Chef Ahktar Nawab is a first-generation Indian-American with classical training in Italian and French and is now known for his Mexican cuisine. He worked in some of New York’s best-known restaurants before venturing out on his own. After 25 years in the...
Chef Akhtar Nawabʼs parents immigrated to the United States from India in 1969. Theyʼve been celebrating Thanksgiving in Kentucky ever since. Akhtar Nawab drops a fleck of flour into a pan of hot oil; it bubbles, so itʼs time. Beside him, his mother, Sahro, whom he...
As the world takes a collective breath and comfortably settles in at home in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus, people’s relationships to food and cooking seem to have deepened. Kitchens, it turns out, are essential in times of crisis. Particular...
The subscription service delivers diverse, ready-to-heat meals by some of New York’s most prominent restaurateurs, including Dan Kluger, of Loring Place; Einat Admony, of Taïm; and Esther Choi, of Mökbar. On a recent Monday, I received a large tote filled with a dozen...
This week on “Simply Ming,” chef Akhtar Nawab, recently honored with the Bib Gourmand distinction from the 2018 Michelin Guide, stops by Ming’s loft to cook with delectable mushrooms. Akhtar makes a hearty mushroom Bolognese with homemade ligurian...
Bison is super lean and high in protein compared to other meats. It is also lower in calories and cholesterol than beef and has a lot of flavor in it. It’s a little gamey but not overpowering. It gives you a meaty burger that sears and caramelizes well without...
Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall opens Aug. 3 in a refurbished hospital building with a lineup of not-your-usual-suspect vendors, some of whom are first-time operators and 75% of whom are minority and women-owned businesses. Visitors to the food hall will face a wide-range of...
March 2020 brings an unprecedented time for restaurants in New York City. While many eateries have closed completely following government orders to only serve takeout options, others are amending their business plans to continue service as the COVID pandemic and...
Louisville, KY, is the earliest place Akhtar Nawab can remember. He still feels rooted to the city, even though growing up there the chef knew only one other Indian family. “There is a real truth to Southern hospitality,” Nawab said. “I always felt...
Once upon a time, Americans actually left their houses to shop. But with the rise of online shopping, thousands of brick-and-mortar retail stores have closed – and some developers are hoping to fill that empty space by filling eager bellies. “Even if...
Akhtar Nawab talks about unhealthy stress, smart partnerships, and present parenting. Listen Here Chefs and restaurant workers take great care of everyone else, but often they need a little help themselves. Each week, Food & Wine senior editor Kat Kinsman talks...
Otra Vez opens April 15 with Nawab’s famous shrimp tacos, pumpkin blossom quesadillas, and plenty of Gulf seafood. A quick look at the menu at Otra Vez, Akhtar Nawab’s new restaurant in New Orleans, reveals many of the same classic Mexican dishes he serves at...
The chef and owner of New Orleans’ Otra Vez and New York’s Alta Calidad tackles our speed round of questions. by Noah Rothbaum After a shift, what is your favorite guilty pleasure to eat?“Anything from a Chinatown in any city. I always go for dishes like jellyfish...
You want to eat this. Photo: Melissa Hom Alta Calidad — a sunny corner dining room in Prospect Heights — is billed as “innovative Mexican,” though that description doesn’t tell the restaurant’s entire story. Instead, it’s best to look at the restaurant’s “roti,” which...
Indian American chef Akhtar Nawab has a passion for making Mexican food and wants other Indian Americans as well as Indians in India to take up the Mexican flavor too. Graduating from the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, Nawab has been cooking up meals...
Chef Akhtar Nawab’s Alta Calidad in Brooklyn received a “Bib Gourmand” distinction from the 2018 Michelin Guide. When chef Akhtar Nawab heard his Mexican restaurant in Brooklyn received an honor from the Michelin Guide in November, he didn’t know how...