Monday, October 21, 2019

New York’s Michelin-Starred Restaurants Are Announced for 2020

The 2019 Michelin Guide is out today in the city that (arguably) spends more time and energy both eating and arguing about food and restaurants. While Japan may boast three of the world’s top four Michelin-clad cities (Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto!), New York City is No. 5 in the world, and No. 1 for Michelin-rated restaurants in North America, so there is always a clamoring when the N.Y.C. guide is announced.

It’s such an important mark for some that a restaurateur in Paris recently sued the Michelin Guide for taking away one of their stars. So what’s this year’s N.Y.C. Michelin drama?

Related Reading: Bring the World’s Best Restaurants to You with These High-End Cookbooks

Many of the New York standbys like Per Se, Masa, and Eleven Madison Park remain atop the guide, each holding court with three stars, while a few newcomers were added to the two- and three-star categories, including the iconic Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester (which became eligible for the first time this year); Crown Shy, a new New American outpost in the Financial District that we are still trying to make a reservation for (in case the maitre d’ is reading); and Atomix, a hot Korean chef’s tasting restaurant in Flatiron.

See the full press release here, and below for a complete list of this year’s Michelin-rated restaurants in N.Y.C. and Westchester Country so you can start eating (and arguing) your way through our fair city.

3 stars (restaurants that serve “exceptional cuisine and are worthy of a detour”)

  • Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare
  • Eleven Madison Park
  • Le Bernardin
  • Masa
  • Per Se

2 stars (restaurants that serve “excellent cuisine and are worthy of a detour”)

  • Aquavit
  • Aska
  • Atera
  • Atomix (NEW)
  • Blanca
  • Blue Hill at Stone Barns (NEW)
  • Daniel
  • Gabriel Kreuther
  • Ichimura at Uchū
  • Jean Georges
  • Jungsik
  • Ko
  • L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
  • The Modern

1 star (“high-quality cooking, worth a stop”)

  • Agern
  • Ai Fiori
  • Aldea
  • Bar Uchū (CLOSED)
  • Bâtard
  • Benno (NEW)
  • Blue Hill
  • Bouley at Home
  • Carbone
  • Casa Enrique
  • Casa Mono
  • Caviar Russe
  • Claro
  • The Clocktower
  • Contra
  • Cote
  • Crown Shy (NEW)
  • Del Posto
  • Estela (NEW)
  • The Finch
  • The Four Horsemen (NEW)
  • Gotham Bar and Grill
  • Gramercy Tavern
  • Hirohisa
  • Jeju Noodle Bar
  • Jewel Bako
  • Kajitsu
  • Kanoyama
  • Kosaka
  • L’Appart
  • Le Coucou
  • Le Jardinier (NEW)
  • Marea
  • Meadowsweet
  • The Musket Room
  • Nix
  • Noda
  • Nomad
  • Odo (NEW)
  • Okuda
  • Oxalis (NEW)
  • Oxomoco
  • Peter Luger
  • The River Café
  • Satsuki
  • Sushi Amane
  • Sushi Ginza Onodera
  • Sushi Inoue
  • Sushi Nakazawa
  • Sushi Noz
  • Sushi Yasuda
  • Tempura Matsui
  • Tuome
  • Ukiyo (NEW)
  • Uncle Boons
  • Wallsé
  • ZZ’s Clam Bar


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Brookies (Chocolate Chip Brownie Cookies)

Brownies and chocolate chip cookies together as one! Brookies are the best of both worlds, so you don't have to choose.

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What Is the Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal?

tequila vs mezcal: what is the difference?

For all the cocktail menus you’ve pursued, you may be wondering what is the difference between tequila and mezcal? They’re both made from agave, sure, but different species from different regions of Mexico—and the production process for each results in different flavors too. So pour a shot, sprinkle on some worm salt, and keep reading.

Arriba, AbajoMore Mexican Spirits to SipWhile tequila has been a bar mainstay for years (margarita, anyone?), as imbibers are beginning to look for different layers of flavor, tequila’s cousin, mezcal (also spelled mescal), has been finding a place on bar shelves. While both spirits are made from the agave plant, they are distinct in flavor, harvest location and manufacturing process.

“To make mezcal, you can use around 40 different types of agave. One of them is blue agave, which is the only agave used for the production of 100 percent tequila, so in theory all mezcal is tequila but not all tequila is mezcal,” says Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez of New York, NY-based Ghost Donkey.

