Outstanding in the Field — NOT!

Went to one of the Outstanding in the Field dinners recently, and boy was it a big disappointment!  You’d think that they’d have everthing down to a science, since they’ve done hundreds of them around the country…..I went to the one in Queens.  It was supposed to be in Brooklyn, but a week before the event, after paying $125 for a non-refundable ticket, I was told that it was going to be in Queens near the Nassau County border.  Thanks guys!

The next great news was when I got there and asked about the evening’s menu, I was told that it was an ALL PORK MENU.  They neglected to mention this when selling their dinner tickets.  Folks, unless you love standing around for hours and sitting for hours and eating only pork, don’t bother going to one of these events.  The range of local products used on the menu was VERY LIMITED.  The wine was from California and France.  Note to organizers:  The North Fork of Long Island has wonderful wines.  Use them.  Serve them.  Check out Schneider Vineyards.  Check out Martha Clara.

The “brilliance” of the evening continued when they waited 2 hours to start a tour of Queens Farm at sunset, so that no one could see anything and they had to abbreviate the tour.

The evening started at 6 p.m. By 9:20 p.m. when all I had eaten were tomatoes and some sauteed cabbage, I left to make the trek back into Manhattan to relieve my babysitter.  I had begged for a piece of chicken or fish over 3 hours before, but they hadn’t been able to deliver.

The nicest part of the evening was something that the organizers had nothing to do with — the weather.  It was a perfect early autumn evening under the stars.

I don’t get what all the fuss is about Oustanding in the Field.  It was like going to an unorganized and underfunded wedding reception.  Do yourself a favor — have dinner at Community Food & Juice, Hundred Acres or Cookshop instead.

Local Foods of New York

Summer is one of the best times of the year to enjoy locally raised and grown foods. In Manhattan, there are several restaurants that I like to eat at that go to great lengths to promote local food growers, especially those from out on Long Island.

I recently ate dinner again at Community Food & Juice, on the Upper West Side, right near Columbia University. We had a wonderful bowl of fresh, summer vegetables including exotic mushrooms, a variety of local beans and more. They were lightly sauteed and were the best vegetables I’ve had all summer. We also had fried green heirloom tomatoes that were crispy and not too greasy.

Community Food and Juice

To enjoy local foods right in their terroir, take a ride out to Jamesport, NY — about 2 hrs. from Manhattan. Eat at the Jedediah Hawkins Inn. They have a top notch restaurant. Yes, the prices are Manhattan, but the portions are much larger than what you’d get in the city. I had a crab salad, which was choc full of fresh crab. It was delicious. They use plenty of local produce from Satur Farms. They also use goat cheese from Catapano Dairy. The Inn serves lunch until 2:30 p.m. and they also serve “High Cheese” at 4 p.m. before dinner service starts.

The Dining Room at Jedediah Hawkin’s Inn

The staff is friendly, the home is lovely and the town is quaint and worth a visit.

We will be running a coach tour from Manhattan this fall and later next spring to visit a host of special food growers and purveyors on the east end of Long Island. The trip will be a Saturday day trip. Please email us at info@cityfoodtours.com if you want to be notified of the dates.

Food News from The Lower East Side, NY

As a long-time Manhattan resident, recognized food expert and leader of food tours, I nominate The Lower East Side of Manhattan as the most exciting food neighborhood in all of the five boroughs, and one of the most diverse, lively and rich (in the food sense, of course, not $$) in the U.S.

The LES has it all — old-time food businesses that have been around for 100 years or more (e.g. Russ & Daughters), new artisan retail food businesses of all types — from donuts and ice cream to candy, baked goods and more — to some of the city’s best restaurants (Little Giant, Falai, etc.)

The neighborhood also has some great cheap eats (Cuban Sandwiches) and some of the trendiest night spots around. There are also great bars to please every taste — from cheap beers to exotic fruit infused mojitos.

If you want to taste, learn and see more of this intriguing neighborhood, visit www.cityfoodtours.com and we’ll take you on a tour.