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All Posts Tagged: ‘terrance brennan’

NewsFeed

5/ 8/08

9:30 AM

Chicago Asserts Itself by Poaching Chefs From All Over

There must be something in the mi-yulk out there…Photo: Getty Images

Every couple of years or so, a report circulates that Chicago, forever “the second city” (if that!) to New York, is experiencing a culinary renaissance and is about to shed its reputation as a backwater. (Chicagoans, naturally, deny, even to themselves, that such is the case.) A piece in today's Sun-Times makes the case yet again, and we have to say, it's pretty convincing. Aside from its own chefs, led by the brilliant Grant Achatz (profiled so memorably in this week's New Yorker) now Chicago has New York's Marcus Samuelsson opening a seafood restaurant, Terrance Brennan opening an Artisanal, San Francisco's Laurent Gras bringing his classical French genius, and Govind Armstrong expanding his chic empire from L.A. and Miami. Are the days of Chicago's being a place you start out in and then escape from coming to a close?

Their Kind of Town [Chicago Sun-Times]
Related: Earth to Chicago: You Lost ‘Iron Chef’ Fair and Square

More: NewsFeed »chicago, govind armstrong, marcus samuelsson, terrance brennan

Foodievents

4/23/08

5:45 PM

Looking for a Charity Event on Monday? We Have Two.

So you’re a staid East Side burgher flush with the acquired riches of a lifetime who wants to step out for a meticulous banquet cooked by six great chefs to benefit a noble cause next Monday. Well, we have the event for you. Or let’s say you are a high-living bon vivant with a love of food and theater. We have another event, the same night. The first is Share Our Strength’s Tasteful Pursuit, at Artisanal. It starts with a Balvenie whisky reception, followed by six courses prepared by chefs including Terrance Brennan, David Burke, Jacques Torres, and Aaron Sanchez. The second, at the Metropolitan Pavilion, is Cabaret Gourmet, a gala honoring editor Judith Jones and featuring its own chef lineup, highlighted by Alex Guarnaschelli of Butter and Suvir Suran and Hemant Mathur of Devi, along with performances by Broadway actors, including Anthony Mackie, Myra Lucretia Taylor, and Penny Fuller. That event benefits the Play Company’s artistic programs. So which will you attend?

Tickets for the SOS event are $1,000 a head. Call Andrea Agalloco at 202-478-6528. Tickets for Cabaret Gourmet start at $99 and go up to $5,000 for VIP tables. For reservations and information, call Hilary Leichter at the Play Company at 212-398-2977.

More: Foodievents »aaron sanchez, alexandra guarnaschelli, artisanal, butter, david burke, devi, hemant mathur, jacques torres, suvir saran, terrance brennan

Back of the House

3/25/08

3:30 PM

Bourdain & Co. Give Their Picks for Beard Chef NYC

This year’s race for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef in New York City (or, as we like to think of it, the Division 1A title) is a fierce one. We spoke to a mix of chefs, critics, and bloggers, and here are their responses. Not all are voting, but we think that, as a whole, they're pretty representative of what we've been hearing from within the New York restaurant community. The nominees, just to remind you, are Michael Anthony of Gramercy Tavern, Terrance Brennan of Picholine, David Chang of Momofuku Ssäm Bar, Wylie Dufresne of wd-50, and Gabriel Kreuther of the Modern. (Remember, Chang is being judged solely on Ssäm Bar, not for his work at Momofuku Ko.)

More: Back of the House »anthony bourdain, bill telepan, david chang, epicurious, gabrielle kreuther, gramercy tavern, james beard awards, michael anthony, momofuku ssam bar, pavia rosati, picholine, steve plotnicki, tanya wenman steele, terrance brennan, the modern, wd-50, wylie dufresne

NewsFeed

3/24/08

5:30 PM

Padma Thinks Women Are More Sensitive in the Kitchen

Guess they couldn't get Colicchio.

Page Six Magazine smacked Padma Lakshmi on its cover this weekend (no, she isn’t nude but for chocolate) and interviewed her at Artisanal, where she literally turned heads.

Terrance Brennan, owner and chef of Artisanal, stops by to chat. As he turns to leave, saying “Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you,” he bumps into a wall. “Uh, there’s a wall there,” he sheepishly mutters.

Padma is compared in the opening paragraph to “Victoria Beckham on stilts” and “a good drag queen,” but even more disconcerting is her take on women coming up strong in this season’s Top Chef.

