For chef Eric Sze, a day away from the kitchen means exploring the flavors and neighborhood traditions of New York City. The owner of Wenwen makes stops at a bakery, butcher shop, pizzeria and noodle restaurant, each offering a different kind of comfort food.
A route through the city's food traditions
His morning begins at Bakeri with a crisp baguette filled with honey, apple and brie. At The Meat Hook, a supplier to his restaurant, Sze picks up a specialty steak cut and dry-aged short ribs for dinner.
At Chrissy's Pizza, he enjoys a New York-style pie topped with jalapeño and garlic, served on a yeasted crust. The final stop is Maxi's Noodle 2 in Flushing, where owner Maxi Lau-O'Keefe shows him how to fold shrimp-and-pork wontons. Sze then tucks into a bowl of thin duck-egg noodles with wontons, along with beef soup--a meal that recalls the Taiwanese food he missed after leaving Taiwan.
These personal food journeys show how neighborhood kitchens can keep culinary traditions alive while making them part of New York's evolving food culture.
