2010 has been the summer of bivalves. In July I went clamming in the Hamptons, ate my fill, and still lugged ten pounds of sea-to-table Cherrystone Clams back to my tiny apartment fridge. It took me all night to shuck ‘em, but two days later I was back in brine at the new Mermaid Oyster Bar. I couldn’t get enough, so I made a return trip to the Island with Grandma last week to harvest some more.

I’m deeply indebted to friends with beach homes (!) who lured me out to the clam beds and showed me the ins and outs of how to use a rake. I won’t say I took to it like a natural, or even that the blinded work of slinging the rake through the slush in hip-high murky waters filled with boatloads of stinging jellyfish was fun. It wasn’t. It was work. But never before have I been so close to the source of my shellfish, and the experience was oh-so-worth the inevitable sunburned shoulders. These clams, and the occasional oyster, were seriously the best bivalves these lips have ever slurped. An ode to seasonal, local, real foods, if ever there was one!

Last June, at the start of the summer clamming season on Fire Island, I tried the “foot and toe method,” an easier approach that substitutes your hands and feet for a clam rake. So lazy was this method that I felt like I was beachcombing, rather than hunting for dinner. Needless to say, in my opinion, the chef’s best tool in the kitchen turns out to be just as effective digging and diving down into the Bay. And that’s not the only use I found for my suntanned hands!

I’ve dished clams up every which way these past few months: on Fire Island, grilled, in the Hamptons, iced on the half shell, and back in Manhattan, tossed with spaghetti for a garden fresh, herb and chili infused vongole. Each dish has been better than the last, and I’ll be disappointed when summer sings it’s final adieu this weekend, and I have no more clamming trips to look forward to. But then again, not all of the season’s pleasures will be ending; as the autumn winds come rolling in, I’ll be keeping my hands full with one of my most-prized Hamptons catches…

I’ve been mum on the subject until now, but a few months ago, I brought more back to Manhattan with me than a bucket of shells. On one of my clamming trips, I snagged not just a mollusk but a man, and we’ve been shucking together ever since. I won’t divulge too much, but suffice it to say that he’s handy with a clam knife, and knows his way around a boat as well. Not quite Paul Rudd in Diggers (he’s an urban son, after all), but savvy enough to keep me afloat. In the past few weeks we’ve been hitting all the best clam spots in town, and cooking our own as well. After all, what’s more romantic than seafood in summer?

This guy is also a cocktail master, and has shaken things up in more ways than one. From cobblers to cognac, he has a nose for liquor, and exquisite taste to match. For every clambake he has a tonic to pair, and on every date, he’s the perfect mixture of gentlemanly and drop-dead sexy. We’re keeping it low key for now, but I think we have a few more drinks and dishes ahead of us. Now that I’ve got him in my bucket, Mr. Mixologist is one catch I’m not ready to release at summer’s sunset.

We were hip-deep in the clam beds when we met, locking eyes over our empty rakes. A gentleman through and through, he offered me some of his haul at the end of the afternoon, when my catch failed to impress. I declined, but countered with an offer of my own – would he agree to combine our bounty in a blowout Hamptons barbecue?

A couple drinks and a few dozen clams later, Mr. Mixologist and I were hooked on each other. The rest of the trip was a whirlwind of boating, grilling, and of course, clamming, spiked with a heady summer romance. But now that the Hamptons season is winding down, Mr. Mixologist and I will have to find a new critter to celebrate. Since I’m already planning a Gumbo for the Gulf party, to support the Gulf Coast fisherman, how about shrimp? Though it remains unclear whether Gulf seafood is safe to eat, you can still do your part by donating to the relief efforts for affected families, and source shrimp you feel comfortable serving.

From clam tales to cocktails, this has been a summer worth celebrating – and slurping straight out of the shell. Aw shucks! I’m un-clammed up.

Photo Courtesy of The Kitchn

FOOD Mavens! I cannot believe my luck. The Not So Mellow Jell-o recipes I published last week made for my all-time most popular blog post. Hundreds and hundreds of cyber foodies have found there way to that post each and every day since it’s been published. Featuring Strawberry-Basil Margaritas and Blueberry, Chambord & Champagne Jell-o Shots, these jigglers are causing a true sensation all across the web. They’ve been picked up and reported on by TasteSpotting, Foodgawker, DessertStalking, Design Crush and The Kitchn. I’ve had all sorts of feedback ranging from the glowing, “WOW. Those are the most beautiful and classy jello shots I’ve EVER seen!”, to the growling, “Does anyone else think the jello shots in the photo look more like something left over from a surgery than dessert?” Love ‘em or hate ‘em, these gourmet jigglers are creating buzz for Belle beyond my modest hopes for a Jell-o recipe, and that just goes to show the power of seasonal produce to transform our palettes and our perspectives! When you take a childhood favorite and transform it into a grownup, comfort-chic, sweet treat, what you’re really doing is tapping into the joy of youth by celebrating memories, real foods, and in this case, summer. Berries are still abounding at farmers’ markets across the city this time of year; now is the time to take full advantage of their sweet and tangy taste. Labor Day and autumn winds will be rolling in before we know it, so soak up the last of the sunshine months with a Jell-o Shot toast that will take you back home come tomato time.

