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Chef Michael Ayoub, Fornino

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:46:00 +0000

Randy Duchaine We’ve been big fans of the brick oven pizza at Williamsburg’s Fornino for years, having co-hosted a series of wild pizza parties at the establishment. So it was with great enthusiasm that we welcomed chef/owner Michael Ayoub back to Park Slope, where he recently opened another Fornino in the exact same space where operated one of his first restaurants back in the ’90s. But this is not your grandhipster’s Fornino: The menu is expansive , boasting a wide array of antipasti, pasta, and entrées, all under $20. Highlights include the Caramelized Onion Tart with Hudson Valley goat cheese and black olive; the Three Cheese Ravioli; and the Roasted Duck Breast with cherries, white balsamic vinegar and spinach. And then there’s the pizza: Unlike the first Fornino’s brick oven Neapolitan pies, the pizza here is grilled. Yes, grilled. This is a radical departure from what put Fornino on the map when it opened back in 2004, and we got Ayoub on the phone last week to grill him about the changes. I guess the first question is the obvious question, which is why grilled pizza? I started the first Fornino with Neapolitan pizza. You know, been there, done that. As a chef, I try not to continually repeat myself. I like to push the envelope a little. When I did write this menu, it was to create a neighborhood restaurant that would be a place where you could go for dinner frequently. Going out to dinner, to me, is not such a special occasion anymore. I do it fairly often. So I didn’t want this to be such a special occasion type of place. I wanted this place to be a neighborhood restaurant. How does the grilled pizza fit into that? The grilled pizza was simply—I’ve done Neapolitan pizza, you know. I very rarely write the same menu twice for a different restaurant, in fact I’ve never written the same menu for a different restaurant. I always like to push the envelope a little, and in the envelope I like to push myself a little. Grilled pizza isn’t new in New York, but it’s new to a lot of people. How did you decide to start doing grilled pizza? The grilled pizza, they’ve been doing it in Italy and actually in Argentina for centuries, you know. This is something that’s been done for a very long time, and I’ve always loved it. Actually, Vinnie Scotto was the first one to introduce me to it, and I fell in love with it. For the last five years I’ve been teaching a pro-bono course at CTNY on grilled pizza. And what’s their reaction to it? The first question I always get from people doing it on a barbecue is, how come it doesn’t fall through the cracks? They can’t understand how it goes onto a grill. It actually doesn’t go through at all. [Laughs] It’s super thin, and when you put it onto the grill, it cooks and you’d be very surprised how long it stays on the grill. It’s not an excruciating, high-fire, charcoal grill shooting flames from the bottom of it. It’s a medium heat grill, and the dough cooks wonderfully. Randy Duchaine Now there’s a lot of other stuff to choose from on this menu. It’s huge. What do you recommend? It’s like my children, I love them all. But when I write the menu, it’s really like the way how I like to eat. Nothing on the menu is a huge portion, and the menu is not set up like appetizer and entrée. So you can have, there’s quite a large selection of antipasto, a large selection of pizzas, a large selection of pastas, and some odd items. The combinations of the mix and match is successful. One night I would have more serious dinner, maybe I would have antipasto and a steak. Another night I would have antipasto and maybe a salad. Maybe I’ll just have a pizza and a glass of water one night. The idea was that there would be much more availability for a diner to create their own dining experience, as opposed to going into a restaurant where there are eight appetizers and eight entrées. Was it a tough finding a team for the kitchen who could handle that kind of versatility? It’s always a challenge finding people that know how to cook. We put so much into the idea these days that chefs are celebrities now, so a lot of people are under this misconception that they’re going to probably be the next Iron