1 5
Monkfish in Lobster Sauce
At Madre in the Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood of Greenpoint, chef John Turnbull butterflies and gently pounds flat monkfish fillet and spreads it with roasted cremini mushrooms and kale. He rolls that into a torchon, poaches that and then shocks it in an ice back.
At service it’s portioned, pan-seared, basted in brown butter, and finished with lemon juice.
Because Monkfish is sometimes called “poor man’s lobster,” Turnbull plays on that by making a sauce of lobster shells provided by Madre’s seafood purveyor, Greenpoint Fish and Lobster. He makes a fortified stock with the shells and the Peruvian chile aji panca. Then he adds that to caramelized onion, garlic, white wine and reduced cream. He finishes the sauce with cooking liquid from his Bang Island Mussels, which are farm-raised near Portland, Maine, plus some lime juice. The dish is garnished with roasted carrots and fried kale.
Turnbull said he selected monkfish because, although not a pretty fish, it’s tasty and abundant during the colder months.
Price: $32
Stuffed Chicken Wings
At Primal Fusion, a Japanese steakhouse atop the Sapphire 39 gentlemen’s club near Bryant Park in New York City, consulting chef John Dewine developed this dish, for which the drum bone of chicken wings is removed. The wings are then stuffed with combination of chicken, green cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, garlic, scallion, ginger, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, Sriracha sauce, salt, and pepper. The wings are then cooked in sous-vide and then fried to order. They’re served in a sweet soy glaze and garnished with lime and orange wedges.
Price: $22
Como un Lulo
Parche is Colombian slang for a group of friends, or a place where that group hangs out. It’s also the name of a new Colombian restaurant in Oakland, Calif., where beverage director makes this drink by combining ¾ ounce each of Paranubes Blanco Oaxacan Rum, Antioqueno Tapa Verde Aguardiente and Lulo cordial (made by adding purée of the Colombian fruit lulo to simple syrup that has been simmered with lime zest, makrut lime leaf, and a little citric acid and malic acid), and ½ ounce of Ron Viejo de Caldas Blanco. He stirs that all together with ice, pours it over a large ice cube and garnishes it with a lime disk.
Syed said he’s working on using viche, a type of Colombian rum produced on the Pacific coast, but in the meantime he’s using the Oaxacan rum, which he said tastes similar.
He said this drink is inspired by other rum cocktails, including the Daiquiri, the Caipirinha, and Ti’ Punch.
“These are the original rum cocktails, and my goal was to present Colombian rums in a way that was true to these classics but presented fresh flavors, modern techniques, and an elevated presentation.”
Price: $13
Rutabaga Cacio e Pepe
At Farow in Niwot, Colo., a town outside of Boulder, chef and owner Patrick Balcom makes a lower-carb version of this increasingly popular pasta dish by spiralizes rutabaga and using that instead of noodles. He cooks it with a little water, black pepper, and a combination of Parmesan cheese and a sheep milk cheese aged for a month called cacio de Roma until the root vegetable is al dente and the cheese is melted. Then he grates more Parmesan on top.
Price: $16
Havuç Tarator
At Kirby Club, a restaurant that opened in Fairfax, Va., last month focusing on Eastern Mediterranean food, executive chef Omar Hegazi makes this light and smooth Turkish preparation of carrots.
He starts by blending garlic with lemon juice and salt in a food processor and emulsifying it with canola oil.
Separately, he mixes sliced carrots with olive oil, salt, white pepper, and ground caraway seeds and steams them until tender, and then purées them with a little lemon juice.
He mixes those two preparations together, plates them with a well in the middle, pours olive oil in that well and garnishes the dish with chopped chives.
Price: $8
