Name Boulud’s Burger, and Win Dinner For Two The suggestions for a name for Daniel Boulud’s new burger place on the Bowery have been coming in to Grub Street, and no one quite seems to have hit on it yet. The ante has been upped, however: The prize for the best entry, awarded by us, is a free burger, beer, and ice-cream dinner for two at the place when it opens. As for the suggestions so far?
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Sarah Jessica Parker Will Be Watching the Vendies Last week we aired Chris Noth’s lament about the corporatization of the city. Turns out his Sex and the City co-star Sarah Jessica Parker is also looking out for the little man. During Ralph Lauren’s recent 40th-anniversary party, Parker told our reporter Amy Odell that she loved the magazine’s “Street Fare” feature. “I’ll eat anything if it’s off of a cart,” she confessed — her favorite being a Middle Eastern one on Sixth Avenue somewhere between 47th and 55th. So she’s not worried about hygiene? “I think they’re actually pretty vigilant about it,” she said. “They’ve got these business men standing in line for three hours to get their lunch … and you don’t hear a lot of reports about intestinal issues.” As for her favorite eatery that isn’t on wheels, she admits, “I don’t know how to pronounce it correctly. S-F-O?” Is this how one of the girls ended up at El Cantinero and not Il Cantinori in that episode?
Related: Street Fare [NYM]
Openings
Webster Hall’s New Project Will Include Over-the-Top Vodka BarDaily Intel has the scoop on Hudson Terrace, the nightclub and catering hall Webster Hall’s owner Sean McGarr is opening on 46th Street in November. His partner in the $3 million venture, Michael Sinensky, tells us that in March he’ll bring a Russian vodka and caviar lounge (with a separate entrance and operating hours) to its basement. Sinensky, inspired in part by his Russian wife and in part by Red Square in Atlantic City, says customers will be able to select from over 100 vodkas stored in a transparent walk-in fridge — including, he hopes, a Russian one exclusively distilled for the lounge. The interior will be what he describes as “real over-the-top, like communist Russia back in the day. Lots of gold and arches. We’re planning on putting old Russian uniforms around the place.” Pravda, you’re on red alert.
Related: Webster Hall Owner Spending $3 Million to Open a Nice, Quiet Place
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Joe Bastianich Taps Adam Perry Lang for Vegas Meat Mecca
Joe Bastianich, having just opened B&B Ristorante in Las Vegas with Mario Batali, isn’t letting the sands under his feet settle. In December or January, he’ll open Carnevino at the Venetian. Bastianich is likely handling the wine (he’s out of the country and unavailable for comment), but Daisy May’s Adam Perry Lang will oversee every part of the meat program, from procurement to dry-aging.
The In-box
Take Your Teenager to the Chef’s Counter, Not the Chef’s Table
Grub Street,
I am attempting to find establishments that have a table in their kitchens. I have a teenager who is interested in the industry and I thought this would be fun to do together!
Yours,
An Encouraging Mother
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Butter’s Alex Guarnaschelli Is Her Baby’s Personal Chef
The children of chefs eat famously well. In the case of little Ava Guarnaschelli, that privilege extends to infancy: The two-and-half-month-old daughter of Butter chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli has her mother on baby-food duty in the kitchen. And why not, says the new mother. “I’m constantly in the Greenmarket, and it seems silly for me not to cook for the person that means the most in the world to me.”
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Famous Pastafarian Turns His Attention to Tacos
There’s a soft spot in our heart for artists who play with their food (remember Jason Wishnow’s Oedipus starring vegetables?), but what to make of the most recent work of Bob Henderson, founder of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster? In his spiel about why he borrowed a $1,200 lens to shoot 59-cent tacos in black-and-white, Henderson writes, “I have an interest in #133; niche marketing, memes, photography, and tacos. I invented pretentious fine art taco photography.” If you don’t want to spend $34 on a print, don’t worry — Henderson says he’s aiming to bring the project to New York. Expect a table of Gordita Supremes at the opening.
Fine Art Taco Photography [Handerob.com]
Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster [Venganza.org]
The New York Diet
Kristina Klebe of ‘Halloween’ Likes Her Yogurt With Pumpkin Seeds
If you’re one of the many who saw Rob Zombie’s Halloween during its record-setting opening weekend, you last saw Kristina Klebe playing trash-talking cheerleader Lynda. You’ll probably next see her alongside Uma Thurman in Griffin Dunne’s comedy The Accidental Husband, in which she plays Isabelle Rossellini’s (fully dressed and much more conservative) daughter. In the meantime, she’s jetting between her hometown, New York (she used to bartend at Serafina), and her adopted city, L.A.“I love that I can walk back to a place after dinner,” she says of New York. “If you go out in L.A., you’re full and you just go out to your car and go home.” So where did she dine and dash during this week of auditions and director meetings?