Location

According to Nico de Soto, co-owner and mixologist at New York, NY-based Mace, tequila is harvested from five locations in Mexico: Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, Tamaulipas, and Jalisco. Mezcal, however, comes from more locations, including Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Michoacán, Puebla, and Oaxaca. Additionally, he says, the city of Oaxaca produces about 85 percent of mezcal.

Distilling

Soto notes that another major difference between tequila and mezcal is in the production process. Both spirits require the hearts of agave plants (also called the piñas, or pineapples) to be cooked and crushed (often using a tahona, a man- or animal-powered stone mill made of volcanic rock) to extract the juice, which is then fermented and distilled.

“Tequila can only use one type of agave, is steamed inside an industrial oven, and distilled two or three times in copper pots,” he says.

Related Reading: Mexican Crafts Beers That Are Way Better Than Corona

But, adds Jimenez, the process for creating mezcal requires a bit more. “Artisanal mezcal is typically distilled in copper stills, clay, or sometimes bamboo pots. None of these forms allow continuous distillation, which means that each portion has to be distilled completely before refilling it,” he says.

Mezcal Copitas, 6 for $33.95 on Amazon

The traditional handmade clay vessels for sipping mezcal.
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Flavor Profile

This distilling process leads to the main differentiation between mezcal and tequila–the tasting notes.

“The one overall characteristic we can use to differentiate the two is the smokiness found in mezcal. This is mainly a result of the cooking process that agave undergoes before becoming mezcal,” said Jimenez.

While agave for tequila is cooked in industrial steam ovens, agave for mezcal is cooked in pits in the ground that burn wood and charcoal, leading to that smoky flavor.

Montelobos mezcal espadin agave spirit

Montelobos

Aging

The labeling of the ages is different, too, says Soto, even if the tequila and mezcal is aged similarly. For example, young tequila is blanco, while young mezcal is labeled joven, but they share the same aging groups, which is up to two months. Additionally, both are labeled resposado from two to 12 months. However, after 12 months, things change a bit in the aging process. Soto explains that añejo mezcal is anything aged for more than one year; for tequila, it’s aged from one to three years.

Similarities

Despite the amount of differences between mezcal and tequila, the spirits share some similar traits. These, says Soto, include the fact that both are Mexican-produced, are aged in oak barrels, and share a strong agave flavor.

Pairing Tequila and Mezcal

While Soto says that both tequila and mezcal pair well with any type of Mexican food, there are other dishes in which mezcal would be the clear choice.

“Smokier mezcal would pair very well with meat, barbecue, and anything smoky and spicy. Grapefruit, pineapple, corn, chiles, moles, and nuts are all fair game,” he said.

Related Reading: These Mexican Meatballs in Chipotle Tomato Sauce Will Rock Your World

Adds Jimenez, “I just had an amazing Southern barbecue experience paired with some great pechuga mezcal. As for tequila, anything spicy or with a lot of citrus.”

Nosotros Tequila Blanco, $39.99 on Drizly

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Montelobos Mezcal Joven, $43.99 on Drizly

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Tequila and Mezcal Recipes

Perfect Margarita

perfect margarita recipe

Shutterstock

You can’t go wrong with a classic margarita on Cinco de Mayo. Serve it on the rocks or with a salt or sugar rim, depending on how you’re feeling. Or try a mezcal margarita, and rim it with bug salt! Get our Perfect Margarita recipe.

Tequila Shrimp

Tequila Shrimp recipe

Chowhound

Tequila isn’t just for boozy libations. The spirit can add a punch to simple recipes, as well, like this tequila shrimp. Great to serve as an appetizer in cups or in tacos. Get our Tequila Shrimp recipe.

Paloma

Paloma cocktail recipe

Chowhound

A margarita with bubbles, a Paloma is a perfect substitute for your friend who isn’t so into margaritas or can act as a great signature brunch cocktail. Get our Paloma recipe.

Quick Chicken Tacos

Easy Chicken Taco recipe

Chowhound

Mezcal adds a few layers of flavor to these chicken tacos. Add a splash of lime and bring in some fun garnishes for a good time. Get our Quick Chicken Tacos recipe.

