Monthly Archives: June 2020

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Beats

NYT Critic’s Pick | Comedy, Crime, Drama, Music | Directed by Brian Welsh


Set in Scotland in 1994, the film tells a tender, moody story of friendship.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

The 11th Green

NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Christopher Munch


The director Christopher Munch’s first feature since 2011 is both whimsical and dark.
By GLENN KENNY

House of Hummingbird

NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Bora Kim


In this delicate movie, a teenage girl in Seoul tries to find a sense of self amid calamities small and large.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

The Ghost of Peter Sellers

NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Peter Medak


This documentary tells the mesmerizing story of a horrendous film shoot and the psychological flotsam left in its wake.
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Lost Bullet

NYT Critic’s Pick | TV-MA | Action, Crime, Thriller | Directed by Guillaume Pierret


This tight French Netflix thriller reminds us how deeply satisfying action can be when you strip it of Hollywood flab.
By ELISABETH VINCENTELLI

Food! Glorious Food!

BANGKOK DISPATCH

Eating Thai Fruit Demands Serious Effort but Delivers Sublime Reward


Workers cutting apart jackfruit, separating the fruit and seeds from the rind, at Talad Thai, Bangkok’s wholesale fruit market and the largest in Southeast Asia, this month.


A seller showing the inside of a rambutan.


Langsat and mangosteens on sale.


Unloading durians.


A dragon fruit sliced in half.


Taking apart a mangosteen.


Thick gloves help while handling sharp durian rinds.


Lychees at the market.

Many delicious species in Thailand, “the Great Power nation of fruit,” require laborious peeling and careful chewing. Then there’s the sticky fingers and occasional disappointment.
By HANNAH BEECH and AMANDA MUSTARD

Pandemic Gives S.O.S. a New Meaning for U.K. Cheesemakers: Save Our Stilton

With pubs and restaurants closed, the six producers that make the famous blue cheese are fighting for survival.
By STEPHEN CASTLE

SECOND OPINION

Most avocado oil sold in U.S. is either rancid or contains other oils, study finds

By Susan Perry

TRILOBITES

Blowing Bubbles to Pollinate Flowers

Researchers in Japan have developed a soap bubble-based pollination method that is as effective as doing it by hand.
By CARA GIAIMO

A Top Chicago Restaurant Messaged Its Virtue. Then Workers Spoke Up.

Since Fat Rice proclaimed its support for justice, former employees have come forward with complaints that its chef created a hostile work environment.
By Brett Anderson

How the Women of the Jemima Code Freed Me

Aunt Jemima is retired, but real women lit a pathway to grace.
By Toni Tipton-Martin

SMALL BUSINESS: OWNING THE FUTURE
Food That’s a Business and a Comfort

A San Francisco-based Malaysian chef is keeping busy during the pandemic with a diverse business model that has allowed her to improvise and generate revenue.

By Kerry Hannon

Coronavirus Fears in China Find a New Target: Salmon

Suppliers and restaurants are scrambling after an outbreak in Beijing triggered fears that salmon may have spread it. Officials later absolved the fish of blame, but consumers are avoiding it anyway.
By Amy Qin

Wildlife Trade Spreads Coronaviruses as Animals Get to Market

DNA tests show an increase in the number of animals with positive tests for some coronaviruses from the time they are trapped until they arrive on someone’s dinner plate.
By James Gorman

IN THE GARDEN
Lessons from an organic garlic farmer on how to grow, harvest and cure garlic at home.

The Garlic Will Tell You When It’s Time


Freshly harvested hardneck garlic with the dirt wiped off is bundled and ready to cure for a few weeks in the airy, warm and relatively dark barn at Filaree Garlic Farm.Credit…Phoebe Swiss
By MARGARET ROACH

how to grow garlic, a q&a with filaree farm

Summer

Summer’s early bounty is perfect in this simple meal.

