Dine Magazine New York

You Say Tomato… I say Tomate

I like to think of myself as someone who tries new things. I will try anything once and I rarely, if ever, will turn anything down. Recently, I noticed a minor flaw in my experimental diet. I realized that once I try these new things, I tend to find certain foods/dishes that I fall in love with and then proceed to go on a strict diet of my new obsession for an undisclosed period of time. There’s nothing wrong with ordering tuna for dinner because raw tuna could be one of the most delicious fish on the planet, but it’s not okay to eat tuna for 9 days in a row–I know you are either thinking a) there is no way in hell I could have eaten tuna for dinner 9 days in a row, b) That can’t be a healthy level of mercury intake or c) both a and b…..but, sadly. this is true.

As you can imagine, this is not a healthy way to live. Not because of mercury; I am not worried about mercury intake because I once did a research paper on mercury levels in tuna and discovered that the trace of mercury in our diets is no where near the dangerous level of mercury set by the EPA. But, because I am a creature of habit, as all humans are; I am guilty of giving in to what is easy, what I know I like and what my taste buds are screaming for. I should be more aware of what I order; instead of going for what is safe, I need to take the initiative to order the unknown… I learned this lesson this week, not from tasting an unfamiliar dish or because I realized I had tuna for the last 5 meals (true story) but, from a mixologists whose creative cocktails reinvigorated my taste buds and piqued my culinary curiosity.

Rainlove Lampariello is the revolutionary beverage director at Rouge Tomate, 10 East 60th Street, in mid-town Manhattan. He creates seasonal cocktails from local and fresh ingredients–some are reinvented classics, like the mint julep (Bourbon, mint syrup, lemon in a classic julep cup), and others are unique concoctions.

He even works with Natalia Rusin, Rouge Tomate’s registered dietitian to create drinks with fresh herbs, produce  and other atypical cocktail ingredients, like The Grasshopper (with snap peas and topped with shaved dark chocolate).

StirRED, the new lounge at Rouge Tomate, hopes to pay tribute to the time when liquid craftsmen created unique cocktails and mixers; an ode to pre-prohibition style cocktails. Natalia helps ensure that Rain, along with Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman, prepare seasonal menus, that are compliant with the principles of S.P.E. (a nutritional charter developed by chefs and dietitians that offer a balanced approach to sourcing, preparing and enhancing food). Natalia also offers a series of cooking classes, held at Rouge Tomate, with a menu that varies based on seasonal ingredients and the timing during the year.

Rain is a master of his craft, a scholar of beverages and a liquid artist whose menu creations and daring concoctions make him unique to today’s modern mixologist.  The aroma of fresh herbs combined with knowledgeable and skillful bartenders and a sophisticated beverage menu full of esoteric ingredients, makes for an inimitable cocktail experience at Rouge Tomate.

Not only do I need to mix it up when I am ordering my meal, but Rain has showed me its about time to mix up my drink orders, too! Goodbye Cosmopolitan–Hello Rhubarb Crisp!