We live in complex times, and sometimes our cuisine reflects this. Come to New York, that urbane center of bustling activity, and you will find many restaurants with complex menus and complex dishes. So many ingredients, spices, sauces, techniques, interpretations, textures and emotions. This chef's take on another chef's take of a regional dish of Holland as viewed through a Czech lens.
Then there's something as basic as a peasant's loaf of bread. There is a baker from Israel, the land of the Jews, who aspires to make good, honest loafs of bread and delicious sweet rolls. This man is from the Jews, and you go to his clean, simple bakery near Union Square and it hearkens back to the days of King David, when I'm sure many people sat around eating simple, authentic loafs of rye. Perhaps a nice latte, as well.
Last week I walked in New York on a misty rainy day and ate the breads of the Jews at Breads Bakery on east 16th Street. This is my story.
