A Grain Bowl for My Sins

Plus: Meals at Gage & Tollner, Agi's Counter, and Lots of Links.

Hey everyone,

I’m back from New York and I ate soooooo much there that I feel like they could attach strings to me and float me in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thankfully, I had a plan of attack when I came back through the door: I would go to the farmer’s market on Sunday, buy a bunch of vegetables, and cook them to eat throughout the week.

To wit: I bought sweet potatoes, cubed them, tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted at 425 on a cookie sheet. I cooked ancient farro (in both senses… the bag was two years old but smelled fine!) in plenty of salted water (maybe too salty) until tender. I cooked Rancho Gordo Christmas Lima beans with mirepoix that I’d blended in the food processor along with some garlic and fresh rosemary and sage. And, finally, I sautéed some Swiss chard with garlic and the stems.

To assemble, I just ladled some farro into a bowl and topped with each of the things. I might’ve made a bright salsa verde (with parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and capers) but I forgot to buy parsley and a lemon, so I’m going to make that with the leftovers tonight. See? I made enough to have leftovers.

I hope you’re inspired! And don’t worry, I made pasta the night that I got back; using the fussili corti bucati that I bought after reading this article and which I finished in a sauce made with garlic, anchovies, olive oil, pasta water, and butter to thicken. Plus lots of Parmesan and black pepper on top.

Verdict on the noodle? Incredible. A new favorite. Like a phonecord from the 80s but better.

Now, as for the NY feasting, the most exciting meal that we ate was at Gage & Tollner in Brooklyn:

The restaurant is over a hundred years old and it’s where American food icon Edna Lewis used to be the chef. The room was recently restored as the restaurant was rebooted and it might be the most exciting place to eat in New York right now.

We went with our friends (and newlyweds) Ricky and Larry…

And with them, we did some serious damage, starting with the famous Parker House rolls.

And of course we had to have ersters:

But the entrees were the real stars: steaks with roasted garlic and seared lemon, Edna Lewis’s famous fried chicken which came with little hushpuppies, plus mashed potatoes and creamed spinach.

Now do you understand the grain bowl?

But wait, we had to get the dessert there, so we had this coconut cake which was luscious (sorry it’s the only word for it) and incredibly moist (sorry that’s the only other word for it):

If you saw all that and thought to yourself, “How would it be possible to eat any more?” trust me: it’s possible.

I finally made it to Crown Heights to visit my friend, Chef Jeremy Salamon, who I first met when he had a Food Network-themed Bar Mitzvah in Boca and I covered it for The FN Dish (my Food Network web show in the early aughts).

Now he’s the successful owner of Agi’s Counter, a restaurant that’s a tribute to his two grandmothers:

Grandma Agi is Hungarian and so is the food at Agi’s. All of it was so beautiful, starting with this Ambrosial ambrosia with salted yogurt:

The palacsinta (Hungarian crepes) are not to be missed and they come with an obscene amount of butter:

And the tuna melt, which isn’t necessarily Hungarian, is one of the best I’ve ever had… especially dipped into the spicy mustard and eaten with a housemade pickle:

And just as I was about to collapse from eating so much, Jeremy gifted us this perfect slice of New York style cheesecake:

So if you’re in New York, do yourself a favor and visit Agi’s. Ask for Jeremy and tell him Adam sent you. (Okay, don’t really do that. He’s very busy in the kitchen!).

Now for some links:

• I failed at this quiz of which vegetables are healthier raw vs. cooked (NYT);

• A Guide to Butter and How to Use It (Eater);

• Nigel Slater’s recipe for leek, spinach, and skin-on mash (The Guardian).

That’s all for today, folks!

In case you missed Thursday’s paid subscriber’s only email, I wrote about the Spiedini alla Romana at Cafe Spaghetti, Pastries at Poppy’s with Jessie Sheehan, and Pancakes at Sadelle’s with my pals Ryan and Max (who played a couple on Netflix’s Special). To read that, plus to gain access to my full archives, become a paid subscriber! Let me guilt you in this little box:

Until next time!

Your pal,

Adam

P.S. I’m starting to use Substack chat. It’s fun! Download the app to use it. Right now we’re talking about Thanksgiving turkey.