New York Cork Report

Sparkling Pointe and Pork Belly Benedict Take Over at Wading River's La Plage

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent

It seems every time I decide to eat at La Plage, I can’t remember how to get there. It’s somewhere near Wading River by the beach, hence the name “La Plage,” but the exact route I take always seems to allude me. Eventually though, I do happen upon Sound Road that winds me to the small restaurant.

For years now, Chef Wayne Wadington has been making waves across the North Shore with his eclectic, French-inspired cuisine. Clean, straightforward and always delicious, Wadington's food is based upon fresh, seasonal ingredients. Recently, my wife and I visited for their Valentine’s Champagne Brunch with Sparkling Pointe, Long Island’s sparkling wine-only winery.

While I have yet to visit Sparkling Pointe’s North Fork tasting room, I’ve become a fan of their sparkling wines from various tasting events around the region.

We started the brunch off with their 2007 Brut. A pale sparkling wine, it has a wonderful, balanced texture with notes of apple and pear. This was paired with gougeres as an amuse bouche. Unfortunately, the small puff alone did little to “amuse” our palate. The flavor was a bit milder than I like in gougeres. However, this mild cheese taste did help to highlight the wine, and thus served its purpose. 

We both chose the homemade lobster ravioli as our next course. I always jump at the chance to try a chef’s homemade pasta and Chef Wadington’s did not disappoint. Homemade pasta has a wonderful soft, delicate texture when made well. The ravioli melted in our mouths, giving way to delicious buttery lobster. The tomato-based sauce, created with a homemade seafood stock, had a nice creamy, briny taste that complemented the lobster perfectly.

The course was accompanied with Sparkling Pointe’s 2006 Blanc De Blancs. A beautiful golden color, this wine surprisingly held up to the brininess of the sauce and its almond, pear, and buttery notes paired perfectly with the lobster.

The best moment of the meal arrived with my main course: Berkshire pork belly eggs benedict. I still have dreams of this dish. Seriously. I do.

Crisp, smoked, maple-syrup glazed pork belly topped with perfectly poached eggs and a rich hollandaise sauce. It was eggs benedict-meets eggs with bacon, taken to a whole new level. Again, the dish was simple, but the flavor was astounding.

 

My wife’s main course was a bit more befuddling. She ordered the char-grilled yellow fin tuna salad Nicoise style. Hoping to receive a beautiful Nicoise salad topped with a piece of lightly grilled tuna, she was disappointed to see the tuna had been “mayonnaised”. Coming from a mid-western family who puts mayo on everything, she was less than thrilled. So I shared my glorious pork belly with her, which turned out to be enough for both of us.

 

I ate the rest of the salad, which was actually quite good. The grilled flavor of the tuna made it through the mayo and it was a fresh addition to the richness of the pork belly.

The main course was paired with one of Sparkling Pointe’s top wines, their 2002 Brut Seduction. Again, I was impressed when this sparkling wine stood up to the richness of my pork dish. With notes of ginger and apple, the velvety mouth feel gave a light, but flavorful complement to the savory and sweet pork belly.

We finished off the meal with a passion fruit ice cream sundae and a final tasting of Sparkling Pointe’s NV Cuvee Carnivale. The cuvee is a slighty sweeter-style sparkling wine, which generally I’m don’t prefer, but was a nice touch with our dessert. The citrus and floral notes paired well with the sweet vanilla and fruit flavors of the sundae.

Finishing with an espresso, we chatted with Sparkling Pointe winemaker, Gilles Martin. We learned Martin is now working on a 100% pinot sparkling wine to be released in the coming months. He is also hosting many tasting dinners across the region as well as at the Sparkling Pointe tasting room. It’s indicative of their commitment to making sparkling wine accessible to many palates.

After the meal, we took a short walk on the beach to take in the whole experience. The reminiscence of sparkling wine combined perfectly with the salty air of the Long Island Sound. One of the wonderful aspects of La Plage is the reflection of its place along the water in its cuisine. Alongside the beach, it merges the sea and land on a plate bringing the flavors of French cuisine and Long Island ingredients to life. Whether visiting for brunch or dinner, it’s a wonderful spot for an adventure…if you can find it, that is.

