Posts tagged with food
-
![Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
[[MORE]]
Partly opened to provide a more casual and less expensive destination in Miami’s design district, Harry’s has also made its mark as the venue for a hugely popular monthly guest chef pop-up dinner that has brought the likes of Paul Kahan of Chicago’s Publican, Philadelphia’s Marc Vetri and New York’s April Bloomfield to Miami. So eager are ticketholders for these dinners, that they’d show up to the restaurant before the appointed hour- something unheard of in a city that exists in perpetual mañana time.
Not bad for a little pizza joint.
The pizzas that keep the crowds coming on a day to day basis reflect the sensibility Schwartz honed in his flagship restaurant Michael’s Genuine, rather than a bow to pizza orthodoxy. “I wouldn’t classify it as any single style of pizza. “It’s on the thinner side, but with a nice chew in the crust,” he says. “I like to do unusual and interesting topping combinations. It’s all in a good place right now. We don’t change the menu that often; it’s not that kind of place, but we do change with the seasons, as ingredients come and go.”
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the wood-fired oven, and more often than not, during the pop-up dinners, that’s just where you’ll find the visiting chef, chatting with guests and keeping an eye on the kitchen, seeing to it that the family style platters are up to snuff before they head out to diners.
The work starts long before food crosses the pass, though. “We invite friends; chefs that have common sensibilities about how we prepare food, and have similar philosophies. We work with them on a menu format that we’ve found has worked; there’s a welcome cocktail that the guest chef inspires or provides a recipe for. Then there will be some passed around snacks, which usually includes a pizza at that point. Then it’s typically four courses, all family style, with lots of sharing going on. Instead of pairing wines or beverages with each course, we just offer a great selection of wines and our Homebrew beer. And that’s all just put on the table for people to pour and pass so it’s a real casual family style thing.”
Recently the restaurant launched brunch service, and along with the full lineup of pizzas, came a slew of more “egg-centric dishes.” One early favorite from Schwarz’s sous chef Manny Sulburan is a casserole of braised short ribs, rice and beans topped with an egg, put in a blazing hot oven until the egg just sets. When it comes out, the rice has formed a bit of a crust at the bottom of the pan — you end up with something like a Miami Bi Bim Bap.
It’s a dish that you’ll want to show up early for, even if your watch is set to mañana time.
While the recipe may look like a lot of work at first glance, the short ribs and beans can be made at the same time, both largely unattended. Both can be made in advance, so come brunch time, you’re only assembling the dishes and baking the eggs.
Short Rib Casserole
Serves 4-6
Short ribs:
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 Large, meaty short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomato (approx 1 28oz can)
1 cups chicken stock
Red Beans:
2 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup dried red beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Casserole:
4-6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked white rice
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, ginger, chili powder, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper; stir thoroughly to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the short ribs to evenly coat the meat. Transfer the ribs to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). At the same time, cover the beans with 3 cups of water, and leave to soak overnight as well.
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
Arrange the short ribs in a casserole or deep skillet and cover. Bake for 90 minutes.
While the ribs are in the oven, put a medium saucepan over low heat and add 2tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the 2 cups of onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 5, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let simmer uncovered until it reduces by half, about an hour.
At the same time, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the bacon until crispy. Add the ½ cup of onion, the cumin and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Pour in the beans with the soaking liquid. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Add hot water as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After 90 minutes, pour off some of the fat from the short ribs, and add the tomato-onion mixture to the pan. Cover, and return the short ribs to the oven for another 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove the short rib meat from bones, pull apart into small pieces, and place back into the sauce.
This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Combine ½ cup each of of the short ribs, beans and rice in a 6” skillet or casserole. Top it with a cracked egg and bake until the egg just set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
— Matthew Kronsberg](http://24.media.tumblr.com/919be0ae533ba76edb05c291b247fc31/tumblr_mkaec5X9ot1rrpm57o1_1280.jpg)
![Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
[[MORE]]
Partly opened to provide a more casual and less expensive destination in Miami’s design district, Harry’s has also made its mark as the venue for a hugely popular monthly guest chef pop-up dinner that has brought the likes of Paul Kahan of Chicago’s Publican, Philadelphia’s Marc Vetri and New York’s April Bloomfield to Miami. So eager are ticketholders for these dinners, that they’d show up to the restaurant before the appointed hour- something unheard of in a city that exists in perpetual mañana time.
Not bad for a little pizza joint.
The pizzas that keep the crowds coming on a day to day basis reflect the sensibility Schwartz honed in his flagship restaurant Michael’s Genuine, rather than a bow to pizza orthodoxy. “I wouldn’t classify it as any single style of pizza. “It’s on the thinner side, but with a nice chew in the crust,” he says. “I like to do unusual and interesting topping combinations. It’s all in a good place right now. We don’t change the menu that often; it’s not that kind of place, but we do change with the seasons, as ingredients come and go.”
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the wood-fired oven, and more often than not, during the pop-up dinners, that’s just where you’ll find the visiting chef, chatting with guests and keeping an eye on the kitchen, seeing to it that the family style platters are up to snuff before they head out to diners.
The work starts long before food crosses the pass, though. “We invite friends; chefs that have common sensibilities about how we prepare food, and have similar philosophies. We work with them on a menu format that we’ve found has worked; there’s a welcome cocktail that the guest chef inspires or provides a recipe for. Then there will be some passed around snacks, which usually includes a pizza at that point. Then it’s typically four courses, all family style, with lots of sharing going on. Instead of pairing wines or beverages with each course, we just offer a great selection of wines and our Homebrew beer. And that’s all just put on the table for people to pour and pass so it’s a real casual family style thing.”
Recently the restaurant launched brunch service, and along with the full lineup of pizzas, came a slew of more “egg-centric dishes.” One early favorite from Schwarz’s sous chef Manny Sulburan is a casserole of braised short ribs, rice and beans topped with an egg, put in a blazing hot oven until the egg just sets. When it comes out, the rice has formed a bit of a crust at the bottom of the pan — you end up with something like a Miami Bi Bim Bap.
