gourmet food

It's Sunday afternoon on New York's affluent Upper East Side, and one look at the crowd milling around the Dean & DeLuca store at Madison and 85th Street gives even the most casual observer a good idea of just how incredibly successful the high-end grocer has become. It should not come as a great surprise, then, that Dean & DeLuca is the recipient of the Luxist Awards' Editors' Choice Award for Best in Food.

Women decked in pearls and Metropolitan Museum of Art pins stroll past color-coordinated fruit displays while men in tweed jackets pause at the seafood counter to choose from King Salmon, Chilean Sea Bass and Black Cod, each at least $20 per pound. An elderly woman from Paris admires a stack of ten squares of chocolate, tied together and wrapped in pastel paper.

"The last time I came in, the first thing I saw were these," she says, pointing to the $62 bundle of chocolates. "They're so pretty that I never even opened them."

Family-owned Dorothy Lane Market has won the Readers' Choice Award in the Best Gourmet Grocery/Food Hall category.

Dorothy Lane Market began as a fruit stand. In 1948 founder Calvin Mayne began selling quality fruits and vegetables in the south Dayton, Ohio area at the corner of Far Hills Avenue and Dorothy Lane (hence the name of the market, or DLM for short).

Mayne loved good food, and wanted his customers to enjoy the same. He believed the company should be unpretentious and have an inclusive atmosphere in which its customers would be welcome. Today Dorothy Lane Market is a company of well-known gourmet supermarkets in the Dayton area that are recognized for great food and service. Mayne's son, Norman, is now its chief executive officer while grandson Calvin, serves as its general manager. The Mayne family still owns and operates the company.

Dorothy Lane partners with food artisans and others passionate about food. This is evident when browsing its aisles and viewing the impressive selection of gourmet food products from around the world that stock its shelves. They offer an extensive selection of cheese, wine, and chocolate. Its oil selection is impressive, and includes walnut oil from Provence, macadamia oil, and olive oils from all over the world. They feature hard to find premium products in season. In seafood for example, they carry Copper River King Salmon and fresh Alaskan King Red Crab from family co-ops. Produce features golden Aurora apples, long stem artichokes, and jumbo size honeydew melons. The meat department's products are entirely natural, lifetime free of added hormones and antibiotics. Their meats include well marbled pork, free range chicken, and DLM Natural Beef, which almost always grades out as USDA prime.

The company's passion for great food is also reflected in what it manufactures in the store. Their in-store kitchens make staples including chicken salad from free range chicken and lasagna featuring their DLM Natural Beef. They also offer trendier fare such as cous-cous and lentil salads, cedar planked salmon, and asiago encrusted chicken breast. Dorothy Lane Market also employs several artisan bakers who daily bake traditional breads such as sourdough and baguettes entirely from scratch, which they sell in-store as well as online. Their bakery is famous as well for its Killer Brownie® which is sold to other fine food retailers and online at www.shopdlm.com.

For those of you who have never tasted a stone crab it is well worth the splurge now that they are in season. A specialty food item, they are possibly pound for pound the most expensive shellfish sold in the United States.

Stone crabs are found in and around the water off the coast of Florida. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about about 40 percent of the states average 3.1 million pounds comes from the waters surrounding the Florida Keys. Harvesting stone crabs is a unique process. The claws are removed from a live animal and then the crab is returned to the ocean where it can re-grow its taken limb. There are strict rules placed on the harvesting of the crab claws which must be at least 2 3/4 inches in length, not to be removed from a female crab with eggs, and taken only between the dates of October 15 - May 15th each year. In theory, if both claws are regulation size it is legal to remove them but the crab will remain healthier and be able to regenerate its lost claw faster if only one is removed.

Another reason for the expense of this delicious crustacean is that they should be cooked before they are cooled or frozen. If not prepared in this method the claws will taste watery, mealy, be difficult to remove from the shell and in general not worth the hefty price tag. This is why you will only see pre-cooked stone crabs at your favorite gourmet grocer. Traditionally crab claws are served on a bed of ice with a mustard sauce.

If you aren't planning a trip to Florida any time soon but love shellfish you can have them delivered to your home from one of the areas most famous restaurants appropriately titled Joe's Stone Crab. They come in three sizes and can be purchased according to the number of diners you plan to serve. For a group of four people the crabs will cost you between $166.95 and $245.95, depending on their size, and and will be shipped overnight to your door any where in the continental United States.

Nominations have been received and vetted for the best-of-breed in gourmet grocers, online gourmet food, caviar, cheese and bread. The Luxist Readers' Choice Food Awards will be awarded based on your voting.

Each of finalists for the Readers' Choice for the Best Gourmet Grocer/Food Hall is a leader in the industry. One started out with a small store in Texas and today, it has more than 270 stores in North America and the United Kingdom. An Ohio-based nominee is family-owned and operated that is recognized for its great food and service. Two nominees are New York institutions offering gourmet foods from around the world. Last, but not least, there's an opulent Food Hall in London that is known worldwide for the sheer volume and selection of its international goods all presented in breathtaking displays.

