Zabar's Blog

Enjoy this week's recipe from Chef Ed Brown

This week recipe is from Chef Ed Brown:

Angel Hair Frittata cake with Parmigiano cheese

Enjoy!

What is Zabar’s?

What is Zabar’s to you?  Do you have a Zabar’s story?  Have you been a shopper here for years?  Did you visit our store on Broadway as a child?  With your family?  While on vacation? 

Send us your stories of what Zabar’s means to you for our website, blog, catalog and store!  Email us at info@zabars.com or post in a comment below.  Please include your first name and location so we correctly credit you!

Also now follow us on Twitter and join us on Facebook!  We’ll keep you up to date with in store specials, tastings and some special offers for our followers.

  

Cheese Plate of the Week Video 10 - Farewell to Spring

Spring is ending and although it has been a bit cruel at times, we are going to miss it.  So to wish farewell to Spring and to welcome Summer, we thought we would feature a few cheeses that have really shined this Spring.  Just as Spring has been full of strong winds, soaking rains and bright, crisp days, these cheeses have varied from strong and powerful to moist and creamy to light and flakey.

 

First is La Tur, a soft gooey treasure that, just like a spring day, is not as mild as it looks.  But  blending the three milks brings wave after wave of new flavors as you savor this truly special cheese.  Second is Queso Leonora from Leon, Spain.  This cheese is a fine example of goat’s milk cheese that isn’t too strong and isn’t too mild.  It’s just right!  The flakey yet dense texture melts in your mouth to leave a creamy, slightly sharp yet nutty flavor.  Third, is Manchego Artisanal and just like the perfect spring day, this cheese is the perfect example of what Manchego should be.  Sharp, sheepy, nutty and not too dry! It’s not a boring cheese at all! It’s addictive and to be savored, prized for the hard work that has made such a magnificent example of a Spanish standard.  Last is Rocbleu, a creamy yet flavorful cheese that is perhaps the right blue for those who do not like their blues too strong.  It is rustic in appearance and perfect for a grilled cheese or a cheese plate.

So, as the flowers fade and heat settles in, we bid farewell to Spring with four cheeses that we think are absolutely fabulous! Try them at room temperature and reflect on the great things Spring has brought. 

Shop for Cheeses at Zabars.com

Click to watch the video:

PRESSURE COOKER opens at the IFC Center in NYC tomorrow - Wednesday, May 27th

Zabar's is a proud sponsor of C-CAP's programs, featured in this documentary:

PRESSURE COOKER opens at the IFC Center in NYC tomorrow - May 27th and in Los Angeles, June 5th.

For tickets:  www.ifccenter.com

Show times at the IFC: 
PRESSURE COOKER
Wed 5/27-Tue 6/2
11:05am, 1:10pm, 3:20, 5:30*, 7:45*, 10:00pm

*Q&As with filmmakers and special guests on Friday and Saturday night

There will also be a Q&A on Wednesday May 27th at 7:45pm and Sunday afternoon at 1:10pm and 3:20pm


Read reviews of PRESSURE COOKER
Wolf Entertainment Guide

 There is high drama in this unique film, produced and directed by Jennifer Grausman in collaboration with director/editor Mark Becker. They took cameras into a Philadelphia high school to record a remarkable saga of students during the course of the 2006-07 school year learning to cook in the hope of getting valuable scholarships that could lead them out of their inner city environment and start them toward possible culinary arts careers.

Slant Magazine

...the camera never once flinches before the (comparatively) bourgeois backgrounds of some students who are competing for the same academic opportunities as those who impecuniously inhabit one-bedroom apartments. Unlike the United States's dismal university application process, this documentary is breathtakingly equal opportunity in its search for human poetry.

Further Information about PRESSURE COOKER
http://www.takepart.com/pressurecooker/
http://www.nonsequiturproductions.com/

Further information about C-CAP
http://www.ccapinc.org/

Cheese Plate of the Week 9 - The Pecorinos You Don’t Know

This Cheese Collection has been a favorite on our site for a little while now, but here's the full scoop on an adventurous and unique cheese board.

Often times Pecorino cheeses are misunderstood or clustered together as just hard, dry cheeses that are only good for grating.  However, that is not true.  The name Pecorino is derived from the word Pecora that means sheep in Italian.  Thus Pecorino cheeses are literally just Italian Cheeses made from sheep’s milk.  There are no rules on how hard or soft a Pecorino must be to in order to be called a Pecorino.  In fact, Zabar’s carries many pecorinos ranging from soft, almost spreadable, to hard, dry and crumbly.  All of these pecorinos are beautiful and very versatile.  Given the diversity of these marvelous cheeses, we thought it would be a good idea to feature some of them and educate people on the diverse world of Pecorinos. 