Tasting The Season's Harvest: Peconic Bay Scallops & the Southold Fish Market

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent

It was a mild grey New Year’s Eve when our car pulled into the dirt parking lot of the Southold Fish Market. Out past the fish market’s docks, the water of Southold Bay was calm and glassy as several gulls and a snowy egret flapped across the pristine surface.

We had come to sample a local seafood favorite harvested from those very waters: Peconic Bay Scallops. There are few places to get them as fresh as The Southold Fish Market.

Stepping into the small market, there were locals lined up to grab all kinds of seafood before the market closed for their January vacation. The market is short on frills. Inside, a small, carpeted hallway opens up to a large concrete floored workroom where the most recent “catch” is tossed on ice or in steel bins for sale.

I weaved my way around a worker shucking oysters and found Charlie Manwaring shelling shrimp just before he headed out on vacation. Charlie has worked in the fishing industry his whole life and took over the market in 2000. With both his father and grandfather still spending each day out on the water, fishing and seafood is in his blood. He prepares the market’s seafood from his family’s recipes and ever since it’s been a prime spot for a fresh, local seafood lunch.

You can check out this cooking video with him from the Port of Egypt “Open House.” 

Amidst the activity of cleaning, shelling, and shucking seafood, Charlie and I chatted about the current Peconic Bay Scallop season. “For us, the season is from the first weekend in November ‘till around March. I think we’ll have scallops all the way through this year. It’s a good year and there’s scallop all the way from Montauk to Flanders Bay (the western edge of the Peconic Bay)."

He continued to explain that due to recent regulations, limiting the size of scallop the fishermen can keep, the scallops are making a huge comeback. “As long as they’re breeding, it’s a good thing for all of us.” These new regulations along with the return of bay grasses have contributed to better harvests in the last few years.

Excited to try this year’s harvest, I let Charlie get back to shelling shrimp and was handed off to his sister to put in an order: a basket of fried Peconic bay scallops and fried local oysters.

Our food was ready after a short walk out on the docks. The breading was light and the surprisingly sweet, nutty, briny taste of the scallops washed over our palates. The oysters were small but packed a perfect salty and buttery flavor. Normally, fried food isn’t paired with anything fresh, but their cole slaw and choice of a side salad or thin cut French fries were all pleasant, fresh additions to the meal. As my wife put it- “There’s fried food, and then there’s this deliciousness.”

If you ever pick up a pound of Peconic Bay scallops for home, be sure to not overcook or over-flavor them -- little salt, lemon juice, and maybe a light breading is all that’s needed. 

But if you’re up for a drive or out on the North Fork, The Southold Fish Market is the perfect spot to taste the bay’s harvest on the water. Order a few baskets of oysters, scallops, and steamers and have a seat on a picnic table by the bay to appreciate the taste of fresh, local food plucked by folks who’ve fished these waters for generations.

 

A NYCR Photo Essay: On Butchering A Local Pig & Making Head Cheese

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent.

Recently, I had the opportunity to get a pig-butchering lesson at Benner's Farm in Setauket, NY, an educational farm for kids and adults. Benner's Farm is a working farm and the slaughtering of a pig around November is an annual occurence. They don't sell meat to the public, so it is solely used by the family.

Because I'm is a self-proclaimed food dork and was intrigued with the whole process, I was lucky enough to come home with the pig's head and two pork chops after my lesson was complete. From there, I undertook a 9 and a half-hour cooking marathon to make what is commonly called head cheese, or (and it sounds better in French) Le Fromage de Tete. The following photo essay documents my up-close-and-personal farm-to-table experience. 

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES THAT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNG READERS, VEGETARIANS, OR THOSE WHO WOULD RATHER NOT THINK ABOUT WHERE THEIR MEAT COMES FROM. 

Benner's Farm

Jean Benner & Her Rifle

 

Makinajian Poultry Farms: Three Generations of Organic Farming in Huntington, NY

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent

“We’ve always been organic and never use pesticides. My grandfather was talking about it back in the 50s even before it was popular,” said Michael Makinajian as he gestured towards an article written about his grandfather, Joseph, in 1964 for the Suffolk Farming Times. “We’ve just always been committed to doing things naturally.”

