On Wednesday, February 29th, Guenter Seeger of Seeger’s in Atlanta will join Chef Charles Rodriguez and his staff in his kitchen at Print to create a special 7 course tasting menu.

Priced at $175 per person inclusive of wine pairings.

Dinner will be enjoyed in the Press Lounge with the most fabulous views of New York City.  Guests will also enjoy a cocktail hour prior to dinner, all included in the meal’s price.

Seats for this event can be reserved by calling Print Restaurant at 212-757-2224

We’re getting ready for Valentine’s Day.

Join us for our seasonally inspired cuisine
at Print Restaurant, followed by cocktails
and romantic views at The Press Lounge.

Our Valentine’s Menu will feature the following:

First Course.

Peekytoe Crab Crostini, Cauliflower Puree, Sea Urchin, Pea Greens

Second Course.

Ricotta Ravioli, Roasted Red Beets, Sage Brown Butter

Third Course.

Seared Halibut Filet, Sunchoke Puree, Broccoli Rabe, Wild Mushrooms, Blood Orange Sauce

or

Mountain View Farm Crispy Duck Breast, Butternut Squash Puree,

Red cabbage, Turnips, Huckleberry Ginger Sauce

Desserts.

 Mascarpone Gelato and Strawberry Parfait

or

Whipped Chocolate Flan, Seven Stars Heavy Cream,

Bittersweet Chocolate Sorbet

That Friday morning, I awoke to heavy rain. I wasn’t looking forward to spending the whole day outside to say the least. But I threw on my long underwear and rain gear and headed to Hamden to meet Richard of Lucky Dog Farm. He and his crew were harvesting beets when I arrived. They were hard at work and my visit wasn’t going to disrupt their momentum. So I volunteered to jump in so I could chat with him along the way. I sensed Richard was a little apprehensive to talk to me, especially about doing business. Besides visiting the farm, I was looking to develop a relationship on behalf of the restaurant. It became clear that Richard had been burned by wholesale buyers in the past and was frustrated by the whole food system. He was just being cautious and I can respect that approach. But I think after helping Richard harvest and hashing it out, he let down his guard a bit. I’m optimistic that we can do business in the future. Especially now that he has started attending the Union Square Greenmarket on Fridays. Yeah! The rains last year truly devastated his crops so I’m looking forward to a fresh start this spring. After Richard was satisfied with the quantity of harvested beets, we moved on to the leek patch. I continued to help for a while until I had to head on to my next farm visit. I was able to sneak in a quick lunch at the Lucky Dog Farm Store’s cafe, which was a nice respite from the rain.

From Hamden I headed northeast to Delhi to meet with Ken of Slope Farms. I’ve known Ken for a while and had been hoping to get the restaurant to purchase from him. I respect his philosophy on raising animals and how to nurture the whole ecosystem. We made it happen and we get a half steer every two weeks, give or take. Though the rain and dreariness continued, I couldn’t help but stand in awe of the hills of bright green pasture. The cows were so happy grazing on the grass, especially on the apples that had fallen from the trees. It was so cute to see how excited the cows were when eating the fruit. They would almost scamper over to me when I tossed them apples. Ken keeps the cows in several groups based on age on his fields. He has additional cows which another farmer keeps on his pasture because he doesn’t have enough. In addition, on the other side of the hill are the some pigs, which I didn’t get a chance to see.

As the afternoon was passing by I had to continue north, heading to my final farm of the day, Stone & Thistle Farm in East Meredith. I’ve also know Denise and Tom for a while. I’m big fans of their goat yogurt, which sadly they had to stop making because Evan’s Creamery in Norwich where it was made wanted to focus on processing dairy for a few larger clients. They scoured the country side but could not find a creamery within two hours of their farm. They’ve been grant writing and fundraising and have started to erect their own creamery on the farm, which they will allow other local farms to use as well. Tom gave me the tour, showing me the turkeys, chickens, goats, cows, and sheep. They have quite the diversity. The restaurant have bought a few lambs in the past. I hope we can continue to work together.

