First Fridays Event At The Institute Of Culinary Education Kicks Off With "NYC Legends In The Making"

Enjoy a delicious evening with NYC’s top tastemakers while indulging in tastings of dishes and drink pairings served during the cooking demos.

The First Fridays event at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) features a collaborative culinary demonstration by some of NYC’s most celebrated chefs, mixologists, sommeliers, beer- and spirit-makers, and ICE’s leading educators. The evening is the perfect opportunity to learn new recipes and cooking techniques, while hanging out with some of NYC’s top tastemakers.

Coffee Cured Salmon

Presented by James Briscione, the ICE Director of Culinary Development, the Coffee Cured Salmon is seasoned with kosher salt, granulated sugar, ground coffee, and lemon zest. The dish is served with flatbread brushed with oil and dusted with Soom Soom Spice, cream cheese, shaved cucumbers and radish, and fresh dill.

Indian-Spiced Crab Cakes

Presented by Garrett Oliver, James Beard Award-winning Brewmaster of Brooklyn Brewery, the Indian-spiced crab cakes highlight sweet lump crab meat, curry, and jalapeno that are perfectly complemented by the malts and hop character of Brooklyn East India Pale Ale.

Spiced Olive Oil Cake with Labneh and Og Caramel

To end the evening on a sweet note, Lior Lev Sercarz, the master spice blender, author, and owner of La Boite, whipped up dense spiced olive oil cake with creamy, rich labneh and a drizzle of caramel.

The Charming Grand Tier Restaurant At The Metropolitan Opera Offers Phenomenal Sunday Brunch Service

The Metropolitan Opera House began offering brunch service at the Grand Tier Restaurant in December - don’t miss out on this amazing experience, which also includes a recital by a member of the Met’s acclaimed Lindemann Young Artist Development Program.

Crab Cake

The crab cake, made with lump crab meats, has crispy exterior and it topped with creamy, charred corn remoulade and micro greens. The crab cake sits on top of rich corn emulsion drizzled with basil oil.

Cauliflower Veloute

The rich, hearty cauliflower veloute is poured at table side over a bowl of crunchy croutons, microgreen, and fish roe. The veloute is the perfect way to warm your heart on a cold winter days.

Whipped Ricotta & Figs

Perfect for sharing, this item highlights creamy, whipped ricotta and figs topped with housemade duck prosciutto with Anson Mills farro, 12-year balsamic, and olive oil.

Classic Smoked Salmon

Smoked salmon lovers, rejoice! The Classic Smoked Salmon plate features all the essential accoutrements (creme fraiche, egg yolk, egg whites, onions, radish, capers, radicchio) to highlight the thinly sliced, perfectly smoked pieces of salmon with housemade rye-sesame crisp.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

Made with Carnaroli rice, the Wild Mushroom Risotto is cooked in rich porcini broth with truffle butter, and topped with microgreens, pepper, and sprinkles of Taleggio cheese.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

A generous stack of fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes are topped with a dust of powdered sugar, huckleberry compote, and ricotta with lemon zest for the perfect sweet layer to your brunch.

Chocolate Mousse Cake

The dense and rich dark chocolate mousse with peanut nougatine in the center is served with salted caramel cream and candied peanuts.

Baked Alaska

Covered in smooth toasted meringue, the Baked Alaska is a double play between creamy vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet with angel food cake and lemon creme anglaise as the base.

Disappointing Portion Sizes and Overpriced Brunch Items at Narcissa

While the food itself is tasty, both the portion size and the price point at Narcissa will dissuade me from making future visits. I came to Narcissa for brunch around noon on Sunday. I was surprised that there was no wait and the restaurant was half-empty at such a peak brunch time. My friend and I ordered the Carrot Fries to share, and I got the Crab Benedict.



The food arrived very fast, probably within 10 minutes of ordering. Carrot Fries ($7) was not what I expected. I thought it would look more like sweet potato fries, but instead we got 5 pieces of carrot tempura (they looked like fat fingers haha) with a side of jalapeno-tofu dip. I really liked the dip and the fries, which were hot out of the fryer and super crispy. I enjoyed the tempura batter, but 5 pieces for $7 definitely left more to be desired.



The Crab Benedict ($26) was also not what I had expected. The dish featured two small crab cakes topped with poached eggs with salad in the middle. There was nothing else on the table - no English muffin (this was the biggest surprise for me), no tomato, etc. Again, the crab cakes were delicious and the eggs were poached perfectly (but needed a dash of salt!), but $26 is way overpriced for what I got.

Top 5 American Comfort Food With A Modern, Elevated Twist at Del Frisco's Grille in NYC

1. Cheesesteak Eggrolls

A fusion of America (Philly cheesesteak) and China’s (eggrolls) signature dishes, the Cheesesteak Eggrolls at Del Frisco’s Grille is an absolute must. Perfect for sharing, the crispy eggrolls are stuffed with savory cheesesteak and drizzled with sweet and spicy chili sauce and honey mustard.

2. Jumbo Lump Crabcake

A fist-sized crabcake, made with lump crab meat and topped with micro greens, sits on top of spicy cajun lobster sauce that is both rich and creamy. Unlike other crabcake, this one is as pure as it gets - real, sweet and juicy crab meat without the unnecessary, extra fillers.

3. Filet Mignon

Del Frisco’s Grille lives up to its reputation as America’s greatest steakhouse by serving one of the best filet mignon ever. Cooked perfectly rare (you can, of course, request it to be cooked any way you want), the filet mignon has beautifully pink center with grilled edges. The absolutely juicy steak that just melts in your mouth is topped with peppercorn for additional flavor.

4. A Trio of Vegetable Sides

The sides at this steakhouse is as delicious as the main course itself. The crispy sweet potato fries, pan-braised wild mushrooms, and shaved brussels sprouts with bacon all complement the steak well.

5. Coconut Cream Pie

Inspired by Boston cream pie, the Coconut Cream Pie is presented just as the name suggests. On top of a mound of fresh cream are toasted & fresh coconut flakes and white chocolate shavings. The pie is surrounded by crunchy crust made with Nila crackers, which is much sweeter and has more vanilla flavor than other typical crusts.