Amy's Tastings - New York Area Wines, Jams, Candy, Pickles, and More!

Littleviews has discontinued its Amy's Tastings column as of January, 2008.

Information currently found in this area will be available elsewhere on Littleviews. We're sorry about the inconvenience!


>>  New York City is about more than pizza slices, hot pretzels, bagels, and gobs of cream cheese. While these Big Apple staples are divine, you'll find amazing gourmet goodies at Greenmarkets, specialty stores, liquor stores, discount shops, regular grocery stores, and even in tiny bodegas.

Yes, it's great to be served specialty beverages and foods at 4-star restaurants, but then, fresh, East Coast jams spread on crusty bread are more than their equal in terms of taste (and, ahum, cost).

Got a family? Tight budget? Or more money to spend than is wise or prudent for most people? You'll all enjoy treasure-hunting in New York for its finest products. Best? Most cost between $3 and $20 each.

Whether you live here or are visiting, I think you'll have as much fun as our family does hunting for special New York area food and beverages. Of course, if you're looking for fresh gift ideas, nothing beats beautifully packaged, hand-packed, tasty food.

Questions? Ask away . . .
Amy Kotulski
May 9, 2008

Amy's "Gimme Guide" DECEMBER 2, 2007: We interrupt regularly scheduled Amy's Tastings for...the best month of the year. At least for me. December holds both my birthday and the holidays. But anyone who has also been burdened by a birthday close to the season of giving knows that we tend to get a raw deal when it comes to gifts. So because I am a Sagitarrian whose gifts often do double duty, I have complied a few of my favorite things, all accessible in NYC, that might inspire someone to spoil their sweetie: 1. Hair color at the The Rita Hazan Salon. Rita Hazan salon. She is renowned for dramatic color that looks natural, and my brown locks are in need of some serious winter warm up. 2. Sephora Gift Certificate. I am a beauty junkie, and this place lets me smudge and dab to my hearts content. They also have a generous return policy, and multiple Manhattan locations. 3. Personal trainer packages from New York Sports Club. I could rival Santa with this belly! 4. A great pair of jeans. I have recently discovered that Lucky Jeans can transform the tush, and now they sell kids clothes as well! 5. A variety of de-stressing spa treatments. Bliss Spa is the go-to place for this type of luxury, from from eyebrow waxing to foot massage and everything in between!

Chocolate Explosions NOVEMBER 26, 2007: 'Tis the season...of total gluttony, as far as I am concerned! In my opinion, the only thing worth total caloric carelessness is CHOCOLATE. But not just any chocolate. If I am going to do it, I want something spectacular that can't be found at the drugstore. I met Meredith's Bread on a particularly gloomy Manhattan morning, down on Wall Street. There was a mini farmers market right outside, of all places, the subway station. I was immediately attracted to the heaps of chocolate from Meredith's Bread, which hails from Kingston, NY. When I asked someone from Meredith's for the one thing was that was most worth trying, he pointed me towards the Chocolate Explosions. The name alone made me sure that this was the treat for me. And my ride on the uptown 4 train never tasted so sweet. Dense chocolate truffle like goodness gives way to a delightful base of sweet almond flavor. The flavors are rich but the overall effect is light and creamy. It is the perfect chocolate experience. Chocolate explosions work wonderfully within a collection of petit fours after a fantastic holiday meal. Not to mention a sublime stocking stuffer. Meredith's Bread products can be found at several area Greenmarkets. For more information call 845-331-4318.

Vincent's Pasta Sauce NOVEMBER 15, 2007: Most of us who don't call ourselves great cooks can at least...boil water. And if you can do that, you are just two steps away from an Italian meal of your own. Sure, making your own sauce is not that difficult. But if I have a choice between chopping tomatoes and simmering onions versus removing the sharp object from the hands of my two year old before she lodges it in the baby's eye, I will choose the latter. Long ago, I would pick my pasta sauces by price alone. That is until my husband, the ingredient police, pointed out that "high fructose corn syrup" has little to do with tomatoes, and even less to do with a sauce that tastes homemade enough to pass off as your own. I discovered Vincent's at my local gourmet shop, and while it is pricer than the mass produced brands, (approximately $7.00 a jar), it is well worth the investment. Vincent's Sauces hail from Vincent's Clam Bar restaurant, established in 1904 in Little Italy. You can now find the restaurant in Carle Place, New York, but the sauces are far more accessible and absolutely delicious. Vincent's credits an "old world recipe", but I credit its limited and well chosen ingredients. Each flavor is an experience on to itself, and you can choose from "Mild", "Medium", "Hot" or "Marinara". Be prepared that the Medium is already quite hot, but the hot is perfect for that Arrabiata dish. Here's an embarassingly easy that works well at my house where time is limited but quality remains priority: Roll unseasoned meatballs and submerge in a large pot of Vincent's sauce. Cook medium-high on stovetop for at least one and a half hours depending on your preferred meatball texture. Simmer on low and you will have the most delectable spaghetti and meatballs that does not require more than 10 minutes of time or any ingredient ingenuity. Vincent's sauces can be found at supermarkets, gourmet shops or online at vincentsclambar.com. They bring a homemade taste to any pasta creation, and all you have to do is recycle the jar and receive your applause. For restaurant information and reservations, call 516-742-4577.

