Old Pal

Have some overripe fruit lying around? CHOW.com's Suzy Brannon has the answer: a vinegar shrub. To make your own old-timey treat, see our Peach Shrub recipe.

In this episode of Kitchen Essentials, we visit sushi master Nozomu Abe at his celebrated omakase restaurant, Sushi Noz in NYC. Noz has been perfecting his craft for over 20 years, and it shows in his obsessive attention to detail when it comes to his food and the exclusive dinner experiences he offers. At Sushi Noz you will find Edomae sushi, a style that focuses on the treatment of ingredients through preservation of the fish, and a particular preparation of the rice. These processes are all part of the performance Abe puts on for his diners at his counter every night. When it comes to his favorite tools, he shows us both his prep and counter knives; His binchōtan coals and gril,l which he brings out to show customers how he sears and smokes delicate morsels of tuna or eel. After that he talks to us about the most important element of sushi, and the tool that is essential for him to make it: the rice and his traditional hagama. Setting the stage for his performance, is a space carefully curated to look, smell and feel like a traditional omakase in Japan, complete with a traditional hinoki refrigerator that he specifically commissioned for the restaurant, and a beautiful collection of Japanese ceramics both old and new, that lend the final touches to this unique food experience.

In this episode Guillermo visits Kings County Distillery, New York City’s oldest distillery after prohibition (opened 2010). While Head Distiller and co-owner Colin Spoelman gives a tour of the 119-year-old facility, they talk about the illegal origins of the spirit, bringing Kentucky moonshine to Brooklyn, and how to make it in a DIY distiller set up.

We go behind the scenes at the Varsity, one of the oldest and biggest drive-ins in the country. Read more.