"aquavit" news and stories

• If you want to do a pig roast right, you want to go old school.
• Artisanal farmers might be feeling kind of popular with chefs these days.
• Have you been to the post-Marcus Samuelsson Aquavit yet?
• Chianti, I don't even know who you are anymore.
• Stout is the newest power ingredient to activate.

Marcus Samuelsson, a chef who has won just about every culinary accolade one could aspire to, including the James Beard "Rising Star" and appearing as a guest chef on Top Chef Masters, has been cooking at New York City's Aquavit since the early 1990s, rising to the rank of chef-owner.

Now Samuelsson and Aquavit are redefining their relationship, according to Nation's Restaurant News. Aquavit, which describes itself as the premier Scandinavian restaurant in the city (it received a coveted three stars from The New York Times), has installed a new Marcus as head of the kitchen: its own executive sous-chef Marcus Jernmark.

Or is it crayfish festival? Either way, you won't find many of these freshwater crustaceans in the finest restaurants anywhere except Cajun country - except, of course, at Aquavit. Evidently, the Swedes love the crayfish, so chef and hottie Marcus Samuelsson is throwing a festival from August 15-21 at his midtown restaurant. The most over-the-top offering is a $100 seven-course crayfish dinner. $100 for crawfish? Wow.

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