Credit…Melissa Clark/The New York Times
By Melissa Clark

A GOOD APPETITE

Spicy Pork Kebabs, Fast Enough for a Weeknight


Loads of whole spices, plus green chile and garlic, infuse the meat, but the marinade can also work on just about anything.
By MELISSA CLARK

A Dish Even the Pickiest Little Ones Will Love

Yotam Ottolenghi’s son loves carbs, so the chef folds vegetables into this highly adaptable cheesy potato cake.

Spring onion and cheese potato cake, two ways.Credit…Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Spring onion and cheese potato cake, two ways.
By Yotam Ottolenghi

A Sweet-Tart Treat for Summer

These bars taste like Key lime pie but they’re so much easier to share (and easier to make).

Samantha Seneviratne’s creamy Key lime bars with vanilla wafer crust.Credit…Mark Weinberg for The New York Times
Samantha Seneviratne’s creamy Key lime bars with vanilla wafer crust.
By Samantha Seneviratne

FRONT BURNER

Korean Condiments and House Wine From Atoboy

The restaurant has opened an online shop to sell imported condiments along with its house wine, pottery and more.
Atonae,

atonae.com

.
By Florence Fabricant

FRONT BURNER

Summer Rolls for Entertaining


Pescatore in Grand Central Market ships eight varieties of its seafood-filled rolls nationwide.
Summer rolls, $12 to $18 for two, including shipping, pescatoreny.com.
By Florence Fabricant

FRONT BURNER

Eat Like an Italian

A new food guide provides a deep history of the Italian table, with etiquette, dishes and provincial specialties.


“Garrubbo Guide: The Importance of Eating Italian” by Edwin Garrubbo (Garrubbo Communications, $24.95), garrubbo.com.
By Florence Fabricant

FRONT BURNER
Anthony Bourdain Remembered by Friends

A portrait of Mr. Bourdain with José Andrés and Eric Ripert raises money for the food bank in Grand Cayman.

A portrait of José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert raises money for the Cayman Food Bank.Credit…‘how to cook curry goat - 3 amigos cayman cookout’ by artist Shane Aquârt, Dreadyworld
A portrait of José Andrés, Anthony Bourdain and Eric Ripert raises money for the Cayman Food Bank.
“How to Cook Curry Goat” by Dready, three limited editions (16 by 5 inches, 25 by 12 and 36 by 18), $315 to $815, dreadyworld.com.
By Florence Fabricant

Prestigious Wine Organization Drops Use of Term ‘Master’

The organization, the Court of Master Sommeliers, Americas, wants to be more inclusive. Some black wine experts say the recent changes aren’t enough.
By CHRISTINA MORALES

THE POUR

10 Reasons You Should Give Riesling Another Look


Critics love it, consumers not so much. But the beauty of these wines requires stubborn advocacy because they are that good. Really.
By Eric Asimov

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

The Pollinators

NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Peter Nelson


Colorful close-ups of thriving bees and interviews with experts show the trials that the bees and the food supply face in the United States.
By TEO BUGBEE

Mr. Jones

NYT Critic’s Pick | Biography, Drama, Thriller | Directed by Agnieszka Holland


In Agnieszka Holland’s historically informed drama, a Welsh journalist travels to 1933 Ukraine, then in the grip of famine.
By MANOHLA DARGIS

Wasp Network

NYT Critic’s Pick | Thriller | Directed by Olivier Assayas


Olivier Assayas has created his most mainstream film yet, a spy story replete with double-crosses and romance.
By GLENN KENNY

Miss Juneteenth

NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples


The debut feature from Channing Godfrey Peoples explores how black women and girls support each other in a world that often fails them.
By LOVIA GYARKYE

Food! Glorious Food!

NONFICTION

Are You Ready to Eat Meat Grown in a Lab?