The Readers' Choice for the Best Online Gourmet Food nominees include a New York institution with a staff that travel the world in search of great artisan-produced foods. A Seattle-based nominee was launched by a group of passionate food-lovers committed to the best artisan-produced, sustainable foods while another nominee is a family-owned operation that originated from three generations of cheese importers. A Michigan-based nominee is a collection of local businesses, each with its own food specialty. Finally, the Philadelphia-based nominee celebrates the European roots of its two founders with a wide array of gourmet meats, cheeses, oils, and other goods from around the world.

The Readers' Choice for the Best Caviar Retailer for a Luxist Award include award-winning brands from Europe and the United States with each offering the highest of quality. Several offer some of the finest Russian caviar to be found, while one is a proponent of sustainably harvested roe with its own tank-farming system.

Nominees for Readers' Choice for Best Bread Bakery include companies that have been producing bread for decades. One opened more than 70 years ago and is now an institution in Paris, while another was launched in Belgium before expanding around the world. A Los Angeles-based nominee has developed more than 100 varieties of award-winning breads. The Philadelphia-based nominee features artisanal breads and the baked goods of the Ann Arbor-based nominee are known throughout the Midwest.

Readers' Choice nominees for Best Cheese Shop include some of the most respected shops in the world. These cheese shops, offer a full range of both international and domestic artisanal cheeses. They are the destinations for serious cheese lovers and chefs who are in search of the best.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of these categories. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

Whole Foods is a nominee for a Luxist Award in the Best Gourmet Grocery/Food Hall category.

In 1978, a 25 year-old college dropout named John Mackey and his 21 year-old Rene Lawson Hardy started Whole Foods in Austin, Texas with $45,000 borrowed from family and friends. Backs then, there were only a handful of natural food grocers in the country, and the store wasn't quite the glitzy organic palace of modern times; it wasn't even known as Whole Foods yet. Mackey and Hardy called their natural foods store "SaferWay," a spoof of the supermarket Safeway.

When the couple got kicked out of their apartment for storing large quantities of food there, they decided to live at the store. Lacking a shower stall, they bathed in the shop's dishwasher using its attached water hose. This bohemian lifestyle wouldn't be necessary for long. In 1980, SaferWay merged with Clarksville Natural Grocery to form Whole Foods.

Less than a year after the grand opening, an epic flood rolled through Austin, wiping out $400,000 worth of Whole Foods' inventory and equipment. Customers and neighbors volunteered to help put the store back on its feet, and Whole Foods was able to re-open a month after the flood.

Three years later, Whole Foods began to expand, starting with locations in Houston and Dallas. In 1989, the company expanded to California and began scooping up other natural foods chains around the country. In 2001 the company opened its first Manhattan location and expanded to the U.K. in 2004.

Today, the company boasts 275 stores through out the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Each location is packed with an astounding array of natural foods from gourmet cheese to fresh fish. For the unlucky few who live far from a bricks-and-mortar Whole Foods, the company ships non-perishables through its website.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

Zabar's is nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Gourmet Grocer/Food Hall category.

For more than 70 years, Zabar's has been a upper westside institution in Manhattan. The company started in 1934 when Louis and Lillian Zabar rented an Appetizing Counter in a Daitch Market. Their philosophy was to sell only the highest quality smoked fish at a fair price. Zabar wanted his customers to trust him and he wanted them to become "regulars".

Zabar became known for his high standards and developed a reputation of being hard to please. The couple took over the Daitch Market, and and Zabar's was born. The Zabars worked long hours. They roasted their own coffee and hand selected every item that the store would put on its shelves, always wanting to give their customers the best available at a "fair" price.

The Zabar sons, Saul and Stanley Zabar took over running the store, and Zabar's flourished under their management. Over the years the store expanded, taking over neighboring stores, as they became available. The company battled major department stores over caviar prices. New Yorkers came to trust and love Zabar's.

Saul and Stanley still run the business while their children have joined its ranks. Ann Zabar, Saul's oldest daughter, runs the Mail Order Division and helps her father roast coffee and buy smoked fish. David Zabar, Stanley's son, helps run the office and Aaron, Saul's son, manages Zabar's mail order warehouse.

Zabar's is open 365 days a year and there is always a Zabar in the store. Today the store on Broadway and West 80th Street is over 20,000 square feet (almost a city block long). It has more than 250 employees and sells over 8,000 lbs of coffee a week. On average, 35,000 customers a week visit its store. The company's website offers an array of coffee, cheeses and fish. It also has a large selection of cookware, kitchen gadgets and other must-have items, from rice cookers to coffee grinders and espresso makers.

Dean & DeLuca is a nominee for a Luxist Award in two categories: Best Online Gourmet Food and Best Gourmet Grocer/Food Hall.

Though it's now one of America's finest online grocers -- offering a wide array of food, wine and even kitchenware --- the New York-based company got its start well before the information superhighway received its first coat of pavement.

In the 1970's, Joel Dean and Giorgio DeLuca traipsed around the world in search of artisan-produced foods that pleased their customers as well as themselves. They wanted products that fired their imaginations, challenged their tastes and turned dinner into a creative exercise.

