Now Eat This: Healthy Meal Makeovers with Rocco DiSpirito

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What are the first things that come to mind when you think of a good Italian boy? We bet food, good looks and a loving mama are in the top three, especially when said Italian boy is superstar chef Rocco DiSpirito.

He first gained widespread acclaim after opening Union Pacific, his multi-starred restaurant in New York City. He was voted America’s Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine and was the first chef to land the cover of Gourmet magazine’s “America’s Most Exciting Young Chef” issue.  And he practically created food reality TV with his hit series The Restaurant. So, yes, the man can cook. Which means he can eat.  But he didn’t become People magazine’s “Sexiest Chef Alive” by stuffing his face. Rocco is an avid triathlete and is a spokesperson for Feeding America, Food Bank for New York City , and Dr. Oz’s Healthcorps. For Rocco, healthy and delicious are no longer mutually exclusive. And he’s got the recipes to prove it.

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Frankies Team Opens Francesca in 17 Clinton Space

The team behind the Frankies trio of restos changes things up with Francesca. Not only is the name different, but the cuisine is, too: goodbye Italy, hello Spain. Chef Ryan Bartlow  - who turned out the goods at Frankies 570 Spuntino – is putting his two years of experience at Spain’s three-Michelin starred San Sebastian resto Akelarre to good use here with a menu of Basque style tapas. Think chilled roasted sirloin, dry-aged beef tartare with cauliflower cream and roasted mushrooms, and  seafood selects like braised octopus, marinated anchovies, and local fish en salsa verde. Cocktails are sherry focused until they move past wine (obvi, heavily Spanish) and beer. The space, the former Frankie’s 17 Clinton St, is a mix of dark and light: white pressed tin and white washed exposed brick frame a room filled with dark wood shelves (to display the wine) and pub tables and stools. Snag a seat in the outdoor garden if the weather allows.

17 Clinton Street

Between E Houston and Stanton

New York, NY

212-253-2303

See map: Google Maps

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Wahoo's Fish Taco Comes to NYC

Last weekend marked the opening of the first EC branch of WC’s famed Wahoo’s Fish Taco. Along with a menu of favorites like the Maui Bowl, Teriyaki marinated steak served over steamed, seasoned rice and beans; Banzai Burrito, Banzai veggies (a mix of onion, cabbage, red and green peppers, mushrooms, zucchini and broccoli), with rice, beans and salsa; and beer battered Maui Onion Rings, the NYC branch is getting a full bar with a selection of signature cocktails, including Wahoo’s Margarita, Sauza, Triple Sec, Wahoo’s Sweet & Sour, Cactus Leaf; Baja Iced Tea, Grey Goose L’ Orange, Agave, Ice Tea, Mint; Godzilla, Sky Raspberry Vodka, Monster Energy, Cranberry Juice; and Moto Mary, Skyy Vodka, Bloody Mary Mix, Soy Sauce, Sriracha, Wasabi. Wahoo’s will also offer 6 beers on tap, including local Brooklyn-based, Kelso Brewery. Keeping with Wahoo’s spirit, tradition and longtime support of action sports—skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding—the 2,500 square foot space features unique street art murals from popular apparel brands Element and DC Shoes. Boards, bikes and more adorn the dining room. In a nod to the Big Apple, Brooklyn-based longboard company, Bustin Boards, will also contribute to the décor with a selection of one-of-a-kind, hand-screen-printed skateboard decks. Wahoo’s plans to incorporate more local brands and products as they settle into the market.

333 Park Avenue South, between 24th and 25th Streets.

Baby Rant: If you order a "babyccino" for your kid, you're a moron

I sincerely hope this "babyccino" thing is a hoax. But, if it is not, be forewarned: If I see you out with your kid and you order this, I may slap you upside the head. Seriously, ordering a cappuccino for your kid? What is wrong with this picture? And please don't use the "oh, well they do it in Europe all the time" excuse. Because they dont. I grew up in Italy and have a right-off-the-boat mother and there is now way any Italian parent would PAY FOR SOMEONE TO GIVE THEIR CHILD COFFEE! What they do do in Italy is pour a teaspoon drop of coffee into a giant sized cup of milk and blend it up so that it is literally brown tinted milk and that is only when the kids insist on tasting/having some of what everyone else is drinking. And it is done AT HOME. Not in a coffee shop. Because that is what we need more of in Brooklyn: super demanding children who now demand things in coffee shops.

Urban Food Delivery…for your baby…from a Top Chef Alum.

New Yorkers have been getting their food delivered for years. From the Zone to juice cleanses to Nutripia. Every morning, health conscious New Yorkers wake up to a cooler full of healthy, freshly prepared food to get them (mostly hers) through the day.  Well, now it’s your baby’s turn.

Top Chef alum – and mom to one-year-old Jax -  Nikki Cascone has never fed her baby anything from a pouch or a jar. And she sees no reason for your baby to either. Cascone, who won fans during Top Chef’s heated fourth season in Chicago – runs her own culinary and hospitality business and has expanded her menu to include baby food. Lil Urban Food Co. is her home delivery company that focuses on bringing fresh, organic baby food right to your door. That means no more gray peas or orange tinted bananas. Nope. You’re little one will be dining on the good stuff: think fresh herbs and spices (all dr. approved by baby’s age) mixed in with seasonal and organic fruit, veggies, rice and pastas.

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