More: NewsFeed »artisanal, padma lakshmi, page six magazine, terrance brennan, top chef

NewsFeed

3/18/08

12:00 PM

Interborough Burger Contest Heading to Queens

Only Staten Island has no chance to win.Photo courtesy The Cuisine of Queens

The grilling armies in the city’s burger wars usually hail from Manhattan, but every competition needs new contenders. The Burger Battle of the Boroughs will be on May 20 in Astoria as part of the Cuisine of Queens & Beyond tasting event. Staten Island could not field a team, but representatives from Brooklyn (The Farm on Adderley, 67 Burger), Queens (Harry’s at Water Taxi Beach, Joe’s Bestburger), and the Bronx (Coals) will battle Brgr and Resto — the latter being Rob and Robin’s favorite burger in New York last year.

More: NewsFeed »67 burger, arthur schwartz, brgr, coals, cuisine of queens and beyond, farm on adderley, george motz, harry's at water taxi beach, joe's bestburger, kelly choi, queens, resto, terrance brennan

NewsFeed

2/ 7/08

11:00 AM

Terrance Brennan Serves the Spoils of His First Hunt at Picholine

Brennan (right) with George, the estate gamekeeper.Photo: Courtesy of Picholine.

If you thought David Pasternack transporting plastic garbage bags of freshly caught fish on the Long Island Railroad was badass, Terrance Brennan informs us that at Picholine this week he’ll be cooking pheasants and wild mallard ducks that he personally shot. Brennan says he joined Andrew Hamilton of his longtime game provider, Scottish Wild Harvest, in hours of hunting on the Birkhill Castle estate in the Fife region of Scotland. (Federal law prohibits restaurants from selling truly wild game that is caught in the U.S.) “I didn’t find it hard at all,” Brennan says of his virgin hunt. “In fact, the first time I shot, I was two for two.”

More: NewsFeed »picholine, terrance brennan

NewsFeed

1/14/08

4:30 PM

Coming Soon to Artisanal: Terrance Brennan’s Dream Steak

Cheeses must wane, and meats must wax at Artisanal.Photo courtesy Artisanal

Despite the sky-high cost of meat and the rarity of aged prime, steaks continue to be a hot investment for today’s restaurateurs. Now even cheese guru Terrance Brennan has joined the bovine gravy train, introducing a whole steak-frites section to the Artisanal menu.

More: NewsFeed »artisanal, steak, terrance brennan

NewsFeed

9/27/07

4:30 PM

Terrance Brennan Sells Cheese Business, Plans New Restaurant

We remember when the new place was just
a twinkle in Terrance Brennan's eye.Photo: Patrick McMullan

An interesting rumor came our way the other day: that none other than our reputed doppelgänger, Terrance Brennan of Artisanal and Picholine, was looking to sell his restaurants and get out of the day-to-day chef business. We checked in with the Blessed Cheesemonger, and it turns out the rumor is exactly wrong: Brennan has sold his Artisanal cheese company to American Home Foods for the express purpose of getting back into the kitchen. “It’s a lot more complex business than I thought,” he tells us. “There’s e-commerce and customs and all these moving parts. It took four years of my life … I’m done with it.” Brennan also says he’s planning a new New York restaurant, a different concept from Artisanal or Picholine. But that’s all he’ll say until the time is ripe — “as ripe,” he adds, “as a pungent Roquefort.”

More: NewsFeed »artisanal, cheese, picholine, terrance brennan

Neighborhood Watch

9/11/07

2:08 PM

Picholine Lures Café Boulud Alum to Upper West; Fiesta de Red Hook Vendors!

Astoria: Soleil Coffee Shop and a 7-Eleven are opening soon. [Joey in Astoria]
Clinton Hill: Heineken is filming a commercial today at 313 Clinton Avenue. [Clinton Hill Blog]
Corona: Enjoy a pirated DVD with your dinner on Roosevelt Avenue. [NYT]
East Village: Support Willie’s cause while getting buzzed this Saturday at Counter’s organic beer tasting. [Grub Street]
Lower East Side: The beer room at Whole Foods even sells PBR with a pitch to keep hipster interest alive. [East Village Idiot]
Midtown West: Daniel and Oceana alum Scott Ekstrom has been tapped to run the kitchen at Brasserie Forty Four, the restaurant destined for the redesigned Royalton hotel. [Eater]
Randall’s Island: The concessions at Farm Aid were stocked with local, organic, or family-farm-raised fare, but nothing really tasted that great. [Diner’s Journal/ NYT]
Red Hook: The vendors are celebrating their season’s extension with a “livelier than usual weekend event — more soccer games, piñatas, music, and a two-day art exhibit featuring photographs taken by the food vendors.” [Eat for Victory/VV]
Upper West Side: Terrence Brennen has overhauled his culinary team at Picholine appointing Scott Quis formerly of Café Boulud as Chef de Cuisine and Jason Hua from Jean Georges as executive sous-chef. [Grub Street]