21. Best Macaroni and Cheese: The all-American wonderfood seems to get more decadent from year to year. Lobster, truffles, prosciutto, crème fraiche…but my all-time favorite remains the relatively simple, smoked gouda-and-optional-bacon version dished out by Westville as an “appetizer”. Rich but not overpowering, creamy and delicately smoky from the cheese, it’s the perfect plate to share with friends. And Westville’s original West Village location could not be more adorable, from its seaside theme to its tucked-away, cozy location on West 10th Street. On a summer evening, it’s the perfect dish in the perfect spot.

Locations*: 210 West 10th Street (between Bleecker and West 4th Streets), Manhattan
*173 Avenue A (at 11th Street), Manhattan
*246 West 18th Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
Hours: West 10th: Mon-Fri 11:30am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm, 4:30pm-11pm; Avenue A and West 18th:: Mon-Fri 10am-11pm, Sat-Sun 10am-4pm, 4:30pm-11pm

22. Best Late-Night Post-Booze Pre-Hangover Food Cure: Not that this ever happens to me, but I happen to know that the best thing to eat to cure (or avoid) a hangover is fried food. They’ve even done scientific studies on this. I also know that when it’s 12am and I’m tipsy and starving, what I crave is a deep fried ham and cheese calzone from Ben’s Pizzeria. There’s no ambiance after midnight (or at any hour), but after a long night, a hot plate of mozzarella-filled dough and a side of sweet tomato sauce provides all the romance I need.

Location: 177 Spring Street (at Thompson Street), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Thu 11am-11:30pm, Fri-Sat 11am-12:30am, Sun 12pm-10:30pm

23. Best Cheese (atop a Cheeseburger): There are plenty of good cheeseburgers in this town, and not all of them of the high-end variety. Corner Bistro’s luscious juice bomb sports a Kraft-esque topper, and when playing a round of “cheddar, provolone or blue cheese?”, one rarely knows what’s really being applied. ABC Kitchen takes their sourcing seriously, and has topped their new Akaushi (a Wagyu breed) burger with Cato Corner Bloomsday, a pairing with which my mouth could not be happier. For extra points, there are pickled jalapeños as well.

Location: 35 East 18th Street (between Broadway and Park Avenue), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Thu 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm; Fri 12pm-3pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm; Sat 11am-3:30pm, 5:30pm-11:30pm; Sun 11am-3:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm

24. Best Cheese-Centric Panino: Whatever your panino preference, ‘ino did it first. And like most inventors or popularizers of a genre, they also do it best. When I want a crisp pressed sandwich that’s crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside, and packed full of flavor, I go for the prosciutto, bel paese and sweet onion at one of their cozy little tables on Bedford Street. In a neighborhood full of imitators, ‘ino is one of a kind.

Location: 21 Bedford Street (between 6th Avenue and Downing Street), Manhattan
Hours: Daily 9am-2am

25. Best Cheese Overdose: I’ve said it before: For a cheese lover, there’s really no place like Casellula for a decadent, cheese-centric meal that doesn’t condescend. From lavish cheese plates to cheese-centric sandwiches, dairy-bedecked desserts and a superb wine list, it’s the perfect place to indulge. Start with a washed-rind cheese plate, mac & cheese, and a Pig’s Ass sandwich, and finish with a mascarpone custard tart. Not for the lactose intolerant.

Location: 401 West 52nd Street (near 9th Avenue), Manhattan
Hours: Daily 5pm-2am

26. Best Cheese to Knock your Socks Off: There are cheeses and then there are cheeses. Subtlety has its place, but so on occasion does a near-radioactive level of pungency. When I first read the description of Brie de Meaux at Greene Grape Provisions, I was somewhat prepared for its taste, but not maybe for its smell: On the subway ride home, as everyone gradually moved away from me and my bag, I obliviously blamed the stink on something (or someone) else. It’s worth it, though, and this deceptively innocent-looking and butter soft brie hides all the sharpness you need to, well, knock someone’s socks off. In a good way.

Location: 753 Fulton Street (near South Portland Avenue), Brooklyn
Hours: Daily 8am-9pm

27. Best Cheesecake: I have to admit: I don’t really like cheesecake. That is, New York cheesecake, often served mushy and oversweetened, buried under sticky globs of unrecognizable fruit. The Italian variety, meanwhile, made with ricotta and usually flavored with almonds and orange zest, I love. The apricot version I’ve had at Paola’s on the Upper East Side is meltingly sweet and lovely, and makes the perfect not-too-heavy end to a meal. How could you want it any other way?

Location: 1295 Madison Avenue (between 92nd and 93rd Streets), Manhattan
Hours: Tue-Fri 12:30pm-10pm; Sat 12:30pm-11pm; Sun 12:30pm-10pm; Closed Mon

28. Best Burrata: One of the hardest cheeses to find, burrata is a buffalo’s milk mozzarella whose center is decadently filled with cream. It’s also only made in the south of Italy, and its extreme delicacy means that it must be shipped cold and eaten within a day or so of its arrival on our shores. I had an incredible burrata with prosciutto at Aria recently, and the saltiness of the ham perfectly offset the sweet, fresh cheese. Take a seat at their gorgeous bar, have a glass of rosé and toast to the miracles of transatlantic shipping.

Location: 117 Perry Street (between Hudson and Greenwich Streets), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Sun 4:30pm-12am

29. Best Illicit Cheese: It’s no longer a secret, but it still isn’t easy to find. To get your bootleg kicks, try the grilled cheese from Bread. Butter. Cheese., an underground cheese dealer operating out of the East Village. Daily selections vary, and you’ll have to text your order early and pick up the sandwich yourself (no delivery service). Is it good, or too good to be true? Well, what do you think?

