Eric Asimov is in Fact Isaac's Nephew, and He Has a New Book Coming Out

Eric Asimov is the wine critic for the New York Times.  His contributions have long been insightful and educational.  Asimov's approach to wine is casual and intentionally unpretentious.  "In the most enlightened households and cultures, wine belongs on the table as part of a meal. It’s a staple, like bread, rice, potatoes or salt, and this is the basis of how I understand wine."

Asimov has a new book coming out.  It's called How to Love Wine: A Memoir and Manifesto and it will hit shelves October 16th.  For more with Asimov, head over to I'll Drink To That, a podcast hosted by Levi Dalton and produced by Matt Duckor, and listen to their interview.  The podcast features wonderful conversations with different people at the center of the wine industry.  Other cork dorks featured on I'll Drink To That include Aldo Sohm of Le Bernardin and David Lillie, a founding partner in Chambers Street Wines, one of Manhattan's best wine stores.

Pete Wells Loves Le Bernardin, and the Yankees

revamped dining room at le bernardinLast year, towards the end of summer, Le Bernardin shut down for a month to get an overhaul from a team of architects and designers from Bentel & Bentel.  The restaurant reopened in mid September, and today, Pete Wells files a four-star review on his recent experience at the restaurant Eric Ripert has been the executive chef at for 18 years.

"People sometimes ask him (Ripert) if he gets tired of cooking fish. Clearly these people have never eaten at Le Bernardin. No other restaurant in the city makes the simple cooking of fish (and the fish at Le Bernardin is cooked simply, when it is cooked at all) seem so ripe with opportunities for excitement."

"Like nearly all the savory dishes, this one depends upon the kitchen’s expert sauciers, especially Vincent Robinson, who has been on the job since 1985. Standing over his stockpots, Mr. Robinson has the control of Mariano Rivera on the mound. (Get well soon, Mr. Rivera.)" 

You can almost taste the dishes as Wells points out combinations of flavors put together by Mr. Robinson, "When he blends bergamot with grapefruit and other citrus for lobster, or jalapeño with lime for fluke sashimi, the nip of acidity will touch down precisely on this spot of your tongue, and nowhere else."

Wells is happy to join the ranks of Times critics that have placed Le Bernardin at its most acclaimed, four stars.  "Why wait to say it: today I fall in line, happily, with my predecessors."

Alan Richman Strikes Again

GQ food writer Alan Richman has given us his list of The 10 Best Restaurants in New York for 2012.  All six of the 4-star restaurants in NYC make his list, although it's The Salon at Per Se getting the credit, not the dining room. 

Cesar Ramirez's Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare takes the number one spot, while Le Bernardin and Corton round out the top three.