Tag Archives: eric ripert

Shame on Sandy

13 Jan

I was bummed when I missed the 12-12-12 concert right around the corner at Madison Square Garden. Music acts that I grew up absolutely loving, coming together to benefit people who lost everything. I donated to Hurricane Sandy relief, but I never felt like I had done nearly enough. I even have some “survivor’s guilt” about the fact that we were not impacted by the hurricane AT ALL. We were the last block south to keep our power, so we weren’t even slightly inconvenienced.  We got so incredibly lucky.

I watched it all happen in absolute impotence.

But all of that is sad, and New York is nothing if not resilient and I like to think that focusing our energies into the positive is how we overcome.  So back to the positive…

I read about Shame on Sandy on Eater.com a few weeks ago and immediately bought my ticket. Not only was it benefiting something that touched my home so closely, but it was also a day to focus on the positive and celebrate some amazing freakin’ chefs and talented entertainers. (Here was the summary from Eater: “Shame on Sandy benefit at Highline Stages. The event will feature bites from Jonathan Waxman, Michael White, Nick Anderer, the Seersucker team, and several others, plus entertainment from actors and musicians like Reggie Watts, Patrick Stewart, and Abigail Breslin.”)

We went in and had NO idea what to expect. We arrived a bit early and found ourselves in a big open room with Batali, Bourdain, and Bastianich.  I had a bit of celebrity dumbstruckness (yes… chef’s make me dumbstruck but actors do not… do not know why) and didn’t take any photos. Damn.

But I did manage to sneak out my camera as the space filled up, before the food got too killed by the patrons. They had sandwiches from ‘wichcraft (Tom Colicchio).

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These little truffled egg tarts were SO GOOD.  Something about the combination of eggs and truffles that just can’t be beat.

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And a number of items from Blue Ribbon Bakery.

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Including this pork scratchings (pork rinds) with this cute label.

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And this AWESOME caramel corn.

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There were couches to lounge on and a number of tables (thank goodness we got there early and had a seat). The opening band was Bluegrass style and very good.

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And Mario Batali himself started handing out gelato (unfortunately, it was all gone by the time we were ready for dessert).

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And the hot girls shucking oysters somehow made their way to all the tables around us but not ours. Boo.

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The entertainment started (MCed by John Salley) and it was immediately apparent that the acoustics in the hall were not meant for this type of entertainment.  Behind us was a full cacophony of people chit chatting.  But the worst part about it was that they would NOT. SHUT. UP.  Even after countless celebrities asked them to be silent to be respectful for the entertainers, we actually couldn’t hear a lot of what was happening on stage, even though we were only about 20 feet away.  It was actually pretty shameful, and I can’t believe grown adults were that rude.

But we tried to be extra attentive because of that.

Tracy Anderson performed a fun dance routine and sang some songs from Chicago (the musical) and danced some Fosse.

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Followed by Mario Batali…

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…trying unsuccessfully to shoot an apple off of this lovely lady’s head.

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Gail Simmons read a poem about New York (that we could hardly hear due to the rude talkers in the back by the bar).

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Lady Rizo, a cabaret performer, tried to sing what sounded like a funny song about Googling a man she was crushing on, but that was so drowned out by the crazy talkers that she switched to a more Cabaret style torch song. 

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Rachel Feinstein (from Last Comic Standing) was very funny, when we could hear her. Mike is a big fan (see pic at end).

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And then this kid got up there and played an AMAZING cello set. His name is Joshua Roman and he was fantastic.

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Then adorable Abigail Breslin got up and sang a song she wrote. Who knew this little actress could sing?

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Then an impromptu Joe Bastianich got up and performed a song he wrote. This is where I nearly lost it on the talkers. He was giving a touching speech, and then a touching song, about talking to his kids about the horrific shooting in Newtown, CT (near where he’s from) and the group would not even be quiet for that.  I was embarrassed for all of them. But what we could hear, and the cello accompaniment (all improvised) was great.

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Then a performer named Vera Flash got up there and thankfully had music loud enough to drown out the asses in the back.