Location: An East Village park
Hours: Get your order in early, before they run out

30. Best Fondue: Fondue gets a bad rap. Either it’s an über-kitschy concoction ladled in front of drooling tourists on a middle-western European jaunt, a 1970s retro-chic regurgitation, or it’s the object of a soulless chain of downtown restaurants up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Can’t it just be about the cheese? And can’t it just be fun? Truth is, fondue is one of the simplest meals to prepare, satisfies a crowd, and is far more than the sum of its parts. For my recipe for Vermont-style fondue with cheddar and hard cider, click here. Because the best fondue is always at home, with friends, and plenty of fresh bread.

Location: Your apartment
Hours: Any time the mood strikes

Read Part I and Part II in this cheeseaholic list.

11. Best Place to Assemble Your Own Party Spread: When throwing a party, there’s no place like home. When assembling the pre-dinner spread, there’s no place like Murray’s. I asked Beth Ann Coulton, Wholesale Rep at the venerable cheese store, for her advice on how to put together the best party plate. “When making a cheese plate, you want to chooses cheeses that hit every major milk type (goat, cow and sheep),” she said. “You also want to make sure you have a variety of styles and textures. I like to do an All-American cheese selection because I think it’s an exciting time in American cheesemaking right now. However, it’s also fun to pick cheese from different countries and regions, too. Whether you’re making an individual plate or setting up a cheese board, you want to arrange the cheeses from mildest to strongest, with your blue cheese always being last. This generally follows the order of youngest to oldest, but it’s not always the case. If you are making individual plates, you want to place the youngest cheese at twelve o’clock with the rest following clockwise.” Here are her six suggestions in the order in which they should be plated:

12. Best Formaggio Italiano at Midnight: Take a look at my late night faves and you’ll see a pattern immediately.  After midnight, I prefer cozy places, small spaces, ones that don’t skimp on the good food and wine while making you as comfortable as can be. Corsino is a natural fit, with their menu of delicious crostini that make a midnight snack a truly genteel affair. But for even more flair, try their exceptional Italian cheese plates, with everything from herby Weinkase Lagrein to sheep’s milk fiore sardo. It’s a midnight dream come true.

Location: 637 Hudson Street (at Horation Street), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-2am; Sat-Sun 10am-2am.

13. Best Use of Ricotta: Ricotta is one of the most versatile of cheeses, moving from sweet to savory as quickly as you can say gnudi ravioli. I’ll never say “no” to a well-made canolli, but for my money, the best ricotta dessert in New York is a gelato. Il Laboratorio del Gelato churns out everything from Mexican cinnamon to wasabi gelato at their Lower East Side “laboratory”, but a perennial favorite is the sweet ricotta. And I don’t even like ice cream! Which just goes to show how much I love cheese. Pick up a cup and wander down Orchard Street, while Italy dances in your mouth.

Location: 95 Orchard Street (between Delancey and Broome Streets), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-6pm

14. Best Unexpected Cheese: Who doesn’t love a surprise? At Hill Country, the brisket is smoked, the service is cafeteria-style, and the sausages are shipped direct from Kreuz Market, the Texas barbecue original. Try the jalapeño cheese sausage, which is stuffed with hot, spicy cheese, and wash it down with a Texas Big Red. OK, it’s not really a secret, but it sure feels like it when you bite down. If that isn’t cheesy enough, I recommend you order a side of Longhorn Cheddar and Pepper Jack with your corn bread and pickles.

Location: 30 West 26th Street (between 6th Avenue and Broadway), Manhattan
Hours: Sun-Wed 12pm-10pm; Thu-Fri 12pm-11pm, late night 11pm-1am

15. Best Exotic Cheese Case: I love my burata and mimolette, but sometimes I like to travel a bit further east — say, to Lexington Avenue. Kalustyan’s is deservedly famous for its comprehensive spice selection, but it also has an impressive array of cheeses from Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Several types of kashkaval are available, along with paneer and other cheeses both exotic and delicious. Their Bulgarian feta is some of the best in the city, and amazing served drizzled with just a bit of olive oil. Ask for a sample from the counter and you may get a dolma as well.

Location: 123 Lexington Avenue (between 28th and 29th Streets), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-8pm; Sun 11am-7pm

16. Best Place to Get Blintzed: Sometimes after a long night, a girl just needs a home-cooked meal. When I can’t get to Buffalo, Veselka usually does the trick. I love everything that the restaurant fries up, from pierogi to latkes, but nothing beats a rich and comforting cheese blintz when I’m feeling down. Filled with farmer’s cheese and doused with raspberry sauce, it’s both savory and sweet, just like home.

Location: 144 Second Avenue (between East 9th Street and St. Mark’s Place), Manhattan
Hours: Daily 24 hours

17. Best Sharp Cheddar to Put on a Biscuit: Just as pears and bleu cheese were made for each other, so were cheddar and biscuits. It’s hard to think of a better use for cheddar than cut thick and wedged between two crumbly halves of a buttermilk biscuit…but the cheddar had better be good. My new favorite is the aged Grafton from Saxelby Cheesemongers, which has just the right amount of tang and sharpness to cut through the most buttery of biscuit sandwiches. I get my biscuits from Amy’s Bread, and if I’m feeling especially indulgent, I stuff their cheese biscuits with a slice of ham and Saxelby’s cheddar, and make myself a melt to remember. Both eateries remain my go-to destinations for cheese & bread (and red-velvet cake) in the city!

