Saturday, November 7, 2009

Dining & Wine

A warm ambience pervades  Poblenou in the Chilean port of Valparaíso, which is enjoying “a small culinary revolution.”
Tomás Munita for The New York Times

A warm ambience pervades Poblenou in the Chilean port of Valparaíso, which is enjoying “a small culinary revolution.”

The dining scene has evolved to match the romantic allure of the city, with its battered cobblestones and crumbling 19th-century mansions.

Bites

Restaurant Review: Banh Mi Doner Kebabs, Hanoi

Warm baguettes, filled with shaved pork, pickled vegetables and chili sauce, are thriving in the Vietnamese capital.

A Good Appetite

A Satisfying, Speedy Braise

Pork, garlic and rosemary are classic together, especially when paired with tomato.

Recipe Redux

Bagna Cauda, 1960

A modern interpretation of bagna cauda, which means “hot bath,” involves a whole roasted cauliflower with black garlic and a parsley-anchovy butter.

Heavy Is the Toque at a State Dinner

As the Obamas’ first state dinner approaches, San Francisco chef René Verdon reflects on his tenure in the kitchen of the Kennedy White House.

A White House Chef Who Wears Two Hats

When Sam Kass is not grilling fish for the first family, he is pondering the details of child nutrition legislation, funding streams for the school lunch program and the best tactics to fight childhood obesity.

Someone’s in the Kitchen With Michelle: The Secret Ingredient Is Politics

At the White House, politics, cooking and popular culture collide.

A Bountiful Buzz

An exceptionally busy hive on the grounds of the White House lawn has had an extraordinarily productive season.

Cookbooks as Edible Adventures

Even in the age of ever-expanding recipe databases, cookbooks are still alluring. Here are this season’s most interesting titles.

The Pour

An Honest Day’s Work From Vienna

That any wine comes from Vienna seems absurd on the face of it. Great urban centers are not known for their vineyards, beyond a novel acre here and there. But Vienna is different.

The Minimalist

To the Middle East, With Collard Greens

These little meatballs made with lamb, bulgur, cumin and mint are destined to become part of a dish that’s Middle Eastern in spirit.

Restaurants

Hop Off the Wheel and Taste Paris

The food at Le Relais de Venise recalls an era of silver plate and good manners, the simplicity of salad, steak and fries, heavy on the salt and butter, rich as a cardiologist.

$25 and Under

The Earl Would Approve

Opened in September, Saltie is a collaboration among Rebecca Collerton, Caroline Fidanza and Elizabeth Schula, three veterans of Marlow & Sons and Diner. It’s a lot of talent for one cramped kitchen. So they overachieve.

A Good Appetite

Having My Cake and Eating It Too

This sweet, gooey butter cake resembles the center of a pecan pie, with a crackling crust.

The Temporary Vegetarian

Joaquin Baca only serves the food he loves at Brooklyn Star in Williamsburg, including the green bean casserole.

How Posted Calories Affect Food Orders

One study said an effort had no effect on residents in poor neighborhoods, while another saw modest changes citywide.

Dining Holiday Gift Guide

Mail-order offerings, cookbooks and new products for eating, drinking and reading.

Multimedia
From the South Lawn, a Sweet Smell of Honey

For the first time in history, honey has been made on White House grounds. It’s a bumper crop.

Inside Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecôte

It’s the first American outpost of a Paris institution (some would say tourist trap) that serves nothing but salad and steak frites. This is its great charm.

Lamb Meatballs

Mark Bittman cooks two appetizers in one, or at least one appetizer that forms the basis for the second.

Times Topics
The White House and Food

Resources from around the Web about White House and food as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.

Cooking & Dining Topics

Dining section writers on restaurants and food.

On the pleasure, culture and business of wine, beer and spirits.

About food — cooking it, eating it, thinking about it and more.

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