Fried chicken at The Dutch. Former NY Times food critic Sam Sifton recently called The Dutch NYC’s best new restaurant and I won’t argue; it’s hard to find a better casual meal in a better atmosphere in the city. The fried chicken was great—crispy, juicy, and nicely seasoned. The honey butter biscuits in the background were even better. At this lunch, oysters and a smoked beef sandwich were also delicious. Go at off times or sit at the oyster bar to avoid the crowds and enjoy some great food.

Winter showed up for real in NYC this weekend so it was time for some hearty braising. I picked up some lamb shanks from Florence Meat Market that fit the bill nicely. A good winter braise is pretty easy. In this case, I caramelized some onions and shallots, added rosemary, seared the shanks, then braised in a mixture of red wine and veal stock for 3 hours. A quick reduction and straining of the braising liquid leaves a really nice gravy.

Double SmokeShack burger from Shake Shack Madison Square Park. This is one of the better “specials” Shake Shack has offered… applewood smoked bacon and a cherry pepper relish are added to the regular Shack Burger with great results. It’s spicier than I expected, which was a very pleasant surprise. If you’ve never been to the Shack, don’t go and get this. But, if you go all the time and want a change or a tasty, spicy, smoky burger, go for it while it lasts!

I checked out the soft opening of the new downtown (Battery Park City) Blue Smoke last night. KC ribs (pictured), Memphis ribs, jalapeño cornbread, grilled oysters, and crispy rock shrimp are all winners on the preview menu. There’s a decent beer list along with a good selection of Bourbon, Scotch, etc. The place opens for real next week, as does another Danny Meyer place right around the corner—North End Grill with chef Floyd Cardoz.

Jacques Selosse Champagne Initial for New Years Eve, 2011. One of my favorite wines and a wonderful Blanc de Blancs. Part of the snack food on hand was bags of chips made from mixed miniature potatoes from Mountain Sweet Berry Farm. These guys grow some amazing potatoes that are perfect when roasted and served along side a really good steak. Over the weekend they were sampling there own potato chips at the Union Square Market and I’ve never been one to resist a good potato chip.

Homemade coffee cake. I just like this picture, really.

I wasn’t going to take a picture of yet another steak dinner… but then this NY Strip from Bryan Flannery turned out to be the best steak I’ve had in a long time. The truffled mashed potatoes weren’t so bad either. Not a bad way to kick off a period of intense holiday eating!

Homemade “Philly” cheesesteak. You should never have left over prime dry-aged ribeye, but if you do, this is what you should do with it. As much as I love a real cheesesteak, it’s hard for them to compete with one like this made with a very high quality steak, slow cooked onions, and good Gruyere. It’s easy too. Just slow cook or very slowly sauté the onions in a nonstick pan until caramelized. Add the ribeye which you’ve sliced thinly against the grain. Once the ribeye is browned, move everything into a rectangle roughly the size of your sliced open bread and top with thinly sliced cheese. Press the bread down on top and let cook for a minute to melt the cheese and warm the bread. Use a spatula to get everything out of the pan in one piece. So good.

Filet mignon with black truffle butter. Filets are generally not as flavorful as other cuts, so I usually serve with a flavorful accompaniment such as a gorgonzola butter or green peppercorn sauce or wrap them in bacon. To really punch up the richness and flavor, you can cook the steaks sous vide with a tablespoon or two of truffle butter in the bag. Since the steaks cook at a low temperature, the truffle flavor doesn’t degrade nearly as much as it does if you cook it into a sauce. After the steaks have been cooked to your liking in the water bath, plunge them into ice water for 10-20 minutes to bring the core temperature down so that you don’t overcook them when browning. Then quickly sear them in a very hot pan. Serve with a disk of fresh, room temperature truffle butter on top.

Local Bigeye Tuna Kuroyaki sandwich from The Dutch in SoHo. It’s not much to look at, but this is a delicious sandwich that’s a little spicy and has a nice salty, slightly crunchy kick from the flying fish roe in the mayo. The Dutch is a great casual hot spot if you can get a reservation or time your arrival around the crowds. At lunch this week, the Barnstable, MA oysters were unbelievably good—super fresh, delicious, and perfectly shucked.