Situated just south of Huntington, NY, Makinajian Poultry Farm is the definition of family farming and is one of few farms remaining this far west on Long Island. “When I was younger my grandfather would drive around and point out different properties. He’d say, ‘This was a lettuce farm, that was a potato farm,’ now, it’s all houses,” Michael reminisced.

I’d heard about the small farm from friends and from seeing it listed on several Long Island menus as a source for their vegetables and eggs. I’m always on the lookout for organic local food, and Makinajian Poultry Farms seemed like the perfect place to get it. 

On roughly four acres of land, the Makinajian family has been growing produce and raising chickens for almost 64 years. Joseph Makinajian, Michael’s grandfather, began farming the property in 1948 after emigrating from Armenia and living in Queens. “My grandfather just had farming in him. He had a victory garden and kept bees on his rooftop in Queens. My father still has his mail-order course on beekeeping from Cornell. It’s just what he liked to do,” Michael said.

To support the family farm, Joseph also worked as a projectionist in the city. “He’d feed the chickens and other animals, then hop on the train to work, then he’d come back and work on the farm again.”

Today, Michael and his sisters, Tina and Vicky, all have a hand in the farm. Michael and Tina are common faces on the farm and Vicky bakes all the farm’s certified organic breads, cookies and pies.

Just off Cuba Hill Road, their large white family house sits adjacent to the old garage, which has been converted into the farm’s store, a large parking lot, and a barn.

Chickens are found in nearly all the nooks and crannies of the property, but a large pen next to the parking lot holds most of them, along with several sheep and goats. Out behind the buildings, a large field, stretches to the back of the property, segregated into different plots for their vast harvest of produce..

The small store is stocked full of their own vegetables and herbs, as well as other organic goods and produce. “We fill in what we can’t provide for our customers. Some of our produce comes from far places like California, but we try to get as much as we can locally,” said Michael.

Along with their own produce, the store stocks local Jericho Apple Cider, local honey from Melville, and other goods from “upstate.” And then there are the chickens.

The Makinajians are known for their chickens and eggs, having sold poultry since the 1950s. Although they still harvest their  eggs from the property, they’ve outsourced the raising of the actual chickens to free range farms in the Hudson Valley. But they still roast the chickens on premise and as the holiday season begins, they even bring in a goose or two. Need some chicken livers for a local homemade paté? Look no further than Makinajian Farms. Their fridge takes me back to the classic Julia Childs chicken episode, “Miss Broiler, Miss Fryer, Miss Roaster.” They have them all.

All kinds of produce are also seasonally harvested from the Makinajian’s farm.  “Right now, we’re still harvesting beets, carrots, arugula, dandelion greens, peppers, collards, tomatillos, hot peppers, herbs…” and the list goes on — and that’s in November. All local and certified organic, if you ever eaten at any of Nino Antuzzi’s restaurants, such as Red or Sapsucker’s in Huntington, you’ve probably tasted the Makinajian’s produce. “We appreciate all of our customers, from local restaurants to the folks that we’ve grown up with. We’re really lucky to have such loyal customers.”

It’s clear that the local community appreciates them too. As I spoke with Michael in the store, many folks stopped by to pick up roasted chickens, produce, or the odd gallon of organic milk. Before I left, I too couldn’t help but grab a bunch of fresh dandelion greens, a jug of Jericho cider, and some frozen purple raspberries from the summer harvest.

Every year, Michael attends the annual New York Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Conference and connects with other organic farmers. “[Organic farming] is really growing out here, out east and in the city. There’s a bunch of people in the city creating rooftop farms and doing really cool things. These people are really smart, intelligent folks who really care about growing good food. They really inspire me.”

The Makinajians are just such people and their commitment to providing good organic food through three generations is inspiring to all of us. In a world dominated by large supermarkets and processed foods, it’s nice to know there are still small family run farms where you can say hi, talk about each other’s kids, and pick up a beautifully roasted chicken.

WineBar at The Portly Grape: Well Worth the Drive for Good Food and Local Wine

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent

My recent trip to WineBar was certainly a drive -- it's out in Greenport after all -- but checking out the new hybrid wine bar and tasting room inside the Portly Grape had been on my to-do list for a while.

