Notes from Fall in NYC
Ahead of really getting into the holiday season...
Fall came and left! It was so quick and yet so warm, so charming and so inspiring! Here are some notes from me to you ahead of really getting into the wonders of winter.
Flavor:
Okay, let me go through this without too much fuss. Fall in NYC was beautiful, meaningful and flavorful.
From the delicious specialties of the Jewish High Holidays (hi matzo ball soup on New Year and Russ and Daughters Bagels for Break Fast)…
…to home made fresh Venezuelan arepas in my friend Fabiola’s house…
..to Cambodian delicacies in Bong in Brooklyn (get that reservation/ it’s worth it!!)…
…to the incredible Shashlik at Baku Palace in Brooklyn (a lot more to be said on this topic in general)…
…to an “aha!” lunch moment in Casa Lever due to a perfectly executed steak paillard…
…to yet another perfect omakase with my friend Claire this time at Yugin at Coco…
…to my favorite breakfast featuring Russian cottage cheese patties…
…and obviously Laroot at home- it was a beautifully flavorful fall.
Discovery:
The two true discoveries this fall in NYC may not have been the most glamorous ones, but definitely the most life changing!!
Rutabaga vegetable- Chef Makai asked me to go pick up a few for our production/ recipe testing and it was a revelation of the best sort- that I don’t actually know one of the key vegetables in the veggie isle! A super food that can be best described as ‘if a turnip, a beet, and a potato had a baby.’ Must try for your winter stews (or find it in your Laroot dishes this winter!)
The Mill- I want everyone who reads this to buy one. A sleek composting machine that changed my relationship with food waste. It’s the most rewarding experience to add the compost it creates to the park, to a friends chicken farm, etc etc. Highly recommend! Discovery of the year for sure!
Wellness:
As you guys have realized—if you read my newsletters frequently— for me, wellness is an experiential, mental concept. Wellness is enjoying what makes me happy.
This fall walking the art fairs made me happy. (This Matisse was so powerful for me, if anyone knows who bought let me know, I want to go over to their house to keep looking at it).
Walking the Ruth Asawa show at the MoMA with the incredible curator organized by The Cultivist, was a wellness morning I took for myself. The art made me feel connected and at peace in the most wonderful of ways usually reserved for meditation!
Being able to have the luxury of time and energy to volunteer at the beautiful Refettorio Kitchen in Harlem (a Massimo Bottura project) with my kids made me whole in every way. An experience I yearn to repeat very soon.
Ooooh-key. Now we can all safely get into the winter Christmakkah mode. Feel free to share comments, your own fall notes, and anything else really below!
Lots of love,
Natasha
Appendix:
Russ and Daughters Bagels, 179 E. Houston St, New York, NY 10002
Bong in Brooklyn, 724 Sterling Pl, Brooklyn
Baku Palace, 2001 Emmons Avenue, Brooklyn NY 11235
Casa Lever, 390 Park Ave at 53rd St, New York, NY 10022
Yugin at Coco, 767 Fifth Ave, 37th Floor New York, NY 10153
Refettorio Kitchen in Harlem, 37 W 119th St, New York, NY 10026