FEATURED EVENT

Summer Crab Boil
In the spirit of sister restaurant Savoy's summer clam bakes, Back Forty (190 Avenue B) will present the first of its first annual summer Crab Boils. The old fashion crab boil includes spiced Blue Crabs piled on your newspaper-covered table, corn on the cob, potatoes, slaw, and dessert. Optional pitchers of local brews will also be available for $15. The Crab Boils will take place Wednesdays, from July 23rd through August 27th. Reservations are required one week in advance: 212.388.1990. $35/person.

EVENTS THIS WEEK (July 23 through 29)

Meet the Maker
Are you curious about the science and art behind making really great cheese? Murray's Cheese (254 Bleecker Street) presents a class, "Meet the Maker: Colin McGrath Demystifies Cheesemaking." Colin McGrath, cheesemaker at Sprout Creek Farm, will lead the discussion and tasting of his products and how they arrive to their final stages. The event will take place on Thursday, July 24th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m  Tickets: $60/person.

Iced Tea Class
Amai Tea & Bake House (171 Third Avenue) is presenting a summer-appropriate class on iced tea. Learn which teas work best served over ice and discover the differences between the two most common brew methods -- cold brew and hot brew. The free event will take place on Thursday, July 24th, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Space is limited, RSVP at 212.863.9860.

New York Restaurant Week
Restaurant Week is back for its summer installment. Participating New York City restaurants are offering three-course prix-fixe dinners for $35 and lunches for $24.07. Make your reservations now through Friday, July 25th, and Monday, July 28th through Friday, August 1st. For a list of participating restaurants and to make reservations, visit opentable.com.

Art and Oenology
LeNell's Wine and Spirit Boutique (416 Van Brunt Street, Brooklyn) invites visitors to check out the BWAC's latest waterfront art opening and later retire to the Boutique for a special wine tasting from a Brooklyn winemaker. The event will take place on Saturday, July 26th. (718. 360.0838)

Chefs & Champagne
The James Beard Foundation (JBF) will honor multiple JBF winner and first James Beard House visiting chef Wolfgang Puck at its annual summer tasting event and silent auction, "Chefs & Champagne New York." The event will take place on Saturday, July 26th from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. General Admission: $275/general public, $195/JBF members, VIP: $400/general public, $325/JBF members. (212.627.2308)

Okra, Beans, and Leafy Greens
The Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture (630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills) presents "Okra, Beans, and Leafy Greens," its 3rd annual African-American food festival.  The day will be filled with hands on activities, food, tours, and screenings. The event will take place on Sunday, July 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Tickets are available through Historic Hudson Valley. $15/adults, $12/seniors, $8/children 5-17, Free/members.

It's hard to think of cooking broccoli rabe by any method other than sauteing in olive oil (or blanching in boiling water, if you are so inclined). But, who wants to be doing that in 98 degree weather? Well, here's a summer solution you may not have thought of: grill it.

I recently came across a recipe for grilling broccoli rabe in Judy Rodgers' Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Rodgers, who also happens to be the genius mind behind grilled fava beans, suggests dressing the stalks as you would a salad, tossing the broccoli rabe with a tablespoon of water, a few tablespoons of olive oil, and salt. Next -- and this is crucial -- let it sit in the bowl for 5 to 10 minutes or so. This gives the salt a chance to do its work, slightly softening the otherwise tough greens. Then, it's onto the grill where you cook it on each side for roughly 1-1/2 minutes, charring and teaming until tender. It's delicious, and, better yet, there's no saut pan to clean afterwards. N.B. This dress, salt, and wait method also works great for grilling radicchio and belgian endive, two favorites of mine.

I initially found myself amused reading about all of the "local food" shenanigans reported in Kim Severson's front-page article, "A Locally Grown Diet With Fuss but No Muss,"  published in today's New York Times. It is funny that we have come to this point in our food culture where people would hire out personal gardeners, invest in an animal share, or plan a wedding with catered food grown within 100 miles of the altar. Why not poke fun at the trendiness of those who want their food local, but don't want to get their "hands dirty" farming. What a bunch of suckers.

But, does anyone want to get their hands dirty farming anyway, rich or poor? The entire food industry rests on this simple notion. Most Americans buy their food in supermarkets, and while I'm a great supporter of farmer's markets, they are insufficient to supply all of my food. My local farmer's market is open only from July to October, and when it is open, it operates only once a week. The produce is great, but there is no fish and little meat available

Interestingly, less than two weeks ago that the Times published another front page article on local food, focusing on the growing popularity of Community Supported Agriculture. Rather than tease these folks, who also apparently also want to eat local food without getting their hands dirty, the tone of the article was extraordinarily positive, painting those who have paid up for a summer's worth of locally grown vegetables as not only smart, but well-meaning and earnest.

But, is picking up a weekly box of a CSA share all that different than having a box of locally grown fruit delivered by the FruitGuys to your door? Or, are CSAs just another gimmick, too? Which one is the "lazy locavore"? How about chefs like Dan Barber of Blue Hill, who are constantly praised for sourcing locally grown ingredients. Are we now going to poke fun at the people who would actually blow money on eating at Blue Hill?

