Big Apple Life

A collection of posts on Life in the Big Apple along with interviews with foodie friends

Introducing Sandi Durell’s Theater Pizzazz

About two years ago when my theatre buddy Tom met Sandi Durell at a holiday party, he decided to introduce us as he had a feeling we'd become friends. He was right. Sandi Durell is Publisher/Editor of the fabulous TheaterPizzazz.com — an entertainment website covering theater and cabaret, with a staff of over 15 contributing writers.  Her site offers interviews, openings and reviews of both on and off broadway shows and music.  Sandi's been writing, reviewing, producing, with a voice in theater, cabaret and entertainment for over 25+ years. We decided to sort of cross-pollinate — me sharing her contributors' theatre reviews here on Bite of the Best, she sharing my [...]

By |2017-11-06T09:13:18-05:00October 31st, 2017|Big Apple Life, Theatre|0 Comments
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Factory Tamal, Lower East Side, NYC

One friend and I always find a new cheap eats to use as our destination. We then meet and walk there... how we ended up at the Factory Tamal on Ludlow Street. It's a tiny restaurant and I use that word loosely. It's gigantic compared to their former storefront around the corner. The person taking our orders had a smile from ear to ear. Factory Tamal certainly has something to smile about as they were recently and so very interestingly described by Lagaya Mishan in the Times. With one tamale breaking the bank at $2.50 (up a bit from the $2 price in the story), we ordered one of each of the [...]

By |2017-12-24T09:08:47-05:00October 28th, 2017|Rambling|Comments Off on Factory Tamal, Lower East Side, NYC
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NYC’s 2018 Michelin Bib Gourmands

This week announced the 2018 Bib Gourmands, a collection of venues where patrons can enjoy two courses plus a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less. Any restaurant that receives a Bib is ineligible for a star. The over 120 restaurants who have earned this recognition across the city's neighborhoods are listed below. A Bib Gourmand designation, reserved for a select number of restaurants rated by Michelin’s team of anonymous food inspectors, denotes establishments where diners can enjoy a great meal for a good value. In New York, these restaurants are as diverse as the neighborhoods in which they are found. Here are the New York City 2018 [...]

By |2017-10-24T09:55:00-04:00October 25th, 2017|Big Apple Life, Rambling|0 Comments
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Lotus Blue, Union Square, NYC

I had watched the progress of a restaurant being build in the space where Pizza Vinoteca was located just off Union Square on the south side of 15th Street. Lotus Blue opened in September while I was in France. I stopped by recently to meet a colleague for a drink. She ordered a Tito's and fresh orange juice ($12). The friendly bartender has just made a batch with mostly oranges plus one grapefruit.  I ordered the same but made with their chili-infused tequila as I wanted my drink a bit spicier. With the fresh juice, both were refreshingly delicious! I will for sure return as the menu looked good, and this [...]

By |2017-12-26T09:00:19-05:00October 15th, 2017|Rambling|0 Comments
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A Baker’s Dozen Cheap Pre-Theatre Eats: Theatre District

"Where should I eat?" I'm always asked, especially when friends are heading to theatre. To help respond to that query,  I've decided to create a few posts listing suggested places to grab a bite, divided by cost and time. This first post contains a baker's dozen offerings where you can get a quick meal — of course, depending on what you order — for about $25 (not including tax, tip and drinks!) located not far from the theatre district.   Bareburger 366 W 46th St, (212) 673-2273. For a quick burger and fries. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., 1501 Broadway (at 43rd) (212) 391-7100 A down-home atmosphere reminiscent of the “Forrest [...]

By |2018-04-07T08:21:10-04:00September 9th, 2017|NYC Best Bites, Rambling, Theatre|2 Comments
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The 14th Annual Second Helping of Life Tasting Event, September 18

Two dozen of NYC's top women chefs will offer their signature dishes at nonprofit SHARE's annual “A Second Helping of Life” tasting event on Monday, September 18, 6 PM at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers. Celebrity Chef Angie Mar, Executive Chef of Beatrice Inn, will serve as the event’s Executive Chef. All proceeds will benefit SHARE. Participating chefs will include Food Network favorite Alex Guarnaschelli (Butter), Rebecca Charles (Pearl Oyster Bar), Sarabeth Levine (Sarabeth’s), Amanda Cohen (Dirt Candy), Patti Jackson (Delaware and Hudson), Roxanne Spruance (Kingsley’s), and many more. See the list below. The NYC female chef community has been supporting SHARE’s mission for 14 years, making A Second Helping of [...]

