6 Things... New york, NY

Find | Spanish Food Shop

Despaña

For Spanish ingredients, it’s hands down the best place to go to in New York City. The owners, Marcos and Angelica Intriago, do such a great job of selecting the products, and they carry things that you just can't get anywhere else - like momaja (air-dried tuna), Ibérico ham, boquerones (pickled anchovies), and of course, the best selection of olive oils from Spain in the city. They carry Don Bocarte anchovies, which are the best quality anchovies, period. And they have an amazing range of Spanish olive oils and vinegars. They also have a great selection of prepared foods, so if you need a break from all your Spanish food shopping, you can grab some tapas or a bocadillo and hang out in their cafe area. They also have a great selection of Spanish cookbooks and tableware, and right next door, an amazing wine shop with a terrific selection of the best juice Spain has to offer.

408 Broome Street, New York, NY 10013

T: 212.219.5050

www.despanabrandfoods.com

Find | Spices

La Boîte á Epice

If you're a food geek, La Boîte á Epice is a must-stop on your New York City visit. It was created by Lior Lev Sercarz, who is an amazing chef and a great friend of mine. He is the man every chef and every restaurant goes to for their spices. He does wonders with spice blends, like you wouldn't believe. We worked on a spice blend together, it's #21, the Moruno. I would highly recommend paying him a visit at his shop on the west side. It's a little out of the way but, the best things are found with a bit of adventure, right?

222 Court Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

T: 718.624.0014

www.staubitz.com

Sahadi's

I love Sahadi's on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn for spice and specialty goods from all over the Mediterranean rim, and one of the best places in the city for Middle Eastern ingredients. 

187 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201

T: 718.624.4550

www.sahadis.com

Find | Butcher

Staubitz 

From Sahadi’s, it's a nice walk over to Carroll Gardens, where my favorite butcher shop Staubitz is on Court Street.

724 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10019

T: 212.247.4407

www.laboiteny.com

Eat | Restaurants To Take A Visiting Chef

Pok Pok

At first glance, it's a really casual, cheap and cheerful kind of place, not at all precious or refined. But Andy Ricker's food is just incredible - the flavors are so intense, the execution is perfect - and it's actually all very traditional, by-the-book Northern Thai cooking. If you go to Pok Pok, you have to have the wings - they will blow your mind. I also love the Laap Pet Isaan, which is a spicy duck salad. And pretty much everything else on the menu.

127 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

T: 718.923.9322

www.pokpokny.com

Eat | Off The Beaten Track

Excellent Pork Chop House

By now, Doyers Street isn't that off the beaten path, but one place I really enjoy, which you don't hear much about, is Excellent Pork Chop House. It's down the street from Apothèke and Nom Wah Tea Parlor, next to a noodle joint (also very good). Excellent Pork Chop House serves Taiwanese food, which you don't see much of in Manhattan's Chinatown. I go simple and get their classic Pork Chop Over Rice, which is a pork chop, ground pork and pickled vegetables over rice. 

3 Doyers Street, #1, New York, NY 10013

T: 212.791.7007

www.excellentporkchophouse.com

F.E.D. Recs on the Go

Download the F.E.D. iPhone app and get more of Seamus Mullen’s New York recommendations as well as more recs from other chefs, sommeliers and bartenders.

Q. Tell us about your book Hero Food.

A. Hero Food is my first cookbook and the story of my relationship with food and wellness. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease where my immune system misfires and attacks my joints, which causes very painful inflammation. It results in chronic pain which I have to deal with every day. I created Hero Food because I was exploring how food and nutrition could help me maintain my health - because we really are what we eat. Through a happy accident, I discovered that many of the foods that I love to cook with - almonds, parsley, olive oil, anchovies, good fish - are excellent ingredients that help me fight inflammation and keep my immune system healthy. So I wanted to create a book that not only shared my story, but demonstrated how these foods that are good for you can also be really delicious - ‘healthy food’ and ‘delicious food’ shouldn't be mutually exclusive.

Q. Inflammation can be the root of many serious health issues. Can you make some recommendations for switching out less healthy foods for more healthy ones?

A. Inflammation is definitely at the root of many health issues, and it's something that needs to be discussed and researched more. For me, I have been gluten-free for the last several months, and it's definitely had a discernible impact on how I feel. While I don't have a gluten allergy as such, modern grains are actually very difficult for our bodies to digest. By eliminating grains containing gluten, it's one less thing that my body has to exert energy on trying to process, which in turn helps to keep my immune system in check.

The other very important thing I would recommend is incorporating much more healthy fat into your diet, such as olive oil and grass-fed products like grass-fed butter, eggs, and beef. Good fats are terrific sources of efficient energy and are naturally low on the glycemic index. As a rule of thumb, reducing the intake of refined sugars and increasing leafy greens and good fats goes a long way to reducing inflammation. 

Q. What’s your favorite healthy, easy-to-prepare snack to get you through the afternoon?

A. I know we are told not to snack unnecessarily (then again, we are told lots of things that, in reality, are hogwash), but I actually think snacking can be a good thing, particularly if you are in the restaurant industry, or anyone who keeps odd hours. As long as the snacks are good for you, which is easier to come by than you think. They can be a great, healthy boost of energy, curb hunger and prevent you from overeating later in the night, when it's much harder for our bodies to properly digest anything.

A great, simple quick snack that I love it to take half an avocado, cut it into cubes but leave it in the skin, sprinkle some coarse sea salt, a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, and a few almonds and then eat with a spoon. If you're feeling really adventurous, a few leaves of cilantro and a filet of good anchovies, chopped up, adds to the mix and makes a near-perfect mini-meal.

Q. In Spain, canned foods, especially seafood, are revered. We’d love your recommendations for canned items you recommended we try.

A. I would say that preserved food is what is really revered in Spain - whether it's canned seafood or cured meats. People here in the States have not yet fully discovered how wonderful preserved fish can be; unfortunately what's generally available just isn't very good. But once you have really great quality canned tuna, or great quality anchovies, you'll immediately appreciate the difference.

Don Bocarte is the best producer, and Ortiz is also very good (you can find Ortiz tuna and anchovies in Whole Foods). These are artisan producers who still do things the old-fashioned way - by hand. The raw material is already of excellent quality and then it's handled deftly and with care. Remember, just because things are ‘preserved’ doesn't mean that they should hang out in a shipping container for years and years before they're consumed.

Buy: Don Bocarte | Ortiz