5 Slides
Farzi
Contrary to popular usage in the United States, tofu in China, where the soybean curd originated, is not used as a meat substitute, but simply as an inexpensive protein source, quite frequently mixed with meat, such as in the popular dish from Sichuan province, mapo tofu, for which it’s normally augmented by minced pork.
But Kevin Chu, the new chef at Ace Eat Serve in Denver, is taking the vegan route for his version of the dish, dressing the tofu in a spicy sauce with bok choy and local mushrooms.
The heirloom tomatoes of summer are highlighted in the chaat, a category of Indian street snacks, at Farzi in New York City, and seasonal squash blossoms are stuffed with Jonah crab and fried for a seasonal appetizer at The Pheasant, in Dennis, Massachusetts.
Back in New York, ramen noodles get firmed up by stir-frying them after steaming them for a yakisoba dish at Kei, and in Chicago at a new bar called Bobo, a cocktail called “Only Splashes,” named for a joke on bartender terminology, combines popcorn-infused tequila with several “splashes” of bespoke liqueurs.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]