Eve's Cidery Northern Spy Naturally Sparkling Cider OCTOBER 15, 2007: New Yorkers wouldn't know it, but autumn is in the air (somewhere). And while this uncharacteristically warm weather leaves us wondering if we traded our bikinis for our boots too soon, fall foods are everywhere. Favorite coffee houses are featuring spicy lattes, and pumpkins are lining the flower sections of our favorite bodegas. The ice cream trucks are melting, the bags of chestnuts are roasting. It's time to celebrate the season, even though the temperatures haven't caught up yet. While I surely miss the peaches and plums of summer (I am a fruit-aholic), fall makes me think only of apples. Picking, stewing, baking and most recently...sipping. Since it's not chilly enough for hot cider with a cinnamon swizzle, enter Eve's Cidery Northern Spy Naturally Sparkling Cider. Handmade with real cider apples, this sparkling wine is pretty potent (10% alcohol), and described as "bone dry", unlike more familiar cider beers. This sparkling cider is fermented in its own bottle and cider apples provide a distinctly different taste, one that is strong and sweet but definitely tangier than your supermarket apple. For this sorta-spring weather, this cider provides a fall feeling that still refreshes. I love the idea of using this cider as a punch for an adults only Halloween bash, or tucked inside a picnic basket while Central Park is still..picnic-able. This cider can be purchased at the Union Square Greenmarket, but it originally hails from the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Eve's Cidery also boasts a popular cider named "Autumn's Gold". Now there's something to toast to.

Beth's Farm Kitchen Sour Cherry Jam. SEPTEMBER 17, 2007: In the song "Bootylicious", Beyonce sings: "I don't think you're ready for this jelly." Well, I was so ready for THIS jelly. I mean, if we are talking about Beth's Farm Kitchen Sour Cherry Jam. Why? Because at my house, someone is always eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. And it's not just the kids. My husband and I often surrender to PB and J for dinner, when we are likely too exhausted to even think of cooking. It's fast, easy and yummy. And after the 500th sandwich, its pretty damn boring. Enter Beth's Farm Kitchen Sour Cherry Jam. This jam is unlike any other I have seen, much less tasted. Let's begin with the fact that there are merely three ingredients: sour cherries, sugar and pectin. The cherries are basically whole, with some gel, making it incredibly interesting on a purely visual level. But its more than the look. The taste is fantastic, a slightly sour but much more sweet and sophisticated flavor that emerges from a chunky spread of delicious cherries. It elevates the PB and J experience to a whole new level with a decidedly adult twist. I am sure this jam could do something fantastic to other home made favorites, anything from braised meats to pound cake. Its also a great cranberry sauce substitute. Truth be told, just a jar and a spoon could be a pretty decadent combinatuon, but save some for the sandwiches. Available in a variety of fruits at the Union Square GreenMarket. All of Beth's Farm Kitchen jams are made from locally grown fruits and are available at the Union Square Greenmarket. The farm itself can be found in Hudson Valley, New York.

Mean Beans - what does this say about New York? AUGUST 22, 2007: My husband, Abs, is a horrible food-sharer. When we are at a restaurant, he generally orders something far more decadent and appealing than my naked salad. I eye it longingly, and he pretends to ignore me, gobbling up his meal as quickly as possible. Should I dare try and stretch a fork across the table and onto his plate, he will reluctantly parcel over a piece, denying all the time that he does not want to share. I, on the other hand, love to share snacks. I am a food pusher, lavishing the plates of loved ones with whatever is on my own. It can get annoying, I am sure, as I inherited this trait from my Jewish mother, who was always siphening off half her meal onto my father's plate as he moaned in protest. When I came across Rick's Pick's Mean Beans at the Union Square Greenmarket, I was mainly amused by the name and am a lover of all things pickled. I was delighted to find that these green beans were spiked with some serious cayenne, which pretty much kicks you right in the taste buds about ten seconds into the chew. Seductively sweet at first, these beans, whose original recipe hails from Vermont - are not for the weak of palate. I served the beans with dinner one night, and soon thereafter I found Abs snacking on them furtively in front of an open fridge, the tell tale watery eyes and quiet panting giving him away. He had quickly become a Mean Beans addict, and before I knew it, he had all but emptied the jar. Had I known they would go so fast, I would have made sure I used them as a great addition to a crudite and cheese platter - or as "Rick" recommends -- taking the leftover juice to pickle carrots and adding the beans to a martini or Bloody Mary. Nevertheless, these beans will knock your socks off and keep you coming back for more - just make sure you keep an eye on them as they are sure to go fast.