Alan Rickman Visits 1 Dominick Cafe

Professoror Snape (or for those of you who prefer- Hans Gruber!), ALAN RICKMAN, was in the neighborhood checking out cool cafes. He ordered a small cappuccino, but Jay made him a large because he was star struck. Kudos to Jay, our Ex-Starbucker from Seattle who, quite frankly, makes the best cappucinnos and lattes in the south village.

New Soup at 1 Dominick Cafe

1 Dominick Cafe just added a delicious soup, Farmer's Market Tomato, Vegetable and White Bean. It is made with preserved heirloom tomatoes from Norwich Meadows Farm in upstate New York, near Syracuse. The farmer, Zaid, stopped by for lunch today and approved of the dish. Served with garlic toast, it is a great addition to the cafe menu and a recession special at only $5 a bowl!

Seal and Heidi Klum

Yesterday Seal and Heidi Klum rode by 1 Dominick Cafe on their bicycles. Seal in a white parka, Heidi in something darker. They rode on the sidewalk then stopped in front of the cafe and remarked how beautiful the colored glass panels...

Thanksgiving Food and Drink

It's that time of year again. All the food and dining sections are preparing us for Thanksgiving. I hope you like stuffing... and which wine should it be? Beaujolais Village or Zinfandel?

If I had my way this Thanksgiving, I'd hang out at 1 Dominick Cafe and snack on savory dishes like Il Melti. I could delight in cheeses like Dancing Ewe Farms Cacciotta, and sliced meats on the Affetati plate like the imported soppresata. These are all wine friendly foods. Wine? I'd choose a semi dry, sparkling red like Sangue di Guida from Manhattan's own Rosenthal Imports. I'd like to enjoy something fun and festive. Leave the cooking and overeating to someone else's relatives!

Chew On This.

Two ambitious food lovers have designed interactive wheels to help users select local, seasonal foods at their peak. Read more about this interesting product here.

Anguria

First there's the juicy sweetness of watermelon. Then there's the ricotta- supple, milky and mild. Cherry tomato gives the salad a subtle tang that seems to pull everything all together. Just when you think you've tasted everything there is to taste you sink into the cool comfort of mint.

Soak it all in. The show is about to begin.

Cheese

One of life's greatest joys comes to its tastiest expression in a plate full of cheese.

1 Dominick's PM menu features a cheese plate with a mild La Tur. Made from sheep, goat and cow's milk it is moist and smooth with a salty tang. Follow the La Tur with Gorgonzola and a sharp Pecorino from Dancing Ewe Farm and you have a delightful medley of cheeses.

Be it cow's milk, sheep's milk or goat, there is nothing quite like the flavor of a handcrafted cheese. To read more about Dancing Ewe Farm, read this interview on Restaurantgirl.com.

Beautiful People Need Food, Too

It's a chilly day. Rushing from audition to rehearsal an actress pops in for a panini. Her favorite is the mozzarella with black truffle, asparagus, walnut oil. She will eat it in her favorite seat, the one right there. Cold autumn light falls through the colored glass and spills onto her steaming cup of coffee. What a joy it is to be able to eat something delicious in the midst of a hectic day.

What Flavor is Your Bible?

1 Dominick Cafe is the kind of place where food cognoscenti and theatre diva's mingle. Food writers Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg stopped by with a preview copy of their latest cookbook, The Flavor Bible. Is it the greatest cookbook ever? It definitely deserves a spot on my kitchen shelf next to The Joy of Cooking! Read Andrea Strong's review of the book on The Strong Buzz.

Iced Coffee Season

The warm days are winding down. Sweaters are best coupled with a steaming hot coffee but tank tops and flip flops love to be seen with coffee that can be sipped through a straw. It's playful and alluring and, best of all, caffeinated.

Luckily, 1 Dominick offers Gorilla Coffee (both hot and iced). Gorilla Coffee is a Fair Trade product and has the added benefit of being roasted locally in Brooklyn. In addition to all that social consciousness, Gorilla Coffee is full bodied, fragrant and delicious. So, take advantage of these last few warm weeks to drink it cold with something flirty and sweet. Might I recommend something rolled in sugar hiding a gooey chocolate center?

Weekend Recommendation

In case you haven't seen it, 1 Dominick was featured on RareDaily.com in the Rare Weekend section.

Why Fair Trade Coffee?

1 Dominick proudly serves locally roasted, organic, Fair Trade, Gorilla Coffee. Click to read more about Fair Trade.

Il Melti

The melty. When I think of a winebar, I want to eat something salty with cheese.

Il Melti was inspired by the street pastries of Liguria, in particular, Recco and Camogli near Genoa. Il Melti is a light, crisp pastry filled with oozing soft, salty cheese- perfect with wine.

I'm not the only one who enjoys this pairing. Click to read Tasty, Artsy Eats.

What Will Madonna Order?

Friday August 15.

Waiting for Madonna? Our neighbour, the HERE Arts Center, is all a-buzz. Rumor is that one of the Ciccone's is coming to Joey Arias and Basil Twist's show. Later that evening I got a text form Beki at the 1 Dominick counter: Madonna's brother is sitting here at the cafe.

This is New York, the performing arts capital of the world. Expect to see Madonna, Joan Rivers, Karen Black all eating fried baloney sandwiches, or fava e cicoria.....

Serious Eats Visits 1 Dominick

Joe DiStefano of Serious Eats usually exercises caution when a new restaurant opens. However, sometimes a trusted name can allow a person to go out on a limb...

"I tend to avoid brand-new restaurants. It’s a defense mechanism; let other folks be beta tasters. But when I heard last week that Jimmy Carbone, the man behind the acclaimed East Village gastropub Jimmy’s No. 43, had just opened 1 Dominick, I threw caution to the wind and headed downtown to this cozy spot that shares a space with Here Arts Center. Focusing on Carbone’s Italian roots, the menu inspired me to forsake my usual outer borough stomping grounds—and I’m glad I did."

Click here to read the rest of DiStefano's review.

Wine at 1 Dominick

As soon as fall comes and 1 Dominick gets it's wine and beer license, I'll be there often. West Soho, aka Hudson Square, needs a good winebar and 1 Dominick will be there to fill the void. Even David Bouley recently announced he'll be opening a restaurant around the corner at Varick Street between Vandam and Charlton.

Kazuko from the Japanese website Pecopeco wrote this about the new cafe soon to be winebar: