Bear's Valiant Effort on Chopped

Tonight was a big night on TV for Astoria, as Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky of Bear Restaurant was yet again featured on Food Network's Chopped.  Making her debut back in August and fighting her way into the final round, Natasha came back tonight in an attempt to seize a second chance at victory.

Watching the program, Dan and I waited with baited breath, as we rooted for Chef Natasha's success.  Unfortunately, while I can't report back a win, Natasha fought til the end for what was a very tight match and held her own next to some fierce competition.  

Extremely proud of this talented lady, I wanted to feature her creative eats she constructed on tonight's episode with some pretty obscure ingredients.  Congrats on a great competition, Natasha!  Looking forward to seeing you back in the kitchen.

Course 1 - Celery, prosciutto & lime bisque with crostini

Course 2 - Fried snapper ribs with tartar and pan-roasted snapper filet Course 3 - Deep fried cheesecake with dulce de leche cappuccino 
Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com

October Specials at Bear

Photo credit: Bradley Hawks

Loving all the attention Bear has been getting lately through their interesting foodie collaborations and most recently through a nice piece in this month's Edible Queens, I was happy to see that they've got interesting food specials this month.  With all that hype, which the restaurant lives up to, it's nice to know that they're mixing things up and offering some great deals for people to come in and enjoy their food.  Here are this month's specials:

October Specials at Bear:

Wednesdays
$18 - Include 2 house pork sausages, sauerkraut, smashed potatoes and a pumpkin pie.  All this also comes with an ice cold Yuengling beer

Tuesday - Friday
$25 - 3-course dinner special

Saturday/Sunday
$15 - brunch includes coffee, toast and your choice of entree

Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com

Watch Bear's Chef Natasha on Chopped

In case you haven't yet heard, I wanted to make sure you guys tune into some Astoria culinary goodness on the Food Network tomorrow.  Astoria's very own, Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky from Bear will be featured on the popular Chopped program tomorrow at 10:00 p.m.  I'm so excited to see Chef Natasha competing on the show for many reasons, one being that she's the only female competitor in the episode, the other being that she's really talented and also because she accurately represents the culinary prowess found in Astoria and LIC.  

Chef Natasha will be competing with 4 other national acclaimed chefs, all with diverse backgrounds.  For those of you familiar with the show, their given list of ingredients they have to cook with tomorrow include lemon bars, acai juice, upland cress and whelk snails.  Have a go at that guys - can't wait to see what Chef Natasha comes up with.

If you'd like to get a little preview of what's to come tomorrow, take a look at this preview clip.  Tune in tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. on The Food Network.

Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com

Chill Out with Bear's Specials Tonight

Image by Bear

It's no doubt that this weekend has been a hot one, and many folks are probably staying in to keep cool.  For those of you that are getting a little tired of chillin' in your apartment, I wanted to share news of Bear's "cooling" food and drinks specials tonight that can present just the right excuse to get out of that hot apartment.

Refreshing, strawberry sangria
Summer pasta salad with veggies
Organic white cabbage salad
Bratwurst and egg pie
Mushroom, egg and cream cheese pie

Don't worry, the AC will be on the whole time, so you'll totally get to enjoy even the hearty dishes in a comfy and cool setting.  Cheers to summer!

Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com

Bear Represents at the Fancy Food Show

You may have heard that the bi-annual Fancy Food Show is in town, which is the country's largest specialty foods conference, attracting more than 40,000 international visitors.  I've been once before and was mesmerized as well as befuddled by the whole thing.  The overall experience is pretty amazing, and gets better with each year, as new specialty foods vendors join and showcase some of the most inventive, interesting and ever so unusual products (i.e. even funky food fashion was exhibited - see ice cream pants above)

This year's show had special meaning to me, as I was so proud of our dear Astoria bringin' down the house by having a nice presence at the Cooking Channel Theater on Level 1.

Bear Restaurant Demo:
It was awesome to see Chef Natasha Pogrebinsky of Bear Restaurant today rockin' it out with her bad self, as she showed the curious foodie audience just how to construct a sophisticated and comforting Russian-style feast.  Meg joined me for the demo as well, and we enjoyed learning about the way a traditional borscht is constructed, as well as the true meaning of Russian zakuski.

Doing an absolutely tremendous job, we were proud of Chef Natasha's accomplishments, as she presented with confidence and her quintessential easy going style.  It was awesome to see a strong female chef representing for our neck of the woods, and I sincerely hope it continues to raise our profile as a culinary neighborhood, as well as to pique people's curiosity about Bear.

More Astoria Action:
If you're still planning on attending the show tomorrow, don't miss another awesome Astoria representation from Chef Youngsun Lee of The Queens Kickshaw.  He'll be demoing a signature Kickshaw dish tomorrow at the Cooking Channel demo theater at 11:00 a.m.  For a quick find, look for the NY aisle (aka aisle 4,600) on Level 1.

Go Astoria...R-E-P-R-E-S-E-N-T!

New Winter Menu Items at Bear

As we begin feeling the winter's chill, lots of great restaurants that are in tune with the seasons are adjusting their menus - and Bear of course always leads the pack in bringing us season appropriate dishes.  What I love about Bear is that comfort food is in their blood, being that the owners, Natasha and Alex have Russian roots.  It's the perfect kind of winter food in my opinion, and I was excited to learn about their new winter offering that spills into every part of the day from brunch to dinner.  Just take a look at a sampling of their new yummies - now available at Bear.