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Then someone (I’m not sure who… whoops) from “Real Actors Read Yelp” read a very funny Yelp review.

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Followed bya band (who I didn’t snap a picture of) then Marsha Stephanie Blake, who decided to take the noise level into her own hands and perform her Yelp review from the middle of the room on top of a stool.

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Then the very funny Reggie Watts got up and kept us all laughing throughout his set.

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It was at this time that Mike motioned to me that someone important was standing beside me.  Hello Patrick Stewart!

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And then someone finally shut up the crowd… Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain took the stage and gave each other a blind taste test to see if they could identify certain flavors.  Bourdain was up first.

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Eric Ripert challenged the long-time smoker to identify wine.  He somehow pulled it off, down to the vineyard.  I’m not sure if I was impressed or tricked… but it was entertaining to watch.

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Then they switched places and Bourdain told Ripert that he would be trying a staple of every stoner’s cabinet… 

Turns out, Eric Ripert has NO IDEA what Captain Crunch tastes like.

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Then Bourdain had him taste some McDonald’s chicken nuggets. He didn’t ask for Ripert to identify exactly what it was, but only what type of MEAT (or tofu) it was.

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Ripert absolutely couldn’t do it.

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But boy was it funny to watch.

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And then Sir Patrick Stewart graced the stage.

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He read about a secret restaurant he discovered that specialized in none other than sandwich ARTEESTS!

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Eric Ripert (and everyone in the audience) absolutely adored Stewart’s incredible essay and reading about the very special, very unique… Subway. 

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It was fantastic.

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And pretty awesome to see them talk to each other in awe just afterwards.

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And then a woman who was spending a good amount of time with Stewart got on stage and wowed us. Sunny Ozell is a Jazz singer and, as it turns out, Patrick Stewart’s current partner (who Wikipedia tells us is half his age).  She was stunning and super talented.

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And then people who know food people got wise and brought in some late night pizza.  Some deliriously good pizza with vodka sauce.  This must have been from someplace famous, because it was just too good, even eating it cold out of a cardboard box.  But sadly, I do not know where it came from.

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Then another real actor did a Yelp review. It was again, very funny, but again, I couldn’t hear who it was when they announced her.

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Olivia Arciero then came up and sang. She is part of a country group with her sisters called the Lunabelles.  She was also very talented.

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And then the last act, Bliss Blood.

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I can’t help but love the ukulele.  She was a fun way to end the show.

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At the end, most of the food was gone and most of the celebrity chefs ran out of there. But a few people stuck around and we got pictures with Rachel Feinstein (who was incredibly nice).

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And I got a photo op with John Salley, who was so insanely tall he had to LEAN DOWN to put his arms on my head.

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The Shame on Sandy benefit was a hell of a lot of fun and absolutely delicious.  I really enjoyed the variety show and thought everyone up there was talented, with some good fun thrown in from some of our favorite chefs.  The people who wouldn’t stop talking were absolutely horrid, but besides that, we had a great time and I felt very lucky to be in the room with such amazing talent.

And watching Ripert and Bourdain crack each other up was pretty awesome. 

Birthday Dinner at Le Bernardin

6 Sep

Continuing the amazing tradition of treating each other to fantastic birthday dinners, Mike surprised me this year with a meal at Le Bernardin(on 51st Street near 7th Ave).  Le Bernardin is famous for having 3 Michelin Stars and a famous chef, Eric Ripert, who did not disappoint (and was also present that night!)

It is designed simply yet elegantly, with beautiful tall flowers that filled the large space.  The bar was nice, yet really seemed to be more of a quick waiting area than a destination place to drink.

The thing that struck me all night was the incredible service.  They even gave me a stool for my purse! (Sorry for the terrible shot)

I was especially enamoured with the candle center pieces which were simply wire, water, and a floating candle.

We chose the Le Bernardin Tasting Menu + wine pairings, which in addition to the listed 7 course meal included an amuse bouche of watermelon soup and something I just cannot remember.

But it was such a great little touch to have mini watermelon slices.

