Spring produce are starting to bloom in full force. While we have to be patient, we can begin to see some beautifully crisp spring vegetables hit the greenmarkets and menus of the farm-to-table restaurants in the city. With ramp-rage coming to a dull roar, we are starting to build up excitement for another spring favorite: asparagus. We are pretty thrilled about fresh spring asparagus showing up on menus here in New York, even though Californians, like SF’s weekly restaurant critic Jon Kauffman have been enjoying them “almost every day this week, with another 2 pounds in the fridge”. (we’re jealous!)
A messenger of spring, the spears can be plucked from the soil as early as February in California, but generally runs from April to late June, especially on the east coast. Luckily, our mild winter and warmer early spring months brought them to us a little earlier than normally anticipated. But, we’re not complaining. We’re just sitting patiently until a full spring awakening occurs and we can enjoy all of springs greens like english peas, sugar snap peas, and fava beans alongside our asparagus.
When you eat with the seasons, anything and everything green sprouting from the ground elicits excitement. Most people know asparagus for it’s less-than-pleasant aromatic aftermath, but chefs know it for its versatility. When you bite into your first asparagus, regardless if it’s grilled with truffle-salt and olive oil, shaved raw and tossed with parmesan cheese, lightly dressed in a warm vinaigrette or topped with a poached egg with a perfectly runny yolk, you relish in its crisp texture, and earthy, sometimes even sweet, flavor. The lily relative comes in three colors- green, white and purple, which vary, albeit slightly, in taste.
Chefs are already gunning to put asparagus on their menu, here’s where you’ll find them this week in New York.
At Recette, Chef Jesse Schenker has roasted scallops with local beets, asparagus and caviar beurre blanc for $25.
Gramercy Tavern‘s Chef Mike Anthony serves a roasted asparagus salad with stinging nettles. His asparagus hail from Cherry Lane Farm and after roasted them on an open fire, he layers glazed young bamboo shoots over them. He dresses it in pureed stining nettles with tapioca and tops the salad with pickled shallot petals and a variety of seasonal frontrunners such as pickled ramps, chickweed, mustard blossoms and sprouts.
One of Manhattan’s favorite farm-to-tables has asparagus multiple times on the menu already. Chef Mike Price of Market Table pairs shaved asparagus with oyster mushrooms and favas alongside a crispy pork cutlet as well as grilled asparagus with sauce gribiche, and lemon breadcrumbs as a side for dinner and has homefries & asparagus for brunch.
Chef Yousef Ghalaini is serving up a velvety asparagus soup with creme fresh at Imperial No. 9 that is so beautifully bright and green, pink peppercorn creme fraiche. Spoiler alert: it’s even going to be featured on their Easter Brunch menu!
A city favorite, Gotham Bar & Grill has featured a photo of asparagus representing their greenmarket $25 prix fixe, but its not on that menu just yet. It is however featured with the warm chicken confit for lunch and the Gotham Select Niman Ranch Steak for dinner.
More asparagus chatter on twitter:
ABC KITCHEN (@ABCKitchen): Bite into our new pizza w/ asparagus, bacon, riccot, parm. & black pepper. What a great combo of flavors! @dan_kluger http://pic.twitter.com/NHprpGSp
Sarah Jenkins (@porchettanyc): I’m personally more excited by the arrival of local Asparagus than anything else!
Eric Ripert Poached asparagus @ last minute Serve immediately (out of the salted water) w mustard- fine herbs&chopped hard boiled egg vinaigrette=SPRING
Floyd Cardoz Ramps are here, soft shell crabs are here, I have asparagus in my yard, can someone tell me where are the Morels? #Spring isnt playing fair
Photo Credits-
Asparagus (featured)- Esteban Cavrico
Green bundle- mkrisgman
multiple bundles- Muffet
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