This week our focus is, shall we say, closer to home.  We spend our days preaching the good gospel of our resident chefs.  Indeed, no mélange is too decadent or novel for the well-honed palettes of Bullfrog’s culinary warriors.  And because we are so flooded with this information it’s only natural that a bit of gastronomic savoir faire spills over into our home kitchens.  What follows is a compendium of our triumphs and failures as enterprising home-cooks; the sort of fiascos that send our chefs oscillating between beaming pride and scowling disappointment.  Enjoy!

1. Oops: Pistachio-Encrusted Scallops

We have no chef to look to for this heartbreaking mishap which ended with a trashbag full of otherwise beautiful shellfish.  We didn’t use an egg-bath, we didn’t properly grind the pistachios (actually we just smashed them with a cocktail muddler, which was strangely satisfying) and we weren’t able to distinguish when they were finally cooked through.  The result was, um, absolutely revolting.   Oops.

2. Ahh: Brussels Sprouts

Laurent Tourondel’s Brussels sprouts are flecked with cippolini onions and bacon and, in the words of one Bullfrogger, “they rock.”  We tackled our own interpretation twice; once for our family on a Thanksgiving of yore and once for a very lucky fella.  Both times clarified that our posts at B&B have left us with more than excellent phone etiquette and a slightly larger tush.  A hit to be sure!

3. Oops: Duck Pâté

It doesn’t entirely count but Tourondel once sent us home with a tiny case of his famous duck pâté with explicit instructions on how to heat and serve it.  We warmed it slowly with sherry and butter just as he had suggested, but the product—a lumpy and oily jumble—was not the delicacy for which we had hoped.  We suppose that a lifetime of culinary training may very well have been the missing ingredient but, thanks to the long arm of politesse, our guests choked it down with a smile!

4. Ahh: Grilled Peaches

At the suggestion of Marc Meyer and with the prospect of a late-season BBQ on our hands, we halved a dozen peaches, brushed them with a blend of maple syrup and brown sugar and tossed them on the grill.  They emerged deliciously browned and were the perfect canvas for a dollop of crème frâiche!

5. Oops: The Seared Watermelon “Steaks”

Inspired by José Andrés’ demonstration at the Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen in which he created a “Watermelon Steak,” we set out to create our own improvised version.  We imagined it sliced and presented much like a slab of Ahi-tuna, maybe with a knot of micro-greens balancing it visually.  We showboated, inviting a trio of our pals to witness what would surely be a memorable mid-summer meal.  But it tasted like raw pumpkin.  Ugh, a definite misstep.  

6. Ahh: The Elevated Casserole

Eager to prove to doubting pals that we could polish even the lowliest foods to a stunning shine, we tackled the common casserole.  Ours was a take on a “Mac n Cheese/Hot Dog” Casserole (we understand this is quite the delicacy in the less populated regions of the Midwest) that incorporated spicy sausage (from Esposito’s Pork Store in Brooklyn), onions cooked off in sweet beer and folded into a Manchengo cheese sauce and a layer of mascarpone.  Brilliant, friends, truly brilliant. 

Last week we told you where we eat.  We guided you through the dizzying highs and the craven lows of our brief and infrequent lunch breaks.  You laughed.  You cried.  You ordered Half Moon Chili from Blue Moon Mexican Café just like us.  It was a beautiful week.

This week, we’re giving you what you really crave.  You’ve marveled at their work in the kitchen and wondered if, when their days are through, they steal into the nearest fast food joint (blasphemy!) and tuck into a burger, hiding their faces behind a waxy paper cup.  They don’t.

They do, however, have an excellent sense of the city’s hidden culinary gems.  And now, because we love to see you well-fed and well-informed, we present a borough-friendly round-up of some New York chefs’ favorite hangouts. 

Brooklyn

Our pal Patricia Yeo (Sapa) directs us to these Fort Greene haunts:

iCi Restaurant

A naturally grown, strictly seasonal menu accompanied by a similarly organic wine list makes this borough eatery a favorite.  Yeo likes the Chicken Liver Schnitzel with shallot confit and lemon.

Olea

This pan-Mediterranean restaurant rotates on a Greek axis.  The Falafel-Encrusted Artichoke Hearts are a local favorite but Yeo like the oysters and poached shrimp available at the restaurant’s petite raw bar.

Astoria

Frank Proto (Landmarc, Ditch Plains) looks to his neighborhood to fill up.