At the laboratories of the Israeli company, Redefine Meat, which is using 3D printing to replicate the sensory experience of eating a steak. Credit…Corinna Kern/Bloomberg
At the laboratories of the Israeli company, Redefine Meat, which is using 3D printing to replicate the sensory experience of eating a steak.
By Bee Wilson

SQUARE FEET

Dining in the Street? As Restaurants Reopen, Seating Moves Outdoors

Cities are accelerating applications and waiving fees to allow alfresco dining, but the moves are disrupting neighborhoods and cutting much-needed tax revenue.

Sidewalk dining in East Hampton, N.Y.  Local officials around the country are allowing eating establishments to expand onto patios and parking lots, and even city sidewalks and streets. Credit…Karsten Moran for The New York Times
Sidewalk dining in East Hampton, N.Y. Local officials around the country are allowing eating establishments to expand onto patios and parking lots, and even city sidewalks and streets.
By Jane Margolies

As Travel Resumes, Wineries, Cooking Schools and Others Get Creative


Distilleries, cooking schools, wineries and food halls from California to South Minneapolis are adjusting to social distancing and hygiene in a new era of travel.

Flowers Vineyard in Sonoma County, Calif., is utilizing its outdoor space for a largely “touchless” experience.Credit…Douglas Friedman
Flowers Vineyard in Sonoma County, Calif., is utilizing its outdoor space for a largely “touchless” experience.

One thing that the distilleries are well stocked in? Hand sanitizer. “We make our own … heck, we sell the stuff!” Mr. Erisman said. Transitioning to hand sanitizer production was a major initiative at Du Nord Craft Spirits, a microdistillery based in South Minneapolis and the first black-owned distillery in the United States. Run by a husband-and-wife team, Chris and Shanelle Montana, Du Nord produces vodka, gin and whiskey and has a cocktail room. The Montanas were starting to think about reopening midsummer when mass protests surrounding the death of George Floyd overtook the neighborhood. “We are very involved in the South Minneapolis community and we wanted to play our part,” said Shanelle Montana. “We were handing out hand sanitizer and water to the crowd.” As the protests continued, the Montanas began putting contingency plans in place, especially as violence increased. The warehouse space was broken into, but the resulting small fires were promptly extinguished by their sprinkler system. The cocktail room was spared — Ms. Montana believes that was because the employees wrote “black-owned business” on the space’s windows. Ms. Montana is heartened by the support they have received from the community in cleaning up and repurposing the warehouse as a temporary food pantry. Their next steps are to renovate the building. “We’re making sure that any space we have will be able to adapt to whatever Covid restrictions are required,” Ms. Montana said. Perhaps more pressing in their future plans is a commitment to reinvesting in their community and existing as a healing gathering space. “In some ways, we have a clean slate to reimagine what it could be.”

By Lauren Sloss

As Meat Plants Stayed Open to Feed Americans, Exports to China Surged

While lobbying to keep operating during the pandemic, the U.S. industry sent a record amount of pork to a country vital to its growth.

About 117,000 metric tons of pork produced in the United States in April was sent to China.Credit…Jenn Ackerman for The New York Times
About 117,000 metric tons of pork produced in the United States in April was sent to China.
By Michael Corkery and David Yaffe-Bellany

Our Best Fourth of July Recipes

Here’s what you need to make the most of the holiday.

Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Berries and Cream Icebox Cake. Credit…Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Erin Jeanne McDowell.
Erin Jeanne McDowell’s Berries and Cream Icebox Cake.
By Margaux Laskey

A GOOD APPETITE

Crunchy, Creamy and Just Sweet Enough

Juicy sugar snap peas are quickly blanched, then tossed with a creamy yogurt-feta dressing for a light but rich summer salad.

Sugar snap peas with yogurt, feta and dill.Credit…David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Maggie Ruggiero.
Sugar snap peas with yogurt, feta and dill.
By Melissa Clark

FROM THE PANTRY

Make a Compound Butter, and Use It on Your Next Meal

Add herbs and some alliums to a stick of butter for a lot of flavor.