It’s a dish that you’ll want to show up early for, even if your watch is set to mañana time.
While the recipe may look like a lot of work at first glance, the short ribs and beans can be made at the same time, both largely unattended. Both can be made in advance, so come brunch time, you’re only assembling the dishes and baking the eggs.
Short Rib Casserole
Serves 4-6
Short ribs:
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 Large, meaty short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomato (approx 1 28oz can)
1 cups chicken stock
Red Beans:
2 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup dried red beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Casserole:
4-6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked white rice
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, ginger, chili powder, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper; stir thoroughly to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the short ribs to evenly coat the meat. Transfer the ribs to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). At the same time, cover the beans with 3 cups of water, and leave to soak overnight as well.
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
Arrange the short ribs in a casserole or deep skillet and cover. Bake for 90 minutes.
While the ribs are in the oven, put a medium saucepan over low heat and add 2tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the 2 cups of onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 5, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let simmer uncovered until it reduces by half, about an hour.
At the same time, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the bacon until crispy. Add the ½ cup of onion, the cumin and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Pour in the beans with the soaking liquid. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Add hot water as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After 90 minutes, pour off some of the fat from the short ribs, and add the tomato-onion mixture to the pan. Cover, and return the short ribs to the oven for another 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove the short rib meat from bones, pull apart into small pieces, and place back into the sauce.
This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Combine ½ cup each of of the short ribs, beans and rice in a 6” skillet or casserole. Top it with a cracked egg and bake until the egg just set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
— Matthew Kronsberg](http://24.media.tumblr.com/36a09646ab9d4783c7b6d996363d4343/tumblr_mkaec5X9ot1rrpm57o2_1280.jpg)
![Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
[[MORE]]
Partly opened to provide a more casual and less expensive destination in Miami’s design district, Harry’s has also made its mark as the venue for a hugely popular monthly guest chef pop-up dinner that has brought the likes of Paul Kahan of Chicago’s Publican, Philadelphia’s Marc Vetri and New York’s April Bloomfield to Miami. So eager are ticketholders for these dinners, that they’d show up to the restaurant before the appointed hour- something unheard of in a city that exists in perpetual mañana time.
Not bad for a little pizza joint.
The pizzas that keep the crowds coming on a day to day basis reflect the sensibility Schwartz honed in his flagship restaurant Michael’s Genuine, rather than a bow to pizza orthodoxy. “I wouldn’t classify it as any single style of pizza. “It’s on the thinner side, but with a nice chew in the crust,” he says. “I like to do unusual and interesting topping combinations. It’s all in a good place right now. We don’t change the menu that often; it’s not that kind of place, but we do change with the seasons, as ingredients come and go.”
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the wood-fired oven, and more often than not, during the pop-up dinners, that’s just where you’ll find the visiting chef, chatting with guests and keeping an eye on the kitchen, seeing to it that the family style platters are up to snuff before they head out to diners.
The work starts long before food crosses the pass, though. “We invite friends; chefs that have common sensibilities about how we prepare food, and have similar philosophies. We work with them on a menu format that we’ve found has worked; there’s a welcome cocktail that the guest chef inspires or provides a recipe for. Then there will be some passed around snacks, which usually includes a pizza at that point. Then it’s typically four courses, all family style, with lots of sharing going on. Instead of pairing wines or beverages with each course, we just offer a great selection of wines and our Homebrew beer. And that’s all just put on the table for people to pour and pass so it’s a real casual family style thing.”
Recently the restaurant launched brunch service, and along with the full lineup of pizzas, came a slew of more “egg-centric dishes.” One early favorite from Schwarz’s sous chef Manny Sulburan is a casserole of braised short ribs, rice and beans topped with an egg, put in a blazing hot oven until the egg just sets. When it comes out, the rice has formed a bit of a crust at the bottom of the pan — you end up with something like a Miami Bi Bim Bap.
It’s a dish that you’ll want to show up early for, even if your watch is set to mañana time.
While the recipe may look like a lot of work at first glance, the short ribs and beans can be made at the same time, both largely unattended. Both can be made in advance, so come brunch time, you’re only assembling the dishes and baking the eggs.
Short Rib Casserole
Serves 4-6
Short ribs:
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 Large, meaty short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomato (approx 1 28oz can)
1 cups chicken stock
Red Beans:
2 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup dried red beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Casserole:
4-6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked white rice
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, ginger, chili powder, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper; stir thoroughly to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the short ribs to evenly coat the meat. Transfer the ribs to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). At the same time, cover the beans with 3 cups of water, and leave to soak overnight as well.
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
Arrange the short ribs in a casserole or deep skillet and cover. Bake for 90 minutes.
While the ribs are in the oven, put a medium saucepan over low heat and add 2tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the 2 cups of onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 5, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let simmer uncovered until it reduces by half, about an hour.
At the same time, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the bacon until crispy. Add the ½ cup of onion, the cumin and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Pour in the beans with the soaking liquid. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Add hot water as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After 90 minutes, pour off some of the fat from the short ribs, and add the tomato-onion mixture to the pan. Cover, and return the short ribs to the oven for another 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove the short rib meat from bones, pull apart into small pieces, and place back into the sauce.
This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Combine ½ cup each of of the short ribs, beans and rice in a 6” skillet or casserole. Top it with a cracked egg and bake until the egg just set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
— Matthew Kronsberg](http://25.media.tumblr.com/e75cd16f375f8bed7f1e5d266b06c443/tumblr_mkaec5X9ot1rrpm57o3_r1_1280.jpg)
![Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
[[MORE]]
Partly opened to provide a more casual and less expensive destination in Miami’s design district, Harry’s has also made its mark as the venue for a hugely popular monthly guest chef pop-up dinner that has brought the likes of Paul Kahan of Chicago’s Publican, Philadelphia’s Marc Vetri and New York’s April Bloomfield to Miami. So eager are ticketholders for these dinners, that they’d show up to the restaurant before the appointed hour- something unheard of in a city that exists in perpetual mañana time.