Locations: Saxelby Cheesemongers: Essex Street Market, 120 Essex Street (at Delancey Street), Manhattan.
Amy’s Bread: *672 9th Avenue (between 46th and 47th Streets), Manhattan
*Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Avenue (between 15th and 16th Streets), Manhattan
*250 Bleecker Street (at Leroy Street), Manhattan

Hours: Saxelby Cheesemongers: Mon-Sat 8am-7pm; Closed Sun
Amy’s Bread: *9th Ave: Mon-Fri 7:30am-11pm; Sat 8am-11pm; Sun 9am-6pm
*Chelsea Market: Mon-Fri 7:30am-9pm; Sat 8am-8pm; Sun 9am-7pm
*Bleecker St: Mon 7:30am-9pm; Tue-Fri 7:3oam-11pm; Sat 8am-11pm; Sun 8am-9pm

18. Best Bacon Cheddar Hot Dog: Yes, this is a hot dog, not a burger, and no, it’s not a gimmick, but it is darn good. Bark Hot Dogs in Park Slope is known for its carefully sourced ingredients, so when you order your bacon cheddar dog, you can rest assured that your beef was humanely raised, your pork was sustainably produced, and your cheddar is handmade (no Kraft on this puppy). Should you wonder where the pickled onions were picked, they can probably tell you that too. Or you can just take a seat at one of the communal tables, sip your peanut butter milkshake, and wonder why on earth it took so long for someone to put bacon and cheese on a hot dog.

Location: 474 Bergen Street (near Flatbush Avenue), Brooklyn
Hours: Mon-Thu 12pm-12am; Fri 12pm-2am; Sat 10am-2am; Sun 10am-10pm

19. Best Diner Upgrade: I’m a girl who moves easily between chicken cacciatorre and chicken pot pie. Likewise, I can deal equally well with a table at Joseph Leonard and a corner booth at a Buffalo diner. I still have a fondness for cheese fries and chicken wings, and I’m not the only one: Scarpatta, an admittedly high-class joint, dishes up a gooey mozzarella in carozza that calls up the breaded mozzarella sticks of my childhood. Of course, Scarpatta’s are much, much better than the frozen variety and make a perfect pair with their seductively simple spaghetti with tomato & basil.

Location: 355 West 14th Street (near 9th Avenue), Manhattan
Hours: Mon–Thu 5:30pm–11pm; Fri-Sat 5:30pm–12am; Sun 5:30pm–10:30pm

20. Best Cheese Grits: Ever since Old Devil Moon closed up shop, I’ve been searching for a place to feed my grits addiction. Thank goodness for the recent resurgence of southern food in the city, particularly in Brooklyn, where comfort food has always been king. In Williamsburg, Pies ‘n’ Thighs has been serving up a mean dish of the cheesy goodness, which you can get as a side to your fried chicken, or for breakfast with eggs or fried catfish. With sweet tea and a sun hat, their grits make me feel like a southern Belle, rather than the helmet-wearing New Yorker I actually am, who has to ride her bike over the bridge to work off the fried chicken brunch I just devoured.

Location: 166 South 4th Street (at Driggs Street), Brooklyn
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, 5pm-12am; Sat-Sun 10am-4pm, 5pm-12am

To be continued…

This summer I’ve recreated some of my favorite childhood sweet treats, each with their own comfort chic twist! From s’mores decked out in milk chocolate bacon bars to cupcakes kissed with bourbon, fruit pies laced with ginger spice and avocado popsicles spiked with tequila, my food adventures may have been inspired by fond childhood memories, but they are definitely not for kids!

Last month, another dessert from my youth (though certainly not a beloved one) became the star of a culinary makeover: Jell-o! Bill Cosby’s favorite jiggly treat was never one of mine. Its strange texture and fluorescent colors horrified me as a child, and I stayed far away from anything resembling it. That is, until college.

It was Jim, one of my best friends from the Buff, who showed me the merits of this gelatinous mass. I was fortunate to also have this dear friend with me at school in the Big Apple, and it was at NYU where Jim and I first experimented with the ubiquitous Jell-o shot. Ours were watermelon and lime flavored, made in my tiny dorm room fridge, and always leaked out of their thin paper Dixie cups and on to last night’s pizza. They sure weren’t pretty, but well, they got the job done!

Jim’s also a captain for The Dinner Belle, and our shared culinary interests (and preferences) have moved light years beyond our first Jell-o shots. Where once there was Crunchy Potatoes made from frozen Oreida hash browns, Campbell’s cream of onion soup and corn flakes, now there are Bourbon Braised Truffled Smashed Potatoes made from Hudson Valley bourbon and American Perigord truffles. Big dif! So when Jim recently turned the big 3-0, I decided to remind him of our younger years by surprising him with a birthday “cake” made of the very same jiggly treats first perfected in our freshman year.