Roasted chicken thighs dotted with a ramp-and-thyme compound butter.
By Melissa Clark

EAT

This Cajun Corn Dish Screams ‘Summer’

Maque choux.Credit…Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times
Maque choux.
By Gabrielle Hamilton

Sweet, Tender and Studded With Strawberries

This cousin to spoonbread and pudding cake is best served warm, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Strawberry spoon cake.
Strawberry spoon cake.
By Jerrelle Guy

WINES OF THE TIMES

Why Wine? Why Burgundy? Why Now?

By Eric Asimov

SMALL BUSINESS: OWNING THE FUTURE

A Barware Company for the Pros Adds Amateurs to the Mix

When its equipment sales to bars and restaurants plummeted during the pandemic, Cocktail Kingdom successfully turned to consumers.
By Alina Tugend

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Da 5 Bloods

NYT Critic’s Pick | R | Drama, War | Directed by Spike Lee


Spike Lee’s new joint is an anguished, funny, violent argument with and about American history, with an unforgettable performance from Delroy Lindo at its heart.
By A.O. SCOTT

Gulabo Sitabo

NYT Critic’s Pick | Comedy, Drama | Directed by Shoojit Sircar


Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana star in this charmingly low-key Hindi comedy.
By RACHEL SALTZ

Hill of Freedom

NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Sang-soo Hong


Hong Sang-soo’s film, structured as a letter with the pages out of order, is one of his most daring gambits.
By GLENN KENNY

In My Blood It Runs

NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary, Biography, History | Directed by Maya Newell


In plain vérité style, the documentary follows an Arrernte Aboriginal family in Alice Springs, Australia.
By TEO BUGBEE

Marona’s Fantastic Tale

NYT Critic’s Pick | Animation, Drama, Family | Directed by Anca Damian


At the end of her life, a dog reflects on happiness and heartbreak. But the film stays buoyant through its unique and lively animation.
By TEO BUGBEE

— Of Possible Interest —

For They Know Not What They Do

Documentary | Directed by Daniel G. Karslake


Daniel Karslake’s documentary follows four families navigating issues of faith in relation to the sexual orientations and gender identities of their children.
By LOVIA GYARKYE

Aviva

Drama, Music, Romance | Directed by Boaz Yakin


Boaz Yakin’s movie is fresh in two ways: in its questioning of gender, and in its use of dance as a primary mode of expression.
By BRIAN SEIBERT

The Surrogate

Drama | Directed by Jeremy Hersh


In Jeremy Hersh’s film, a woman agrees to carry a child for a gay couple, and unexpected conflicts arise.
By GLENN KENNY

Food! Glorious Food!

Bon Appétit Editor Adam Rapoport Resigns

The move comes hours after a photo of him resurfaced on social media, drawing condemnations from the staff for a stereotypical depiction of Puerto Ricans.
Adam Rapoport took over as editor in chief of Bon Appétit in 2010, after years as the style editor at GQ.
By Kim Severson

Bon Appétit Names Amanda Shapiro as Interim Editor

After the resignation of Adam Rapoport, who headed the magazine for nearly 10 years, the staff is seeking a wider reckoning.
By KIM SEVERSON

A Juneteenth of Joy and Resistance

With the dual pressures of unrest and the pandemic, black chefs are contemplating the ways this holiday can help Americans cope.
By NICOLE TAYLOR

How to Feed Crowds in a Protest or Pandemic? The Sikhs Know


Their centuries-old faith tradition of nourishing anyone in need has found new energy and purpose in America’s turmoil.
By PRIYA KRISHNA

Just Eat Takeaway in Talks to Acquire Grubhub

The Dutch food delivery company is close to beating out Uber to buy Grubhub.
By KATE CONGER and ADAM SATARIANO

As Diners Flock to Delivery Apps, Restaurants Fear for Their Future

While the apps say they are saving them in the pandemic, many restaurateurs say the opposite.
By NATHANIEL POPPER