When the partners opened the original Dean & DeLuca in Soho in September 1977, the neighborhood wasn't the hopelessly chic shopping enclave it is today; rather, it was an authentically gritty corner of the Big Apple. As such, founding partner, Jack Ceglic, designed the first store to evoke a turn-of-the-century food department. Beneath the whir of ceiling fans, high shelves brimmed with rare artisan foodstuffs from flavored salts to cured meats.

Joel and Giorgio continued to expand their operation, adding another New York shop with four times the space of the original in 1988. Boutiques throughout the city followed, as did locations in Charlotte, Kansas City and Washington, D.C. Demand for the grocer's goods even spawned a store in Tokyo.

Dean & DeLuca's wide array of gourmet offerings range from black truffle barbecue sauce, cilantro lime butter and tapas to Asian inspired delicacies such as green tea truffles, purple sweet potato vinegar and organic sushi rice. It also has an impressive selection of meats, seafood, pates, ready-to-serve appetizers, artisanal cheeses and sweets. In search of a Mediterranean sea salt? How about a Himalayan salt harvested from the beds of ancient seas? Look no further than Dean & DeLuca. The company has also launched a new wine division with knowledgeable staff who can recommend the best food and wine pairings for any event.

Today, website makes the grocer's trademark meats, fish, cheeses, herbs and spices available to those who aren't lucky enough to have a store nearby. Dean & DeLuca also markets its private label products to other retailers and wholesalers throughout the world.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

Family-owned Dorothy Lane Market has been nominated for a Luxist Award in the Best Gourmet Grocery/Food Hall category.

Dorothy Lane Market began as a fruit stand. In 1948 founder Calvin Mayne began selling quality fruits and vegetables in the south Dayton, Ohio area at the corner of Far Hills Avenue and Dorothy Lane (hence the name of the market, or DLM for short).

Mayne loved good food, and wanted his customers to enjoy the same. He believed the company should be unpretentious and have an inclusive atmosphere in which its customers would be welcome. Today Dorothy Lane Market is a company of well-known gourmet supermarkets in the Dayton area that are recognized for great food and service. Mayne's son, Norman, is now its chief executive officer while grandson Calvin, serves as its general manager. The Mayne family still owns and operates the company.

Dorothy Lane partners with food artisans and others passionate about food. This is evident when browsing its aisles and viewing the impressive selection of gourmet food products from around the world that stock its shelves. They offer an extensive selection of cheese, wine, and chocolate. Its oil selection is impressive, and includes walnut oil from Provence, macadamia oil, and olive oils from all over the world. They feature hard to find premium products in season. In seafood for example, they carry Copper River King Salmon and fresh Alaskan King Red Crab from family co-ops. Produce features golden Aurora apples, long stem artichokes, and jumbo size honeydew melons. The meat department's products are entirely natural, lifetime free of added hormones and antibiotics. Their meats include well marbled pork, free range chicken, and DLM Natural Beef, which almost always grades out as USDA prime.

The company's passion for great food is also reflected in what it manufactures in the store. Their in-store kitchens make staples including chicken salad from free range chicken and lasagna featuring their DLM Natural Beef. They also offer trendier fare such as cous-cous and lentil salads, cedar planked salmon, and asiago encrusted chicken breast. Dorothy Lane Market also employs several artisan bakers who daily bake traditional breads such as sourdough and baguettes entirely from scratch, which they sell in-store as well as online. Their bakery is famous as well for its Killer Brownie® which is sold to other fine food retailers and online at www.shopdlm.com.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed in Gourmet Foods. Readers' Choice Awards for Food will be announced on November 30th.

The Flagstaff House Restaurant which overlooks Boulder, Colorado is hosting a wine tasting dinner with Michael Silacci the winemaker for Opus One Winery on April 7. Executive Chef and Partner Mark Monette will prepare five courses from Flagstaff House menu matched with Opus One wines. The feast begins with hors d' oeuvres and Gosset "Grand Rose" Brut NV Champagne, then a salad of baby arugula and cured salmon with the Cakebread Sauvingon Blanc 2003, next up is a pheasant breast, crispy noodle wrapped with ragout of braised cabbage and pheasant with the 1984 and 1994 Opus One, followed by the chef's version of steak and eggs  with the1995 Opus One and finally a buffalo fillet and foie gras Wellington with black trumpet mushrooms and a sweet onion tart with a sauce of black truffles partnered with the 2002 Opus One. Leave room for dessert, it's a Valrohna chocolate strudel served with 1994 Dow Vintage Port. This impressive meal costs $175 and space is limited.

An article about the booming olive oil market in California led me to discover Round Pond, a winery that has also entered the olive oil market. Round Pond has a 12-acre olive orchard and they have their own mills, a granite mill which is meant to bring out the mellow, buttery flavor of Spanish-style and a hammer mill that uses sharp blades to mince olives for the more pungent Italian-style oils. Round Pond also makes oils that infused with blood oranges and Meyer lemons. These intense, delicious artisan oils sell out each year so if you want to get in on the 2006 vintage you probably need to get on their mailing list. A bottle sells for $22.