I replaced our original flavors of watermelon and lime with Strawberry-Basil Margarita and Blueberry, Chambord & Champagne, respectively, swapped the artificially flavored Jell-o packets with plain gelatin and fresh fruits, and ditched the leaking Dixie cups for perfectly square, silicon ice cube molds. We were headed to the beach, and my thinking was that these adult goodies were a clever way to sneak the hooch out to Hamptons. Water bottles filled with vodka are so college, and it turns out New York thirty-somethings actually flip for Jell-o jigglers. My intentions were good, but turns out my method was flawed, as the molds proved next to impossible for extracting the Jell-o and misshaped most of the shots. Next time I’ll make a baking pan’s worth and cut them out with a cookie cutter or freestyle my way through them with a sharp knife.

I’m not sure if Mr. Cosby would approve of this J-E-L-L-O, but Jim gave these 5 stars, and after blowing out the candles, gathering our group of Buffalo expats, and hitting the beach, we were sure to Eat it Up!

Strawberry-Basil Margarita Jell-o Shots (Feeds a beach party)

• 1 ½ pints Strawberries (hulled)
• 1 bunch Basil
• ½ cup Water
• 3 TB Lime Juice
• 4 envelopes Knox Gelatin
• generous ¾ cup Blanco Tequila
• ½ cup Cointreau
• ½ cup Sugar
• Fleur de sel & Lime Zest (garnish)

Make sure the tequila and Cointreau are well chilled in the freezer. Puree the heck out of the strawberries, so even the seeds get pureed as best you can. Add enough water to the berries to make a total of 2 ¼ cups liquid. Boil the lime juice, strawberries and water. Mix the gelatin with the sugar, and then slowly stir it into the boiling juices. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add the tequila and Cointreau. Pour into a baking pan, top with the basil leaves, and chill for 1 hour. Sprinkle with fleur de sel mixed with lime zest and chill overnight. Slice in the morning and serve.

Blueberry, Chambord & Champagne Jell-o Shots
(Feeds a beach party)

• 1 ½ pints Blueberries (divided)
• ½ cup Water
• 4 envelopes Knox Gelatin
• ½ cup Chambord
• ½ cup Champagne
• ½ cup Blueberry-Ginger Jam
• ½ cup Sugar

Make sure the Chambord and champagne are well chilled in the freezer. Puree half the blueberries and add enough water to get a total of 2 ¼ cups liquid. Boil the blueberry puree. Mix the Knox with the sugar, and slowly stir into the boiling juices. Stir in the remaining whole blueberries and blueberry-ginger jam, and allow to cool to room temperature. Add the Chambord and champagne. Pour into a baking pan, chill overnight and slice in the morning with a cookie cutter or sharp knife.

The Western world has had a pretty tight relationship with cheese for the past, oh, ten thousand years or so. At this point, we’re virtually inseparable; Westerners and cheese are like Bonny and Clyde, peanut butter and banana, pencil skirts and sky high heels! My own relationship with cheese goes way back, and my love of the curd traverses all its varied forms. I’ve never met a real cheese that I could not appreciate, from the mildest ricotta to the most brutal bleu, my demand for dairy is always the same, “Cheese, please.” I truly cannot go a single day without eating cheese in some form: snack, appetizer, dessert, it doesn’t matter. A cheese course could easily replace a meal for me, and often does. But as delicious and surprising as cheese can be on its own, it’s even more amazingly adaptable to cooking. In recipes from watermelon salad to soufflé, the delectable dairy transformed from the milk of cows, buffalo, goats and sheep never ceases to draw me in. New York may not be as renowned for its fromage as Paris, or as steeped in cheese-making culture as Amsterdam, but the truth is, we have a collection of the world’s best adventures with cheese under The Big Apple’s sky. For the first ten of my thirty favorite cheese experiences in the city, read on…

The 30 Best Cheese Bites Around Town

1. Best Cheese Fries: If I had the recipe for the all natural, non-processed cheese sauce they pour over their crinkle-cut fries at Shake Shack, I could die happy. I’ve waited an hour just to devour an order of those fries…okay, two orders of those fries! As my all-time fave cheese dish in the city, I just had to put these suckers first. Ask nicely for an extra cup of cheese for dipping and you might just get that too.

Locations: *Madison Square Park, Madison Avenue (at East 23rd Street), Manhattan
*366 Columbus Avenue (at 77th St), Manhattan
*691 8th Avenue (at 44th Street), Manhattan
*154 East 86th Street (between Lexington and 3rd Avenues), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Sun; Madison Square Park: 11am-11pm; UWS: 10:45am-11pm; Theater District: 11am-12am; UES: 11am-11pm

2. Best Adult Grilled Cheese: Not your daughter’s grilled cheese, unless your daughter is fond of taleggio with cherry mostarda and arugula, last year’s winner of Artisanal’s grilled cheese competition (and a temporary addition to the menu). At lunch, they offer a Grilled Cheese du Jour that’s sure to please, or head to the bar at dinner for the full menu, with an English cheddar, smoked bacon and apple sandwich that puts your Kraft-and-white memories to shame. With a crisp glass of prosecco, it just might be the perfect after-school update.

Location: 2 Park Avenue (entrance on 32nd Street), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:45am-11pm; Sat 10:30am-11pm; Sun 10:30am-10:00pm

3. Best Queso Fundido: Anyone who’s followed me over the last few years must know of my fondness for queso fundido. There was the incident with the soup (oops), perhaps not my best moment, but it hasn’t dimmed that feeling one bit. Suffice it to say, I’ve eaten a lot in this genre over the years, and I know a good fundido when I eat one – like the one at Móle, where you can have your cheese with chorizo and mushrooms too. And more is always better, when it comes to melted cheese.

