K'velen for Katz’s!

After a “wicked” frozen hot chocolate at Jacques Torres and a lazy sunset stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge, we rewarded our motivation with a visit to that brightly lit bastion of New York history, Katz’s Delicatessen. There’s not much to say about Katz’s that hasn’t already been said—and, as we’re too busy dreaming about the leftovers sitting tantalizingly in the fridge, that’s just fine by us.

We Bullfroggers are no strangers to the sundry, salty wonders of Katz’s. We’ve ended many a night on the Lower East Side stealing into the deli to bring home one of those stacked stunners. We’ve talked up the cutters, asked for full sours not half (naturally). We’ve sipped our Dr. Brown's, strolled along the dizzying walls of celebrity photos and enjoyed a few sightings of our own.  (was that Anne Meara? It was! It was!)

The precious victuals of New York’s finest eateries may weaken our knees, but the thrills of Katz’s—that thick-cut pastrami moistening the underbelly of fresh-baked rye, the legions of hot dogs sizzling beneath hanging salamis, matzoh balls that rest enormous in pools of salty broth—have yet to lose their pepper-encrusted edge.

The ragged army of brunchers milling about the sidewalk outside East Village eatery Prune were a giddy lot last Saturday. The space has been open since 1999 but New Yorkers continue to happily await a table for chef Gabrielle Hamilton’s famed weekend brunch (they do not accept reservations). Though the warm inviting glow has tempted us during many an evening constitutional, we’ve shied from Prune because of what looked like a particularly tight interior—we do, after all, like our elbow room. But, as we came to find out over a brief but persuasive meal, the juice (try the Prune Juice: a blend of fresh orange, cranberry, lime, and Meyer lemon) is certainly worth the squeeze.

What we ate:

• Dutch Style Pancake: Only the most ambitious trenchermen should endeavor to finish this perfectly balanced dish whose celestial texture (spongy with a touch of crispness along the bottom edge) makes it a menu mainstay. Served with sautéed pears, real maple syrup and Canadian bacon.
• Steak & Eggs: A considerable plate for considerable appetites. The steak, topped with parsely-shallot butter, was unbelievably rich if a touch salty, a wonderful contrast with the more neutral mound of scrambled eggs. Also served with an English muffin and an ample portion of potatoes rosti.

11th century Anglo Saxons considered fennel to be one of their nine sacred herbs. It hung from windows and doors to ward off evil, was placed in keyholes to prevent ghosts entering a house, and was smeared on cows’ udders to prevent their milk from being bewitched. Though the medicinal virtues of fennel have yet to be refuted (it is still included as an ingredient in many European pharmaceuticals), its supernatural applications have long since been supplanted by cooks who incorporate the vegetable’s anise-like flavors into a variety of dishes.

At Home:

Look for…

Smaller bulbs—they will be more tender and less fibrous than the larger ones. Bulbs should be a firm, clean creamy white. Fennel stalks should be straight and the leaves a feathery bright green.

Avoid… Bulbs that show brown spots, yellowing, splitting, or withering. Fennel stalks should not be flowering—a sign that the fennel is over mature.

Store in a plastic bag in the high-humidity crisper section of the refrigerator for no more than three to four days. Fennel loses its flavor quickly so it's best to use it as soon as possible. While the bulb is the vegetable’s main attraction, the stalks can be used in soups and stews or can be moistened and used instead of woodchips on the grill.

On the Town:

See how some of the nation’s top chefs are using fennel to enhance their menu:

Chef Andrew Carmellini at a Voce in NYC Fennel-Glazed Duck with snap peas, duck sausage, and olive sauce

Chef Michael Psilakis at Dona in NYC Fennel Dusted Long-Bill Marlin with baby fennel, caper berries, Sicilian olives, and orange vinaigrette

Chef David Burke at davidburke & donatella in NYC Lobster “Steak” with curried shoestrings, black honey and citrus fennel candy