Beets :: Quick Clean Up for Spring

I'm willing warm temperatures to come on strong...any day now.  If nothing else, sunshine and a bit of spring cleaning is a decent place to start.  If you're looking for a nice 'jumpstart' towards beach season, give a thought to a nice bowl of roasted beets, or a simple beet salad, or some more creative uses for the colorful root veg.  Beets are like your personal springtime cleanup crew.  Jammed with antioxidants and nutrients to detox the liver along with a good dose of fiber, they'll flush out toxins and kick up digestion super fast.  Just beware, they'll stain virtually anything they come in contact with, nothing a good washing can't take care of.  Check out these brilliant photos and easy beet recipes from my latest column in Rue Magazine's fourth issue.  Click here for Bright Beet & Feta Dip with Grilled Toasts; Golden & Ruby Beet Salad with Oranges, Hazelnuts & Fiore Sardo Cheese; Dark Chocolate Beet Cupcakes with Goat Cheese-Hazelnut Frosting (oh yeah, they're crazy good!).

...and a few more gorgeous pics from the talented Rima Campbell.

Where You Should Be Eating Now :: Hudson Clearwater

A little undercover, the type of vibe that makes you want to stay all night, warm and rustic design, killer music...and a whole lot of incredible food.  Located in the West Village, Hudson Clearwater is the restaurant scene's newest, best kept secret.  I've waited far too long to post something about this place, but figured we could all use a bit of food-driven excitement on such a dreary day.

HCW is keen on keeping a low-profile, making your experience that much more personal.  No distinct storefront awning and a clandestine garden entrance help make the space the cool, hidden gem that it is.  Step inside and you'll immediately be welcomed by an open kitchen where you'll watch first-hand the energy, excitement and authenticity that goes into executive chef Wes Long's menu.  He's the type of guy who'll take time to greet you and chat about anything and everything for a few minutes (or longer), as will any of HCW's four owners, Mark and John Barboni, Christopher Brandon and Matthew Hechter.

Long's genuine appreciation of food and his attention to good health, flavor and sustainably-sourced ingredients is clear.  Not too shocking, it's one of the reasons I keep on coming back.  HCW's vision of fusing health and seasonality into knockout restaurant fare runs deep and it shows.  Given my frequent visits, I've been lucky enough to experience just about all of the menu (and a few chef tasting meals as well).  A few dishes to daydream about this afternoon...arugula with spiced pecans, St. Andre & apple ribbons; the aged white cheddar shortcake, roasted root vegetables and horseradish creme fraiche; crispy duck breast with grilled onion and swiss chard ragout; the cured pork belly (yes, I'm suggesting you order pork belly) with grilled beets, creamy polenta and cherry-dickel caramel.  Be sure to get a side of Brussels sprouts and the potato-cauliflower gratin with radish salad, they're pretty amazing.  I won't call out a specific dessert because that'd be discriminatory and they're all stellar, but twist my arm and I'd shoot for the lemon bar with fig compote or the chocolate-cherry ganache with fresh fruit...so light and balanced, you'll comfortably leave the table without feeling like someone needs to roll you out the door.  And an fyi, or word of warning, definitely glance over the cocktail list.  

Good guys doing up genuine food.  You can't really go wrong with that.  Looking forward to Long's spring menu, due out very soon.
And ps., you'll definitely want to keep this little secret to yourself (and a few very lucky friends).  

images via: UrbanDaddy & Nourish

A Few Foodie Ways to Help Japan

I'm coming off a gorgeous sun-filled weekend that was fairly calm and relaxing...and gave me some time to think about the tragedy in Japan (or maybe it was a wee bit too much CNN and Meet the Press).  Either way, after a little internet scouting, I found some interesting food-related ways to help support relief efforts. Check 'em all out on my post today over at Rue - including a fundraising event at EN Brasserie this week.  And stay tuned for the much-anticipated premiere of Rue's Issue 4 tomorrow!

heart-shaped ceramic bowl from Kolde Studio on Etsy - 50% of proceeds go to relief efforts