Chef, or Food Network star, or the next Emeril Lagasse. Cooking isn’t something where you just read the words on a page, and study, and know all the recipes. Cooking comes from the heart. You gotta be born with that. I could teach you all the recipes in the world, but just think about it, there’s thousands and thousands of cookbooks out there. How many four-star chefs are there? Cooking has to come from the heart—it’s a passion and you’re either born with it or you don’t have it. So it’s really frustrating looking for people with passion. How did you get into cooking and where are you from originally? There’s pictures of me before even my modern memory when I was two years old, rolling cookies with one of my aunts, always in the kitchen with my grandmother. I started professionally cooking at 13, you know, once you were able to get working papers. I was working in the deli. My next door neighbor was in the business. By the time I was 17, doing summer jobs, I was working out in Sag Harbor, and I was the sous chef at one of these very large places where we probably invented the rubber chicken and seafood combo. But at one point I became the chef there, after a couple of years. Cooking was never really meant to be my profession. I was going to school to be a veterinarian at the time and how I got into the restaurant business is, I was the chef of a very popular restaurant and the owners were fighting. I was 20 years old, and when one of the owners said they wanted this other restaurant, I said I would buy it. I came back with a lawyer and $5,000, and bought half the restaurant and half the building in 1977. And where was this? The restaurant was Skaffles. Randy Duchaine So you’re from Brooklyn originally? Yeah. I was Brooklyn before Brooklyn was cool. So how did you settle on the location of Williamsburg? I went to this place called Planet Thailand about seven years ago, and I remember going there and it was a Monday night at nine o’clock, Monday night being when chefs go to eat. And we got there and at nine o’clock, at a 10,000 square-foot restaurant, I had to wait an hour. I said I can’t believe this. Something’s going on with this neighborhood. It took me about a year to find my space. It took me another four months to build it up, and I opened Fornino in Williamsburg in October of ‘04. And now, Planet Thailand is closed, and you’re still there. I’m still there. [Laughs] Williamsburg is a very distinct interesting area. I often tell people if you have a tattoo or piercing, you probably have to show your passport. When I ride on the L train—I’m over 50 years old—people just look at me and figure I’m lost. [Laughs] So how is it doing in Williamsburg? Williamsburg is fantastic. Every year we do a little better than the year before. We have a very loyal following. Pizza has almost a cult following. If you open a Chicken Parmesan place, I don’t think you’d have such a cult following as pizza does. Pizza’s the great common denominator of people. Everybody is satisfied by pizza. There’s been a huge sort of boom in what you might call upscale pizza restaurants, which started long after you opened. It actually was long after me, and I kind of feel that I helped start it all, with all this new and improved artisanal pizza. Still to this day—I’m not trying to be pompous, but there’s been no chef of my caliber that has gone into the pizza game. Pizza has become a very serious game in New York. Have you checked out the pizzas at any of these new places that have opened up that have gotten so much attention? I’ve eaten at every one of them. What are your favorites? Mine. I say mine because these newer places would be, they always quote it in the Times, about this new “authentic, authentic, authentic.” The only thing they haven’t brought in is polluted Bay of Naples water. I particularly prefer my style, which is a little bit of a combination of that authentic Neapolitan style, but it’s a little more crispy, a little more the American style. The classic form of Neapolitan pizza would enable you to fold it, which is how you would eat it in the street in Naples. You would be able to fold it in four, and it’s not supposed to crack. Currently that is not my favorite pizza. My pizza I like a little crisper, I like the bottom to be thinner, and I don’t like it to be so doughy.

