OBSESSIONS
18 JUNE 2020
OU’VE JUST HAD A GREAT
(albeit indulgent) meal and
find yourself faced with a
classic dilemma: Do you go
for something a little bitter,
like an amaro, to help you digest? A
coffee to perk you up? Or do you end
the night on a sweet note with des-
sert? According to chef Joe Beddia of
Philadelphia’s beloved Pizzeria Beddia,
there’s no need to choose—or rather,
you just need to choose an amaro float.
Inside the Hoagie Room (where Beddia
serves a hoagie and pizza omakase—yes,
you read that right), glass cups filled
with creamy soft-serve ice cream are
swirled with bitter Italian liqueur, the
ideal ratio being five ounces of high-
quality ice cream topped with one ounce
of amaro. The result is a perfect treat that,
like the ending of any great meal, is
bittersweet. Here are some of our favor-
ite amaro floats to make at home.VANILLA ICE CREAM + SFUMATO
When you drizzle smoky, woodsy
Sfumato on top, vanilla ice cream is
hardly a boring option. ($22, klwines
.com; Häagen-Dazs Vanilla Bean ice
cream, $5, target.com)ESPRESSO ICE CREAM + AVERNA
Averna’s herbaceous flavor paired with
espresso ice cream makes for a bold,
Sicilian-inspired treat. ($30, klwines
.com; McConnell’s Turkish Coffee ice
cream, $12, mcconnells.com)MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ICE
CREAM + MONTENEGRO
New to amaro? Montenegro is a great
starting point. This float is the boozy
version of After Eight chocolate thins.
($29, klwines.com; McConnell’s Mint
Chip ice cream, $12, mcconnells.com)LEMON SORBET + CYNAR
For a tart and refreshing finale, com-
bine lemon sorbet with a shot of
Cynar, which is made from 13 herbs
and plants, including artichoke. ($25,
klwines.com; Häagen-Dazs Lemon
Sorbet, $5, target.com)CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM +
CAFFÈ MOKA
Our staff-favorite pick takes our love of
chocolate to the next level with the help
of this bitter Italian espresso liqueur.
($44, astorwines.com; Jeni’s Darkest
Chocolate ice cream, $12, jenis.com)WHILE WE’RE WELL-ACCUSTOMED to seeing this French bistro staple with beef, egg
yolks, mustard, and capers on menus across the country, chefs are getting playful
with their tartares, using unexpected ingredients like pickled vegetables, hot
sauce, and even preserved fruit. Here are four tartares to try the next time you’re
looking to more creatively satisfy your carnivorous cravings. —OSET BABÜRCHIKARASHI ISSO
NEW YORK CITY
Wasabi crème is
the perfect way
to cut through the
richness of this
luxurious A5 Omi
Wagyu beef tartare
topped with a dollop
of Kaluga caviar and
a little gold leaf.EMILIE’S
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Crab-fat mustard
packs a punch of
flavor in this beef
tartare from 2018
F&W Best New
Chef Kevin Tien.
It’s topped with
cured egg yolk and
pecorino cheese.THE ESSENTIAL
BIRMINGHAM, AL
Turns out tater tots
are the perfect
vehicle for tartare,
and the addition of
kimchi, capers, and
housemade
mustard takes this
dish from great to
absolutely sublime.TZUCO
CHICAGO
Pickled cauliflower,
chipotle aioli, and
guacamole may not
seem like natural
complements for
raw beef, but the
t e a m a t Tz u c o
has turned us into
believers.TARTARE TURNS THE CORNER
Y
An eye-catching
gold-leaf Wagyu
tartare at NYC’s
Chikarashi IssoPHOTOGRAPHY: IVY TSANG. ILLUSTRATION: RACHEL CARNEY
FW_0620_Obsessions.indd 18 FINAL 4/15/20 5:30 PM