South Dakota Dishes

Chislic, fried pieces of lamb or venison, and Kuchen, the state dessert, are two South Dakota dishes I'll be sampling. Look for the recipes to come, I hope.

Good Girls in the Badlands: Debi and Judy Do the Dakotas

A car, two travel writers with bad senses of direction, more curiosity than is good for them and new territory, South and North Dakota, to explore. That sums up what I, along with Debi Lander, will be doing in the coming weeks, instead of blogging here.

We will be blogging, tweeting and laughing about our mishaps, discoveries, new road friends, wonderful food, the good and if necessary, the bad at goodgirlsinthebadlands.blogspot.

Join us and let us know what you think. Tips on what we should or shouldn't do appreciated too.

Locanda's Summer Sipper

Hotelier Robert De Niro.

The Greenwich Hotel patio.

Robert De Niro's hotel in Tribeca, The Greenwich, is an inconspicuous magnet for his show business pals and anyone seeking a bit of privacy and a lot of comfort in Manhattan. De Niro's art is behind the reception desk and the work of other artists takes the hostelry above the average. Locanda is the "house" restaurant and a must-try for gourmets.The clubby library bar and the patio, an oasis of brick and greenery, are reserved for hotel guests.

Normally.

Fellow travel writer Carol Timblin and I rendezvoused with our dear friend, Stefan Elfenbein, a stellar travel and food writer from Berlin, and his friend Uwe in Manhattan recently. Stefan arranged for us to sample the seasonal libations in The Greenwich patio.

These creations are developed from established recipes with a Greenwich/Locanda twist.

My favorite, the Tre Sette Sette, is their take on a 377, or warm weather house martini with fresh fennel and lemon.

Wow your friends by dropping a few names and shaking this one up for them.

Locanda Tre Sette Sette

1/2 oz. simple syrup, muddled with fresh diced fennel
2 oz. Plymouth gin
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/4 oz. Strega
1/2 bar spoon of Pernod
Shake, strain, serve up in a martini glass, garnish with a piece of fennel frond.

Sip away and tell them De Niro sent it.

Turning Stone's Famous Pino Greens

Turning Stone Resort

Turning Stone Resort and Casino in upstate New York is not only  beautiful facility, it's a delicious one as well.  Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence for their wine lists were just awarded to four of the facility's restaurants, Wildflowers, Pino Bianco, Forest Grill, and Rodizio.

Jeffrey Herring, Chef de Cuisine

I can attest to Pino Bianco for its food as well as its wine. During  a recent dinner there, two of us split an order of their famous Pino Greens (next time I'll order one just for me).

 Jeffrey Herring, Chef de Cuisine for both Pino Bianco Trattoria and Forest Grill Steakhouse, graciously shared the recipe.

Trust me, the photo does not do this dish justice. Try it; you'll be hooked.

Famous Pino Greens

  Turning Stone's Famous Pino Greens

1 head escarole - cut, washed and blanched
3 oz Pancetta - diced
1/4 cup small white onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 oz tomato sauce (your own or from a can)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
2 oz. olive oil

Heat saute pan, add pancetta and begin to render out the fat. Add olive oil and saute onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes until the aroma has developed. Add the tomato sauce, toss, and add the escarole and toss. Finish with Parmesan cheese.

To serve as pictured, top with round of toasted Italian bread spread with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.