Locations: *57 Jane Street (near Hudson Street), Manhattan; *321 Houston Street (at Allen Street), Manhattan
Hours: Sun-Thu 12pm-11pm; Fri-Sat 12pm-12am

4. Best Croque Monsieur: A classic at a classic, but oh my do they do it well. Croque monsieur at The Odeon means feather-light mornay sauce, a melting layer of gruyere, and luscious bits of ham and jambon, none of it too heavy, none of it tough, as so many versions of the dish can be. Equally as delicious at 1am as at 11am. Then there’s The Odeon itself, which remains a people-watching paradise, even after all these years. If you’re more of a madame than a monsieur, the kitchen will even add an egg to your croque—the easiest sex-change operation in the city.

Location: 145 West Broadway (near Thomas Street), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Wed 11:30am-1am; Thu-Fri 11:30am-2am; Sat 10am-2am; Sun 10am-12am

5. Best Cheese Steals in the City: There are some stores in New York (Schaller & Weber comes to mind) that take you back in time as soon as you step inside. East Village Cheese is one of them. Started by Murray Greenberg, who also founded Murray’s Cheese, in order to take advantage of surplus cheese purchased by wholesalers, East Village Cheese is a mish mash of remainders, both packaged and by-the-pound (half pound minimum). Cash only, and what you see is what you get – it may not be Brillat Savarin, but where else can you buy brie for $1?

Location: 40 3rd Avenue (between 8th and 9th Streets), Manhattan
Hours: Mon-Sun 8:30am-6:30pm

6. Best Ball of Fresh Mozzarella: Listen to your Italian friends: The best mozzarella fior di latte is from the Bronx. Also the best salami, but this is a story about cheese, so let’s not get sidetracked, capisce? For your next killer caprese, head to Arthur Avenue and pick up a freshly-made hunk at Casa della Mozzarella, the acknowledged king of stretching, kneading and producing the most luscious mozzarella this side of the Atlantic. But if it’s mozzarella di Bufala that you’re after, head instead to Chelsea Market, where Buon Italia’s offering has carried me through many a meal. New York’s favorite mozz may be the fior di latte, but I’m a Buffalo girl at heart, and you can’t take the bufala out of me.

Locations: *Casa della Mozzarella: 604 East 187th Street (at Arthur Avenue), Bronx.
*Buon Italia: 75 9th Avenue (inside Chelsea Market), Manhattan
Hours: Casa della Mozzarella: Mon-Sat 7:30am-6pm; Sun 7:30am-1pm. Buon Italia: Mon-Sat 8am-8pm; Sun 10am-7pm

7. Best Cheesy Dessert: There are dozens of desserts made with ricotta and mascarpone, but for a truly cheese-centric dessert, take the N train to Tanoreen in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Knafeh is a Middle Eastern pastry made with shredded filo wrapped around soft, semi-sweet cheese, and Tanoreen’s version is soaked in a syrup of rosewater and orange and baked until deliciously crisp outside and melty within. Go with a crowd; it’s big enough to share, and you’ll want to share the rest of your eclectic meal as well.

Location: 7523 3rd Avenue (near 76th Street), Brooklyn
Hours: Tue-Fri 12pm-10:30pm; Sat 10:30am-10:30pm; Sun 10:30am-10pm; closed Mon

8. Best Greenmarket Purveyor: A family farm that churns out a variety of raw milk cheeses (pun intended), Cato Corner is a fixture at Greenmarkets across the city. On Saturdays you can find them in Fort Greene, at Grand Army Plaza and in Union Square, where they also can be hunted down on Wednesdays, hawking a seasonal selection that, depending on when you’re there, may include my favorites: Womanchego & Bloomsday. Bloomsday, named in honor of James Joyce, is my favorite gifting cheese, while Womanchego never makes it out the door – it’s too delicious to give away. And hello, the name could not be sassier!

Locations and Hours: Check the Greenmarket webpage for more info.

9. Best Cheese Pizza: There’s a lot of debate over pizza in this town, but it’s hard to find fault with the Cheeses Christ, with its holy trinity of mozzarella, taleggio and parmigiano with black pepper and cream. It’s hard to find fault with anything at Roberta’s, which now bakes its own bread, grows its own kale on the roof, and still maintains a homey vibe despite ever bigger crowds. But who can blame them? I’d travel much farther than the depths of Bushwick for a slice of this melty, creamy, tangy goodness. It’s not always on the menu, so bat your eyelashes and ask nicely, and in my experience, they’ll make it for you.

Location: 261 Moore Street (near Bogart Street), Brooklyn
Hours: Mon-Fri 12pm-12am; Sat-Sun 11am-12am

10. Best Quesadilla: This behemoth from Country Boys Taco Truck is only available on weekends, either at the Red Hook ballfields in Brooklyn (both Saturday and Sunday) or at the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Greene (Saturdays only). The Boys are more famous for their huaraches, but it’s the quesadillas I adore, the single cheesiest meal west of the BQE. Is it worth the trek? Well, the monster tortillas are grilled and filled with piping hot mozzarella, your choice of meat, lettuce, tomatoes and crema, and did I mention that they’re the size of your head? The Red Hook ballfields are for picnicking and there’s rarely a bench free, so make sure to bring a blanket to sit on while you navigate your lunch.