Mezcal Salsa Borracha

Mezcal Salsa Borracha recipe

Chowhound

Whether you want to pour this on everything or use alongside a bowl of homemade tortilla chips, this mezcal salsa is all things–sweet, spicy and smoky. Get our Mezcal Salsa Borracha recipe.



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Why You Should Be Using Bug Salt With Your Mezcal

sal de gusado maguey worm salt

It may seem that kosher salt or sugar are the best types of rims for the beloved margarita, but they’re not the most authentic. In Mexico, sippers use bug salt to liven up their libations, especially those made with mezcal. The most common of these salts is made from larva which is found amongst agave plants.

“The salt of ‘chinicuil’ or worm salt, is one of the products that distinguishes Mexico from the rest of the world. Only in Mexico can we find a product like this, an original pre-Hispanic recipe and 100 percent Oaxacan. It is a product with a unique flavor that enhances the flavor of food and gives it a unique aromatic depth,” says Eduardo Quiroga, chief sommelier at Grand Velas Riviera Maya in Riveria Maya, Mexico.

Gran Mitla Sal de Gusano, $19.49 on Amazon

Sea salt, chiles, and toasted ground chinicuil.
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There are two types of larvae that you can find in agave—red worm and white worm, explains Quiroga. The red worms live in the root and heart of the agave plant while the white larvae are in the leaves.

Related Reading: What Is the Difference Between Tequila and Mezcal?

The red worm larvae add a load of essences of the maguey (agave) plant and help bring the spirit a layer of sweetness and fat that makes it intrusive when tasting a vintage mezcal. According to Quiroga, the white larvae have a more significant contribution of minerality and subtle aromas of fresh grass.

“The ancestral tradition and the consideration of these ingredients as part of a festive and religious meal makes this authentic,” he says. “Experiencing these insects in an appropriate way allows us to enter a fascinating and mystical world, the complexity of sensations, and to live with a part of what was a Mexico unknown to the world and now offered as it is in a rainbow of exquisite flavors.”

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#BarFaithBottleTalk: @GranMitla sal de gusano…aka worm salt. 🐛 Disclaimer: I never thought I'd brave up to buy a jar of worm salt, but once I tried it at a mezcal tasting, I was hooked and all doubts went out the window. So if I can do it…you👏🏼can👏🏼too👏🏼. Sal de gusano is a traditional spice from Oaxaca (the heart of the mezcal world) that's commonly consumed scattered onto orange wedges while sipping on mezcal. It can be used as a palate cleanser between tastings, or just as a complement to the intense flavors of a smoky mezcal. The salt is also used in traditional cuisine and food dishes in Oaxaca and is made by grinding up toasted gusano (the larvae of the agave moth that lives on agave plants), and combining it with salt and chilies. The larvae (aka caterpillar) spends its entire life eating only the agave plant and hence the natural flavors pair particularly well with distilled agave. The end result is smoky, earthy, and adds unbelievable depth and umami. I don't think I can enjoy mezcal without some of this on hand again. This jar is from Amazon for anyone who's interested! 😉 — [archived in #BarFaithAgaves] . #BarFaith #BarFaithWormSalt #gusano #wormsalt #saldegusano #mezcal #tequila #agave #mixology #mezcaleria #mezcalcocktails #oaxaca #worms #spices #foodies #ingredients #cocktailgram #agavelove #themoreyouknow

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While Quiroga says that the worm larvae salt is preferred and the most widely used, he said that other types of insects are also used to create salts that are spread atop fruits, as well as used in the creation of elaborate dishes.

Related Reading: Tequila Alternatives: Other Mexican Spirits You Should Try

“Grasshoppers and Chicata ants are the most precious, although there are some more exotic ingredients such as the alacrán [scorpion] and the rattlesnake,” he says.

So try it with your next round of tequila or mezcal, or for rimming your Cinco de Mayo margarita!

Related Video: Try Edible Insects at This Authentic Mexican Restaurant



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7 Clever Ways to Use Sweet Potatoes

Call me old-fashioned, but as far as I’m concerned the classic baked potato doesn’t need any updating or sprucing up. Melted butter, gooey shredded cheese, crunchy bacon bits, sour cream, fresh chives: It’s a perfect formula. Let’s leave it be, eh?

