YumSugar

Momofuku's David Chang Talks Sabbaticals and San Francisco

YumSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:00:48 -0800

We've always been huge fans of New York chef and restaurateur David Chang: He was Sugar's pick for Best Restaurant Chef of 2008. By fusing innovative flavor combinations and haute kitchen techniques with casual dining, the Momofuku overlord revolutionized the restaurant scene in America.

What's most refreshing about Chang, however, are his irreverent demeanor and unapologetic opinions. Even though I'd interviewed him before, when I heard Chang and his co-author, New York Times writer Peter Meehan, were in town promoting their new bible, the Momofuku Cookbook, I couldn't resist chatting with them. His two cents on culinary trends, TV, and Top Chef Masters, after the jump.

Food Section Sampler - Oct. 21, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:30:06 -0700

Matchboxes, a cost-effective way to advertise, are making a gradual comeback in restaurants. - New York Times
Even Bon Appétit hasn't been spared from layoffs at Condé Nast. - New York Post
Former Top Cheffer Stefan Richter's new restaurant, Stefan's at LA Farm, is off to a good start. - Los Angeles Times
Why do so many California farm-to-table restaurants neglect to feature local wines? - San Francisco Chronicle
Fast, easy, and healthy recipe: Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce.- Boston Globe
Fine Living's Bartender Wars reveals a not-so-great glimpse of tending bar. - Washington Post
A guide to star chef David Chang's Momofuku restaurants, as well as his new cookbook. - Wall Street Journal

Yummy Links: From Clinton Kelly to Guy Fieri

partysugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 10:15:17 -0700

What Not to Wear's Clinton Kelly's ultimate guide to entertaining. - The Epi-Log
A detailed inside look at the New York Wine and Food Festival. - Eater NY
Learn how to make perfectly boiled eggs.- Serious Eats
The simple chic approach to Fall decorating. - Hostess With the Mostess
What's the difference between a digestif and an apéritif? - Chow
10 things Anthony Bourdain and David Chang hate. - Grub Street NY
On Saturday Night Live, Guy Fieri gets attacked by birds. - Eat Me Daily

Yummy Links: From Lobster to Burgers

partysugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:50:27 -0700

Lobster: Get it while it's cheap! - The Atlantic
Meet TasteStopping, the website that takes Tastespotting's rejects. - Eat Me Daily
Spice things up with Padma's chili honey butter. - Serious Eats
What’s the right answer to “Can I bring anything?” - Chow
Deep dish blueberry maple French toast. Enough said. - Endless Simmer
The next time you host a baby shower be inspired by the letter B . - Hostess With the Mostess
In September, David Chang and Wylie Dufresne will let a group of French chefs take over their kitchens. - Eater
21 top-rated burger recipes, including beef, turkey, cheese, and veggie varieties. - Epicurious

Yummy Links: From David Chang to Hamentashen

partysugar — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 07:50:32 -0700

David Chang is an approved "character" on the USA Network. - Serious Eats
Tips for saving money when ordering wine. - Wall Street Journal
One San Francisco chef expresses his right to enjoy foie gras. - Eat Me Daily
Twelve delicious and affordable ways to prepare ground beef. - The Kitchn
The cookbook nominees for the International Association of Culinary Professionals have been announced. - Al Dente
Do eggs need to be refrigerated? - Chow
Celebrate Purim by making sweet Danish hamentashen. - The Epi-Log

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The Year's Best Restaurant Chef

YumSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:30:14 -0800

For our Best of 2008 series, we asked you who you thought deserved the title of best restaurant chef of the year.

The votes for Masaharu Morimoto and Thomas Keller were neck and neck, but ultimately your pick was Thomas Keller.

We must, however, respectfully disagree and say that our pick for best restaurant chef is David Chang. Since David Chang opened his first Momofuku restaurant, the New York chef has skyrocketed to unexpected heights of celebrity chefdom.

We have always been fans of the talented young chef's unparalleled innovation in flavor and technique, and his ability to bring a dramatically different yet affordable type of comfort food to the masses. When we sat down with him at Slow Food Nation, we also fell for his self-deprecating humor and bad boy demeanor.

Have you been to one of Chang's Momofuku restaurants?

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Yummy Links: From Side Dishes to Sweet Potato Pie

partysugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:46:06 -0800

Twelve sensational, make-ahead sides. - Bon Appétit
Cooking secrets from David Chang. - Cooking With Amy
Learn the difference between shrimp and prawns. - Chow
Simple and delicious: butternut squash, sage, and browned butter. - The Kitchn
How to make cottage cheese. - Serious Eats
This Thanksgiving, serve buttermilk sweet potato pie for dessert. - Baking Bites

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David Chang on Slow Food (and Fast Food)

YumSugar — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 03:00:08 -0700

On hand at this weekend's Slow Food Nation was Momofuku chef David Chang, whose self-described "vaguely Asian" New York restaurants have catapulted him to celebrity status in the past several years. In a guest appearance at the festival's Green Kitchen, Chang showed the audience Momofuku's twist on caprese salad. As he was prepping for his demonstration, he was kind enough to talk to me about slow food, fast food (Chipotle and In-N-Out are his favorites), future plans, and his latest infatuation. To read what he had to say, read more.