By |2017-09-03T13:34:45-04:00September 2nd, 2017|Other happenings|0 Comments
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Free No More: Pier 81 Boat Rides

I've been raving about the free boat rides from Pier 81 since they began a few years back. Free no more. The North River Lobster boat sailed for 45 minutes up the Hudson about every two hours. When they first began, the lobster rolls were plentiful served with fresh creamy cole slaw and a bag of chips for $16. I've been many times with friends who came for a summertime visit. Sadly as the pricing of the lobster roll when up, the quality down. And now that ride is $10 a person; the lobster roll $22.95. That's not the worst of it. Fish Bar, which also was free,  now has [...]

By |2023-07-02T08:06:35-04:00June 14th, 2017|Big Apple Life, Other happenings|0 Comments
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Chadwick Boyd

For our visit, Chadwick Boyd whipped up a batch of biscuits and served them warm with salted butter and grapefruit-thyme jam. This month, you can catch him making these quick breads on the big (AKA movie) screen in "Reel Food," his 4-minute cooking and entertaining segment that precedes the trailers in many theaters nationwide. Screenvision Media launched this series last fall, with each episode running a 4-week cycle. They've already commissioned Chadwick through June. Smart idea for sure, encouraging moviegoers to get there early enough to catch the pre-entertainment show. While spreading some jam on the tender biscuits, I learned that Chadwick helps organize International Biscuit Festival. How fitting, I [...]

By |2017-09-03T09:44:28-04:00March 28th, 2017|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Suzen O’Rourke

Suzi O’Rourke was ahead of her time. In the 80s, she created a cooking club where she sent kitchen-tested recipes to friends, saying the first one to respond got their choice of which to make! Her dinner parties were such a success she ended up with a waiting list of friends wanting to attend. She then realized she might have just have a business concept — Cooking by The Book was born. That business — located in Tribeca — morphed from those dinners into a culinary corporate team building experience. Suzi's clients from Fortune 1000 companies learn to work together in her new state-of-the-art equipped kitchen and dining room. Suzi [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:35:14-04:00March 1st, 2017|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Cathy Cochran-Lewis

I recently reconnected with Austin-based Cathy Cochran-Lewis, the global marketing programs coordinator for Whole Foods, when I was headed to her city for a mini-sibling vacation. I wanted to pick her brain about where to eat, knowing she'd have fabulous recommendations as she's so involved in her city's culinary activities. When we spoke, Cathy reminded me that we first met at the Greenbrier resort (West Virginia) at the then Symposium for Professional Food Writers where she also first met Julia, as Julia and I were both presenters. Our paths have crossed umpteen times since then. We both served on the board of the International Association of Culinary Professionals; she served [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:31:57-04:00February 8th, 2017|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Nathalie Dupree

I met Nathalie Dupree — a multi-talented food professional — many decades ago in Ashville, North Carolina on a chicken original (3074) trip. That was when the then National Chicken Council hosted food editors on yearly press trips to teach us about the industry. Nathalie actually got married during one of those trips, as I and two other editors stood up for her as her bridesmaids on the beach in Jamaica. Best known for her approachability and her understanding of Southern fare, Nathalie is a best-selling author with 14 cookbooks and more than 300 television shows. She's a productive food professional having been the Founding Chairman of the [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:34:05-04:00January 3rd, 2017|Foodie Interviews|2 Comments
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Florence Fabricant

If you're a New York Times reader, you'll recognize the name Florence Fabricant. She's one of their longtime food and wine writers, who contributes the weekly Front Burner and Off the Menu columns. We first met at a table on the ocean-view terrace of Beechwood (Astor) Mansion in Newport, RI with Jeremiah Tower and his crew on the lawn grilling our lunch. It was an Ocean Spray cranberry event in the 80s. Florence has written 12 cookbooks, including The New York Times Dessert Cookbook (St. Martins Press), The New York Restaurant Cookbook (Rizzoli) and The New York Times Seafood Cookbook (St. Martins Press). Now that I'm a full-time New Yorker, [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:39:08-04:00November 25th, 2016|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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The Next Big Bite: The Media’s Influence on What We Consume

The Next Big Bite:  highlighted key trends in a discussion about the media’s impact on food and drink decisions. This second annual event was held last month at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in Brookfield Place, New York City. It was sponsored by Les Dames d’Escoffier New York (LDNY), the preeminent organization of women who are leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. The New York chapter (LDNY) is the founding and largest of the 37 chapters in the United States and abroad. The centerpiece of the evening was a panel discussion moderated by Martha Teichner, correspondent for CBS News Sunday Morning, featuring Carla Hall, Co-host [...]

