously delicious and varied feast that includes, among other dishes, curries, biryanis, salads, pickles, and breads. (The papadam above was as fabulous as it looks, and while none of the rotis on the regular menu were out, when Lisa asked about them they sent two to our table from the kitchen.)
It’s a wildly eclectic spot filled with all manner of Sri Lankan treasures, and everything we tasted was delicious. The main challenge was not eating ourselves sick. Well I suppose the real challenge is the trip itself. If you’re up for a subway ride to a ferry and then a short Uber, though, you should definitely check it out.
The ferry is fabulous, with a recently re-opened bar and indoor seating if you don’t feel like spending the whole trip outside, leaning against the railing and gawking at the Statue of Liberty.
Looking at the great verdigris Lady feels extra poignant right now, doesn’t it?
A Swanky Spot for a Celebration
Lisa’s actual birthday was on Monday, the day after our Staten Island excursion. I asked where she wanted to go for dinner—the whole trip was a last-minute thing—and she quickly named Eleven Madison Park. I scoffed. The price-fixed menu served in the main dining room is $385 a head—before drinks. Lisa clarified that she was interested in checking out the lounge upstairs, called Clemente Bar (after the artist who painted the striking murals on the walls). Again I scoffed, surmising that we wouldn’t get a table. Wrong again! There was one reservation available, at prime dinner time. Most surprising, the largely vegan menu features small plates under $20 and a couple of mains for around $30. Who knew?
We were seated side by side on a banquet from which we surveyed the whole swanky scene. The place has an upscale but more casual-than-expected vibe, with a steady beat of louder-than-expected music. The service was brisk but not unfriendly, and the cocktail list was enticing and original.
I ordered the Clemente Martini, a combo of vodka and gin laced with green curry and saffron. I mean, I had to, right? Lisa chose the Negroni Colada, a clear concoction involving white vermouth, coconut rum, and pineapple, topped with a frozen blood-orange-colored disk moulded into the shape of a citrus slice. Both drinks were beguiling, and the glassware was gorgeous, though if I’m being totally honest I prefer the classic versions to these innovative offshoots.
For food, we split three small plates: one was a pile of delicate, delicious sake pickles, another was endive leaves layered with candied pistachios, fresh herbs, and an elevated green goddess dressing, and the third was inari pockets, kind of like open sushi rolls, with sticky rice, avocado, and shiso leaves. All three were delicious, and we considered ordering one of the larger plates, but none really grabbed us. There was a mushroom burger, a tofu dog, and a maitake mushroom tempura for two, served in a hen-shaped glass tureen. Humor! (Maitake’s other name is hen-of-the-woods.)
Instead, we went straight to dessert, a vegan milk-flavored ice cream with vegan honey brittle. Don’t ask. Though that does remind me that last week I described the lemon-almond cake as being both flourless and vegan, and since the recipe calls for three eggs, clearly only one of those descriptors was true! The Clemente dessert was indeed vegan, and also lovely.
It was a splendid spot to celebrate an auspicious birthday, and I might want to return sometime and try a few items we missed on the menu. But just as I prefer my cocktails more classic, I generally prefer my haunts more down to earth. Toward that end, and because we were still hungry, after Clemente we strolled a few blocks south to the ever-welcoming Gramercy Tavern, where we finished the evening with a cheese plate and two glasses of pinot noir. It was perfection.
A Chocolate Trade Show
There are a lot of really good days in the life of a food writer, but one in particular stood out recently: the day my friend Lauren and I attended Salon du Chocolat NYC, which is the largest trade show in the world devoted to chocolate and cocoa. Producers and artisans from 20-plus countries exhibited and sold their wares, gave demos, handed out samples, and educated the enthusiastic attendees about everything chocolate.
The bull above reminded me of the magnificent chocolate sculptures at the Museu de la Xocolata in Barcelona, which, along with a dinner involving an all-chocolate tasting menu, was clearly the highlight of the family trip we took over a decade ago.
A Peruvian vendor called Prophecy sold disks of drinking chocolate made from different types of cocoa and cocoa-adjacent beans (below), explaining their origins and describing the differences between them.
I learned a lot, ate a lot, and had a wonderful time.
Please feel free to share this post, and drop a heart below if you’re so inspired. xo
Hi Liza! I love the post about chocolate. We carry the Prophecy chocolate at our store in Vermont, and I believe it’s actually made nearby, if you are ever looking for it.
All the best,
Amelia Rappaport