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Chef Michael Ayoub, Fornino

Photos: Ca Va, Todd English’s Flashy New French Brasserie

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:37:22 +0000

Todd English can’t stop, won’t stop. Having just slapped his celebrated name on the new fancy food court in the Plaza Hotel , the chef/restaurateur is opening Ca Va , a shiny new brasserie adjacent to the new Intercontinental Times Square hotel on West 44th Street. It’s also right by the new Shake Shack , so if you tire of the line you can always pop in here for a $21 sirloin burger. (It opens Monday, which IS ALREADY AUGUST, WTF?!) The sleek establishment, designed by Jeffrey Beers , consists of a dining room seating 80, a private dining room with room for 56 swells, and a swish lounge. Starting next week, Ca Va will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving signature dishes such as Tuna Nicoise with haricots vert, fingerling potatoes, tomato confit, black olives, cucumbers, chopped egg, avocado dressing ($26). For dinner there are options like the Todd’s Cassoulet: duck confit, pork sausage, braised lamb, spring beans, and frisée salad ($29). Or perhaps you’d prefer the Rabbit Wellington: puff pastry wrapped loin, spinach, mushrooms, braised leg, and carrot purée ($26)? According to Zagat Buzz , “the cocktail list is heavy on the French offerings—numerous drinks feature St. Germain and Mathilde’s fruit liqueurs. Libations like the A’labsinthe—a mix of pear vodka, limoncello, Pernod and housemade sweet-and-sour mix—are available for $14.” 310 West 44th Street, (212) 803-4545

Obama In NJ, NYC Today

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:15:53 +0000

Barricades set up outside the View studios on West 66th Street (Jen Chung/Gothamist) President Obama is visiting the Garden State and Big Apple today, so everyone should just get ready for the inevitable gridlock headaches. According to the AP/1010 WINS , “Obama was to speak Wednesday at a sandwich shop in Edison, N.J., to tout a lending initiative aimed at small businesses. From there he was to travel to New York to tape an interview with the daytime talk show ‘The View’ and attend two high-dollar fundraisers for the Democratic National Committee.” From what we’ve gleaned: NJ Governor Chris Christie will greet Obama at Newark Liberty International Airport between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Then he’ll head to the Tastee Sub Shop in Edison, NJ . As for exact street closures in Manhattan, the NYPD hasn’t disclosed any but the View tapes on West 66th Street, off West End Avenue, so expect some gridlock in the Lincoln Center/Upper West Side area Also, NYC Transit sent out this advisory: President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Manhattan on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. As a result, based on street closures (frozen zones) instituted by the U.S. Secret Service and the New York City Police Department, many local and express bus routes in Lower and Midtown Manhattan are expected to be either severely delayed or detoured between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m., especially the M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M7, M9, M11, M14/14A/14D, M15, M20, M21, M31, Q32, M50, M66, M72, M98, M101, M102, M103, M104, BxM1, BxM2, BxM3, BxM4, BxM6, BxM7, BxM7a, BxM9, BxM10 and BxM11. In addition, some subway station entrances/exits along the motorcade route may be temporarily closed. If you have photographs of the President, motorcade, gridlock, etc., you can share them by emailing them to photos@gothamist.com or tagging them “gothamist” on Flickr. Update : Of course Gridlock Sam (former NYC Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz) has details. He Tweets : “FDR Drive frozen below 71st St. both directions around 3pm, around 6pm, & again around 8pm Wed. for President Obama visit,” “President Obama’s 1st NYC stop is the UWS in the 60s & West End Ave. for taping of ‘The View’,” “President Obama will attend fundraiser on 57th & Park Ave. around 5:30pm. Park Ave. & 57th St. will be frozen in all directions,” and “Prez Obama heads to the W. Village in the evening. Avoid the area btwn W. 3rd St. & Houston St. from LaGuardia Pl. to Sixth Ave.”

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Obama In NJ, NYC Today

UF-No!: Chelsea Alien Pod Reveals Earth-Friendly New Look

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:45:31 +0000

Who would’ve thought that the new residential building at 123 West 15th Street would end up looking so boring? That’s our first reaction to the recently unveiled six-story building, which, don’t get us wrong, is a pretty classy dame, but in another life (or better economic conditions) could have looked like this . Though the project is small, it set off one of the neighborhood’s most bitter battles of the boom years , triggered in 2007 when a family tore down an old townhouse to build its Steampunk fantasy palace, dubbed ” Valhalla .” Then came the money problems , and a new owner . We’re still not sure what’s planned for these units (condos? rentals?), but we’ll look to the stars for answers. · Chelsea Alien Pod coverage [Curbed]