Managed by former Bedell Cellars tasting room manager, Andrew Mestler, the WineBar occupies a large backyard tent in the summer months and the bar and lounge of the Portly Grape in the winter. After working at Bedell and seeing the growth of the North Fork wine industry, he jumped at the chance to help be an advocate for all Long Island’s wines.

Mestler’s vision for WineBar was to give small vineyards, like Scarola Vineyards, Bouké Wines and Comtesse Therese, a broader tasting platform. So, while his wine list changes often, you’ll always find small vineyard’s wines alongside some well-known names, and the list will always be 100% local.

Taking the tasting experience one step further, Mestler also works with The Portly Grape’s restaurant, Sim-Pah-Ti-Koh, and its chef, Mark Serrantino, to create a seasonally inspired three- and five-course pairing menus to serve with the wines. Working collaboratively, they take great care in harmoniously pairing the flavors of the food and wine.

Mestler told me, “I firmly believe that food and wine paring is a completely subjective exercise. That being said, what I’m looking for when pairing food with wine is ultimately to achieve a balance. Both wine and food should be showcased without one overpowering the other. Often times, we will go through a number of wines and ingredient choices in the meal before finding the one that we believe works best.”

On my visit to WineBar, we were fortunate to try a few items from Serrantino and Mestler’s newest collaborative menu, which -- with fall in mind -- combines warm, harvest flavors with crisp, well bodied wines.

We started with a Wild Mushroom Parmesan Cup with sautéed wild mushrooms, shallots, and fresh herbs. The flavor was nice and fresh, although the cup itself could have been a bit crispier.

It was paired with a 2007 Pellegrini Chardonnay, the wine’s tart, buttery flavors playing well off of the Parmesan and herbal flavors.

Serrantino then presented us with his wonderful version of surf and turf -- Andouille Sausage and Grilled Shrimp with a Chai-Maple Syrup Glaze. The spicy sausage was perfectly tempered by the syrup and the smokey shrimp continued the subtle suggestion of a southern gumbo.

Next, we moved to my favorite, a Shaved Lamb Crostini.

The lamb was cooked for more than three hours in a classic braise of red wine, herb, and shallots. It was tender and melted in your mouth with classic Mediterranean flavors. This was paired with Merlliance 2008 Merlot, a collaborative wine produced by members of the Long Island Merlot Alliance.

Although not a heavy red, the Merlot held up nicely with the lamb and the merlot’s woodsy and rosemary notes complemented the herbaceous aspects of the braise perfectly.

We then moved to a Sweet Potato Bisque, which presented a balanced combination of sweet and savory flavors with a touch of spice. To pair, Mestler poured us a Macari Vineyards 2007 Chardonnay. The green apple aromas and toasted vanilla finish was a perfect match for Serratino’s bisque. The tartness of the chardonnay muted the sweetness of the bisque, as the vanilla notes complemented the depth of the soup’s spice notes.

Finally, we ended with Local Apple Beignets and a Bouké dessert wine. The apples for the beignets were actually picked on the Portly Grape’s property, and you could taste the fresh tartness in every bite. The dessert wine added a refined decadence, satisfying my sweet tooth and adding a nice finishing touch to the tasting menu.

The whole experience reminded me that fresh, well-prepared dishes and local wine should always be together. Mestler said, “Ultimately our goal is to pair the best food we can with the local wines we serve and many times the ingredients can be sourced locally. It is our goal to promote the local food movement and to help support other local businesses, farms, etc. We always look to source our ingredients locally based upon seasonal availability.”

WineBar
305 North Road, Greenport, NY
(631) 477-4500

Local Food and Wine Celebrated at 2011 HARVEST East End

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent

Saturday night was a cool one. Fall was definitely in the air for the 2011 HARVEST East End Fall Tasting. White tents gleamed against a slightly overcast sky on the fields next to Mecox Bay Dairy.

The event, presented by Food & Wine and organized by the Long Island Merlot Alliance and the Long Island Wine Council, raised over $30,000 for East End Hospice, Group For The East End, and The Peconic Land Trust. It also offered those attending to taste some of the wine and food from the region's growing wineries and restaurants. As 1770 House Chef Kevin Penner put it, "This kind of thing wouldn't have happened ten years ago. With more producers out here each year, it's an exciting time to be out [on the East End]."

