Orecchiette with Spicy Merguez Sausage

            Right down the street from us at 1900 Broadway, Daniel Boulud has carved a little fiefdom for himself.  It consists of two restaurants—Bar Boulud, which leans heavily on charcuterie, and Boulud Sud, Chef Boulud’s salute to Mediterranean Cuisine.  And then there’s Epicerie Boulud right on the corner between the two.  To me, Epicerie brings back memories of my time in Rome where stand-up bars are the rule rather than the exception.  So every time I stop by for one of their perfect Banh Mis, I feel as if I’ve gone back to Rome and lost about thirty years in the process.   At Epicerie Boulud, the gleaming marble counters are at the right height for standing with a glass of wine and whatever you fancy from the menu from breakfast til 11:00 pm.  Oysters on the half shell, lobster rolls, and excellent selection of salads, sandwiches, charcuterie including the most amazing sausages which are served encased in French rolls.  Among these are the spicy North African sausages, Merguez.  These red beauties are made with lamb and beef, and heavily spiced with North Africa’s signature harissa, a chili based sauce, as well as other spices such as sumac, fennel, and garlic.  One day this week, I decided that one lone Merguez sausage was not enough so I bought three of them and brought them home.

Back to Bonito in St. Barth and our take on their wonderful Peruvian Tiradito of Tuna

Bonito's Version of Tiradito de Thon

And mine...

Unfortunately, mine didn't come with this view from Bonito

Rue Lubin Brin
Gustavia, St. Barthelemy FWI
(590)0590-279-696
www.ilovebonito.com

         Silken fish coated in citrus and soy, the earthy nuttiness of sesame oil, the sweetness of crabmeat and the crunch of perfectly dressed seaweed salad, that's the explosion of taste that left me, a month later, wistful for another plate of Tiradito of Tuna.  In my earlier post, “15 Things you really must eat in St. Barth”, I promised that I would share the recipe for the fantastic "ceviche" we ate at Bonito, a wonderful hillside restaurant overlooking Gustavia’s beautiful harbor. And  the food at Bonito is every bit as magnificent as the view.  The well-travelled chef, Laurent Cantineaux, has brought influences from all over.  Chef Cantineaux has worked at Daniel, here in New York, for Guy Savoy and the Troisgros brothers in France and then landed in Caracas, Venezuela where he was the Executive Chef at Café Atlantique. There must have been a side trip to Peru at some point because Peru in the birthplace of the Tiradito.  Without question, Chef Cantineaux' tiraditos are reason alone to head directly to Bonito right after you’ve touched down in St. Barth.