Not bad for a little pizza joint.
The pizzas that keep the crowds coming on a day to day basis reflect the sensibility Schwartz honed in his flagship restaurant Michael’s Genuine, rather than a bow to pizza orthodoxy. “I wouldn’t classify it as any single style of pizza. “It’s on the thinner side, but with a nice chew in the crust,” he says. “I like to do unusual and interesting topping combinations. It’s all in a good place right now. We don’t change the menu that often; it’s not that kind of place, but we do change with the seasons, as ingredients come and go.”
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the wood-fired oven, and more often than not, during the pop-up dinners, that’s just where you’ll find the visiting chef, chatting with guests and keeping an eye on the kitchen, seeing to it that the family style platters are up to snuff before they head out to diners.
The work starts long before food crosses the pass, though. “We invite friends; chefs that have common sensibilities about how we prepare food, and have similar philosophies. We work with them on a menu format that we’ve found has worked; there’s a welcome cocktail that the guest chef inspires or provides a recipe for. Then there will be some passed around snacks, which usually includes a pizza at that point. Then it’s typically four courses, all family style, with lots of sharing going on. Instead of pairing wines or beverages with each course, we just offer a great selection of wines and our Homebrew beer. And that’s all just put on the table for people to pour and pass so it’s a real casual family style thing.”
Recently the restaurant launched brunch service, and along with the full lineup of pizzas, came a slew of more “egg-centric dishes.” One early favorite from Schwarz’s sous chef Manny Sulburan is a casserole of braised short ribs, rice and beans topped with an egg, put in a blazing hot oven until the egg just sets. When it comes out, the rice has formed a bit of a crust at the bottom of the pan — you end up with something like a Miami Bi Bim Bap.
It’s a dish that you’ll want to show up early for, even if your watch is set to mañana time.
While the recipe may look like a lot of work at first glance, the short ribs and beans can be made at the same time, both largely unattended. Both can be made in advance, so come brunch time, you’re only assembling the dishes and baking the eggs.
Short Rib Casserole
Serves 4-6
Short ribs:
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 Large, meaty short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomato (approx 1 28oz can)
1 cups chicken stock
Red Beans:
2 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup dried red beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Casserole:
4-6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked white rice
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, ginger, chili powder, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper; stir thoroughly to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the short ribs to evenly coat the meat. Transfer the ribs to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). At the same time, cover the beans with 3 cups of water, and leave to soak overnight as well.
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
Arrange the short ribs in a casserole or deep skillet and cover. Bake for 90 minutes.
While the ribs are in the oven, put a medium saucepan over low heat and add 2tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the 2 cups of onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 5, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let simmer uncovered until it reduces by half, about an hour.
At the same time, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the bacon until crispy. Add the ½ cup of onion, the cumin and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Pour in the beans with the soaking liquid. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Add hot water as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After 90 minutes, pour off some of the fat from the short ribs, and add the tomato-onion mixture to the pan. Cover, and return the short ribs to the oven for another 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove the short rib meat from bones, pull apart into small pieces, and place back into the sauce.
This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Combine ½ cup each of of the short ribs, beans and rice in a 6” skillet or casserole. Top it with a cracked egg and bake until the egg just set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
— Matthew Kronsberg](http://24.media.tumblr.com/6764512ba20778c41fdb32d576d5ad1e/tumblr_mkaec5X9ot1rrpm57o4_r1_1280.jpg)
![Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
[[MORE]]
Partly opened to provide a more casual and less expensive destination in Miami’s design district, Harry’s has also made its mark as the venue for a hugely popular monthly guest chef pop-up dinner that has brought the likes of Paul Kahan of Chicago’s Publican, Philadelphia’s Marc Vetri and New York’s April Bloomfield to Miami. So eager are ticketholders for these dinners, that they’d show up to the restaurant before the appointed hour- something unheard of in a city that exists in perpetual mañana time.
Not bad for a little pizza joint.
The pizzas that keep the crowds coming on a day to day basis reflect the sensibility Schwartz honed in his flagship restaurant Michael’s Genuine, rather than a bow to pizza orthodoxy. “I wouldn’t classify it as any single style of pizza. “It’s on the thinner side, but with a nice chew in the crust,” he says. “I like to do unusual and interesting topping combinations. It’s all in a good place right now. We don’t change the menu that often; it’s not that kind of place, but we do change with the seasons, as ingredients come and go.”
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the wood-fired oven, and more often than not, during the pop-up dinners, that’s just where you’ll find the visiting chef, chatting with guests and keeping an eye on the kitchen, seeing to it that the family style platters are up to snuff before they head out to diners.
The work starts long before food crosses the pass, though. “We invite friends; chefs that have common sensibilities about how we prepare food, and have similar philosophies. We work with them on a menu format that we’ve found has worked; there’s a welcome cocktail that the guest chef inspires or provides a recipe for. Then there will be some passed around snacks, which usually includes a pizza at that point. Then it’s typically four courses, all family style, with lots of sharing going on. Instead of pairing wines or beverages with each course, we just offer a great selection of wines and our Homebrew beer. And that’s all just put on the table for people to pour and pass so it’s a real casual family style thing.”
Recently the restaurant launched brunch service, and along with the full lineup of pizzas, came a slew of more “egg-centric dishes.” One early favorite from Schwarz’s sous chef Manny Sulburan is a casserole of braised short ribs, rice and beans topped with an egg, put in a blazing hot oven until the egg just sets. When it comes out, the rice has formed a bit of a crust at the bottom of the pan — you end up with something like a Miami Bi Bim Bap.
It’s a dish that you’ll want to show up early for, even if your watch is set to mañana time.
While the recipe may look like a lot of work at first glance, the short ribs and beans can be made at the same time, both largely unattended. Both can be made in advance, so come brunch time, you’re only assembling the dishes and baking the eggs.