By |2017-09-03T08:09:36-04:00November 23rd, 2016|Other happenings, Rambling|0 Comments
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Devin Alexander

When 15-year old Devin Alexander tipped the scale at 200 pounds, she decided to do something about it. By the time Devin left for Smith College she had trimmed down. Devin has maintained her own 70-pound weight loss for over 20 years, turning the nondeprivational way she did so into her successful career. Devin lives and eats her message —  you don’t have to deprive yourself to be fit and healthy. Devin is the author of 8 cookbooks including “The Biggest Loser Cookbook” Series and “The Most Decadent Diet Ever." She's appeared on numerous national TV shows and has been featured in magazines, including Prevention, Men’s Health and Shape. Today, [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:41:21-04:00August 29th, 2016|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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The 13th Annual Second Helping of Life Tasting Event in September

SHARE will celebrate its 40th Anniversary at the annual “A Second Helping of Life” tasting event on Monday, September 19, 6 PM at Pier 60, Chelsea Piers with almost 30 of NYC’s premier women chefs offering up their signature dishes (scroll down). Chef Angie Mar, Executive Chef of Beatrice Inn and Chopped Grill Masters Grand Champion in 2015, will serve as the event’s Executive Chef. All proceeds will benefit SHARE. Tamsen Fadal — PIX 11 Evening News Anchor — will serve as the evening's host. Founded in 1976 by breast specialist Dr. Eugene Thiessen with twelve breast cancer patients and survivors, SHARE currently serves 40,000 people annually with free supportive [...]

By |2017-09-03T08:03:33-04:00August 16th, 2016|Other happenings|0 Comments
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Alison Awerbuch

Alison Awerbuch grew up in a home where her mom read Gourmet and enjoyed entertaining — creating a menu, setting the ??????????????? stage, preparing the food and serving it with style. This upbringing planted the seeds that grew into her catering career. It wasn't, though, until half way through college that she realized those passions. She finished college with a business degree then headed to the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) for another. Her first job was at Abigail Kirsch, then a small catering company in Westchester. More than 25 years later, Alison is still with the company — only now she's a partner, running and expanding the [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:41:32-04:00August 15th, 2016|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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Maria Loi

When Maria Loi and I met in 2013 on a French wine crawl that stopped at her then Upper West Side eponymous restaurant, she mentioned that she felt we'd met before. After chitchatting, we discovered that we actually may have met in the 70s on the Greek isle of Hyra! I stopped by her year-old restaurant Loi Estiatorio in Manhattan — where she's the executive chef — recently to learn more about her beginnings. I knew she had written more than 35 cookbooks (including Ancient Dining, the official cookbook for the 2004 Olympic Games and her most recent The Greek Diet HarperCollins 2014), cooked for President Obama at the White [...]

By |2017-09-03T13:11:39-04:00July 18th, 2016|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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David Bonom

You may not recognize him, but David Bonom is the face behind many of recipes you might use. He develops these creations Marge Perry David Bonom Love, Lobster, Strawberry Cupcakes Cookbook for myriad food companies and — along with his food-writing wife Marge Perry — has a regular column in Rachel Ray Every Day. If  you're one of those who can't sleep, you might catch him cooking on ABC's World News Now, an overnight television news program airing during the wee hours. David and I met umpteen years ago at one of the many press events we both attended. With me as his agent, we also worked together for [...]

By |2017-09-03T11:47:10-04:00July 3rd, 2016|Foodie Interviews|1 Comment
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Sara Moulton

My first memory of meeting the talented Sara Moulton was at the Good Morning America set in the 90s. She was working in the GMA kitchen as their executive chef prepping for the food segments; I was appearing in my inaugural network spot to promote Rice, my first cookbook. We worked together many times after that as I did numerous GMA food trend segments. Our paths would then cross on press trips or at media events, as the food community during that era was quite small. But Sara's food career began long before her GMA days when she was associate chef for Julia's Julia Child & More Company TV show [...]

By |2017-09-03T13:11:49-04:00June 5th, 2016|Foodie Interviews|0 Comments
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