The major Pecorinos come from four regions of Italy; Tuscany, Rome (in Lazio), Sardinia, and Sicily.  These regions produce many Pecorinos that are all distinct cheeses with their own flavor profiles and story.  Of the four cheeses featured, three are from Tuscany and one is from Sardinia.  But don’t be fooled into thinking that these cheeses all taste alike! They don’t! Their rinds are a clear indicator of their diversity as shown by the leaves on the Pecorino Fogile di Noce or the indents from the baskets on the Pecorino Crotonese.  From looks to taste to texture, Pecorinos are a vast world of cheeses that will surprise you and your palette.  So come on and try!

Shop for The Pecorinos You Don't Know.

Watch the video:

Zabar's makes a cameo in "Happiness" at Lincoln Center

There are just a couple more weeks left in the run of “Happiness,” a musical set in a NYC subway car being performed at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center.  As the music and opening number began, I began to enjoy it more than I meant to.  Everyone’s acting, singing and dancing seemed right on to me throughout the night.  This despite the stereotyping used throughout and typical conventions used in the opening number which introduced the entire cast. 

If you’re going to go and don’t want the pivotal plot spoiled then read no further.  However, if you don’t mind a little hint read on.  Once in the subway car we got to know each character a bit more, which was really a matter of reviving a life into each of the already dead characters.  As the play continued it was easy to anticipate what became an exercise in waiting it out for the next person to go.

The scene that piqued my interest most came about halfway through the production when a character was reunited with a lost loved one for, among other things, a recreation of a summer picnic in Central Park.  This picnic came complete with blanket, Zabar’s tote bag, and a fictional Zabar’s Cheese Lover’s Collection.  The picnic was a sweet and accurate recollection of typical NYC summer afternoon which plays over and over again just at our doorstep. 

"Happiness" runs through June 7, 2009 at Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater at Lincoln Center.

Zagat's latest New York City Shopping 2009/10 Guide

Zagat has launched into its 30th year.  Hard to believe this guide of all guides began in 1979 and has branched out in ever new ways.

Zabar's finds itself in the Zagat New York City Shopping 2009/10 Guide in the following categories.  Thanks for keeping Zabar's on the list!

Rated #2 for Most Popular Stores:  Home /Garden
Rated extraordinary to perfection for Top Quality : Home / Garden
Rated extraordinary to perfection in the Cookware Category

"'Nobody knocks the lox' at this Upper West Side 'granddaddy of gourmet markets', but the 'hidden bargains' are in the mezzanine, which is 'stuffed to the ceiling' with 'wall-to-wall 'well-priced kitchenware', including 'every pot, pan, knife, appliance and accessory you could ever need'; it's 'crowded as hell both with merchandise and people', but the 'total madhouse is filled with treasures.'"

We want to carry your favorite cheese!

We are so glad when we nail it and offer something you love and want! (Like this Great Midwest Habanero Jack Cheese on High/Low Food/Drink). 

But we love hearing from you and learning about new cheeses.  Visit our store with your requests for something you've just discovered and want to see on our shelves or comment about it here.

Zabar's on Slashfood and in Frommer's

Slashfood posts a review of Frommer's new guide, with a mention to Zabar's:

'Frommer's 500 Places for Food & Wine Lovers'
Posted May 4th 2009 5:00PM by Bruce Watson

When it comes to food and travel guides, some are known for their frugality, others for their edginess and still others for their humor. Frommer's could perhaps best be described as "Old Reliable," with picks that rarely stray far from the well-trodden path and are somewhat on the pricey side. Instead of budget-friendly options and spontaneity, Frommer's devotees could bet on an authentic, safe and somewhat luxe travel experience.

That's why it's surprising that the hot-off-the-press new book "Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers" offers an incredibly wide array of options for every budget. Sure, it tips its hat to the traditional institutions that one would expect from the venerable publisher, but it also offers some down-market choices that should give adventurous gourmands a run for their money. Within its pages we spied Coney Island's Totonno's Pizzeria, with some of New York's most-buzzed-about pies in spite of its location on a scuzzy stretch of Neptune Avenue, and old-school Frank Pepe's pizzeria in New Haven, Conn.

New York's bustling Zabar's Deli is in there, too, as is Kossar's Bialys. Chicagoan molecular gastronomy fans will find three of their faves listed, and Washington, D.C. area foodies may be pleased to spot the Inn at Little Washington. There is also a nod to fans of mass-market desserts with a listing for the Jell-O gallery in Leroy, N.Y.

Some would argue that the key to being a true epicure lies in the ability to appreciate food at all levels in all its splendid diversity. Thus, while there is much to be said for the French Laundry's wafer cone filled with salmon tartare, it could be said that a true foodie would never pass up a bowl of Cincinnati five-way chili from the Empress Chili parlor.

Watch, learn, cook - a cooking demo for Spring Fling Risotto

Enjoy this video as Chef Matt Dunn shows us how to prepare his recipe for Spring Fling Risotto.