Short Rib Casserole
Serves 4-6
Short ribs:
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 Large, meaty short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomato (approx 1 28oz can)
1 cups chicken stock
Red Beans:
2 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup dried red beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Casserole:
4-6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked white rice
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, ginger, chili powder, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper; stir thoroughly to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the short ribs to evenly coat the meat. Transfer the ribs to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). At the same time, cover the beans with 3 cups of water, and leave to soak overnight as well.
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
Arrange the short ribs in a casserole or deep skillet and cover. Bake for 90 minutes.
While the ribs are in the oven, put a medium saucepan over low heat and add 2tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the 2 cups of onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 5, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let simmer uncovered until it reduces by half, about an hour.
At the same time, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the bacon until crispy. Add the ½ cup of onion, the cumin and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Pour in the beans with the soaking liquid. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Add hot water as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After 90 minutes, pour off some of the fat from the short ribs, and add the tomato-onion mixture to the pan. Cover, and return the short ribs to the oven for another 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove the short rib meat from bones, pull apart into small pieces, and place back into the sauce.
This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Combine ½ cup each of of the short ribs, beans and rice in a 6” skillet or casserole. Top it with a cracked egg and bake until the egg just set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
— Matthew Kronsberg](http://25.media.tumblr.com/ab81ff1f7c497ed06a708017fd8e0523/tumblr_mkaec5X9ot1rrpm57o5_r1_1280.jpg)
![Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
[[MORE]]
Partly opened to provide a more casual and less expensive destination in Miami’s design district, Harry’s has also made its mark as the venue for a hugely popular monthly guest chef pop-up dinner that has brought the likes of Paul Kahan of Chicago’s Publican, Philadelphia’s Marc Vetri and New York’s April Bloomfield to Miami. So eager are ticketholders for these dinners, that they’d show up to the restaurant before the appointed hour- something unheard of in a city that exists in perpetual mañana time.
Not bad for a little pizza joint.
The pizzas that keep the crowds coming on a day to day basis reflect the sensibility Schwartz honed in his flagship restaurant Michael’s Genuine, rather than a bow to pizza orthodoxy. “I wouldn’t classify it as any single style of pizza. “It’s on the thinner side, but with a nice chew in the crust,” he says. “I like to do unusual and interesting topping combinations. It’s all in a good place right now. We don’t change the menu that often; it’s not that kind of place, but we do change with the seasons, as ingredients come and go.”
The centerpiece of the restaurant is the wood-fired oven, and more often than not, during the pop-up dinners, that’s just where you’ll find the visiting chef, chatting with guests and keeping an eye on the kitchen, seeing to it that the family style platters are up to snuff before they head out to diners.
The work starts long before food crosses the pass, though. “We invite friends; chefs that have common sensibilities about how we prepare food, and have similar philosophies. We work with them on a menu format that we’ve found has worked; there’s a welcome cocktail that the guest chef inspires or provides a recipe for. Then there will be some passed around snacks, which usually includes a pizza at that point. Then it’s typically four courses, all family style, with lots of sharing going on. Instead of pairing wines or beverages with each course, we just offer a great selection of wines and our Homebrew beer. And that’s all just put on the table for people to pour and pass so it’s a real casual family style thing.”
Recently the restaurant launched brunch service, and along with the full lineup of pizzas, came a slew of more “egg-centric dishes.” One early favorite from Schwarz’s sous chef Manny Sulburan is a casserole of braised short ribs, rice and beans topped with an egg, put in a blazing hot oven until the egg just sets. When it comes out, the rice has formed a bit of a crust at the bottom of the pan — you end up with something like a Miami Bi Bim Bap.
It’s a dish that you’ll want to show up early for, even if your watch is set to mañana time.
While the recipe may look like a lot of work at first glance, the short ribs and beans can be made at the same time, both largely unattended. Both can be made in advance, so come brunch time, you’re only assembling the dishes and baking the eggs.
Short Rib Casserole
Serves 4-6
Short ribs:
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 Large, meaty short ribs
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
½ tablespoon chopped garlic
2 cups chopped tomato (approx 1 28oz can)
1 cups chicken stock
Red Beans:
2 strips of bacon, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 cup dried red beans
Salt and pepper to taste
Casserole:
4-6 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped scallions
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 cups cooked white rice
In a small bowl, combine the paprika, ginger, chili powder, garlic, canola oil, salt and pepper; stir thoroughly to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the short ribs to evenly coat the meat. Transfer the ribs to a large resealable plastic bag and refrigerate overnight (or up to 24 hours). At the same time, cover the beans with 3 cups of water, and leave to soak overnight as well.
Preheat oven to 300˚F.
Arrange the short ribs in a casserole or deep skillet and cover. Bake for 90 minutes.
While the ribs are in the oven, put a medium saucepan over low heat and add 2tbsp olive oil. When the oil is warm, add the 2 cups of onion. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, and saute for another 5, then add the tomatoes and chicken stock. Let simmer uncovered until it reduces by half, about an hour.
At the same time, place a medium saucepan over medium heat and sauté the bacon until crispy. Add the ½ cup of onion, the cumin and bay leaf, and sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Pour in the beans with the soaking liquid. Simmer until tender, about an hour. Add hot water as necessary. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
After 90 minutes, pour off some of the fat from the short ribs, and add the tomato-onion mixture to the pan. Cover, and return the short ribs to the oven for another 90 minutes.
Allow the ribs to cool to room temperature, then cover and chill completely in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Remove the short rib meat from bones, pull apart into small pieces, and place back into the sauce.
This can be done up to 3 days in advance.
When you’re ready to serve, preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Combine ½ cup each of of the short ribs, beans and rice in a 6” skillet or casserole. Top it with a cracked egg and bake until the egg just set, about 10 minutes. Garnish with scallions, cilantro and drizzle with olive oil.
— Matthew Kronsberg](http://25.media.tumblr.com/9bc7d86e3d5807a7c9788146e31b4f65/tumblr_mkaec5X9ot1rrpm57o6_r1_1280.jpg)
Cooking with Harry’s Pizzeria: Short Rib Casserole
“People would show up early. In Miami, that’s quite an accomplishment.”