And exciting, it was.

Long Island wine was definitely the centerpiece for the event with some of the region's best wineries lining the walls of the intimate tent. A definite highlight were the barrel tastings from the 2010 vintage of Long Island Merlot and a few other varieties.

Winemakers all agree this is an incredible vintage to watch as that summer's dry heat gave the fruit good depth and some some wonderful characteristics. Macari Vineyards' merlot barrel sample was exceptional and I'm excited to see how it develops. Russ McCall continues to make some fantastic merlots, my wife's favorite, and Shinn Estate Vineyards Nine Barrel sample was very promising.

I was also really excited to try Channing Daughter's orange-hued Ramato -- an orange wine made from pinot grigio grapes -- which drank clean and crisp. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to try Channing Daughter winemaker Christopher Tracy's newest project, a Lagrein wine from a Northern Italian variety, which he brought as his barrel tasting. Perhaps I'll have to trek out to the winery to give it a try.

Sprinkled throughout the winery's tables was food from some of the East End's top restaurants.

From Love Lane Kitchen's Local Duck Sausage with Plum Compote and Miso Mustard to Noah Schwartz's Pipes Cove Oysters with a Lemongrass Mignonette, local ingredients were highlighted and elevated by regional chefs. Fresno's Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup with a Lobster Salad was a definite fan favorite, and South Fork Kitchen's Local Fluke with Yuzu, Meyer Lemon, and Cucumber was yet another indication that chefs are taking advantage of local foods found only a few miles from their restaurants. 

The talk around the food was all about the excitement of having more and more locally focused food purveyors.

David Page, of Shinn Vineyard, raved about Noah's McCall beef tartare served at the event's Shinn Estate 10-Mile Dinner the night before. "You can just feel the vitality in that meat! It's like nothing else..."

As dusk slid into evening, the tents lit up across Mecox Bay, beacons of the East End's evolving culinary landscape.

The festival was a brilliant time for all to celebrate the place and people that have created this wonderful gastronmic experience. It will be exciting to see how these chefs and winemakers continue to push this community in new and progressive ways in the future.

There are good things happening on the East End and if you haven't made it out here yet, it's time you took the trip.

Charolais Cattle Join the Vines at McCall Wines

By Dave Seel, Long Island Food Correspondent

Driving through Cutchogue on Rt. 25, you have to keep a keen look out for the sign at McCall Wines or you might miss it. The tasting room, an old potato barn, is nothing like the large structures of other wineries, but is a relic of what the land has been and what it is now.

Russ McCall, who spent summers on Long Island as a boy and is now a veteran of the wine industry, bought the property with The Peconic Bay Land Trust in 1996 to save Down’s Woods, Fort Corchaug and the farmland adjoining his family's property. His goal was simply to keep the land as it had always been, as farmland.

Over the years, McCall has planted 21 acres of the 100-acre property with pinot noir and merlot vines, and released his first vintage in 2007.

Alongside the rows of grapes are rolling pastures, planted with native wild grasses. Inspired by a New York Times article on the awful state of beef feedlots, as well as a way to benefit from the hay he was already cutting, McCall purchased 14 pregnant Charolais cows and has been growing his herd ever since. This cattle herd is the source for what is becoming some of the most prized beef on the East End, and is already gracing the tables of some of the region’s emerging farm-to-table restaurants.

This summer the first cow was butchered with great excitement from East End chefs and food lovers alike.

Adam Kopels of Shelter Island's 18 Bay Restaurant opted to take whatever he could get his hands on, which turned out to be the cow’s head. “We’re a nose-to-tail kind of restaurant,” he commented. “So we were psyched to make some beef tonque and braised beef cheeks from this great product,”  he said.

Charolais cattle are a muscular beef breed native to France and not as common as Angus and Shorthorn beef cattle. McCall picked the breed because it reminded him of his travels in France and his desire to bring something unique to the market.

Raised only on grass and hay from the same North Fork pasture, this cattle results in an incredibly special cut of meat.

According to sous chef Sarah Evans of North Fork Table “When people take the time to raise an animal in a better environment there is always a difference. The old saying, 'you are what you eat' is true for animals too.  And just as in wine, terrior has a large impact. This first cow was 100% pasture grass fed. Animals that come from different places that are fed off of that land have very different characteristics than those of another place and especially those of factory farms.”

