RECENTLY OPENED
Eighty One
Olana (soft open)
Pata Negra
OPENING SOON
Ciaobella
Sheridan Square - Gary Robbins (formerly of The Biltmore Room & The Russian Tea Room) new project
Bar Milano - Jason Denton's new project
Terroir - A new wine bar from Paul Grieco and Marco Canora
THIS WEEK'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS
NY
Times: Frank Bruni gives 3 of 4 stars to newcomer Dovetail, "[Chef John
Fraser] and his pastry chef, Vera Tong, come at their cooking with
intellect and wit, but they seldom get too cerebral, too cute. Leaving
quotation marks out of the titles of dishes, they leave it to you to
make certain connections."
Peter Meehan checks out Gazala Place which serves Druse cuisine (a regional middle eastern cuisine).
NY
Mag: Adam Platt gives 1 of 5 stars to Bar Boulud, "Daniel has a genius
for imbuing earthy farmhouse recipes with his own light, gourmet touch,
but at this early date, the entrées at Bar Boulud could come from any
number of semi-reputable bistros around town."
Bloomberg: Ryan Sutton reviews weeks old Madaleine Mae and Merkato
55 and likes both.
The New York Sun: Paul Adams visits the new east village "Tosc-Mex" (Tuscan-Mexican), Matilda and for the most part likes it.
The
New York Daily News: RG gives 2 of 4 stars to Bar Boulud. Agreeing
with Platt that the charcuterie is very enjoyable, she refers to
executive chef Danian Sansonetti's food as "undistinguished."
BLOGS AND NEWSLETTERS
Gothamist: Joe DiStefano goes to Soba Totto.
Eater goes inside Commerce.
READING LIST
Very
Short List brings this book to our attention via their daily emails:
"The Warmest Room in the House." A non-fiction book looking at the
history "of the American diet in the 20th century. But he also includes
the evolution of kitchen technology, architecture, design."
EVENTS AROUND TOWN
Next week:
StreetWise Partners presents Taste of Success, a food and wine tasting event. Funds raised from the event help StreetWise Partners fulfill their mission of building mentoring relationships between low-income individuals and volunteer business professionals to develop workplace skills and employment networks as the bridge to a successful career. Participating restaurants include Beppe, Essex, I Tre Merli, Sigiri, Cowgirl, Avra Estiatorio and Mercadito.
Visit the StreetWise Partners web site to purchase tickets.
Looking ahead:
Tuesday, March
4th Michael Ruhlman hosts an offal tasting with guest chef and blogger Chris Cosentino of Incanto at the Astor Center. ($250/ticket)
AND FURTHERMORE...
Greatest
press release of last week was from PR rep Linda Funk of boutique firm,
Food Insight located in Urbandale, IA. From the release, we learn that
the "Nationally Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer Buys Tenessee "Cannabis
Cave" To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities." I almost dismissed the
release but was intrigued by the "Cannabis Cave." It's too good not to read
for yourself, so borrowing a page from our friend Madame Snack, here's the release in its entirety:
Nationally Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer Buys Tennessee “ Cannabis Cave ” To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities
Fermo
Jaeckle is well-known in the dairy industry as a co-founder of the
Monroe, Wisconsin-based Roth Käse USA, which has gained fame and many
awards for its artisan cheeses. So it’s not surprising that some
people were taken aback recently when Jaeckle purchased a Tennessee
cave that was at the center of an infamous marijuana growing operation.
The cave, located 40 miles from Nashville, made headlines in
2005 after a Drug Enforcement Task Force researched and built a case
over a five year period of time prior to moving in to shut down the
illicit pot growing operation. It turns out that, concealed under a
million dollar vacation home, was the entrance to an ancient, natural
cave, housing a massive marijuana farm, with high-tech lighting and
climate-control systems to nurture over 1,000 hydroponically grown pot
plants. Besides a massive growing room, parts of which are 20 ft.
high, the cave was also outfitted with offices, a kitchen, bedrooms and
restrooms. The Drug Enforcement authorities say the owners of the
cannabis cave had made millions of dollars selling the pot over several
years.
The
area Drug Task Force arrested the pot farmers and seized the property.
The house burned down some time later, under mysterious circumstances.
The house fire caused little damage to the complex 150 feet under it,
however, and in December the Drug Task Force auctioned off the property
with the unique cave improvements intact.
That’s where Fermo Jaeckle came in. He heard about the
auction from his attorney, Rowland Lucid. Because Fermo’s brother
Andre lives in Tennessee they decided it might be great property for
legitimate agricultural use.
Jaeckle admits that he was
surprised to hear that he had made the winning bid. Now that he, his
brother Andre, along with their cousins Ulrich and Felix Roth, and long
time business associates, Steve McKeon and Nella DiManno own the
property, they are eager to utilize the amazing improvements made to
the cave by the previous owners, and are evaluating multiple options.
While some high-tech scenarios are possible, other potential uses
reflect time-honored agricultural practices.
Caves, with their
constant temperature and absence of natural light, have long been used
in food production such as aging wine and growing mushrooms. And, in
the industry closest to Jaeckle’s heart, caves have traditionally been
used to age cheese. For example, the classic Gruyere cheese made by
Roth Käse USA in Wisconsin is aged to perfection in temperature- and
humidity-controlled curing cellars. For centuries this process was
often best done in caves.
While
Jaeckle and the other owners intend to form a partnership with Roth
Käse to distribute products grown or processed at the Tennessee
property, Roth Käse does not own the cave property and will not move
any of its production to Tennessee .
The owners are exploring
how they might work with local Tennessee agricultural concerns to
create products for the marketplace at this property. This approach
reflects how Jaeckle and others worked with a team of skilled
cheesmakers, managers and marketers to develop Roth Käse into a leading
maker of authentic cheeses. In addition, Roth Käse’s Wisconsin plant
has become a tourist destination, with a gift shop and self-guided
tours through a specially constructed observation gallery in the cheese
production facility.
Jaeckle
and his partners see exciting possibilities for converting the
notorious pot cave into an agricultural and agri-tourism facility.
With the money they paid for the cave property going to support drug
enforcement programs, and with the prospect of creating a productive
agricultural enterprise, the owners are on their way to transforming
this former enterprise for “potheads” into one for, ------ you guessed
it.----- “Cheeseheads.”
Recent Comments