Monday’s premiere of No Reservations looks to be an excellent one, as Tony travels through Mexico with the executive chef at Les Halles, Carlos Llaguno. If you don’t want to know anything more, don’t watch the preview video or read any further. But if you do want to win a poster autographed by Tony Tony Tony himself, read the following preview summary, just in from the Travel Channel, and be the first to tell us the Spanish name of the “cactus sap” in question.
Just like when Death & Co. opened, there’s some confusion as to whether Jim Lahey’s pizza joint, Co., is pronounced “Co.” or “Company.” Per Slice, it’s called “Co.,” so let the Ko/Co. confusion begin. As if the Russ & Daughters/Marlow & Daughters mix-ups weren’t enough? [Slice]
Want more Upper East Side options, Bruni? You got 'em! Sort of, anyway. The folks at Payard tell us that starting this week, they’ll be open from 11:30 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. for Sunday brunch. Here’s a look at the $25 prix fixe menu. And yes, lamb is in the house.
It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: Modern American.
According to Brooklyn Heights Blog, 50 Henry Street will reopen as a breakfast-and-lunch spot (in late February) as well as a wine bar (by spring), to be jointly owned by the folks behind Cranberry’s and Henry’s End. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Paper lists the address’ old operator, Dan Kaufman (the “Busy Chef” manager accused of credit-card fraud), on its 2009 watch list: “This year, Kaufman’s trial will start — and his lawyer is saying that Kaufman is just a ‘patsy’ for shadowy Brooklyn Heights restaurant partner Alan Young, whose eateries fold like origami. This is going to be the trial of the century!” Well, not quite — but we’ll be happy if 50 Henry ends up being the wine bar of the century.
90 To Watch in ’09 [BP]
50 Henry Will Continue as Wine Bar from Owners of Henry’s End and Cranberry’s [Brooklyn Heights Blog via Brownstowner]
Rich people drink just like us! Wine collectors are still buying wine, they're just buying crappier bottles for less money. The Times blog Economix examined trading patterns on the Live-ex 100 Fine Wine Index in London and learned that nearly twice as many bottles were traded in December 2008 as in December 2007. Wine collectors in a pinch are emptying their cellars, but so many bottles are on the market that prices (in dollars) have fallen 40 percent since September. Keep watching the auctions — you might be able to replace that Chateaux Le Box with a little something special in 2009's discount-wine market.
Wine as an Economic Indicator [Economix/NYT]
Frank Bruni has posted his wish list for 2009, and if you’re a restaurateur eager to earn stars, here’s our advice to you: Open a well-rounded steakhouse in his neighborhood (the Upper West Side), or at least uptown; don’t even think of serving a rib eye or pork belly (lamb belly, on the other hand, is fine); seat customers at nice, round tables, rather than small or semi-circular booths or weird, uncomfortable nooks; serve less Pinot Grigio and more Chenin Blanc; and offer cookies for dessert. Got all that? [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
If your plan for 2009 involves lowering your fat intake, there's no need to skimp on the bacon. Tasting Table tells us that lamb bacon is appearing on city menus like Anthos, Boqueria, and Toloache. And it's got less fat than pork bacon and a meaty flavor. [Tasting Table]
Shortly before the New Year, we heard that Jill’s of Cobble Hill would be closing this month. Eats describes the organic raw-food café as having “substantial delicious food” and “making converts out of even the most steadfast carnivores.” Apparently it didn’t make enough converts, because, indeed, the site now lists the venue as closed. (There was no answer when we called.) What’s more, this isn’t the only vegetarian eatery we’ll have to say good-bye to early this year. More on that later.
After noticing that Socialista, Beatrice Inn, and Goldbar were all cited for smoking violations on the same day, we asked the Department of Health whether the Beatrice had been ordered to close just like Socialista had, and whether there’s been a renewed crackdown on smoking in bars. We were told that yes, inspectors have been conducting more late-night smoking checks at restaurant and bars. Here’s the official word about the Beatrice Inn.
Armin Amiri, doorman/actor.
We knew Marquee doorman Wass Stevens had a bit part in Darren Aronofsky’s highly touted flick The Wrestler (he appears briefly in the trailer), but when we caught it over the holiday, we were surprised to see that Armin Amiri of Socialista also plays the role of Dr. Moayedizadeh, who tells Mickey Rourke he’s washed up. (Another New York Diet alum who makes an appearance: Ajay Naidu.) Obviously, Aronofsky is going to have no trouble getting into all the clubs. But seriously, guy — why no Fabrizio?
Psitopolio Ta Vlahika replaced Athens Taverna at 31-01 23rd Avenue, Astoria, reports Joey in Astoria. The space has been refurbished and the food is less expensive. [Joey in Astoria]
Lovely Day, the Thai restaurant closed by a building fire more than two months ago, tells us it has done everything it needs to do to ready for reopening, but it’s still waiting for the landlord to fix water damage to the ceiling. Rest assured, it aims to open its doors again, though probably not until spring.
• The Brooklyn Paper's food-related predictions for 2009 include a chocolate feud between Jacques Torres Chocolate and Sunset Park upstart Tumbador Chocolate and big news from Saul Bolton of Smith Street's Saul. [Brooklyn Paper]
• Frank Bruni's year-end grab bag of final thoughts includes the complaint that portions are too small at both Eleven Madison Park and Del Posto. [Diner's Journal/NYT]
• Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop owner, Josh Konecky, didn't set out to save the restaurant, but is "just trying to hold on to a piece of old New York—I think that’s important to keep something old in New York." [Urbanite/amNY]
• Good news for budget-conscious consumers, bad news for dairy farmers: There's a huge surplus of milk, resulting in drastically lowered prices. [NYT]
Photo: Getty Images
In an apparent attempt to follow even more closely in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods has used his blog to call out “the world’s least talented TV chef” Tyler Florence and his recent performance on Momma’s Boys: “Watching Florence wolf down the food, stare and ogle every ass that strolled by his cutting board and play the role of local TV stud was high comedy of the highest order.” Oh, but it gets better — Florence has responded via his Facebook page!
In a portrait of gentrification, the Times compares the scenes at Michael Dorf’s City Winery and his old venue, the Knitting Factory, on the night that one opened and the other closed: “At the Knitting Factory, where the dominant color was, as it has always been, black, a bohemian young audience sweated out the night in sardine closeness, with about a dozen acts performing on three floors. A note slapped above the second-floor bar read simply ‘PBR can $3.’ At the spacious, golden-hued City Winery, [Joan] Osborne sang bluesy soft rock in a crimson gown, and the sold-out crowd — many of whom looked as though they could well have been the parents of the Knitting Factory clientele — sat comfortably at tables and ordered from a list of 500 wines.” [NYT]
Happy New Year, folks! It’s January, the month predicted to wreak havoc on the restaurant industry. So what does one concerned citizen do when a small-business owner fights the odds and attempts to bring a humble sandwich joint to his building, seeking a liquor license to buoy his ham-and-cheese creations? Well, they send the following letter to Grub Street and a few other blogs.
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