gabriella gershenson

Press

Toronto Star

I venture off the eaten path in New York

By Marion Kane

"Anti-Bush Buttons" proclaims a sign in the window of a small discount store. Beside it hang assorted T-shirts emblazoned with pithy epithets echoing that theme.

Nearby is a small eatery called Taste of Tandoor adjacent to India Bazaar. Barred-up jewelry stores advertising gold and diamonds dot the wide street amid a motley array of shops with names like Quisqueyana Cigars; Soup's On: Hearty and Homemade Happy Food, and SP's Nut & Candy Co.

It's a mellow, sunny Sunday morning at the corner of Church and Reade in this gritty, hip but still nicely seedy TriBeCa neighbourhood just blocks from Ground Zero.

I'm waiting outside the Pakistan Tea House to meet my new friend: up-and-coming young food writer Gabriella Gershenson, who's planned an off-the-beaten-track eating itinerary for us that starts here.

We met over Cumin-Rubbed Skirt Steak with Coconut Pumpkin Risotto: the entree of a delicious, Latin-inspired dinner that accompanied the 14th Annual James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards held two days earlier at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

Our conversation that night began with cream puffs, specifically the ethereal pastry shells filled with silky custard at Beard Papa on Broadway at 76th St. on the Upper West Side where Gershenson lives.

Soon we were discussing our shared passion: little-known ethnic food finds tucked away on the culinary road less travelled.

Which brings us to Pakistan Tea House, one of my fellow foodie's favourite spots to nosh. Here, we sit at a Formica table, sip mango lassi and nibble on spicy samosas, aromatic chicken curry and mounds of saffron rice.

Gershenson, 26, grew up in the suburbs of Boston in a family with Latvian Jewish roots. She came to New York almost four years ago after graduating from McGill with a degree in English literature.

She calls Montreal "utopia for someone my age with my interests," adding, "it's reasonable to live there and there's a small, cosmopolitan, bohemian community."

Possessing a sweet tooth, Gershenson sleuthed that city in search of pastries. "My favourite places are Duc de Lorraine on Cote-des-Neiges and Patisserie de Gascogne on Laurier," she notes.

She says she came to a career in food writing "by design and some luck." Since March, 2003, she's penned a regular food column and restaurant review for the alternative weekly New York Press.

She also writes about local restaurants for New York magazine's Web site: www.newyorkmetro.com and is updating a New York City guide for USAToday.com.

Appreciatively chowing down on a mouthful of sagh paneer, she claims not to be very influential because "New York Press is contrarian and doesn't set the tone for the masses."

She feels there's too much emphasis on new in the Big Apple and loves her specialty: "Food not served by a waiter."

As we pay our tiny bill and head out for more good food, I realize I've found a kindred soul.

From Pakistan Tea House, we stroll through Chinatown and wind up on the Lower East Side about three hours later. We complete our day of hand-to-mouth dining with a couple of Jewish delicacies followed by a divine doughnut at Donut Plant.

Here are the high points of our mouth-watering walking-and-eating tour, in alphabetical order:

Brown Cafe, 61 Hester St. A slightly New Age but unpretentious little eatery with a couple of outside tables where they make a great breakfast, perfect cappuccino, terrific sandwiches and tasty salads.

Chinatown Ice Cream factory, 65 Bayard St. Taro, lychee and almond cookie ice cream are the scoop at this delightful spot.

Donut Plant, 379 Grand St.. Krispy Kreme, eat your heart out. Try the daily special, to-die-for fresh coconut or hazelnut doughnuts here.

Dim Sum Go Go, 5 E. Broadway. Make a lunch of the heaven-sent dumplings, especially the divine duck and gingery "jade" versions.

Fried Dumpling, 106 Mosco St. The name says it all. This hole-in-the wall serves up divine dumplings at a rock-bottom price.

Kossar's Bialys, 367 Grand St. My first bialy ever and definitely not my last! This soft, chewy yeast bun with an indentation in the middle comes filled with fried onions, garlic or poppy seeds.

NYC ICY, 21 Avenue B. The nicest of Italian-style ices, especially apricot ginger and strawberry chocolate chip.

Pakistan Tea House, 176 Church St. Named "Best Halal Cab Stand" by New York Press, this 24-hour eatery offers silky yogurt-based lassi drinks, crisp samosas and all manner of curries at bargain prices.

Russ & Daughters, 179 E. Houston St. Several generations have operated this wondrous Jewish food emporium since 1914. A superb selection of smoked fish is among its wares.

Vegetarian Dim Sum House, 24 Pell St. A great spot for meatless snacks, especially the corn congee.

Now for some home cooking. Gabriella's mother, Anna, is a caterer whomakes this for parties. Easy to prepare and luscious to eat, it's based on a recipe from The Natural Gourmet (Ballantine Books, $28) by Annemarie Colbin.

Gravlax

Find maple sugar crystals at specialty food shops such as Pusateri's and the Cheese Boutique in Bloor West Village. In a pinch, use granulated sugar.

3 tbsp chopped fresh dill

2 tbsp kosher or coarse sea salt

1-1/2 tbsp coarsely ground white pepper

1 tbsp maple sugar crystals

2 to 2-1/2 lb (1 to 1.25 kg) piece fresh centre-cut salmon fillet, boned and scaled (skin on)

Minced red onion, capers and fresh dill sprigs

In small bowl, combine dill, salt, pepper and sugar crystals for seasoning mixture.

Using damp cloth or paper towel, wipe salmon on both sides. Cut in half horizontally. Make bed of dill sprigs on long piece of plastic wrap. Place salmon skin side down on dill bed. Spread seasoning mixture evenly on flesh side of each piece of salmon. Sandwich pieces together, flesh to flesh. Wrap snugly in plastic wrap. Transfer to 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish. Place chopping board or baking sheet on top; weight evenly with bricks or heavy cans. Refrigerate at least two days, preferably three. Rotate salmon every 12 hours.

To serve, wipe seasoning mixture off salmon. Discard dill bed and any juices in baking dish. Using sharp knife, slice salmon very thinly on diagonal, pushing slices off at skin. Discard skin.

Serve garnished with minced red onion, capers and fresh dill sprigs.

Makes 16 to 20 servings.

mkane@thestar.ca