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The rooftop (props to Brooklyn Grange) and city garden craze continues, this round with Alice Waters at the helm. T Magazine puts together a great piece and Inhabitat tells us “The $1.6 million center will include a solar-powered kitchen classroom, mobile greenhouse, rainwater cistern, composting system, outdoor pizza oven, and a chicken coop. The test kitchen will serve as a classroom where up to 30 kids can gather to create meals together or learn other lessons. The kitchen’s butterfly-shaped roof collects rainwater and feeds into the neighboring mobile greenhouse, a structure that covers 1,600 square feet of soil in the cold months and slides away during the spring and summer seasons.” Read more: Edible Schoolyard Set to Spring to Life in Brooklyn | Inhabitat – Green Design Will Save the World
“The best restaurant for the best value in New York is closing.”- Mark James.
Irish-born chef Damien Brassel is serving up his last meal this evening, June 26th.
So long to Knife + Fork (established: 2006), the nice mom-and -pop eatery which dished some fresh, reasonably priced food (a six-course tasting menu for $45) in the East Village. Wow! According to their FB page: “Sad day at Knife+Fork, we will be closing our doors on the 26th of June. Thursday 6/24 through Saturday 6/26, we will be running our award-winning chef’s tasting menus exclusively. This is your last chance to catch it! Thanks everyone for your support over the past four years! We’ll keep you posted on what’s next…”
And, the list goes on and on for these little gems. Failure to support; you clearly see what happens.
And the real mystery here reamains…where is Parisi Bakery Deli on this heavily researched (you know writers gained a few pounds or more throwing down some serious sandies) list? HOW did those sandwich eaters miss the thick slices of freshly cut meats and those sun-dried tomatoes, pickles, and fresh Italian cheeses, Genoa Salami, Sopressata, Pepperoni all cut to order. Did I mention how amazing the bread is? Wow; they dropped the ball on that one. A Parisi sandy not on the list; shame shame. It’s certainly on my list.
(image: Always Hungry blogspot)
While I’ve been a fan of Keith McNally’s for over a decade, I must vent my confusion at his new Pulino’s venture. Yes, it looks and feels like a staple McNally that only he has down to a science. The subway tile and florescent lighting. Yet, the personality is wearing off a bit or perhaps it’s become too familiar. Overly-so. It feels like once you’ve been into one, the magic of the place before is gone. Pulino’s feels more like Schillers, ditto the lighting concept and the booze bottles organized in a sporadic fashion. A great little blog, I Dream of Pizza writes up their grade.
Most confusing to me where the outside patrons sitting along the Bowery, steam rolling off the asphalt, the concrete smelling rancid, perhaps they’re dreaming up a visit to Whole Foods. Do they remember when Cafe Colonial was just a few doors away, now closed. Or that corner was restaurant supply row. Where were you in 1995?
I’m just saying, it’s a bit tapped out. Not to mention, as I was sitting eating a cracker-thin, $18 Margarita pizza with a $12 beet salad, why wasn’t I sitting at Lombardis with a pie and a Peroni?
Urban Daddy dishes on Ignacio’s new Lower East Side digs at 86 Orchard Street. Looks cool. Drinks cool. Is cool. Go Ignacio, an old neighborhood friend doing his thing in New York City. Don’t forget Cafe Portal and make sure you sip the Mezcal.
The New York Times comes through again with excellent Thursday morning reading. Diane Cardwell scratches the growing surface of the new, old New York in her article, A Vision of the City As It Once Was. You won’t find Kemare treading here. This is about the Graydons and Keiths. Think classic mainstays a la the Strip House. Don’t miss it.
The New York Times Dining Section article Marijuana Fuels A New Kitchen Culture conjures some nice points via cooking with grass, the back story of the chefs who toke and the food to nab with the munchies. From the piece: Everybody smokes dope after work,” said Anthony Bourdain, the author and chef who made his name chronicling drugs and debauchery in professional kitchens. “People you would never imagine.” So while it should not come as a surprise that some chefs get high, it’s less often noted that drug use in the kitchen can change the experience in the dining room.
WOW; that was fast! The West Village eyes of Abbie K Park don’t take long to throw down the new banner for MALARMARKET (slated for Fall 2010) taking over the old Baby Buddha space on Washington. If it’s as good (read: unpretentious) as it’s counterpart up the street– well, West Villagers would be in for a real treat.
(Image: Abbie Park)
Behold Kenmare, Waverly (well, nevermind your chef is John DeLucie), Freemans, Minetta; you all know who you are. There’s a new kid in town…the Lion in Greenwich Village which W Editors have already touted as the next hot spot. What I like about this is the decor (not too clubby, don’t count much taxidermy) and I’m down with the pop art a la Warhol. Ditto the high ceilings. The New York Times: “In the 1960s, the Lion was a popular hangout in Greenwich Village where Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand performed. Eventually the town house space, with its soaring ceiling and domed skylight, became Village, a local bistro.” Cool, more flea market art look overly-produced clubby pub.
In lieu of the West Village eats and drinks, er…shakeups, RIP (x many thousands) to the Beatrice and the other attitude packed joints in the hood; the Lion should sleep tonight. Just serve up good fare and be cool to the neighbors. Or as the ever-mannerly, Guest of a Guest recommends “it might be best for The Lion to come in like a lamb.”
Let it be sadly and duly noted that The Empire Diner will serve final supper on May 15, 2010. As earlier reported, the facts are true. Robin passed along a nice farewell letter. RIP.
for Cafe Colonial (as earlier reported here). Sadly, this is the end of an era for the block (raising rents thanks to Keith McNally’s pizza joint) of original places such as the M&R Bar and Rialto. We know the Cafes of Habana and Gitane will stand the test of time…but now it’s worrisome to think of cool ole’ spots a la Tom & Jerry’s going South.
A favorite mainstay of many, the empire of the Bromberg brothers included, Blue Ribbon Restaurant, Blue Ribbon Bakery and most mouth-watering, Blue Ribbon Sushi is about to out their first cookbook (which the New York Magazine describes as ”A little French, a little Jewish, a little Asian and very New York.” The magazine also rolls out a witty timeline which I ask you to check out here.
I’m on the pre-order list as I type this. Other recent cookbooks of interest to me (again some old school), Salt To Taste, A Platter of Figs, Ad Hoc, Urban Italian and Culinary Artistry (great pairings). Yes, one learns to cook when they no longer have access to the best restaurants in the country albeit no decent carry-out or delivery Chinese (make that no delivery period, unless you think a block of fake cheese pizza counts).
