Looking Ahead

LOOKING AHEAD by Wally Dobelis Harvest in the Square, our County Fair revisited The Eleventh Annual Harvest in the Square Festival on Union Square proves something about the tenacity, solidity, quality and – you know it is the big one – security of your neighborhood, the place where you sleep, eat dinner, and send your kids to school. It is bracing to know that you can also just walk outside and have a meal, or a night out, or a celebration, with Danny Meyers, Eric Pettersen and Steve Hansen, who have several restaurants each for your choice, or with any number of the other grand chefs who have staked the ground here, or with your local favorite restaurateurs who know you by name. The big white tent was erected in the Greenmarket territory on the night before Tuesday, September 19, not without any trepidation, in view of the storm warnings that caused postponements in the past (remember Hurricanes Floyd and Isabel, in 1999 and 2003). But the organizers – for acknowledgements see last week’s article by Sabina Mollot – were brave. All went well, and at the entrance the guests were welcomed with champagne and hors d’ouevres, and guided to visit the 100 or so tables along the inside walls and in the center of the tent, tasting the products of the local restaurants and wine purveyors on the run, or assembling plates and glasses, to be taken to the picnic tables outside, along the 17th Street side, to be enjoyed in company of friends, with a Manhattan melody of taxis and cars in the background, reflected against the stage props of the lit-up windows of Barnes and Noble. Think of being on a cruise ship. The participants were 45 local restaurants whose chefs put forth samples of their products, for public tasting. This column for the past years has attempted to do an informal exit poll, when the visitors have had ample chances to sample the cooking and loosen the tongues with some of the 45 quality wines, supplied by wine yards and importers. The festivals, over the years, have presented a crosscut of the food tastes of our neighborhood, bellwethers and trendsetters of patterns for the nation. Over time we have morphed from major steakhouse/ seafood/ Italian food to Continental/American/ Latin American/ Asian /natural food /international cuisine specializations, experiencing the successes of fusion and, recently, Spanish tapas and tasting menus. The Festival groups them by food category, and so will this review. The most ambitious group, hors d’oeuvres people who send out servers with trays, also had the top share of cudos. Laurent Perrier Champagne, whose maidens served glass flutes at the entrance, treated us to a superior brand, garnering votes. The other winners were Cafe Deville, with chicken salad Waldorf and tuna tartare, steak bits from Knickerbocker Bar & Grill, an interesting ethnic quiche from the Venezuelan brothers who run the brand-new Tisserie Bakery, and Barocco Kitchen. Soups had one entrant, the perennial Tilden chili from National Arts Club, The Vegetable section had 13 entrants, including the Galaxy Global Eatery, whose youthful looking chef Ariel Goldstein has years of ashram, yoga retreat and Israel cooking experience, featuring a Japanese Four-Grain dish with vegan tofu garlic sauce. At the top end of the spectrum, we had samples of Tomato Tart Tatin with arugala from upscale Gramercy Tavern – although I was reminded that they do serve $35 lunches and $65 prix fixe dinners. Union Square Ballroom had a phyllo-wrapped farmers’ cheese tastie, with blueberries. Seafood has expanded over the past decade, 14 restaurants, reminiscent of the 3rd Ave El years (it went down in 1955/56) when seafood and Italian were the catchwords. New names are Babonia and Barqueria. Barca 18 was a major favorite, offering their Octopus with sweet pepper Confit. Had a chat with Corporate Chef Chris Garraputro of the fourteen B. R. Guest (get it?) Restaurants, who squelched the legend that Steve Hansen started his Union Square career with a hamburger wagon. Actually, their beginning 19 years ago was with the Coconut Grill on 77th Street and 2nd Ave. Blue Water Grill had a salmon-pastrami terrine, Casa Mono mussels were liked, Devi, a two-year Indian cuisine based enterprise, mentions a six course tasting menu for $60. The meats department –15 entries - is solid. Duke’s has a new Down Home companion and neighbor, Big Daddy’s Diner, Blue Smoke’s ribs are smokin’, and the man from Steak Frites explained that my preference for home fries is not justified in terms of calories and cholesterol: his French fries are double-fried, so there. Feel welcome to write to the editor, or me ( wally@ix.netcom.com), if you opine otherwise. Visitors also liked L’Express chicken, Beppe’s pulled pork sandwiches and Lucy Latin Kitchen’s duck con Arepa (Latino beans & cheese specialty). The desserts this year – five entrants - took the crown. Dos Caminos, chef Scott Linquist, had Crepes de Cajeta with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. At Candela, Chef Sean Fetters, trained at Buzzy O’Keefe’s Water Club, offered Grilled Peach Gazpacho. Beverages were a big ticket with us – 12 purveyors. Everybody was enjoying Fiji Water, drawn from an aquifer in the South Pacific and bottled on the West Coast. As for the wines, we had at least six of the 35 Long Island vineyards represented. We noted the 2002 Merlot from Jamesport, and an oddity, raspberry wine from Long Island Meadery.Of the out-of-staters, note the robust Pinot Grigio from Tamas Estates, and Sella & Mosca Fermentino La Cala. Union Square Wines & Spirits, as usually, had a selection of imported wines.