It takes a lot to surprise Miami chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz these days. With four restaurants in his portfolio, and a fifth — a more formal room with an old Florida atmosphere called The Cypress Room — just open, he’s a pretty unflappable guy. But Harry’s Pizzeria, the affable, overachieving middle child in his family of restaurants, has the ability to confound expectations — even those of its owner.
View post 3,371 notes -
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://25.media.tumblr.com/89e554707ab850a5d45ce103da3d5680/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o7_r1_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://24.media.tumblr.com/350e9c2803b37378e65efb22f086b236/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o8_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://25.media.tumblr.com/7829ce5cc7a3f66d179f113e579c62b3/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o2_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://25.media.tumblr.com/75e3e4e651ddc6ea1c4deb9b8cdfae6c/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o4_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://25.media.tumblr.com/744574ce3fc80b9a28eeefd17dc14ffc/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o10_r1_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://25.media.tumblr.com/76c3634e358d926298453e5caa63a0d9/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o5_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://25.media.tumblr.com/b4246c7ddfbcc5bdaeeda75952b8b255/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o6_1280.jpg)
![Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
[[MORE]]
Your art is decidedly epicurean. Why?
The conflation of dining and art is something that most people can relate to. I chose gastronomy because of its immediacy and because of my experience running restaurants.
I had no idea they freely give out their stationery.
I just ask. But I’ll use whatever they give me, so if a restaurant doesn’t have its own stationery, I take a menu. Sometimes, friends give me stationery they’ve collected, and then I have to imagine what the atmosphere was like. It’s the contradictions in my life that mean something, and so I contradict any sort of structure I create — even the decision to use only restaurant stationery.
How do you choose the place?
The series is a trail of breadcrumbs of all the places I’ve eaten — a way to collect all these fabulous meals and the people I share them with. In a way, it’s a very classic approach to making art. I live in one of the gastronomic centers of the world, and there are so many restaurants to inspire me here. The choices are random and deliberate at the same time, like getting dressed in the morning. I wear a tie every day, but I change the color and pattern.
You’ve repeated a few venues’ stationery many times — Balthazar, for example.
I think Balthazar has such an international appeal. Honestly, though, I recently went back after a few years of hiatus and became obsessed with drawing on their stationery. It’s really quintessential New York for me. It reminds me of the late 90s when I first came to the city to make it as an artist.
What materials do you use?
I mostly use custom-made watercolors, oil sticks, and ink. I’ve also used wine, coffee, food coloring, and squid ink. Like the stationery, my medium is just one aspect of the process. It all comes together to form a visceral experience.
The series is replete with places like Mr. Chow and Momofuku. What about, say, a family-run restaurant in Harlem?
It’s definitely a focus of the work to question the value of social aspirations. I’m using iconic places that have a cultural value and past, similar to art, and contrasting those trajectories. Rao’s would be a place from Harlem that I would choose, because it’s iconic and has a certain type of majesty. But now it sells its own brand of pasta sauce.
Are the proprietors aware of your art?
Many are, and they’ve been very supportive. Some have commissioned works.
I heard that one especially pleased patron expressed his thanks in fine wine, and you poured it down the drain. Really?
Yes. I took $5,000 worth of red and white wine — given to me as a gift from a collector of my work and very good friend — and, indeed, poured it down the drain. It’s an homage to Chelsea and the recent flooding from Hurricane Sandy that destroyed a lot of art. I called it “Apres Le Vernissage,” and set it to Brahms’s intermezzo opus 117 no. 1. It’s a simple gesture, but I think it makes its point.
— Sky Dylan-Robbins](http://24.media.tumblr.com/0de7e8833592b242d67604212d940ad1/tumblr_mj04goCxNw1rrpm57o9_1280.jpg)
Table Manners: Turning Restaurant Stationery into Art
When New York-based artist Jay Batlle dines out, he’s still on the clock. Of course, he’s at the restaurant to feast and imbibe and commune with friends. Upon the meal’s consummation, however, he poses a question he’s been regularly asking restaurant staffers for the past decade. They oblige, and a blank sheet of the venue’s stationary is carefully placed in his hands. He’ll return home, and on it, in watercolor and pen and wine and coffee grounds, he’ll express his thoughts — on the evening, the atmosphere, the idea of decadence and societal consumption and what fine dining has become.
Batlle (pronounced “Battle”) chronicles this gastronomic collection, The Stationery Series, on his tumblr, Restaurant Restaurant. He eventually plans to turn it into a three-volume book, but he’s not stopping anytime soon. Here, we talk to the artist about New York cuisine, Balthazar, and pouring wine down the drain.
View post 1,579 notes -
At Dirty & Rowdy, California Wines Made Simple
This story was co-published in partnership with Bon Appetit.
One late, breezy Southern evening in 2009, Hardy Wallace — a Massachusetts-born oenophile, working in marketing at Kodak — was sitting at his desk when the phone rang. It was his boss, who was deeply sorry to inform Hardy that times were tough and — like most of his marketing pals at an already troubled Georgia company — he was going to be let go. Hardy vividly remembers the call — his manager’s sympathetic tone, his own ‘thank you’ back to a company he’d been a part of for years. “And then I told him, this was the best day of my life.”
View post 369 notes -
![The Hot ‘n Dog: Where Franks & Comics Collide
Shorty after 3pm each weekday, kids from two Toronto grade schools hang out at a tiny neighborhood hot-dog joint. This is the Hot ‘n Dog, where the specialty is toppings. Lots and lots of toppings. Behind the counter is Keith Jones, a cartoonist (and hot dog connoisseur) responsible for graphic novels like dystopian pet epic Catland Empire and abstract-ish activity book Colour Me Busy. Jones loves comics, frumpy cartoon animals and filling up spaces — interests that synced with a Toronto entrepreneur who, a year ago, decided to open a hot dog shop. Now co-owner, Jones is dressing $2 hot dogs with comic artistry, along with toppings (100 of them in all) that range from wasabi to flaxseed to rainbow sprinkles. We asked Jones about renovations, post-apocalyptic BBQ cars and, of course, hot dogs.