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UF-No!: Chelsea Alien Pod Reveals Earth-Friendly New Look

Separated at Birth: Check out the plans for a…

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 13:20:18 +0000

Check out the plans for a new high-rise in Beirut designed by international starchitects Herzog & de Meuron and tell us if it reminds you of the duo’s stalled Tribeca tower at 56 Leonard Street . Though the terraces and overhangs look way bigger, the building still has the Jenga vibe that made 56 Leonard (or the idea of it, anyway) so polarizing. Much closer to the original than that Bangkok thing , right? [Dezeen]

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Separated at Birth: Check out the plans for a…

Artist Claims Cartoon Company Is Cashing In On Her Creation

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:45:59 +0000

A Brooklyn-based artist, 32-year-old Kelly Denato of Park Slope, is suing an animated cartoon studio in the city. The Animation Collective, Inc. and three other defendants are named in her suit, which alleges she is owed royalties for designing a character who has since become the namesake of a Cartoon Network show, Ellen’s Acres . Denato says they have all profited from the cartoon, yet have denied the artist her contractual share of the royalties. She is allegedly supposed to receive 25% of all revenues from book sales, merchandising, animated motion pictures and television shows. Denato told the Wall Street Journal she signed the contract in 2002, and at the time Animation Collective “flat out said, ‘You shouldn’t have been given that contract—it was a mistake,’” and tried to get her to renegotiate it, giving her less of a cut. Since that time, Denato has only received $9K, and is claiming the company has broken their contract with her. Ah, we always knew there was a dark side to the cartoon industry.

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Artist Claims Cartoon Company Is Cashing In On Her Creation

UPDATE: Bronx Tornado CONFIRMED

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:32:00 +0000

[UPDATE BELOW] The storm that tore through the tri-state area yesterday afternoon hammered parts of the Bronx particularly hard, sending trees crashing into cars and houses and scattering participants in the Dominican Day parade. Tree branches smashed windows and tore down power lines, and this morning 348 Con Ed customers in the borough are without power . Although a tornado warning was issued at 3:40 p.m., John Murray of the National Weather Service says there was “no confirmed evidence” of a twister. But the locals know what they saw. Glen Shikora of Kingsbridge says he’s convinced it was a tornado, telling the Daily News , “I heard this roar and thought it was the 1 train coming.” A Riverdale resident whose car was destroyed by a fallen tree declares, “It was definitely a tornado. It came out of nowhere.” And another Kingsbridge local tells the tabloid, “I heard glass breaking and trees snapping. It was like that movie ‘Twister.’ The windows broke and the wind just knocked over everything inside. I ran into the bathroom and waited ’till it stopped. It was very scary.” Over in Brooklyn, the sudden storm interrupted the first set of the free Pool Party concert at East River State Park. As the rain and wind blasted through, an announcement was made from the stage that the event would be relocated to Brooklyn Bowl, sending a thousand wet concertgoers scrambling north on Kent Avenue like an army of malnourished rats following the piper. Winds gusted up to 60 mph in parts of NYC and Long Island, where a giant walnut tree crashed down in the Malhayno family’s backyard, where the kids had been playing moments before being summoned inside. The OEM is asking that people report down trees to 311. But once the storm blew through, the temperature plummeted from a high of 93 degrees to 71 degrees. Upper West Side resident Mike Harris spoke for all of us when he told WCBS , “I’ll take the rain any day over 100 degrees, like it was earlier.” For more on this weekend’s storms, check out these stunning photos and video . UPDATE: The locals were right! The National Weather Service has confirmed that a tornado touched down in the Riverdale Sunday. Fox 5 reports that a National Weather Service storm damage team surveyed the damage today and determined that it’s consisted with an EF1 tornado . After blasting through Riverdale with 100 mph for about 10 minutes, the tornado moved on across Long Island Sound and swept into Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