Locations: *Red Hook Ballfields: Bay Street (between Court and Clinton Streets), Brooklyn.
*Brooklyn Flea: 176 Lafayette Avenue (between Clermont and Vanderbilt Avenues), Brooklyn
Hours: Ballfields: No set hours. Brooklyn Flea: 10am-5pm.

To be continued…

This season I’ve been enjoying classic summer pairings. Certain foods, like people, just seem to belong together, and as the sunshine months wear on, I have been determined to uncover as many of these classic combinations as possible. Just back from Colorado and eager to see what fruit the greenmarket bore in my absence, last Saturday I woke up with a time honored summer pairing in mind: strawberry and rhubarb anything!

Who doesn’t know from strawberries? It’s rhubarb that’s the mystery in this dynamic duo. Strawberries and rhubarb are, in my opinion, perfect foils. Sticky-sweet summer strawberries and crisp, sour rhubarb combine into a brightly syrupy, jewel colored mess that, for me, is a quintessential summer flavor all its own. Like most produce, rhubarb has a long history: its roots were used in traditional Chinese medicine for its powers as, well, a strong laxative…I promise you, though, I had much better plans for my stems! In hot pursuit of this cooling combo, I made my way east to Union Square in search of summer’s ruby couple. At the second stall in the greenmarket I spotted a flash of crimson. Long stalks of end-of-season rhubarb, like red celery, were nestled tightly together in a small spot of shade. I gathered up a generous bunch of stalks without leaves – when sold at markets the toxic leaves are often removed beforehand – and made my way deeper into the square in search of their berry mate.

Photo Courtesy of Mike's Table

As I made my way through the crowded, sweaty stalls, flashes of orange surrounded me; before me were nectarines, peaches, apricots and melons galore! I scooped some up for an adventure in canning, but just then my stalks of rhubarb poked into my hip, urging me to stay the course on my very berry quest. I searched the entire market like Sherlock Holmes, but there were no strawberries to be found. Strawberries, like rhubarb, start showing up at markets come spring, but rarely make it through the hottest August weeks. Lucky to nab the last of the fading rhubarb, I had somehow let the season pass me by without simmering together two of my favorite summer staples. Distraught over my tardiness, I was about to return my rhubarb to its original home, when I caught myself. If I really was the FOOD Maven I claimed to be, finding a way to make rhubarb shine sans strawberries was going to be another food challenge I was ready to meet!

Trudging my way up my five flights of stairs, the summer swelter stalling my progress up the steps, I had a heat-induced flash: rhubarb is to summer as cranberries are to fall! No, not in a scientific way, but rhubarb reminds me of cranberries for both its color and use as a tart counterpoint to very sweet fruit. With this thought it mind, I made a beeline for my kitchen and started chopping. I threw sliced rhubarb stalks in a pot with a tiny bit of apple juice and brown sugar. After it had a chance to cook down and thicken, I added some of my sliced peaches. Finished off with some fresh greenmarket basil, I had a perfect chutney to pair with fennel crusted pork chops.

Photo Courtesy of Food In Jars

Feeling empowered, and still intoxicated by the way tart rhubarb complimented my smoky pork, I decided it was time to let these stems shine on their own. I chopped up my remaining stalks, tossed them with lemon juice & zest, brown sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt, and roasted them until they were soft and fragrant. I made rhubarb muffins, using my signature blueberry muffin recipe, being sure to substitute the roasted rhubarb stalks for the raw blueberries so they weren’t too stringy in the pastries. Spooned on top of some of the very best yogurt I’ve ever tasted (and brought back home with me from ‘Rado) this sweet-tart topping proved another perfect pairing with Noosa Honey Yogurt and toasted hazelnuts. For the rest of the week I used my roasted rhubarb on everything: stuffed in French toast, as a condiment for turkey sandwiches, and even as a sort of dressing on a caprese salad! I realized that, like radish, every unassuming vegetable sidekick deserves its moment to shine in the spotlight.

I have the best butcher in town, and I’m lucky enough to consider him a friend. It’s hard not to befriend Jeffery as he’s quite possibly the most gracious guy in the butcher business and the veritable mayor the Lower East Side’s food emporium, The Essex Market. If you haven’t been…go! This foodie haven is heaven in specialty edibles and offers one-stop shopping for everything from steaks to fish, chocolates to cheese, homemade Italian pasta and both Latin and Asian imports. In the video webisode above, I don a butcher apron and get behind the counter at Jeffery’s Meat Market. Though I may not have a future wielding knives and carving beasts, Jeffery manages to talk me through butchering a seven pound pork loin I would later transform into a fennel pollen crusted creation for a very special Dinner Belle event. Eat it Up!

Still bouncing off my summer buzz of everything USA—Team USA, 4^th of July, vacas to Vermont, Newport and Colorado, and a recent bike ride over the bridge and into Billyburg for spectacular soul food at Pies ‘n’ Thighs—I decided to co-host a polka-dot themed girl’s night with my Tribe. Using Nini’s apartment and my fervor for all things Americana to guide our menu, we decided to focus on desserts and do a Sweets Only Soiree for the ladies in our lives. But who wants a heavy confection in this heat? I’d have to come up with something cool, something spiked and something seasonal to keep our menu, mouths and bikini bods in check.