If you want to get creative with your baked potato, I’d recommend turning your attention away from the Russet and focusing instead on its orange-tinted cousin, the sweet potato. Obviously you can go the traditional bake and load with toppings route or, as it turns out, the good-for-you-tuber works impressively well as a stand-in for many of your favorite gluten-heavy junk foods. Pizza, tacos, garlic bread, you name it—a baked sweet potato can make it healthier and just as tasty. It can even upgrade your beloved avocado toast. Check out seven of our favorite creative baked sweet potato recipes.

Related Reading: Easy Weeknight Dinners for Our 15 Favorite Fall Ingredients

Breakfast Sweet Potato “Toast” with Guac and Eggs

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Making these hearty GUAC N’ EGG Sweet Potato Toasties 🥑🍳🍠 for NYE tomorrow! They’re my favorite appi or brunch food on the blog. Grab the quick recipe link on bio! 👆🏻👆🏻 #vegetarianfood #potatolove . Perfectly paleo, so filling, and packed with flavor! There’s sweetness, crispiness, lemony guac, and the perfect soft-boiled egg on top’😉💥 . Am back from a little soirée and hosting one tomorrow. 🎉I’ll be sharing how to put together an awesome charcuterie platter! HAPPY New Year’s Eve Eve! 💫 xx . . . #potatoes #potato #tomatoes #tomato #veggies #glutenfreedinner #hasslebackpotatoes #glutenfreefood #veganfood #veganeats #TCMlivingwell #thisisdarling #eatprettythings #nourishyourbody #igerstoronto #torontoigers #fbcigers #fitfluential #saveur #foodandwine

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It’s tough breaks, toast, but apparently just because your name is in the title doesn’t mean you have to show up to work anymore. As it turns out, those looking to abstain from bread needn’t give up their beloved, trendy toasts: Baked sweet potato slices are more than up for the job. Seriously, this non-toast toast crushes the breakfast game as a vessel for savory mashed avocado and slices of soft-boiled egg. (Or, if you want to get a little fancy-brunch with it, try this poached egg, cucumber, and smoked salmon variation.) Get the Breakfast Sweet Potato “Toast” with Guac and Eggs recipe.

Cheesy Garlic Sweet Potatoes

Speaking of the many ways baked sweet potatoes can be used to replace bread, why not give these mozz, parm, and garlic butter-slathered slices a go the next time you’re craving cheesy garlic bread? Just ignore the Italian food purist over in the corner giving you side eye, you know good when you taste it. Get the Cheesy Garlic Sweet Potatoes recipe.

Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Taco-bout thinking outside of the shell. Forget the whole corn vs. flour tortilla debate, baked sweet potatoes have that combo crisp exterior-soft interior texture on lock. Plus you can knife and fork it so you don’t have to do the filling-and-toppings-spilling-out-as-you-bite-from-side-to-side dance. Get the Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes recipe.

Sweet Potato Pizza

If you like the idea of giving taco night a baked sweet potato makeover, you’re going to love how the concept works for pizza night. Go classic with the toppings as they do here—zesty tomato sauce, basil, and gooey mozz—or experiment with more off-the-beaten-path flavors like roasted figs, prosciutto, and balsamic. Plus the mini rounds work perfectly as cocktail party finger food. Get the Sweet Potato Pizza recipe.

Chickpea Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato in a healthy bowl, sure. But sweet potato as more or less the “bowl” for your healthy bowl? Now that’s interesting. Here, a blend of crispy roasted chickpeas and spinach (along with a drizzle of tahini) are poured over savory-sweet baked potatoes to create a real get-you-through-the-worst-of-winter kind of dish. Get the Chickpea Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes recipe.

Related Reading: Best New International Cookbooks for Fall 2019

Baked Sweet Potato and Egg Breakfast Boats

“Toad in the hole,” “eggs in a nest,” “one-eyed Jack,” “egg in the middle”—whatever you call it, rest-assured that this breakfast classic is just as delicious (if not heartier, and a bit less basic) when the traditional bread is replaced with a baked sweet potato. That this recipe adds a drizzle of Sriracha and crumbled bacon to the mix only improves matters. Get the Baked Sweet Potato and Egg Boats recipe.

Vegan Peanut Butter Sweet Potato Ice Cream

Forget pie, this sweet potato and peanut butter ice cream mashup is here to open your eyes to the tuber’s dessert potential. You can get as creative as you want with toppings, but there’s no going wrong with this rendition’s indulgent (and vegan!) homemade chocolate sauce. Get the Vegan Peanut Butter Sweet Potato recipe.



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