Brunch:
Borscht - Hearty beet borscht, served warm prepared with potatoes, cabbage, carrots and other market veggies...$7
Chicken liver mousse - Made with French brandy, served on a crostini
Hunters Stew - Lamb, goat, beef, pork stewed in red wine with vegetables and herbs...$21
Veal Dumplings - Ukranian style dumplings in a caramelized onion creme dill gravy...$18
Bear Eggs Benedict - Toasted French baguette, pork loin, poached eggs, fresh Hollandaise sauce and a side of habanero salsa verde...$14
Tofu stir-fry (vegan) - Marinated tofu stir fried with fresh greens and vegetables...$14

Dinner:
Golden Egg - Deviled eggs with smoked fish and caviar...$12
Mini meatballs - With Italian tomatoes and aged white cheddar...$11
Roasted Duck with Apples - Slowly roasted Long Island duck served with pan fried potatoes...$23
Mushroom Stroganoff - Vegetarian mushroom pasta served with stewed forest mushrooms in a light cream sauce with aged white cheddar.  Can be made vegan...$18
Pork Loin Sandwich - Roasted pork loin on a fresh baguette with carrots, cilantro, sesame dressing and pickles.  Served with steak fries...$16

Chef's 7-course dinner tasting - $68/person (tasting is based on seasonal dishes prepared daily by the chef)

Drinks:
St. Dill Martini - Cornichon pickle brine, mustard seed, Stolichnaya vodka.  Garnished with a full small pickle and fresh dill...$12
Layover - Rum, lime juice, Cointreau, agave, French cognac...$12
Pond - Fresh mint, fresh limes, Bombay Saphire gin, agave nectar, served in a large chilled chalice...$11

Or...you can drink like the Russian Nobility and get the chilled vodka with a "zakuski" platter including Russian rye bread, pickled veggies, various smoked fish, cured meat, salad and warm bites, even a small book of translated Russian poems to take with you - $85/two

Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com

Bear Rocks it Out for My Birthday

Last week was my Birthday Week, as I call it and I celebrated in many ways.  One of those ways involved getting together with my closest friends and family at Bear Restaurant and having a smashing meal.  I love to come by and sample their delectable local and seasonal dishes, and now with the official launch of the chef-driven menu that changes daily, I couldn't wait to see what was in store.

And as Chef Natasha hinted to me during our interview, she handed us a handwritten menu, full of daily specials, which we first devoured with our eyes.  Here are some of the awesome new things we tried that night, which you can probably find again this week or later in the summer:

Roasted Beet Salad - This was my appetizer, and it was really delightful - the beets looking beautifully crimson and tasting super fresh.  Dressed with the perfect accompaniments such as crunchy pickles, greens, cucumber and a little bit of fresh dill, the whole plate was earthy and left a clean taste on your palate.  Overall, it was a perfect way to tee up dinner.

Cheese Plate - One side of the table got the colossal cheese plate, which featured local cheeses from Hudson Valley, including Camembert, Brebis rousse d'Argental, Selles Sur Cher and Fourme D'Ambert along with creative fixins such as strawberry and blackberry purees and buckwheat honey.  The whole thing looked like a work of art, and was a delight to try, juxtaposing the savory cheeses with the sweet purees, bringing your tastebuds to attention through all that complexity.  I'd recommend this for hard-core, adventurous cheese lovers, and it can be something to get in the beginning or at the very end of your meal.

Pulled Pork Ribs - I love me some ribs and was expecting this to be tender and luxurious. I think I'd call it more rustic instead, but as far as taste is concerned, it was spot on.  Loving the spices that were incorporated into it, such as mustard seed and cumin, the dish was comforting and really primal.  While it had some nice, fresh sauteed veggies on the side, it didn't need much, as the protein itself was pleasantly filling.

Dessert - We chose to try both desserts of the day, including the homemade chocolate mousse and the yogurt parfait, both dressed with fresh berries.  Both were lovely, but I preferred the chocolate mousse, which was soft and velvety and as light as a cloud.  The fresh berries were simple, but really did the trick of making the overall flavors in each dessert pop.

Service and Cost:
I'm happy to report that the service continues to be a home run, full of personalization and special touches from Chef Natasha, her brother Alex and the rest of the Bear staff.  They really do make you feel like at home, and my guests were pleasantly impressed.

Costs are moderate and include:

Appetizers: $6-$11
Entrees: $18-$42

3 Mmmms

Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com

Fooditka In the Kitchen at Bear

I'm excited to bring you a very special treat today, as I go behind the scenes at Bear Restaurant.  For those of you who've been keeping up with my blog know how much I love their local, seasonally-driven menu, and its brother/sister team Alex and Natasha who run the restaurant, are totally awesome.

I had the opportunity to spend some time with Chef Natasha last weekend, as we went into the kitchen and she told me about the ingredients that inspire her, as well as leading me through each step of signature dish, Seared Divers Scallops with Sweet Corn Risotto.  In addition to being in the kitchen, Chef Natasha and I also got to sit down and conduct a more thorough interview about her culinary inspirations, Bear's interesting beginnings and other fun tid-bits.  You can see the interview currently on We Heart Astoria.

Hope you enjoy the video, and do leave me a comment and chime in with your thoughts about this awesome local eatery.

Bear - 12-14 31st Avenue, Long Island City NY 11106
917.396.4939
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.bearnyc.com