YumSugar: Why did you get involved with Slow Food Nation?
DC: Alice [Waters] asked me to be a part of it. I've gotten to know a lot of work that she does outside of Chez Panisse. I'm not affiliated [with Slow Food] . . . but they're trying to preserve certain traditions. At the very least, it's a really amazing opportunity for people to try new things.

YS: What do you think of those who see Slow Food as an expensive cause for food snobs?
DC: I understand both points. They’re not trying to hurt people. They just want to share. It's a byproduct of American culture - the fact that we don’t have a food culture - to enjoy food is to be elitist. To not eat fast food means that you’re in a different income bracket.

YS: Where will you dine while you're in town?
DC: I'm going to eat at Michael Mina and Quince. I want to check out Daniel Patterson's restaurant [Coi]. My good friend Ed Carew opened up the Cottage Eatery with his wife in Tiburon. Tonight I'm going to go to A16. Tomorrow we're going to Chris Cosentino's restaurant [Incanto], and then we're going to Napa. I always like Bouchon, and I'd love to check out Jeremy [Fox]'s new restaurant Ubuntu.

YS: What do you consider to be your greatest culinary accomplishment?
DC: I don’t know. Honestly, [the fame], it's absurd and comedic. I’m just that dude!

YS: Where do you eat when you're not working?
DC: I love wd-50 and Peasant. I love to go to Per Se, and Hearth is a great restaurant. I love all the Grand Sichuans and Oriental Garden.

YS: What's next for you? There's been lots of speculation.
DC: Maybe trying to unravel all of this? We’re doing lunch for Ko, renovating Ssäm Bar, and redoing the menu at Noodle Bar. We’re doing an expansion of soft-serve, bakery, and dessert at the Ssäm Bar. That's a lot. So while there’s all this talk about future projects, that’s certainly flattering, but we’re just trying to keep it running.

YS: I hear you want to start an Edible Schoolyard in New York, Alice Waters-style.
DC: I would love to. That would be really great.

YS: Noodles or rice?
DC: Rice. Right now I’m infatuated with rice. As much as I love noodles, it’s the year of the rice for me, for all of the [Momofuku] restaurants. Nobody knows anything about rice. Think about Vietnamese cuisine. How the hell do you make rice with no technology? It’s pretty impressive.

YS: Top Chef or Iron Chef?
DC: Neither. I’d like Iron Chef more if Alex Lee never lost. Alex Lee may be the greatest chef America never knew about - maybe the greatest chef America ever produced - and he lost, which is a bunch of bulls**t. Top Chef is great. I used to watch it, but once you start seeing people that you know on TV, the contestants, it's like watching a train wreck. I don’t want to watch it.

YS: Tokyo or Paris?
DC: F**k, that's hard. I'm gonna say Paris.

YS: Truffles or foie gras?
DC: What kind of truffles? We'll go with truffles - no, both. I want to have my cake and eat it too.

YS: Amuse-bouche or dessert?
DC: Amuse.

YS: Chinese takeout or pizza delivery?
DC: I love both! Chinese takeout.

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Trend Alert: Pickling

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:15:52 -0700

Pickling has been a craft for the past 5,000 years, but its biggest moment may be right now.

With supermarket prices on the rise, the home consumer products industry has seen a spike in canning and pickling at home. The Martha Stewart Show recently featured Momofuku minimogul David Chang giving a pickling demonstration. Prominent restaurants chefs from Los Angeles to New Orleans have been showcasing house-made pickles in menu items.

Even I jumped on the bandwagon, extolling the virtues of rapid preserving in a three-hour pickling recipe. Quick pickles are especially appealing, as they don't require any special canning equipment and the techniques can be used on everything from grapes to watermelon rinds. Because pickles are one of my favorite foods, I'm excited to try all the new ideas I've been reading about. What about you? Have you caught on to the pickling bug?

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Yummy Links: From Kitschy Kitchens to Top Chef 5

partysugar — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:45:12 -0700

Decorate your kitchen with these kitschy, retro-glam finds. - Hostess with the Mostess
Make gourmet coffee at home. - Slashfood
New to cooking? Check a beginner cookbook out of your library. - Chow
Just how good are Starbucks's smoothies? - Baking Bites
Get to know David Chang of Momofuku fame a little better. - Serious Eats
Take a look at San Francisco's just-planted Slow Food Nation Victory Garden. - CasaSugar
Cookthink gets a stylish new makeover. - Cookthink
Learn how to make crispy and delicious fried green tomatoes. - The Kitchn
Help McDonald's name its new dollar menu. - The Epi-Log
Calling all New Yorkers: be on the lookout for the filming of Top Chef Season 5! - Eater

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