Pretty much every city in the United States has an interesting restaurant scene these days, and operators from every single one of them and every community in between is encouraged to submit dishes to this gallery, but this week we have three dishes from restaurateurs in media-savvy New York, plus one from Las Vegas, and a cocktail from San Antonio.
In Vegas, at the new Nellie’s Southern Kitchen at the MGM Grand hotel, chef Mario Nichols draws inspiration from his native North Carolina, as well as from the custom of frying polenta, to make a traditional dish of shrimp and grits with added Cajun influence and a bit of crunchy texture.
In New York City’s East Village, the coastal Spanish region of Galicia is the inspiration for Emilia By Nai, which mostly serves seafood and vegetables, but also has a refined suckling pig dish.
Not far away, in New York’s West Village at The Noortwyck, chef Andy Quinn draws inspiration from the pasta dish cacio e pepe and augments it with fermented white pepper from Indonesia and local ramps that he makes into compound butter.
A couple miles north of there, in Manhattan West, chef Chai Trivedi of Hidden Leaf restaurant steams black sea bass in banana leaves and serves them over multi-textured basmati rice in vadouvan curry sauce.
And at Ambler Texas Kitchen & Cocktails, food & beverage director Christopher Caldwell is pouring a bourbon cocktail inspired by the Michael Ray song Whiskey and Rain.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
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