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At The Ruxton, which opened in Baltimore in early March, chef Austin Shamosh cooks potatoes in sous-vide at 125 degrees Fahrenheit for three hours. Then he shreds them on a box grater and mixes them with grated aged provolone, unsalted Plugra butter, potato starch, yellow onion, kosher salt, and eggs. He lays that mixture out onto sheet trays 1.5 inches thick and cools it overnight. Then he portions them into cubes.
He fries eight pieces per order and seasons them with kosher salt, and finely chopped chives.
Then he puts them in a caviar tin with a paper liner and tops them with crème fraîche, Kaluga caviar, and dill.
Price: $21
At The Bentwood, the restaurant inside the Second City comedy club location that recently opened in the Brooklyn, N.Y., neighborhood of Williamsburg, chef Dennis Hatzinger makes use of local purveyors for this meatless and nutritious item, which starts with ciabatta toast from Balthazar Bakery. He spreads that with house-made garlic followed by diced roasted beets that have been marinated in agave syrup and orange juice. Next comes a layer of Murray’s Cheese’s gave-aged goat cheese. It’s finished with thinly sliced watermelon radish and micro herbs.
Price: $12
This variation on the classic Sazerac cocktail was developed by Brian Landry, the chef and owner of QED Hospitality in New Orleans, which includes Bayou Bar in the city’s Garden District, where this drink is being served.
It’s named for the bull in the children’s story who preferred to smell flowers rather than fight and includes floral elements of bergamot-flavored aperitif, celery bitters, and absinthe.
He combines two ounces of beef fat washed Sazerac Rye with ¼ ounce of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto (the bergamot flavored aperitif) and ¼ ounce of simple syrup. Then he adds three dashes of celery bitters, and a pinch of salt.
Next he spritzes a mixing glass six times with absinthe, adds the other ingredients, and stirs them together with ice. He strains that into a chilled rocks glass, expresses an orange peel over it, and garnishes it with a flower made of orange zest.
“The Ferdinand has a smooth, light mouthfeel but still possesses the strength of a whiskey-forward cocktail,” Landry said.
Price $14
This is a “Coupe-Tail,” which is what Della Gossett, executive pastry chef of Spago Beverley Hills, calls a sundae-like dessert served in a coupe glass.
This particular one was developed by pastry cook Talia Morga, who based it on her favorite cocktail, The Aviation. It’s made with a gelato made of mascarpone cheese and Luxardo cherry on the bottom. That’s topped with a granite made with crème de violette.
Botanicals of Tanqueray No. 10 gin — juniper, coriander, lemon, and lime — are folded into a meringue that goes on top. Actual Tanqueray No. 10 is poured into the glass at tableside.
Price: $18
At the Salty Flame, a modern steakhouse that V&E Hospitality Group recently opened on Brickell Avenue in Miami, executive chef Michael Asalie combines sushi rice with smoked tuna skin and red tobiko. He flattens it and spreads half of it with chopped yellowfin tuna mixed with cilantro and Szechuan peppercorns. He tops it with the other half of sushi rice. Then he cuts it into triangular sandwiches, garnishes it with micro shiso and eel sauce, and accompanies it with pickled ginger and wasabi.
Asalie said the smoked tuna skin gives the item a distinctive flavor, and its sandwich-like shape adds to its appeal
Price: $18
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