Gourmet editor Ruth Reichl has called New York's Ed Levine, mastermind of the entertaining Serious Eats site, the "missionary of the delicious" and I admit that his "Where to find the best" lists have been indispensable as I've explored the city.
But...but...in the past few months, he's posted a couple stories on his blog that have made me question his taste. First, he posted a laudatory blurb about Morningside Heights' Community Food and Juice. This newish spot touts its commitment to organic, healthy food and charges you plenty for the privilege of a brown rice bowl with grilled tofu ($11) or a "country breakfast" of two eggs, Canadian nitrate-free bacon, carrot hashbrowns and a whole wheat biscuit ($11). The food's not bad, but if it was located on the Lower East Side instead of outside Columbia's gates, I doubt it'd be packed to the gills every day. I admit I haven't tried the blueberry pancakes Levine gushes over, so maybe there's something I'm missing.
I was much more disappointed, however, with Levine's recent report on his trip to Lisbon. Basically, he trashes the food there saying, "...in Lisbon it's hard to find much of anything delicious." Excuse me? Did we travel to the same city?!?! He's right to describe it as "peasant food" but if Portuguese peasants eat what I ate in Lisbon (pork and clams; blood sausages and quince paste; a ridiculously amazing egg, potato, salt cod hash), then I'd be fat and happy as a Portuguese peasant, washing it all down with port and vino verde. Really Ed, you searched "high and low"???
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