"Andrew and Karen, I wanted to express our gratitude for your quotes on Rocco DiSpirito's radio program and the quotes you delivered for Ron Eade's Ottawa Citizen article [on our love of Canadian food and wine]. Many Canadians and Americans have emailed or called to express their interest...and to have your validation has given us much-needed exposure into the 'right' culinary circles, here in New York and abroad."

-- Philip A.J. Nichols, Trade Commissioner,
Canadian Consulate General, after the "Eat, Drink Canada" event
held at Eleven Madison Park restaurant in New York City

Dear Friends & Colleagues,

We hope this finds you in the midst of a delicious summer!

Along the way to finishing our exciting next book on food and beverage pairing, we have been exploring many new gastronomic synergies. Since our last e-Newsletter, we've interviewed dozens of sommeliers at top American restaurants -- from Alinea's Joe Catterson to Per Se's Paul Roberts to Rubicon's Larry Stone; visited a winery (Bridgehampton's Channing Daughters, where we sipped wines with winemaker Christopher Tracy and manager Allison Dubin) and a brewery (Brooklyn Brewery, before having lunch with brewmaster Garrett Oliver); and tasted our way through some extraordinary pairings of food with everything from wine to beer to sake to tea.

We share a few highlights below, but you'll find a lot more details and photos on our Web site's Blog here, which is updated almost every day. And since all our recommendations in this issue are based in New York, what better excuse to pay a visit to what David Letterman rightly calls "The Greatest City in the World" to check them out!

We mean it: Here's all you need to enjoy a trip to New York City this summer. 1) Get a great deal on a flight by checking out Airfare Watchdog. 2) Get a great deal on a hotel at Express Hotel Reservations (which we've used and loved for more than 15 years). 3) Plow all the money you've just saved into lunches and dinners at the restaurants mentioned below! Anything else you need to know about New York, you can find out through Charlie Suisman's Web site Manhattan User's Guide. If you don't already have a free subscription to his extraordinary daily e-Newsletter, we promise you'll thank us for urging you to sign up here.

Bon voyage, and bon appetit!

Delicious wishes,
Andrew & Karen

P.S. As always, we love hearing from you at Dornenburg@aol.com.

The prosciutto and watermelon salad at Amy Sacco's new BETTE ETTE, which "rhymes with spaghetti" (the restaurant at 461 West 23rd St. is named after owner Amy Sacco's mom; 212/366-0404), received a mouth-watering write-up in Friday's Diner's Journal column in The New York Times, which reported several of the highlights of the restaurant's menu, including "a hefty strip steak [that] comes with fries that have been sprinkled with truffle oil, but not too much of it, a nifty idea and effect that should enjoy greater currency than it does." (We just call them "Samson's fries," in tribute to our friend Laura Day's 13-year-old son, who first shared a taste of his with us!) After three visits to the restaurant, we're impressed not only with Bette's decor, ambiance, and service (including that of Craig, our favorite waiter), but with the food, which we've found to be surprisingly wonderful. Surprising, that is, only until we learned that co-chef Tom Dimarzo is a 20-year veteran of Jean-Georges Vongerichten's kitchen (i.e. since his days at Lafayette!). Bette is a very special restaurant which deserves notice for more than just its celebrity clientele. (Read more and see photos in our July 8th, June 29th, and June 18th Blogs here.)

Mike shows us the Greenhouse at BLUE HILL AT STONE BARNS LUE HILL AT STONE BARNS in Pocantico Hills, New York, is arguably the single most important restaurant in America at the moment, for modeling the power of the farm-to-table dynamic. Having just paid our first visit a week ago Friday, we were blown away by the tour Michael Anthony gave us of the restaurant's Greenhouse where so many of the vegetables used in the restaurant are grown, and even spotted some pigs roaming the edge of the forest -- just steps away from the restaurant's dining room and kitchen. During our walk through the patches of herbs and vegetables, Mike picked a bouquet of edible flowers, and later served them to us as the garnish of a dish of hot smoked lobster. We thank Mike Anthony and Dan Barber, Blue Hill at Stone Barns' co-executive chefs -- along with GM Philippe Gouze, who mixed up the best cocktails we've ever tasted, and sommelier Derek Todd, who selected such lovely wine pairings to complement each dish -- for creating one of the most extraordinary dinners of our lives. (Read more and see photos in our July 9th Blog here.)

The soft-shell crab sandwich with cole slaw and aioli at INSIDE NSIDE (9 Jones Street; 212/229-9999) is hosting a Garlic Festival the entire month of July, during which owner Anne Rosenzweig and chef Charleen Badman are featuring dishes such as the garlic custard with herbed hazelnuts and the soft-shell crab sandwich with cole slaw and aioli (pictured, right) we enjoyed there just last week. A non-garlic delight that's not to be missed is one of the best desserts we've tasted all year: an almond and peach butter cake with lemon curd ice cream, served with slices of perfectly ripe peaches. We also hear that Inside's Sunday night $20 barbecue buffet is drawing crowds from far beyond its Greenwich Village neighborhood, and can't wait to check it out one Sunday night this summer! (Read more and see photos in our July 15th Blog here.)

MAREMMA's famous granelli -- also known as Rocky Mountain Oysters AREMMA (228 West 10th St.; 212/645-0200) serves the cuisine of Tuscany's "Wild Wild West" -- as interpreted so deliciously (and even humorously!) by chef-owner Cesare Casella. In last Thursday's "Page Six" column in The New York Post, Richard Johnson reported: "COWBOY COOKIN'....Some emasculating New York women will love the granelli at Cesare Casella's new restaurant Maremma, which features 'Italian cowboy cuisine.' Casella, who made his reputation with Beppe, had such gourmets at the West 10th Street eatery's soft opening Tuesday night as Four Seasons co-owner Julian Niccolini and his wife Lisa, Bloomberg Radio restaurant reporter (and Sirio Maccioni biographer) Peter Elliott, restaurateur Charles Baum (son of Joe), and husband/wife foodies Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page. In addition to 'sloppy Gieuseppes' and 'Wild Boar Cody' (pappardelle with chocolate and wild boar sauce), Casella served a plate of 'granelli' -- walking off with a shrug and a smile when asked what the dish was. Experienced restaurateur that he is, Casella apparently knew that 'deep-fried calf testicles' just doesn't have the same ring to it. (To his credit, they were perfectly cooked -- and a deal priced at $8!)" (Read more and see photos in our July 13th Blog here.)

Chef Gabriel Kreuther's warm watermelon salad at THE MODERN HE MODERN, Danny Meyer's latest and greatest restaurant at the Museum of Modern Art (9 W. 53rd St.; 212/333-1220), just keeps getting better and better. The incredible dinner we enjoyed with our friend Court TV analyst Rikki Klieman and her Emmy Award-winning colleague Fred Graham the other night proved beyond a doubt that chef Gabriel Kreuther is pushing himself and his cuisine to new gastronomic heights. The most improbable delight of the evening was a middle course the kitchen sent out for us to try of warm watermelon (already a first for us!), tomato, crushed pistachios, and balsamic vinegar. The warmth seemed to transform the fruits into vegetables to make this "salad" work -- deliciously! The charm and warmth of wine director Stephane Colling and service director Thierry Chouquet adds immeasurably to the pleasure. (Read more and see photos in our June 30th Blog here.)

One of the best desserts we've had this year, at THE TASTING ROOM HE TASTING ROOM (72 E. 1st St.; 212/358-7831) is a small miracle of a restaurant on Manhattan's Lower East Side, where chef Colin Alevras and his wife Renee manage to serve truly remarkable dishes (which earned them an equally remarkable 27 food rating in the 2005 Zagat Survey) in a shoebox of a restaurant that doesn't even have a stove. Best of all, you can sample either tasting portions or sharing portions of each dish with an impressive array of wines. Standouts from our last dinner included the Sullivan County Moulard Duck Breast with Formosa Beans, Roasted Nantes Carrots, and Fresh Organic Red Cabbage ($13); the selection of four American Farmhouse Cheeses ($12); and another of the best desserts we've tasted this year: Eckerton Farm Wild Cherries with Pound Cake and Mascarpone ($7). Given that this wine bar and cafe offers a dozen wines by the glass (most at a reasonable $6-$10/glass), we were able to taste nearly half the list over the course of our dinner. We especially enjoyed Dashe Cellars' Late Harvest Zinfandel, which was a hit with three out of four of the cheeses on our cheese plate. (Read more and see photos in our June 26th Blog here.)

OUR READERS WRITE: "Sometimes we just don't know how our work will affect another, how our words can be a catalyst of positive change for someone.  I just wanted to write to you to let you know that your book BECOMING A CHEF has had an impact on me. Although I do love to cook and I can't wait to try out some of the recipes,  I am not a chef nor do I plan on becoming a chef. However, your book has given me the inspiration to continue pursuing my dreams. I happened to be browsing the library when I came upon your book BECOMING A CHEF. As I started reading it, I felt a renewed sense of passion for my work.  Reading about how much people are dedicated to becoming a chef and how they are following their passion has really helped me...Your book is definitely a delight and has renewed a spark that I thought had died. Thank you for listening to yourself and bringing your work out into the world.  You have truly touched my heart and my life, and I will always be grateful." --Erica Edwards (6/22/05)