This is kind of an odd place for a comic artist to end up. Do you have any particular feelings toward hot dogs?
I think hot dogs are hilarious. As a kid, they were one of my favorite foods. I like that you can decorate them, just put junk on them. A hundred different things. I made a great dessert dog just the other day. It had two different kinds of jam, chocolate chips, marshmallows, pretzels and bacon bits, maple syrup. Then I mixed in Hickory Sticks and graham crackers. It looked insane. Also I made a chili cheese dog with 10 different things on it for fun. Supposedly, there are kids who have come in here and gotten all 100 toppings on their hot dogs. I haven’t done that yet.
[[MORE]]
How did you come to run the Hot ‘n Dog?
I met George Karpouzis when he opened up a comic book shop in Kensington. I hung out at that comic book shop all the time. He was trying to sell the Hot ‘n Dog to somebody else, but that didn’t work out. I woke up one day thinking, “I should own that.” So I just went and asked him. I wanted this place to look like a cartoon-land. He knew what I wanted to do with it, and that made him excited to have me.
Is it true you enjoy filling spaces like this?
Oh yeah. I don’t know why, it’s obsessive to me. Might be an insecurity, I don’t know, but it’s fun! I’ve done a couple spaces like this before, redecorated a bar and had some gallery shows. Usually I come in and I don’t know what I’m doing, start with a couple things and new ideas flourish. I remember when I came up with “My Hot Dog is Bigger Than Yours.” I was just staring at this white empty space wondering how the hell I’m going to fill that in. I came up with that line and just laughed for about a half-hour. Great ideas lead to more ideas. I want to make those rotor fan blades up on the ceiling hot dogs. That’s an idea I just came up with.
And you’re selling comics here too?
Yeah, I just brought in a couple comics that I made, to sell. I’m actually going to make a newspaper called Hot Dog Times. It’ll have different cartoonists from all over doing hot dog-themed things. Articles all about hot dogs. I’ve talked to five or six artists who want to do stuff.
What do you like about drawing rude animals?
I don’t know, it just happens that way. I just think they’re weird. I like cartoon characters, but I want them to be doing things that cartoon characters don’t usually do, like swearing and throwing junk around and drinking alcohol.
What do you foresee in the future of Hot ‘n Dog?
Well, I want to get karaoke going in here. My goal is by the end of the summer is to buy a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice and jack it up on dump truck wheels and take all the chrome off of it and paint it with Tremclad, flat red, gut the whole interior, make it yellow, get an old school bus steering wheel, take the trunk, open it, turn it into a Hibachi BBQ and write “All Dogs Go to Heaven” on the side. Just a weird Mad Max BBQ car.
Were you a fan of Pee Wee’s Playhouse growing up? The colour scheme in here seems Gary Panter-ish.
Oh yeah. It’s one of my most favourite shows ever. Actually, I wanted to play it in here but the TV broke. It’ll be a regular thing that’ll be on here. It’s like playtime. Playtime in Dumboland. That’s what hot dogs are, they’re Dumboland food.
— Zack Kotzer](http://25.media.tumblr.com/7972466ac223ec86d40f175624d9cddc/tumblr_mhi3crPLh41rrpm57o5_1280.jpg)
![The Hot ‘n Dog: Where Franks & Comics Collide
Shorty after 3pm each weekday, kids from two Toronto grade schools hang out at a tiny neighborhood hot-dog joint. This is the Hot ‘n Dog, where the specialty is toppings. Lots and lots of toppings. Behind the counter is Keith Jones, a cartoonist (and hot dog connoisseur) responsible for graphic novels like dystopian pet epic Catland Empire and abstract-ish activity book Colour Me Busy. Jones loves comics, frumpy cartoon animals and filling up spaces — interests that synced with a Toronto entrepreneur who, a year ago, decided to open a hot dog shop. Now co-owner, Jones is dressing $2 hot dogs with comic artistry, along with toppings (100 of them in all) that range from wasabi to flaxseed to rainbow sprinkles. We asked Jones about renovations, post-apocalyptic BBQ cars and, of course, hot dogs.
This is kind of an odd place for a comic artist to end up. Do you have any particular feelings toward hot dogs?
I think hot dogs are hilarious. As a kid, they were one of my favorite foods. I like that you can decorate them, just put junk on them. A hundred different things. I made a great dessert dog just the other day. It had two different kinds of jam, chocolate chips, marshmallows, pretzels and bacon bits, maple syrup. Then I mixed in Hickory Sticks and graham crackers. It looked insane. Also I made a chili cheese dog with 10 different things on it for fun. Supposedly, there are kids who have come in here and gotten all 100 toppings on their hot dogs. I haven’t done that yet.
[[MORE]]
How did you come to run the Hot ‘n Dog?
I met George Karpouzis when he opened up a comic book shop in Kensington. I hung out at that comic book shop all the time. He was trying to sell the Hot ‘n Dog to somebody else, but that didn’t work out. I woke up one day thinking, “I should own that.” So I just went and asked him. I wanted this place to look like a cartoon-land. He knew what I wanted to do with it, and that made him excited to have me.
Is it true you enjoy filling spaces like this?
Oh yeah. I don’t know why, it’s obsessive to me. Might be an insecurity, I don’t know, but it’s fun! I’ve done a couple spaces like this before, redecorated a bar and had some gallery shows. Usually I come in and I don’t know what I’m doing, start with a couple things and new ideas flourish. I remember when I came up with “My Hot Dog is Bigger Than Yours.” I was just staring at this white empty space wondering how the hell I’m going to fill that in. I came up with that line and just laughed for about a half-hour. Great ideas lead to more ideas. I want to make those rotor fan blades up on the ceiling hot dogs. That’s an idea I just came up with.
And you’re selling comics here too?
Yeah, I just brought in a couple comics that I made, to sell. I’m actually going to make a newspaper called Hot Dog Times. It’ll have different cartoonists from all over doing hot dog-themed things. Articles all about hot dogs. I’ve talked to five or six artists who want to do stuff.
