A New York City hospitality group is inviting New Yorkers to rediscover old favorites during its Forgotten Foods Festival later this month.
From March 28 through April 6, Chef Driven Hospitality’s restaurants will bring back storied dishes from their cuisines, spanning from French and Mediterranean to Israeli and American. The recipes will be paired with a lineup of wines and cocktails to complement each restaurant’s menu, curated by Chef Driven Hospitality’s Beverage Director Aviram Turgeman.
“Our chef-led philosophy brings a personal touch to everything we do in our restaurants,” said Simon Oren, Partner of Chef Driven Hospitality. “Our chefs and their teams have reached into their memories for dishes from their past that truly spoke to them, each infused with the spirit of the restaurant’s cuisine. We are excited for our guests to experience this nostalgic journey through food and drink,” said Leir Oren, Partner, Chef Driven Hospitality.
The dishes featured on the Forgotten Foods menus will be inspired by recipes passed down from great-grandmothers, dishes discovered during travels, memories from the Executive Chefs and their teams and techniques that they mastered in their first culinary roles. For example, Chef Amitzur Mor’s menu at Barbounia will feature Yemenite Beef Soup (oxtail calf’s feet, marrow bones, potatoes, hawayej and hilbeh condiment), North African “Moch Mcharmel” (Spicy Veal Brain Stew), and the Persian dessert Faloodeh Shirazi (rice angel hair noodles,rose water, sour cherry, pistachio ice cream).
“We had neighbors from all over the world, all with their own special foods. My menu reflects what I saw and ate at their homes and in small eateries,” said Mor.
At LeMonde, Chef Segundo Guaman added a pike fish with barigoule, which, according to Guaman, is “a dish named after a mushroom that became so rare, the dish itself fell into obscurity…” Other new menu items at participating restaurants include Estockaficada (salt cod and vegetable stew with olives and potatoes) from Executive Chef Andy D’Amico at Nice Matin, the Tacos de Lengua (beef tongue) at Playa Betty’s, and the Coda alla Vaccinara (braised oxtails) with polenta at Sempre Oggi, to name just a few.
For the cocktail menus, the Forgotten Foods Festival will bring back the Apple Martini and the Sazerac. For wine selections, Turgeman selected the Blanquette de Limoux (Domaine de Martinolles “Le Berceau”), White Zinfandel (Turley Wine Cellars), Vin de Savoie- Apremont (Domaine Marc Portaz “Tête de Cuvée”), and Gaillac (Domaine du Moulin “Cuvee Reserve”).
“You really don’t find these wines, or the grapes they are produced with, anywhere outside of their French regions of origin,” said Turgeman. “I selected them for that reason as well as for their versatility and food friendliness.”
Participating restaurants include:
- Barbounia, 250 Park Ave. South
- Acadia, 101 West 57th St.
- Dagon, 2454 Broadway
- LeMonde, 2885 Broadway
- Marseille, 630 9th Ave.
- Nice Matin, 201 W 79th St.
- Cafe D’Alsace, 1703 2nd Ave.
- Monterey, 37 East 50th St.
- 5 Napkin Burger, 630 9th Ave. and 2315 Broadway
- French Roast, 2340 Broadway
- L’Express, 249 Park Ave. South
- Nizza, 630 9th Ave.
- Playa Betty’s, 320 Amsterdam Ave.
- Sempre Oggi, 164 W 75th St.
The Forgotten Foods Festival menus will be available at each restaurant for lunch and dinner.