What’s more American than milkshakes and apple pie? Nothing. Shakes and pies should get a shout-out in our national anthem; they are the ultimate in sweet tooth satisfying seductions within our shores. Howevs, and alas, apples are not in season, so last week I went searching for a suitable seasonal substitute. My recyclable tote in tow, I made my way through the hordes of sun-kissed shoppers at the Union Square Farmers’ Market, determined not to be led astray by the much anticipated arrivals of sweet corn, budding squash, and scrumptious heirloom tomatoes that threatened to distract me from my mission. With the heat beating down and my focus waning and wandering toward anything air-conditioned, I suddenly spotted the most mouth-watering blueberries I’ve seen this side of the Mississippi. Just then, a breeze rushed over me as if the berries themselves were cooling me off from the summer warmth. Flashing shades of deep blue and violet, the morning dew still reflecting off their skin, I was sold.

The season has just got under way for these berries that burst with pungent yet sweet, refreshing savor. Doctors say the little guys help fight some cancers, defend against macular degeneration and also help keep your gums and teeth healthy. A powerhouse of antioxidants and vitamin C, the pigments in blueberries also help support your vascular system…so goodbye spider veins, hello bikini bods! But doctors don’t know from taste, and I say, as with all real foods, blueberries are as delicious as they are nutritious and ought to be celebrated as much for their flavor as for their function. Yes, blueberries explode with nutrients, but at their seasonal peak, it’s their taste that stops you in your tracks.

Born and raised in North America and typically grown in woods and mountainous regions, blueberries grow wild, and their bushes can sometimes be found flourishing on the side of the road! With over 30 different types of blueberries there is wide variety to choose from. At Union Square, I found a number of berry varietals; among the most popular were Vaccinium Casesariense, a New Jersey blueberry, and Vaccinium Boreale, planted and picked in Southern New York and Massachusetts. Depending on climate, the berries are picked mid June till mid-to-late August, so the time is now to bathe yourself in the calming luxury of blueberry nights.

Obviously, blueberries and pie go together like shin guards and cleats. Once home, I opted to make a blueberry pie with a candied ginger twist. As I was making the filling, I came across a jar of blueberry-ginger jam, also purchased at the farmers’ market, and could not resist adding it to the mix. It helped thicken my filling and added a spicy-sweet tang to the berrilicious pie. But I didn’t stop there, instead of milkshakes, I make two varieties of smoothie: a vanilla greek yogurt concoction sprinkled with whole blueberries for a surprise berry burst in the mouth, and a blueberry-banana acai blend made from frozen acai sorbet mixed with fresh fruits and apple juice. The shakes were the perfect balance to the pie…entirely satisfying, but not overly sweet or heavy for my summer shindig. With the leftovers, I experimented with all things blueberry while I was weekending at the beach. A house-guest who cooks is always a welcome addition to a weekend getaway, and last weekend I was welcomed out to the Hamptons, where I  treated my clamming hosts to blueberry pancakes, fresh fruit salads spiked Grand Marnier and sprinkled with Vaccinium Boreale, and blueberry muffins. Before the season is over, I vow to gift them a jar of blueberry jam; a sweet reminder of our summer adventures in the clam beds.

Blueberry Candied Ginger Pie                   (makes eight slices)

• 2 large tubs of fresh Blueberries
• One small jar of Blueberry-Ginger Jam
• ½ cup + ¼ cup White Sugar (divided)
• 2 TB Cornstarch
• 2 TB Lemon Juice
• 1 TB Lemon Zest
• 1 large Egg
• 1 tub Candied Ginger
• 1 recipe for Pâte Brisée

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Prepare the pie dough from the recipe above and line a pie plate with dough. Mix together ½ cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, lemon zest and the small jar of jam. Place the blueberries in a large bowl; add the sugar mixture to the blueberries. Gently combine all ingredients until they form a nice chunky thick blueberry paste. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell. Top pie with remaining dough.

After the filling is in and the lattice top has been made, it’s time to make the egg wash. Just take one large egg and whisk it until smooth. Lightly brush the rim of the pastry shell with the egg wash until the entire crust has been covered. To give the dish a nice crunch on the crust, take ¼ cup sugar and mix it in a food processor with a handful of diced candied ginger (I typically get the ginger candy at the Nut Box in Chelsea Markets). Pulse until very small beads of ginger-sugar form and sprinkle them on top of the pie crust after applying the egg wash. Let the filled pie sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before placing in oven, this will help it to congeal.

Time for things to finally heat up! Bake the pie for about 20 minutes and 400 degrees and then reduce the temperature to 350. Continue baking the pie for about 35-45 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the juices are bubbling and thick. If the edges of the pie are browning too much during baking, cover with aluminum foil or a pie crust ring. Once the pie is cooked let it cool for several hours. Cut into slices and Eat it Up!

How do you score the best table at Restaurant Daniel? Should you grease your Maître D? What the hell is a Maître D? Snotty McSnobster has all the answers. Self described as the most powerful Maître D in the city (and it could well be true!), Snotty recently went on tape with Josh Ozersky to film an interview on Ozersky.TV from Vimeo. I’ve posted it here for you to check out the Snobster in full suited action. Joking aside, the man is as sharp as he looks, and no one knows more about playing host to the glitterati in New York’s legacy restaurant scene than Snotty. Get a crash course in funny business from the face at the front-of-the-house and Eat it Up!