There are a lot of refreshing-yet-bitter alcohols out there, and although Aperol, almost always mixed with Prosecco and club soda to make an Aperol Spritz, currently dominates the market, La Bande in San Francisco is highlighting a different spirit — Fiero — and it has also replaced Italian Prosecco with dryer Spanish cava.
At Leku in Miami, Basque chef Mikel Goikolea serves up fried anchovies stuffed with piquillo pepper, and in the spirit of cross-utilization he uses the liquid the peppers are packed in to make a sauce for the dish.
Speaking of the Iberian Peninsula, Melissa Kelly is evoking Portugal with her Clams Alentejana at Primo at the Grande Lakes Orlando hotel, although she uses local seafood.
Samosas are stuffed, fried pies from India, and chaat is a catchall term for anything chopped up and eaten as a snack, usually without utensils (chaat means “lick”). The two are combined in a dish at Dash & Chutney in Atlanta, and also made vegan with the use of coconut yogurt.
And New York City chef Bryce Shuman, who gained acclaim as a precise, fine-dining chef, has opened a more casual place, Sweetbriar, which highlights live-fire cooking, among other things and demonstrates what can be done with hot coals and kohlrabi.
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