Category Archives: Food Photography

Grimaldi’s Pizza, Brooklyn

Of course you’ve heard about Grimaldi’s pizza. How could you not? A pizza reputed to be NYC’s finest if not for the longest of lines. It’s typical to wait more than an hour especially on weekends and for big groups. Take note of this during hot summer days or in the blistering cold because one has to stand in line outside during this wait. Showing up early in the evening on a weekday might be a better idea if you don’t have the patience to wait. For what it’s worth the pizza really is good, but one can find close seconds at Patsy’s at University place in Manhattan or a less touristy contender at Lucali’s in Carroll Gardens.

Mangia!

Pepperoni and mushrooms

Black olives and sausage.

All about Grimaldi’s new Brooklyn location here.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns – Dinner

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Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Tarrytown, New York) is one of those six-hour meal experiences beginning with a tour of the farm, a sighting of their free-range and grass-fed animals and organic produce, and a glorious meal of several courses. At $100-150/head (without drinks), it is a glorious and thoughtful meal to be shared with friends and family who would appreciate the chef’s effort, as well as the objective of the farm and restaurant. Don’t be fooled by the small servings as most people would do well with the five-course (as opposed to the eight-course) selection, though hearty manly eaters must be warned. There are never overwhelming quantities of food, but there is definitely a sensation overload. (Apologies for the poor lighting, this was the in the evening and flash photography was not permitted. (Update: DJ’s take on Blue Hill’s Farmer’s Lunch is here.)

Fresh garden baby carrots, radishes and lettuce standing on a log of nails.

Beet, parsnip, radish and sage-threaded carrot chips arranged in a standing log.

Lardo, farm-fresh butter, cottage cheese and carrot rock salt.

Assorted meats and flatbread standing on a bed of nails.

Liver terrine and chocolate. Heavenly.

Mini beet burgers.

Pancetta-wrapped salsify.

Caviar-topped bone marrow with special bone holder.

Pancetta-wrapped chad fish roe on brioche.

Vegetable-decorated rice paper over fresh egg and spinach soup.

Venison loin and heart with leek and date puree.

At some point the farm imported geese in an attempt to produce a “humane” foie gras from their livers, but failed due to the serene and particular surroundings geese require. They kept the geese and use their eggs for the restaurant.

Linguine with goose egg sauce, black mushrooms and grated pickled embryonated chicken egg.

Farm bees produced this picturesque honey in a jar to begin the dessert course.

Yogurt marshmallows, dark chocolate toffee, mapled sesame seeds.

Carrot cake, caramel ice cream, passion fruit froth and syrup.

The premises with very efficient valet parking. As soon as you pay your bill, your coats await you at the front desk and your car is ready when you leave the building. Why can’t everyone do that?

Happy sheep?

Happy sheep dog. :o)

Babulas Taverna in Mykonos, Greece

Kiki’s Taverna at Agios Sostis in Mykonos, Greece

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For the more adventurous traveler to Mykonos, Greece, the barren strip of Agios Sostis might be more ideal, with its silence and B.Y.O. nature seeming more genuine than the 8-Euro umbrella rentals and surrounding internet cafes of its more famous counterparts. On a summer day as you are scorching from inadequate shade, an old man peddling homemade pastries will try to sell you some, and you’ll regret not taking him up on his offer as soon as he leaves.

There is only one source of food and refreshments bathrooms in the whole of Agios Sostis, and that is the infamous Kiki’s Taverna, where the line is long but you can drown your impatience in a dented copper-plated pitcher of white wine, handed to you with a couple of shot glasses whose authentic feel matches only the Greek chatter of locals waiting for their turn to be seated.

On that afternoon we were sitting on wooden chairs lined up outside the taverna along with several other parties who seemed to know the deal there at Kiki’s, so we just followed suit. Our Greek friend had recommended the taverna and we had started to drink the wine from the copper pitcher when she struck up a conversation with a single mother holding a place in line for her son, a friend and her daughter. We raised a glass to each other and shared squash seeds we had saved from our ferry ride to the island.

Inside as we got seated, the lady introduced us to her friend, the epitome of classic Greek goddess beauty if there ever was one. Suffice it to say our jaws dropped and we spent the rest of the meal elbowing each other because of the eye candy. To repay the graciousness they bought us dessert, and we toasted to our meeting, exchanged numbers, smiles, promised each other we’d write…

The food at Kiki’s Taverna is everything you would expect from a secluded, popular and secretive hole-in-the wall without even a sign or electricity. Food is served fresh and fast off a grill you can stand before and choose the fish of your liking. There was definitely nothing to be desired after a salad with the sweetest and juiciest tomatoes, artichokes, porkchops, and octopus.

Greek…errr…garden salad…should I tell you about Greek tomatoes*?

Artichokes in Olive Oil

Grilled Porkchop

Grilled Octopus

After our meal we were taught about the Greek ritual of telling fortunes based on the coffee sediment left at the bottom of one’s cup. Our new friends from the line bought us dessert to return the gesture of the pumpkin seeds we offered while we waited. “I will visit you in New York!” is such a common thing we hear when we travel, and people almost never follow through (and we rarely want them to). What we did want to take with us was that meal, its warmth and the experience of copper pitchers, wooden tables, and waddling out of a nameless taverna to jump in clear saltwater and wade any remaining worries away.

An old church on top of a hill at Agios Sostis

A basin with calm water where we took a freezing post-lunch dip.

* Our Greek hostess said that only three things can be grown in most Greek islands: grapes, olives and tomatoes. The tomatoes are supposedly from a hybrid strain orginating from Egypt and require no watering – it gets its water (and all its flavor!) from the air and the soil. I couldn’t find any reference to these Egyptian strains but did find a lot of information glorifying Santorini’s grape tomatoes for being very flavorful, sweet and not requiring a lot of watering.

About Kiki’s Taverna: NY Times, Food & Wine

More on Greece:
Alternative Views
Babulas Taverna in Mykonos
Kiki’s Taverna at Agios Sostis
A Mykonos Meow: Photo Essay
The Daily Applause at Oia
No Name Taverna Delights, Santorini & Mykonos
Mykonos and the Taverna at Agios Sostis
Oia: The Taverna at the Bottom of the Cliff

Brunch at Stone Park Café, Brooklyn

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We always take our guests to our favorite neighborhood brunch place Stone Park Cafe because of its great plates and awesome Bloody Marys (if you’re so inclined). Favorites include their Hangtown Fry (fried oysters, eggs and toast), which is probably the best fried oyster experience I’ve had anywhere (including New Orleans and Northeast coastal towns).

Photo by Katie Ligon

The oysters are cooked perfectly and the batter is fresh and not greasy. Biscuits and Gravy is also a treat, as is their BLT. Note that the BLT is a thick slab of bacon, best requested to be cooked well done to bring out the crispy in those suckers.

Because this is a popular Park Slope spot so for brunch, getting there before 11 am is highly advised, especially for big groups. Dinners at Stone Park are also recommended for quiet, intimate gatherings. Excellent signature cocktails as well.

“Hangtown Fry” – Fried oysters, eggs and toast

BLT

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