More: Neighborhood Watch »astoria, jason hua, midtown west, picholine, red hook vendors, scott ekstrom, scott quis, terrance brennan, upper west side, whole foods

Neighborhood Watch

6/15/07

3:05 PM

Treats Truck Will Grace the East Village With Its Presence Tomorrow

Astoria: GoWasabi at 29-11 Ditmars Boulevard will serve sushi with a side of live jazz tonight. [Joey in Astoria]
East Village: The Treats Truck is bringing its freshly baked (in Red Hook) sandwich-cookies, brownies, and crispy confections to Bond Street at Lafayette on Saturday. [The Treats Truck] Are you extremely kind, and do you love the smell of offal in the morning? Prune is looking for someone really nice to be their next hostess. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Hell’s Kitchen: Terrance Brennan’s Artisanal Premium Cheese Center is holding a tasting course on cheeses of the newly trendy Pacific Northwest on Tuesday, June 19. [Artisanal Premium Cheese Center]
Midtown West: Curry craziness has died down at Go!Go!Curry, but should rev back up if Hideki Matsui (its namesake of sorts) hits a homer any time soon. [Gothamist]
Park Slope: The newly opened Hotel Le Bleu will house a restaurant with views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty; it’s aptly named Vue. [NewYorkology]

More: Neighborhood Watch »ago, artisanal premium cheese center, astoria, east village, food classes, go!go! curry, gowasabi, hell's kitchen, hideki matsui, hotel le bleu, midtown west, park slope, prune, robert de niro, terrance brennan, treats truck, tribeca, vue

Back of the House

6/14/07

11:00 AM

Josh DeChellis Gives the ‘Top Chef’ Contestants High Marks

Tom Colicchio and Sandee Birdsong are all smiles — before the judging starts.Photo courtesy of Bravo

We here at Grub Street have gotten pretty wrapped up in Top Chef, a fact that became apparent at the end of last season, when we indulged in a couple of late-night chats on the show, first with Red Cat and Mermaid Inn owner Jimmy Bradley, and then with New York’s own Adam Sternbergh. This season, we’re planning on kibitzing about the show every week with a variety of fellow viewers, all of whom will help us to dissect that episode’s round of flashy dishes and behind-the-scenes treachery. Last night’s guest: former Sumile and Jovia chef Josh DeChellis.

More: Back of the House »adam sternbergh, jimmy bradley, josh dechellis, jovia, mermaid inn, overnight, picholine, sumile, terrance brennan, the red cat, top chef

Mediavore

6/13/07

10:00 AM

New York is Now Fat City; Korean KFC Comes to New York

Fat is where it’s at in New York today, thanks to the efforts of what Adam Platt would call the “refined meathead” school of chefs like David Chang and Zak Pelaccio. [NYT]
Related: You Know You’re a Meathead When… [NYM]

Kyochon Chicken, the Korean chain behind the current wave of Korean fried-chicken restaurants, has opened in Flushing. Two more locations are planned for Bayside. [NYT]

Ilan Hall defeated Sam Talbot in their outdoor Top Chef rematch yesterday, Hall’s soft-shell crab salad triumphing over Talbot's grilled quail and potatoes. [NYDN]

More: Mediavore »a voce, andrew carmellini, aquavit, david chang, di fara, dom's, fried chicken, ilan hall, kyochon chicken, marcus samuelsson, meatpaper, picholine, sam talbot, terrance brennan, top chef, zak pelaccio

User's Guide

6/11/07

9:00 AM

Terrance Brennan Gives the TV Dinner Business Another Go

The FreshDirect glamour shot, left, and the gritty Grub Street version.Photo: left, Travis Benton Skinner; right, Everett Bogue

The last time we checked in on Terrance Brennan and his line of ready-to-go FreshDirect meals, the chef was rejiggering one of his recipes after negative feedback from the Grub Street staff. Now that a new line is out, we felt it only right to give The Big Cheese another review, much as Adam Platt revisited Picholine after Brennan revamped it last year. The results of the tasting, as last year, were mixed.

More: User's Guide »freshdirect, terrance brennan

NewsFeed

5/ 7/07

9:00 AM

Tonight’s Beard Awards: a Referendum on Haute Cuisine

Times are changing in the restaurant world – but just how fast? Tonight’s James Beard Awards will help answer the question of whether the traditional tablecloth restaurants, which seem to be on the way out, still wield their old clout in the gastronomic Establishment.