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UPDATE: Bronx Tornado CONFIRMED

Fort Greene Residents Discuss Living in Fort Greene

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:30:00 +0000

Via Brownstoner Specifically, the residents of South Elliott between Lafayette and Dekalb Avenues discuss life on their block with the Times , from the Bad Old Days to the recent influx of “white girls.” Between rummy games, pig roasts and block parties, longtime Fort Greene residents have seen a lot of change recently. About 40% of the neighborhood is white now, up from 24% in 1980, and the median income now surpasses the national average. Resident Mike Harsh said: “When I got back, one of the things I noticed was, ‘Whoa, where’d all the white girls come from?’ Different people were moving in—young professional types, black and white. They weren’t families coming to start a family, just young renters looking for a cheap place to live. Now people are better off. There’s still crime, but it’s usually crime against strangers. Your neighbors don’t get involved — that is the big difference. Back then if someone was in trouble, people would help. Nowadays when I’m fighting with a mugger I have young white people yelling at me, ‘What are you doing?’” The first place to look for changing times is always the real estate market, and Brownstoner reports that the Italianate brick one-family house on 53 South Elliott street is going for $3,700,000, which they call “sheer lunacy.” But you’ll get the street cred of saying you live in Spike Lee’s favorite neighborhood !

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Fort Greene Residents Discuss Living in Fort Greene

Three Dead in Seven Hours in Night of Queens Violence

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:40:01 +0000

A member of the Hells Angels was found dead on 28th street and Ditmars Boulevard Saturday morning, with several gunshot wounds to his head and bloody footprints where his face had been stomped in. “It looked like a cherry pie,” one local told the Post . The “execution-style” shooting happened around 5 a.m., and witnesses say the killer repeatedly kicked victim John Giampetruzzi as he lay on the ground. The shooting was the latest in a series of unrelated killings in the borough over Friday night. Around 10:40 p.m. on Friday, police found a woman’s body in an alley in St. Albans, with ligature marks on her wrists suggesting she had previously been tied up. She also had a punctured liver, several broken ribs and a broken jaw. Her death was ruled as a homicide, and the ME said she died of internal bleeding. Hours later , a man was beaten to death with a chain and a leather belt outside a bar in Corona. Police say Juan Paucar, 24, and Brandon Perez, 23, chased Mexican immigrant Jose Cortes from La Nortena on Roosevelt Avenue, catching up with him a block later, beating him to death on the street. Paucar and Perez were charged with manslaughter and possession of a weapon. Though these deaths have not yet been factored in, the latest NYPD statistics (through 7/11) say murder is up 16.7% in Queens North and 25% in Queens South. Overall crime is down 2% in the north, but up .5% in the south.

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Three Dead in Seven Hours in Night of Queens Violence

Putin Meets Spies, Sings Soviet Songs With Them

Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:11:40 +0000

Aw, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin celebrated with the “Deep Cover” Russian spies who were arrested in the U.S. and sent to Moscow in a “spy swap” earlier this month . He said , “I met them. We talked about life. We sang, not karaoke, but to live music. We sang From What the Motherland Begins,” which the Guardian explains is a “a sentimental Soviet song… about a daring Russian agent who is sent to Germany during the second world war and infiltrates the SS.” Putin added, “I’m not joking, I am serious. And other songs with a similar content.” He was also sympathetic to their assignment, “First [problem] was to master a foreign language as your own. Think and speak it and do what you are told to do for the interest of your motherland for many years without counting on diplomatic immunity.” Pootie Poot furthered remarked that the spies were revealed as “the result of treason,” and ominously said, “It always ends badly for traitors: as a rule, their end comes from drink or drugs, lying in a ditch. And for what?”

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Putin Meets Spies, Sings Soviet Songs With Them