After a long day, on the drive home, a rainbow appeared over the mountains. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending.

This past Friday I had the pleasure of finally visiting Saxelby Cheesemongers’ cheese cave aka walk in/warehouse in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It couldn’t have been a windier day. Their door was rattling as if the wind was going to rip it from its hinges. I got to go inside their very large walk in and breathe in the essence of cheese. So many of my favorites lined the shelves like Jasper Hill Farm’s Harbison or Twig Farm’s Twig Wheel. But I was on a mission to try cheeses I have never had before, which really didn’t require twisting my arm. I doubt there’s a cheese Saxelby sells that I wouldn’t like. I tasted a number of American cheeses, some of which we will add into our rotation. Some of the cheeses included Raclette (firm, raw cow’s milk) from Spring Brook Farm in VT, Chevrotin (firm, pasteurized goat’s milk) from Seal Cove Farm in ME, Appalachian (semi-firm, raw cow’s milk) from Meadow Creek Dairy in VA, and Humble Pie (bloomy rind, pasteurized cow’s milk), True Blue (blue cheese, raw cow’s milk), and Timberdoodle (washed rind, raw cow’s milk), all from Woodcock Farm in VT. All were delicious. I was even able to purchase a few items for myself, including Animal Farm’s buttermilk, which I drink directly out of the bottle. I was very sad all of their Beltane Farm stock of goat milk and goat yogurt was at their retail location in Manhattan. Oh how I love Beltane Farm’s dairy! It was not easy heading out that door, for more than one reason.

While last year farmers were hit hard by a drought, this year was the exact opposite. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rains this summer, combined with the geology of the land, large sink holes appeared on one of the properties he farms. He lost a lot of sweet potatoes amongst other crops. Furthermore, he couldn’t get on the tractor in the areas surrounding the sinkholes or use other large equipment. On his other rented land he grows the majority of his pumpkins, which were ravaged. It was so sad to see all these rotting pumpkins in the field.

www.grist.org/food/2011-12-27-the-bad-food-news-of-2011

www.grist.org/food/2011-12-22-the-good-food-news-of-2011

www.grist.org/food/2011-12-13-2011-sustainable-food-trends/P1

www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-gunther/big-ags-gifts-for-2011_b_1172583.html#s577920&title=10_Welfare_Scandals

www.foodpolitics.com/2011/12/looking-ahead-food-politics-in-2012/

One of the many challenges they face is in my opinion an unnecessary one. Their farm is located on the Marcellus Shale, which has rich deposits of natural gas. You may have heard about the disasters in PA, where residents can light their water on fire and now have their water trucked in due to contamination. Can you tell that I’m anti-fracking?! As is Heather, whose family has owned a home not far from Willow Wisp Farm for many decades. A natural gas well sits on Greg and Tannis’ neighbor’s adjacent property. We were astonished to learn they have to dish out large sums of money each year to have their water tested. The burden is on them to prove that the quality of their water has changed since the well was erected. Below are two interviews with Greg about fracking:

www.ecocentricblog.org/2011/05/11/farming-and-fracking-don’t-mix-a-farmer-speaks-out/                                                                                                                                 www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/fracking-farming-dont-mix-isnt-it-time-we-exhibited-some-precaution.html

To learn more here are just a few of the organizations to check out:

www.foodandwaterwatch.org/water/fracking/fracking-action-center/map/                 www.catskillcitizens.org/                                                                                                          unitedforaction.org/

Greg and Tannis use no external inputs except some horse manure from down the road. I really respect farmers who work the land in this manner. They really listen and learn what their soil needs. Tannis’ flowers really make a statement in the fields and around their home. Heather cooked a delicious meal using a variety of produce, which we ate outside, surrounded by a rainbow of flowers. Join their CSA or buy from them at a farmers’ market they attend.  www.willowwisporganic.com