Yellowfin seviche on rye
Adam Haas reports.
| More 'Front Burner' articles in this issue |
| Voluntourists say hi, hi birdie |
| Food, Eatalian-style |
| Rhône rising |
| Virtual dining |
| A chef weighs Elements |
| Instant India |
| Sad good-bye |
New York City—While comic book hero Batman hangs his cape at stately Wayne Manor, the photographer "Battman" (aka Alan Batt) was spotted last month at the equally lavish Trump Tower Atrium for the third annual Great Gathering of Chefs, where "the Donald" schmoozed, the bubbly flowed, and yes—even the humble sandwich was dressed to the nines. The event marked the release of Battman's fourth book, Sandwiches of the World, a tome showcasing interpretations of the ubiquitous hand-held meal from over 100 culinary heavy-hitters, many of whom were on hand to sign the pages of their creations in a John Hancockian conveyer belt that would make any Antiques Roadshow enthusiast fantasize about its future appraisal.
All proceeds from the evening (including the $250 per autographed copy) were donated to The Children's Storefront, an independent, not-for-profit, tuition-free K-8 school in Harlem. Battman has been involved with the school for five years, philanthropically doing whatever he can to help.
However, the cutlery-free concoctions featured are certainly not child's play. Exhibit A being the contribution of longtime Battman friend executive chef/co-owner Michael Psilakis (Anthos and Kefi) that graces the book's cover—an imaginative Greek-influenced reinvention of English tea sandwiches with soft shell crab and raw prawns. Yosuke Suga, executive chef at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, pays homage to the Big Apple's culinary history with an Alsatian pastrami and foie gras sandwich, and Jean Georges chef de cuisine Greg Brainin pushes the envelope with a concoction of toasted organic egg yolk with caviar and dill. Of course, that time-honored utilitarian favorite, the meat loaf sandwich (pictured), is in there, albeit tweaked by Gramercy Tavern executive chef Michael Anthony's addition of black truffle.