Our first course was layers of thinly pounded tuna; foie gras and toasted baguette with shaved chives and extra virgin olive oil.  The wine was Bontani Moscatel Seco, Sierras de Malaga, Spain 2009.  You’re impressed with my memory?  Ha!  (They were nice enough to give me a printed menu as we left… like I said… SERVICE!)  This was absolutely delicious.  All of the flavors and textures just perfectly fit together. And the wine was a great compliment.  We started off impressed.

Next up was charred octopus – fermented black bean, white peach sauce vierge, ink- miso vinaigrette, purple basil.  The wine was a Savignon Blanc, Paul Cluver, Elgin, South Africa 2008.  Mike said that this was sensational.  Unfortunately, this had peppers, so they gave me the choice of an alternative.

I chose the stuffed zucchini flower with peekytoe and king grab; “Fine Herbs – Lemon” Mousseline Sauce (from the Four Course Tasting Menu).  Unfortunately, I didn’t write down the wine that went with this one… but it was actually my least favorite of the bunch.  Great on their own, but just took something away when they were together.  The individual pieces were so good that I had trouble determining which was better.  I think the Peekytoe just barely won out though.  Delish!

Our next course was great.  Warm Lobster Carpaccio; Hearts of Palm; Orange Vinaigrette.  And the wine was so good that I am currently asking my mom to go out of her way to pick us up some in NJ (the closest place I could find it to NYC).  It was a Chardonnay (we loved a chardonnay!)- Patz and Hall Russian River, 2008.  This was the best chardonnay I have ever had. Hands down.  I was scared it would retail for a few hundo, but I found it for an average of about $50 and on sale for about $35 at this place in NJ.  A little more than we’d usually spend, but totally worth it!  The dish was perfectly rich with the citrus being a great acid balance.

Next up was a baked wild striped bass with corn “cannelloni,” light Perigord Sauce.  It was paired with Rioja, Reserva, Vina Bosconia, Lopez de Heredia, Spain 2001.  This wine was also great.  And the striped bass was such a perfectly cooked piece of fish.  Absolutely fantastic.

It was at this point of the meal that I realized it was more than half over… bummer.  Next up was Escolar and Seared Nebraska Wagyu Beef with Sea bean Salad and Eggplant Fries with Mr. Kaufman’s pesto and red wine sauce.  The wine was La Croix de Beaucaillou, Saint Julien, Bordeaux 2004.  Now that description doesn’t even sound remotely familiar, nor does the picture really match.  The escolar and seared beef was definitely there (and WOW was it good… I must remember to order Escolar whenever possible), but the little accompanying items were more like light, flavorful, cheesy curds.  I guess it could have been bean salad with eggplant, however, all I know is that it was delicious.

We moved into the the dessert course next.  The description sounded quite risky: Basil Ice Cream with Peach Broth plus a tomato and a blackberry.  I wasn’t too sure, but it was GREAT. The wine that went with it was a Torrontez Sparkling – Deseado Familia Schroeder, Patagonia.  It was sweet and desserty without being sacarin.  Delicious!

Our last scheduled course was pistachio mousse, roastted white chocolate, lemon, and cherry.  The wine was Chateau La Rame – Reserve, Saint Croix du mont 1999.

The cherries were beautiful.

I always think it’s fun when they have a stuffed dessert.  It’s like a little surprise inside.  It tasted great, though I can’t say it blew me away.

They were incredibly sweet and quickly realized that it was my birthday.  They brought me this.

Which, as you can tell by the next picture, was inedible.  (Ha!)  I have NO idea what it was. But it was gooooood.

I was a bit bummed, however, that there was no chocolate.  But not to be faulted in any way, a miniature dessert course came out right before the check.

A fantastic assortment of teeny pastries.


Overall, this was absolutely a top 5 meal.  Nothing completely took our breath away, but the meal was fantastic from start to finish.  This was the first time we ever did a wine pairing with our dinner and I was VERY happy we did.  The pours were almost full glasses, so we left the dinner QUITE happy.  We also got to try many different wines along the way and came out loving almost all of them, with one incredible gem.  Well done Mike… well done!

Total Nom Points: 8.5 out of 10