More: NewsFeed »a voce, daniel humm, david chang, david waltuck, eleven madison park, floyd cardoz, gabrielle kreuther, james beard awards, picholine, ssam bar, tabla, terrance brennan, the modern, wd-50, wylie dufresne

NewsFeed

5/ 2/07

1:55 PM

Beard’s Best Chef Nominees Spill Beans

The Beard nominees for New York City’s Best Chef know that there’s more to the award than who makes the best plate of spaghetti. Looking back at previous years in which he was nominated, Picholine’s Terrance Brennan says, “Our customers were always loyal, but because I wasn’t playing the game, we were under the foodie radar. Being friends with the [Beard] committee helps … I imagine if you know some people, your odds are probably better.”

More: NewsFeed »bar room at the modern, chanterelle, david waltuck, floyd cardoz, gabrielle kreuther, james beard awards, picholine, tabla, terrance brennan, the modern, wd-50, wylie dufresne

The Annotated Dish

2/12/07

5:00 PM

Picholine’s ‘Oceanic’ Sea-Urchin Panna Cotta

“I have a personal interest in this dish,” he says, “and I wouldn’t let it go.” That’s Picholine chef Terrance Brennan on his sea-urchin panna cotta, one of only two items from the restaurant’s previous incarnation that he continues to serve today. The dish, which the chef describes as “all about the taste of the ocean, and nothing else” is the first course of an $80 three-course prix fixe menu, and one of his signatures. As always, simply scroll over the arrows on the large image to see quotes from the chef.

More: The Annotated Dish »caviar, nori, picholine, sea urchin, terrance brennan

Back of the House

11/28/06

9:00 AM

Terrance Brennan to Make Vegas Just a Little Bit Cheesier?

The Sin City restaurant scene is so hot right now that according to a broker who works there, the owners of Tao at the Venetian (here's our listing for the New York location) are projecting a whopping revenue of $35 million during their first year. So it's no surprise that Terrance Brennan is apparently looking for a Las Vegas space in which to open a second Artisanal. When he turns his full attention to expansion after the New Year, however, he says he'll most likely focus first on Chicago rather than Vegas or Boston, another city he's eyeing. "I love [Chicago], and I've been up there a few times and talked to people," Brennan says. And Vegas? "Eventually … "

— Daniel Maurer

More: Back of the House »artisanal, tao at the venetian, terrance brennan

Back of the House

10/13/06

11:00 AM

After a Grub-Drubbing, FreshDirect Rejiggers Recipe

It was with a warm glow of satisfaction that we read the Times' review of Terrance Brennan's new FreshDirect line of microwave dinners; not to toot our own horns, but we were on that days ago (toot). We were surprised, though, to see Florence Fabricant praising the paella rice in the shrimp romesco, a dish we singled out as especially vile — and not because of the shrimp. ("The paella rice in another shrimp dish was excellent, but the shrimp were rubbery and medicinal," she wrote.)

But there's another facet to this gem of a story, and it has nothing to do with Fabricant. After we smacked down the concoction, chef Brennan actually took it back to the drawing board (toot, toot). "It's like opening a restaurant," Brennan told us. "You have to work out all the dishes as you get feedback. The rice was overcooking." Thanks, Chef.

More: Back of the House »florence fabricant, freshdirect, terrance brennan

What to Eat Tonight

10/12/06

2:00 PM

How to Make Women More Tender, for Only $2,400 Per Pound

My, don't they look tasty.Styling by Tina Isaac; Photo: Mitchell Feinberg

Alexandre Dumas reckoned that white truffles can, "on certain occasions, make women more tender and men more lovable." We would hope so — the 'shrooms, imported from Piemonte, Italy, were selling last week for as much as $2,400 per pound. If you're going to throw down for some, you best leave their preparation to the city's top Italian chefs. (Or, better yet, go straight to the source — here's our five-point Piemonte Weekend Escape Plan.)

Wait until you hear what these cooks are doing with truffles (hint: it doesn't involve pizza).

More: What to Eat Tonight »a voce, alexandre dumas, andrew carmellini, carlyle restaurant, picholine, piemonte italy, terrance brennan, white truffles

User's Guide

10/ 6/06

11:15 AM

TV Dinner Stages Internet-Era Comeback

Beauty shots; actual dishes in the Grub Street office. Guess which is which!

Picholine and Artisanal chef Terrance Brennan, working with FreshDirect, has reinvented the microwave meal. Or so we were told earlier this week. Apparently, the ingredients in his glorified TV dinners come raw or semi-cooked, and a release valve in the box allows the container to work as a pressure cooker, making the meal from scratch in about three minutes. Skeptical but intrigued — and inspired by a similar experiment by the Gobbler — we opted out of having lunch delivered to our desk yesterday and instead joined other Grub Street staffers in the kitchenette to sample six of the eight varieties. The best were better than many restaurant dishes; the average ones were an order of magnitude more enjoyable than any "frozen dinners" we'd ever eaten before; and the worst were terrible. (FreshDirect plans to develop more lines with other high-profile New York chefs.)