I think I am most perplexed at the mention of folks who are hiring professionals to build and tend a vegetable plot in your backyard. There already exists an entire industry (landscaping and lawn service, anyone?) which is dedicated to doing all of the dirty work of gardening plants, grass, and flowers. People want to have a pristine yard, but not "muss" or "fuss" with gardening. I'm sure that this will not be an alien concept for the Times' suburban readership. After all, is hiring a professional gardener to weed, prune, and take care of a vegetable garden really any different than the myriad companies that are doing the same for plants and flowers right now in thousands of towns at this very moment? Paying someone to help grow your vegetables seems like a step forward in the right direction (at least compared to landscaping), not a gimmick.

Finally, Severson, who is herself a self-declared member of the "church of local food," wrote last year about her own friend and colleague who purchased half of a locally-grown heritage pig; yet this is the same thing she pokes fun at in her article. What better way could there be to support a farmer and also ensure the best quality of the meat you consume?

Photo: New York Times.

A copy of The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway just landed on my desk. That "grocer extraordinaire" (and the book's author) would, of course, be Fairway market's brash cheese monger and ambassador, Steven Jenkins. Never short on opinions, whether he is excited by cheese ("a true Camembert smells of sex"), angry about California-grown black olives ("as phony as can be"), or annoyed by "Top Chef" ("I can enjoy the lowbrow stuff as much as the next person. But this stuff makes my skin crawl."), Jenkins takes us on an insider's tour of Fairway's various departments -- meat, fish, cheese, etc. -- to meet the men and women behind the counter and the history of the market.

There are recipes, tips about ingredients, and an entire chapter on how to navigate the market's notoriously crowded aisles. Along the way, Jenkins shares his secret for removing the fishy smell from his hands after a day of slicing salmon: "Just rub lemon juice all over them -- the way Susan Sarandon did in Atlantic City. Except she wasn't rubbing lemon juice on just her hands, as I recall. As if I didn't recall. Hubba hubba." Hubba hubba, indeed. $19.77 at amazon.com.

FEATURED EVENT

Tofu Smackdown
Four of New Yorks top chefs show off their tofu skills as they compete for a $5,000 grand prize (and, of course, bragging rights) at the "Tofu Around the World Cook-off." The competing chefs are Erik Battes, Chef de Cuisine at Perry St Caf; Wylie Dufresne, Executive Chef & Owner of WD 50; Edward Higgins, Chef de Cuisine at Insieme; and Akinobu Suzuki, Executive Chef at Sakagura. The free event is open to the public and will take place at Astor Center (399 Lafayette Street) on Tuesday, July 22nd, from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. RSVP: housetofu@dcinyc.com   

EVENTS THIS WEEK (July 16 - 22)

Summer Seafood Feast
Savoy (70 Prince Street) is offering its 3rd annual Clam Bake menu. Enjoy a three-course meal complete with Littleneck Clams on the halfshell, Spanish-style lobster stew, and blueberry crumble. The menu is available nightly now through July 30th. Three-course menu: $50/person; with wine: $65/person (212.219.8570).

Feeding Baby the Slow Way 
Slow Food NYC and the Astor Center are teaming up to present a Slow U seminar -- "Feeding Baby the Slow Way." Join chef and new daddy Galen Zamarra as he talks about seasonal ingredients, techniques, and recipes for baby. The event will take place in the Study at Astor Center (399 Lafayette Street) on Wednesday, July 13th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $45/person.

Food Reading in the Park
The latest installment of the Madison Square reading series will feature food authors Jennifer 8. Lee (The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food) and Laura Schenone (The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken: A Search for Food and Family). Books featured in the program will also be available for purchase. The free event will take place Thursday, July 17th, at the foot of the Farragut Monument (located mid-park at 25th Street).

New Jersey Ice Cream Festival 
If you're down the Jersey shore this weekend and are a lover of all things ice cream, take a detour to Toms River and check out the 6th Annual New Jersey State Ice Cream Festival. The street festival will be filled with ice cream contests, rides, games, food, live entertainment, and more.  Attendees also have the opportunity to choose New Jersey's best ice cream during a special tasting. The event will take place in downtown Toms River (Washington Street) on Saturday, July 19th, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Ice Cream Tasting will run from 12:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (732.341.8738) Ice Cream Tasting Kits: $6/person.

Off the Beaten Path
Italian Wine Merchants (108 East 16th Street) is presenting a tasting and food pairing, "Off the Beaten Path Italian Wines." Discover wines from lesser known regions including San Leonardo (Sassicaias northern cousin), Quintarelli, Lazian, and others paired with antipasti. The event will take place on Saturday, July 19th, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Reservations are required. $75/person (212.473.2323).

Pig Out
3rd Ward (195 Morgan Avenue, Brooklyn) is hosting its first annual Pig Roast and Dance Party. Enjoy live music, cold drinks, games, and the pig roasting skills of Tom Mylan (Marlow and Sons, Diner and Bonita). The event will take place Sunday, July 20th from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (718.715.4861).

Eating Their Words
Eating Their Words returns with another performance, this time taking stage at Country restaurant (90 Madison Avenue). The events blend the talents of a veteran chef with three established playwrights, creating original, unique dining and theater experiences. The plays are written explicitly for the evening, inspiring the chef to design a menu which will complement and enhance the play. The Country Event will take place on Monday, July 21st, at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets: $295/premium seating, $325/VIP seating.

Art on the Farm
The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture (630 Bedford Road, Pocantico Hills) continues to host its first annual Art on the Farm month, complete with activities, exhibits, and workshops for children, families, and adults. Consult their events calendar with information on events throughout July (914.366.6200).