The meat is almost venison-like -- lean, gamey, and as Evans describes, “the beefiest beef I’ve ever tasted.” She recommends cooking the beef in “luscious” fats, like duck fat, and no more than medium-rare to avoid making the meat tough. For those cooking McCall beef or any grass-fed beef, she instructs, “Give it a good ten minutes to rest after cooking so the juices can redistribute inside the meat not on your plate. During the resting time, the beef will continue to cook, so pull it off a little earlier than you think and it will come out perfectly. Always pair with freshly picked local produce and a fantastic North Fork wine. There is something to be said about the harmony of products all coming from the same terrior!”

Russ McCall recommends his 2007 Ben’s Blend: a Bordeaux blend of merlot, petit verdot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

Currently, the beef is being sold at Love Lane Market in Mattituck and can be found on the menu of the North Fork Table and  Inn. Along with Love Lane Kitchen, the Market has become a beacon of the emerging local food scene on the North Fork. “We are trying to bring cooking and eating back to the way it was a hundred years ago. People should know where their food comes from,” said Siran Libretto, General Manager of the Market, “There is such a food revolution occurring with people wanting to eat and drink local, having McCall’s beef helps complete that circle.”

As Adam Kopels describes it, “There is a new consciousness in the way people eat. Chefs really can be the bridge between the producers and diners. We can tell people, ‘Hey, this is just from ten minutes down the street. Go get some for yourself and try it at home!’”

This communal mentality is really what is driving the food scene on the North Fork. People want to support one another because they know they share a common place. They appreciate the interconnection of the land, the food that is grown from it, and the sustainable methods used to do so.

From time to time, McCall still reminisces about his boyhood days when he would catch fish, eel, and crabs in local creeks and would grab some produce from his neighbor’s farm. “We ate what was there…what was in season.”

His cattle and wine are a part of a broadening movement to return to this local appreciation of food. Not only does it lessen our carbon footprint and stimulate our local economies, but it also connects us with each other and the land. It allows us to be a part of the lives of those that are inextricably tide to us, the community of people and organisms that sustain us.

NYCR Expands Food Coverage, Adds Bilow and Seels to Team

By Lenn Thompson, Executive Editor

Wine is most certainly food, but beyond our cheese coverage, we haven't done a great job introducing you to New York's seemingly endless food artisans. In fact, it's been almost non-existent. That's why today's dual announcement that Dave Seel and Rochelle Bilow are joining the NYCR staff to expand our food coverage is so exciting.

Rochelle Bilow doesn't just consider cooking, eating and seeking out the best food around her job -- she considers it her life. She prides herself on being “food-obsessed” and works to make good, honest food accessible and exciting to everyone.

In addition to serving as the Finger Lakes Wine & Food Ambassador for Finger Lakes Wine Country and Finger Lakes Wine Alliance, Rochelle is a food columnist at the Syracuse Post-Standard. She attended culinary school at the French Culinary Institute and lived and cooked in Manhattan before coming home to Upstate New York.

Rochelle combines a genuine love for the Finger Lakes with an impressively large appetite, and will be writing not just about the restaurants of the region, but the farmers, artisans and everything in between.

Downstate on Long Island, Dave Seel will fill a similar role, covering the growers, chefs and artisans in and around Long Island wine country.

Having driven cross country nine times, Dave a veteran food adventurer. He's caught lobsters in Maine, eaten fresh venison in The Redwoods, and though once was a vegetarian, he fell prey to bacon and has a love affair with bison.

While living in California, he became obsessed with Napa Cabs, Anderson Valley Pinots and Truffle Tremor goat cheese. When not teaching students about the San Francisco Estuary, he was adventuring in wine country and the neighborhoods of San Francisco, discovering the brilliance of California cuisine.

He is a strong advocate for producing food and libations locally and supporting regional food systems.

After a brief stint in the wine industry, Dave moved back to his native Long Island to be closer to family. He brought a love of food adventuring, wine, and local food and was very excited to discover the food scenes of NYC and The East End.

Please join me in welcoming them to the site and look for their first posts over the next couple of weeks.