Antoni Porowski of ‘Queer Eye' shares his favorite NYC cheese finds, restaurants and more
Hopping on a video call to discuss the cheese rave that he recently hosted in NYC, Porowski quickly gets to talking about his childhood obsession with dairy—totally on theme—and his favorite restaurants in town, but he is also not embarrassed to bring up his extended Achilles' heel and his dislike for big dinner parties.
More than an interview, chatting with Porowski feels like talking to an old pal about all the things that brought us together in the first place—making for an incredibly interesting conversation.
Below, find some highlights, including Porowski's go-to bars and his tips for hosting in small NYC apartments.
On his passion for cheese and where he likes to shop for the best
"When I was a little kid, I would creep into the kitchen to find cheese. There is something decadent about it when it's perfectly cold.
My favorite places to shop for cheese in New York are Murray's on Bleecker. I was recently blown away to find out that it operates counters in secondary markets as well.
The Whole Foods on Bowery is also really good and I found interesting cheese at Happier Grocery. It's like a New York Erewhon, but a bit more decadent. I always like it when I see something and I have no idea what it is."
On cooking and hosting in small NYC apartments
"I spent seven or eight years living in a studio apartment in Brooklyn with one drawer in the kitchen. One or two burners only worked and I hosted dinner parties there. I would make risotto, soup, roast chicken: the place was a hot bed for creativity because I was limited.
For whoever lives in a walkup with four roommates: lean into the confines because the irony is that I was much more creative because I had limited resources.
A few tips: everyone should have a flat bottom spoons to scrape out pans: I don't even know why they make rounded ones. Everyone also needs a good pair of tongs and a properly enameled Dutch oven."
On his favorite NYC restaurants
"The best French omelette in New York City is served at Raf's. I was blown away by it: it's nice and oozy in the center, served with a bit of crème fraîche. Balthazar is also a nice spot when you have people visiting from our of town. The best scrambled eggs in town are made at Buvette, on the other hand, and you can order them with salmon or prosciutto that's cut a little thicker than usual with some beautiful sourdough.
For lunch, I love a salad: I want fresh, color, vibrant, crunch. Via Carota does an outstanding job with a foot-tall salad made with really inexpensive ingredients.
I also love a version of tortellini and brodo that Foul Witch serves. The menu there is weird in the best way possible, filled with a lot of unexpected things."
On his go-to bars in NYC
" Ray's is a cool little dive bar and if you want something higher-end there's Jac's on Bond. It is really cool and it closes at midnight. It's really cool and it closes at midnight, which is great. The food there is great also."
On season ten of Queer Eye
"It's official that casting has commenced. We don't know much more than that. During season one, Donald Trump was elected into office and now he's back and we're at season ten. I'm excited because we shoot in D.C. so I get to be close enough to New York to come home for the weekend."
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