What do you like about drawing rude animals?
I don’t know, it just happens that way. I just think they’re weird. I like cartoon characters, but I want them to be doing things that cartoon characters don’t usually do, like swearing and throwing junk around and drinking alcohol.
What do you foresee in the future of Hot ‘n Dog?
Well, I want to get karaoke going in here. My goal is by the end of the summer is to buy a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice and jack it up on dump truck wheels and take all the chrome off of it and paint it with Tremclad, flat red, gut the whole interior, make it yellow, get an old school bus steering wheel, take the trunk, open it, turn it into a Hibachi BBQ and write “All Dogs Go to Heaven” on the side. Just a weird Mad Max BBQ car.
Were you a fan of Pee Wee’s Playhouse growing up? The colour scheme in here seems Gary Panter-ish.
Oh yeah. It’s one of my most favourite shows ever. Actually, I wanted to play it in here but the TV broke. It’ll be a regular thing that’ll be on here. It’s like playtime. Playtime in Dumboland. That’s what hot dogs are, they’re Dumboland food.
— Zack Kotzer](http://24.media.tumblr.com/d05439016aeb51aebee13b37f7c2feeb/tumblr_mhi3crPLh41rrpm57o1_1280.jpg)
![The Hot ‘n Dog: Where Franks & Comics Collide
Shorty after 3pm each weekday, kids from two Toronto grade schools hang out at a tiny neighborhood hot-dog joint. This is the Hot ‘n Dog, where the specialty is toppings. Lots and lots of toppings. Behind the counter is Keith Jones, a cartoonist (and hot dog connoisseur) responsible for graphic novels like dystopian pet epic Catland Empire and abstract-ish activity book Colour Me Busy. Jones loves comics, frumpy cartoon animals and filling up spaces — interests that synced with a Toronto entrepreneur who, a year ago, decided to open a hot dog shop. Now co-owner, Jones is dressing $2 hot dogs with comic artistry, along with toppings (100 of them in all) that range from wasabi to flaxseed to rainbow sprinkles. We asked Jones about renovations, post-apocalyptic BBQ cars and, of course, hot dogs.
This is kind of an odd place for a comic artist to end up. Do you have any particular feelings toward hot dogs?
I think hot dogs are hilarious. As a kid, they were one of my favorite foods. I like that you can decorate them, just put junk on them. A hundred different things. I made a great dessert dog just the other day. It had two different kinds of jam, chocolate chips, marshmallows, pretzels and bacon bits, maple syrup. Then I mixed in Hickory Sticks and graham crackers. It looked insane. Also I made a chili cheese dog with 10 different things on it for fun. Supposedly, there are kids who have come in here and gotten all 100 toppings on their hot dogs. I haven’t done that yet.
[[MORE]]
How did you come to run the Hot ‘n Dog?
I met George Karpouzis when he opened up a comic book shop in Kensington. I hung out at that comic book shop all the time. He was trying to sell the Hot ‘n Dog to somebody else, but that didn’t work out. I woke up one day thinking, “I should own that.” So I just went and asked him. I wanted this place to look like a cartoon-land. He knew what I wanted to do with it, and that made him excited to have me.
Is it true you enjoy filling spaces like this?
Oh yeah. I don’t know why, it’s obsessive to me. Might be an insecurity, I don’t know, but it’s fun! I’ve done a couple spaces like this before, redecorated a bar and had some gallery shows. Usually I come in and I don’t know what I’m doing, start with a couple things and new ideas flourish. I remember when I came up with “My Hot Dog is Bigger Than Yours.” I was just staring at this white empty space wondering how the hell I’m going to fill that in. I came up with that line and just laughed for about a half-hour. Great ideas lead to more ideas. I want to make those rotor fan blades up on the ceiling hot dogs. That’s an idea I just came up with.
And you’re selling comics here too?
Yeah, I just brought in a couple comics that I made, to sell. I’m actually going to make a newspaper called Hot Dog Times. It’ll have different cartoonists from all over doing hot dog-themed things. Articles all about hot dogs. I’ve talked to five or six artists who want to do stuff.
What do you like about drawing rude animals?
I don’t know, it just happens that way. I just think they’re weird. I like cartoon characters, but I want them to be doing things that cartoon characters don’t usually do, like swearing and throwing junk around and drinking alcohol.
What do you foresee in the future of Hot ‘n Dog?
Well, I want to get karaoke going in here. My goal is by the end of the summer is to buy a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice and jack it up on dump truck wheels and take all the chrome off of it and paint it with Tremclad, flat red, gut the whole interior, make it yellow, get an old school bus steering wheel, take the trunk, open it, turn it into a Hibachi BBQ and write “All Dogs Go to Heaven” on the side. Just a weird Mad Max BBQ car.
Were you a fan of Pee Wee’s Playhouse growing up? The colour scheme in here seems Gary Panter-ish.
Oh yeah. It’s one of my most favourite shows ever. Actually, I wanted to play it in here but the TV broke. It’ll be a regular thing that’ll be on here. It’s like playtime. Playtime in Dumboland. That’s what hot dogs are, they’re Dumboland food.
— Zack Kotzer](http://24.media.tumblr.com/e3eedd87db33fae1c804ad10ddd0734c/tumblr_mhi3crPLh41rrpm57o2_1280.jpg)
![The Hot ‘n Dog: Where Franks & Comics Collide
Shorty after 3pm each weekday, kids from two Toronto grade schools hang out at a tiny neighborhood hot-dog joint. This is the Hot ‘n Dog, where the specialty is toppings. Lots and lots of toppings. Behind the counter is Keith Jones, a cartoonist (and hot dog connoisseur) responsible for graphic novels like dystopian pet epic Catland Empire and abstract-ish activity book Colour Me Busy. Jones loves comics, frumpy cartoon animals and filling up spaces — interests that synced with a Toronto entrepreneur who, a year ago, decided to open a hot dog shop. Now co-owner, Jones is dressing $2 hot dogs with comic artistry, along with toppings (100 of them in all) that range from wasabi to flaxseed to rainbow sprinkles. We asked Jones about renovations, post-apocalyptic BBQ cars and, of course, hot dogs.
