While I was in cooking school I volunteered for every culinary event imaginable and I also worked at Degustibus, the cooking school in Macy’s Herald Square (headquarters for the Thanksgiving Day Parade) assisting the chefs -- one in particular, Michael Romano of the Union Square Café.
Michael Romano and his team of cooks were an absolute pleasure to work with, no egos, fun and appreciative of the help—a rare occurance in a kitchen and a thrill for a new, deer-in-the-headlights culinary student. Someone pinch me. I had purchased the Union Square Cafe Cookbook in anticipation of this class and not only the chef but everyone on the team signed it. I practically skipped home that night.
So whenever I am in New York I always make a point to visit. After meandering through the Greenmarket, I popped in for a quick lunch at the counter. They had just celebrated their 20th anniversary—in restaurant years that’s worthy of a personal birthday greeting from Willard Scott himself!
and....Larry David (Seinfeld & Curb Your Enthusiasm) was dining there! ;-) My one star-spotting for the trip....
A beautiful basket of fresh sourdough, flat bread and whole wheat sesame rolls with a bowl of sharp, chewy olives
Black Bean Soup with Lemon and a Shot of Australian Sherry (this was so good I ate the lemon!)
Roasted Butternut Squash & Mascarpone Raviolini with Sage Brown Butter and Parmigiano Reggiano
~ with a glass of Pinot Noir from Monthélie, Pierre Morey, Côte de Beaune 2001
I was going to order the Vanilla Panna Cotta with Pomgranate Syrup and Tangerine Sorbet but as I had a big dinner coming up, I thought I’d best save some room. What was I thinking!? Next time....
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Union Square Café
21 East 16th St @ Union Square
New York, NY 10003
212-243-4020
www.unionsquarecafe.com
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