THE WORLD THROUGH A LENS

Shearing Sheep, and Hewing to Tradition, on an Island in Maine


In a remote area of Maine, the Wakeman family maintains the traditions of island shepherding, the cycles of which have been largely unchanged for centuries.
By GRETA RYBUS and GALEN KOCH and GRETA RYBUS

FROM THE PANTRY

Creamy, Eggy Polenta, Dotted With Corn


You can use whatever vegetable you want in this easily baked dish.
By MELISSA CLARK

FROM THE PANTRY

These Brownies Are as Sweet as Candy


Chewy, salty and run through with brown butter, these treats are ideal dessert material.
By MELISSA CLARK

FROM THE PANTRY

This Pantry Pasta Is Sure to Be a Family Favorite


This simple weeknight dish gets its bold flavor and texture from garlic- and anchovy-infused bread crumbs.
By MELISSA CLARK

A GOOD APPETITE

This Isn’t Strawberry Shortcake as You Know It


Serve this summery pair with crunchy cookies instead of soft biscuits.
By Melissa Clark

FRONT BURNER

Rosés by the Six-Pack

The many shades and flavors of rosé are explored in two mixed cases.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

THOSE WE’VE LOST

Hecky Powell, Barbecue Master and Civic Leader, Dies at 71

From his restaurant in Evanston, Ill., he fed hungry students and the Chicago Bulls, and counseled high schoolers, mayors, a governor and a young Barack Obama.
By PENELOPE GREEN

Louisville Barbecue Owner Killed in Police Shooting Fed a Food Desert


David McAtee is remembered as a man who reached out to his mostly black community through his cooking.
By Lolis Eric Elie

NYT Critic’s Pick Movie(s)

Tommaso
NYT Critic’s Pick | Drama | Directed by Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara’s new semi-autobiographical drama, starring Willem Dafoe, crackles with ideas and empathy.
By GLENN KENNY

Dreamland
NYT Critic’s Pick | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy, Horror | Directed by Bruce McDonald
A double dose of Stephen McHattie helps this freaky noir find its footing.
By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS

Searching Eva
NYT Critic’s Pick | Documentary | Directed by Pia Hellenthal
This portrait of a professed sex worker, writer, anarchist, feminist, musician and recovering addict is a tough film to pin down.
By BEN KENIGSBERG

Food! Glorious Food!

Restaurants Nourish Protesters With Food, Supplies and Donations

Their windows are smashed and their storefronts are vandalized. But some restaurant owners around the country are committed to supporting demonstrators.


Volunteers organize food and other essentials at Pimento Jamaican Kitchen.

A few blocks from where Mr. Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, the owners of Pimento Jamaican Kitchen packed go-bags for marchers that included critical supplies to protect themselves from both coronavirus and any violence by the police: gloves, face masks and face shields, eyewash kits, gauze and other first-aid. “If people are going to be out, people have the right to demonstrate,” said Scott McDonald, a manager at Pimento. “If that’s what you are going to do and you’re going to exercise that right, do it as safely as possible.” Though some restaurants have remained quiet, not issuing a statement one way or another, many have shown support for the protests on their social media feeds, going beyond hashtags and famous quotations to help fund activists in their communities.


By Tejal Rao

Their Minneapolis Restaurant Burned, but They Back the Protest

Though a Bangladeshi family lost their business in the uproar over the death of George Floyd, they support demonstrators and helped medics treat them.


Ruhel Islam outside Gandhi Mahal Restaurant in Minneapolis, a few doors from the police precinct headquarters that burned on Thursday night.
By Amelia Nierenberg

The Pressures of Pandemic Cooking, by Jessica Olien

In quarantine, some are pushing the limits of their very limited cooking skills.
By JESSICA OLIEN

THE WORLD THROUGH A LENS

Finding Euphoria in Bangkok’s Food Scene


In search of creative inspiration, a New York-based photographer spent two weeks documenting Bangkok’s fresh markets and street vendors.
By LOUISE PALMBERG