Taverna Kyclades

You’d never know it from the modest décor, but the big flavors marched from this tiny kitchen are among the borough’s best.  Proto loves the Saganaki (pan-fried cheese) with lemon, the Fried Smelts, Horta (sautéed bitter greens) and Grilled Octopus.

Rose & Joe’s Italian Bakery and The Sal, Chris & Charlie Deli

Midtown East

She may not be a chef, but restaurateur and entertainment expert Donatella Arpaia’s (dona, davidburke & donatella) insight into the culinary world is unrivaled.

P.J. Clarke’s

Arpaia maintains that the historic eatery (once frequented by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Jackie O’) still serves the best Kumamoto Oysters and the most irresistible Sliders in the city (second only to David Burke’s of course).

Bateau Ivre

The restaurant claims to be “the first French wine bar, raw bar and grill” in New York City.  Principality aside, Arpaia heads here for what she calls, “the best eggs in Manhattan.”

Harlem

After our recent visit to Africa Kine, we thought we’d met our month’s quota of African cuisine, until Marcus Samuelsson (Aquavit) directed us to his favorite spot near his Harlem digs.  For more information about the eclectic fare, check out Samuelsson’s new book, Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa (Wiley hardcover; $40.00; October 2, 2006).

Awash

For the most authentic Ethiopian food in New York, Samuelsson directs us to Awash.  He goes for the Kitfo, this country’s traditional beef tartare seasoned with a hot native pepper, Mitmita or the Doro Wat, a chicken dish with boiled egg and a red-pepper mix called Berbere.

We Bullfrogs believe in three square meals a day.  Versatile gourmands that we are, we tuck into our morning eggs with the same vigor with which we tunnel through a foie gras ganache.  But when the lunch bell sounds, we’d be lying if we said we always have the time to linger over the steaming pots of Stilton and Sauternes fondue that populate our dreams.  Luckily, our Manhattan and Los Angeles lily pads are centrally located, well within hopping distance to plenty of lunchtime haunts.  Here are a few of our favorites:

New York

·         Between email checks and back-to-back meetings, top frog Jennifer Baum munches on Steamed Chicken and Broccoli or Steamed Shrimp Dumplings from Sammy’s Noodle Shop.

·         Deep in her “Bridal Bootcamp,” newlywed Shayna Ferm opts for the light S4 (tuna, cheddar, sprouts, tomato and cucumber on 7-grain bread) from Lenny’s.

·         Resident pescetarian Melissa Flores swings by Whole Foods for its Brown Rice Eel and Avocado Sushi.

·         Longtime Bullfrog Helen Baldus likes BBQ Pork Cold Vermicelli Noodles from Republic.

·         The first mention of the Chicken & Thai Dumplings or the Chocolate Shanghai Soup Dumplings from Rickshaw Dumpling Bar sets Amanda Hathaway’s taste buds a’ tingle. 

·         Valerie Zweig makes sure she has plenty of room for dinner.  She eats light, choosing a Mixed Greens Salad with chicken, carrots, celery, tomato, Portobello mushrooms and balsamic vinaigrette from Benvenuto.

·         There must be quite a few things a lunchtime bowl of Half Moon Chili from Blue Moon Mexican Café won't cure, but Jordana Rothman doesn’t know many of them.

·         The Red Curry with chicken lunch special from Spice keeps newcomer Ellen Fobes satisfied.

·         The luckiest fella in Chelsea (he’s one of the only males in an office of lovely lady Bullfrogs), Chris Langley likes to settle in for a hot pot of Steamed Mussels downstairs at BLT Fish.

·         There’s nothing like two pieces of Double-Dipped Free-Range Fried Chicken and a hunk of Shallot Cornbread from Dirty Bird for Southern gal-about-town Hannah Huffines.

·         Tennessee’s finest export, Rachel Baumgartner likes the Fajita Chicken Salad with rice, beans, corn salsa and a touch of cheese at Chipotle.

Los Angeles

·         Though she can’t refuse the occasional Skittle, LA girl Susan Hosmer keeps things healthy.  She heads to the Hollywood Farmers' Market on Sundays to stock up on fresh produce and cheeses for her homemade Greek salads.

·         Mariah McIntyre makes good use of Luna Park’s door-to-door service.  She orders the Grilled Chicken BLT and resists the temptation to call in one of the 32 wines also available for delivery!