This is kind of an odd place for a comic artist to end up. Do you have any particular feelings toward hot dogs?
I think hot dogs are hilarious. As a kid, they were one of my favorite foods. I like that you can decorate them, just put junk on them. A hundred different things. I made a great dessert dog just the other day. It had two different kinds of jam, chocolate chips, marshmallows, pretzels and bacon bits, maple syrup. Then I mixed in Hickory Sticks and graham crackers. It looked insane. Also I made a chili cheese dog with 10 different things on it for fun. Supposedly, there are kids who have come in here and gotten all 100 toppings on their hot dogs. I haven’t done that yet.
[[MORE]]
How did you come to run the Hot ‘n Dog?
I met George Karpouzis when he opened up a comic book shop in Kensington. I hung out at that comic book shop all the time. He was trying to sell the Hot ‘n Dog to somebody else, but that didn’t work out. I woke up one day thinking, “I should own that.” So I just went and asked him. I wanted this place to look like a cartoon-land. He knew what I wanted to do with it, and that made him excited to have me.
Is it true you enjoy filling spaces like this?
Oh yeah. I don’t know why, it’s obsessive to me. Might be an insecurity, I don’t know, but it’s fun! I’ve done a couple spaces like this before, redecorated a bar and had some gallery shows. Usually I come in and I don’t know what I’m doing, start with a couple things and new ideas flourish. I remember when I came up with “My Hot Dog is Bigger Than Yours.” I was just staring at this white empty space wondering how the hell I’m going to fill that in. I came up with that line and just laughed for about a half-hour. Great ideas lead to more ideas. I want to make those rotor fan blades up on the ceiling hot dogs. That’s an idea I just came up with.
And you’re selling comics here too?
Yeah, I just brought in a couple comics that I made, to sell. I’m actually going to make a newspaper called Hot Dog Times. It’ll have different cartoonists from all over doing hot dog-themed things. Articles all about hot dogs. I’ve talked to five or six artists who want to do stuff.
What do you like about drawing rude animals?
I don’t know, it just happens that way. I just think they’re weird. I like cartoon characters, but I want them to be doing things that cartoon characters don’t usually do, like swearing and throwing junk around and drinking alcohol.
What do you foresee in the future of Hot ‘n Dog?
Well, I want to get karaoke going in here. My goal is by the end of the summer is to buy a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice and jack it up on dump truck wheels and take all the chrome off of it and paint it with Tremclad, flat red, gut the whole interior, make it yellow, get an old school bus steering wheel, take the trunk, open it, turn it into a Hibachi BBQ and write “All Dogs Go to Heaven” on the side. Just a weird Mad Max BBQ car.
Were you a fan of Pee Wee’s Playhouse growing up? The colour scheme in here seems Gary Panter-ish.
Oh yeah. It’s one of my most favourite shows ever. Actually, I wanted to play it in here but the TV broke. It’ll be a regular thing that’ll be on here. It’s like playtime. Playtime in Dumboland. That’s what hot dogs are, they’re Dumboland food.
— Zack Kotzer](http://25.media.tumblr.com/85c5642f733c63c51f19ce1876235e26/tumblr_mhi3crPLh41rrpm57o4_1280.jpg)
The Hot ‘n Dog: Where Franks & Comics Collide
Shorty after 3pm each weekday, kids from two Toronto grade schools hang out at a tiny neighborhood hot-dog joint. This is the Hot ‘n Dog, where the specialty is toppings. Lots and lots of toppings. Behind the counter is Keith Jones, a cartoonist (and hot dog connoisseur) responsible for graphic novels like dystopian pet epic Catland Empire and abstract-ish activity book Colour Me Busy. Jones loves comics, frumpy cartoon animals and filling up spaces — interests that synced with a Toronto entrepreneur who, a year ago, decided to open a hot dog shop. Now co-owner, Jones is dressing $2 hot dogs with comic artistry, along with toppings (100 of them in all) that range from wasabi to flaxseed to rainbow sprinkles. We asked Jones about renovations, post-apocalyptic BBQ cars and, of course, hot dogs.
This is kind of an odd place for a comic artist to end up. Do you have any particular feelings toward hot dogs?
I think hot dogs are hilarious. As a kid, they were one of my favorite foods. I like that you can decorate them, just put junk on them. A hundred different things. I made a great dessert dog just the other day. It had two different kinds of jam, chocolate chips, marshmallows, pretzels and bacon bits, maple syrup. Then I mixed in Hickory Sticks and graham crackers. It looked insane. Also I made a chili cheese dog with 10 different things on it for fun. Supposedly, there are kids who have come in here and gotten all 100 toppings on their hot dogs. I haven’t done that yet.
View post 1,634 notes -
Cooking with the Mermaid Inn: Lobster Knuckle Escargot
“You just twist here, pull there, and crack it open,” says Michael Cressotti, executive chef at Manhattan seafood spot The Mermaid Inn, tossing the limp shell of a butchered lobster aside. He slides one blade of a kitchen shear into the joint between the claw and leg and slices the hard shell open, exposing the pearlescent meat within. “See, this is the knuckle,” he explains. “Simple.”
View post 1,804 notes -
Recreating a Classic Soup with Food52
Merrill Stubbs and Amanda Hesser — writers, editors, and testers of all things gastronomic — were dissatisfied with the online recipe world. All available sites, they felt, were rigidly didactic; searching for recipes was a lonely, solitary experience. So after spending five years testing and editing the cornucopia of recipes that became The Essential New York Times Cookbook, these two friends decided to fill the internet void with an online food community called Food52. Now in its third year, Food52 provides recipe instructions for gourmands of all grades; on it, users can create and test their own favorites for all to see. It also provides a creative way to remake some of those old recipes you’ve had lying around the kitchen. We asked Stubbs to recreate one of her favorite classics:
View post 2,268 notes
Most Popular
We
