Hello, it’s been a while. If you’re into cooking meat, and a friend asks “Want to break down some pheasants?” — say yes. (Fair warning for the rest of the photos.) I spent a lovely Thanksgiving with lovely friends, and with that trip came this surprise. It’s not easy, but if you know how to portion out a whole chicken you’re in the ballpark. And it helps to have a patient teacher in @ticklescratch who will send you to the bus with an insulated bag full of vacuum-packed frozen birds. (His pheasant sausage dressing at Thanksgiving went perfectly alongside a beautifully burnished turkey.) At home, I knew exactly what I was going to make: a tweaked version of @ericjoonho ’s recipe for Brunswick stew. My grandfather would make it after coming home from hunting rabbit in the ‘50s, and I’ve never had a chance to make it with game. I threw in pork shoulder to round it out and wow. Coincidentally: I’d packed a pheasant tie to wear on Thanksgiving. Sometimes everything just comes together.
Long live print! Go pick up a copy of The Times today and save the pull-out “Where to Eat This Summer in NYC” section for your summer eating needs. After many months of work, can’t say how proud we are of this! We have all kinds of recommendations across all five boroughs and a little beyond. Check the link in my profile for the gorgeous interactive map designed by @umieats . And thank you to my weekly Where to Eat newsletter partner in crime, @nomnomnikita , and the best team in the biz: @nomnomnikita@beckyblairhughes@priyakrishna@wonderdj@ericasimov@pete_wells and Florence Fabricant on words: @laurenhumphreyillustration with the wonderful illos in print; @nschinco@adam.friedlander@jeenahmoon@rachelvanni_@colinclark@apisukh on photos; and all the Times folks not on IG that put in many, many hours to make it all happen.
I broke @samsifton ’s rule and made a recipe for the first time on a holiday. Worth the risk for this duck ragù (from @emikodavies ’s “Florentine”). Wow. Not pictured, @clarkbar ’s roasted broccoli rabe and Florence Fabricant’s Italian flourless chocolate cake (@stephanietartick baked) to complete Christmas Day dinner. I hope your holiday meals were spectacular.
When the bartender tells you there’s only one more burger left, you get it. And when he suggests that you and your companion split the steak (because the kitchen won’t split the burger) and have the burger in the middle? You do that, too.