EUROPE DISPATCH: A CONTINENT REOPENS

In a German Restaurant, the Sommelier Lifts His Mask to Smell the Wine


Pauly Saal, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Berlin, was one of the first restaurants in Europe to restart operations last week. How did its chefs, waiters — and diners — cope on its opening night?
By PATRICK KINGSLEY and LAETITIA VANCON

Coronavirus Turns a Spanish Sea Delicacy Back Into Daily Fare

With high-end restaurants closed, the price of prawns has tumbled, allowing fishmongers to pick up the shellfish at a discount and offer them to a much broader clientele.
By RAPHAEL MINDER

Is Takeout and Delivery Food Safe?

Yes, if you follow some common-sense guidelines. Here are some answers from health experts.
By AMELIA NIERENBERG

For This Tribe, Saving a River Means Saving the Sturgeon

The Yakama Nation has been raising fish to release back into the Columbia River for more than a decade. Now, its hatchery is also producing caviar.


Crafted, a restaurant in Yakima, Wash., offered the caviar for the first time last year. Dan Koommoo, the chef, has served it over housemade bucatini pasta, and with cold smoked sturgeon cured in beets.
By Amelia Nierenberg

Your Kitchen Can Be as Well Stocked as Restaurants Now

Without chefs to sell to, farmers, fishmongers and wholesalers are making house calls. And the change may be here to stay.


Anna Thomas Bates, left, and Anna Landmark prepare home deliveries of cheese from Landmark Creamery, their company in Paoli, Wis.
By Pete Wells and Jennifer Steinhauer

FRONT BURNER

Oat Milk Powers This Ice Cream


A new offering from Planet Oat Oatmilk is silky smooth and comes in six flavors.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FRONT BURNER

Spice Grinder, Batteries Not Included


FinaMill grinds spices from coarse to fine, with removable pods that allow for quick swaps.
FinaMill, $24.95 with one pod, $29.99 with two, $8.95 each for extra pods, shopfinamill.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FRONT BURNER

Add a Restaurant-Size Salami to Your Table


Charlito’s Cocina is selling its trufa seca, a 1.5-pound black truffle salami, to the public.
Beer, chorizo, spicy and country-style salami ($27 — and $38 for black truffle — for two five-ounce salami, $50 for a sampler of all five); presliced ($40 for four three-ounce salami), charlitoscocina.com.
By FLORENCE FABRICANT

FROM THE PANTRY

Don’t Save Those Old Bananas for Banana Bread. Make Scones Instead.


You don’t even need the banana, just 1 cup of any frozen or fresh fruit, for these crisp-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside treats.
By MELISSA CLARK

FROM THE PANTRY

Potatoes, Greens and So Much Comfort


This riff on an Irish colcannon is among the most filling, nourishing dishes you could make.
By MELISSA CLARK

A GOOD APPETITE

The Best Way to Eat Grilled Salmon

Pair it with crisp lettuces and a pungent chile-lime dressing for a light, summery dinner.


Grilled salmon salad with lime, chiles and herbs.
By Melissa Clark

Ferran Adrià’s Potato Chip Omelet Delights Beyond Expectation


Created as a family meal dish for the El Bulli staff a decade ago, this three-ingredient dish utilizes pantry staples. This omelet combines just three ingredients (eggs, potato chips and olive oil) in a way that celebrates both practicality and ingenuity.
By Alexa Weibel

This Pie Lets Peak Strawberries Shine Bright


A crunchy shortbread crust and a cloud of freshly whipped cream makes this delightfully fresh pie reminiscent of strawberry shortcake.
By SAMANTHA SENEVIRATNE

If You’ve Got Lemons, Make Limoncello


You’ll also need alcohol, sugar and, most of all, patience.
By ADRIANA BALSAMO

THOSE WE’VE LOST

Eduardo L. Gancayco, Who Kept Hospital Workers Fed, Dies at 62


He was a cafeteria manager at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, where he died of Covid-19, and a consummate host.
By KENNETH P. VOGEL