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A Voce Sequels to Appear Soon in a City Near You?
We hear from multiple sources that plans are under way to re-create A Voce in other cities. At least two are in the works, we hear, but chef Andrew Carmellini warns us that no leases are signed yet. “You can have meetings every day, but it’s all bullshit until you sign on the dotted line.” We couldn’t agree more!
The Annotated Dish
Lure Fishbar’s Scallop Appetizer Makes the End of Summer EdibleLure Fishbar is rarely on anyone’s list of the city’s top seafood restaurants, and we always wondered why not. Chef Josh Capon’s end-of-summer appetizer of scallops and slab bacon just reinforces Lure’s strengths. “Even at the worst catering event in the world, scallops and bacon are good. To me they’re just good eating,” the salty chef says. “Our version is nothing too froufrou. But it’s a good plate, with a little bit of everything, and you should try to see if you can get it all in one bite.” Done and done. As always, mouse over the different elements to see them described in the chef’s own words.
Back of the House
‘Top Chef’ Non-Winner CJ on the Broccolini Backstory, and Why Hung’sChris Jacobsen, a.k.a. CJ, got the boot on Top Chef last night, much to Adam Platt’s dismay, as well as the dismay of many viewers. The 6’10” former volleyball player from Venice Beach was an audience favorite for his unpretentious, self-effacing style, but now he’s back in the real world. We had a chance to talk with him about Hung, Howie, and why he thinks he has a shot with Padma Lakshmi.
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The Phantom IHOP of Midtown West
The coverage of the IHOP that may be coming to Times Square and is definitely coming to Brooklyn neglects to mention a great mystery. Search for IHOP in the Yahoo white pages (and on Citysearch and various other sites) and along with the one in Harlem you’ll find a listing on 240 W. 35th Street. We know this because we tried to go there once and instead of being greeted by a Rooty Tooty Fresh ’N Fruity we found, of all things, the International Food House and Buffet, an all-you-can-eat Latin spot where there’s salsa dancing at night.
Mediavore
Bourdain: I Am Not the Guy You Saw Last Night; Momo Boxes Now AvailableBourdain says he’s not the asshole he looked like on Top Chef last night. [Bravo]
In Momo news, David Chang has started serving bento-like Momo Boxes during lunch at Ssäm Bar. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Bobby Flay’s Bolo is about to be flattened to make way for more real estate. The 22nd Street curse continues! [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Beard Papa Returning Downtown, May Hit the SlopeWe promised to launch an official investigation into the mysterious closing of Beard Papa’s East and West Village locations, and, although a disconnected signal at the latter didn’t bode well, an email from COO Craig Takiguchi is more than reassuring. “We are meeting with folks in Park Slope and Bronxville,” says Takiguchi. “I suspect we will find a good location in either of those two areas sometime this year.” As for the closed stores:
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Dani Is Done With Dinner Service ForeverContrary to recent reports, Dani is not in danger of closing, but when the restaurant reopens on September 17, there will be a major shift: Owner Don Pintabona tells us there will no longer be any dinner service. “It’s going to be all events, corporate dinners, and parties,” he says. “I already have a bunch of weddings, bar mitzvahs, and other stuff lined up.”
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AvroKO’s New Restaurant Poised to Hit Bond Street AvroKO, the architectural and restaurant team behind Public, is planning to open a new eatery at 26-28 Bond Street, not far from Ian Schrager’s forthcoming condos at 40 and 48 Bond. Unlike Forty Deuce, they received the go-ahead (albeit in a split decision, after much debate) from CB2’s business committee last night. AvroKO’s Adam Farmerie filled us in on his plan for the 100-seat restaurant, under the working name Superior.
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Roller-Skating May Return to the Roxy, Crobar Takeover Looking LikelyNews cameras galore may have been trained on Ivan Kane’s appearance at last night’s contentious CB2 meeting, but uptown an equally compelling drama unfolded as CB4’s business committee pondered the liquor-license renewals of the Roxy, Pacha, Crobar and Pink Elephant, and Sol — oh, just about every megaclub in the city!
Neighborhood Watch
Magnolia to Lure Cupcake Crazies to the Upper West SideChelsea: Trestle on Tenth launches weekend brunch this Saturday with a fall menu that includes bacon-and-onion rösti and banana-stuffed French toast with vanilla syrup.
Fort Greene: IHOP is making more New York moves: In addition to taking on Times Square, the chain will open an outlet on Livingston Street near Bond Street. [NYDN]
Midtown East: Bloomingdale’s has moved tangy fro-yo pioneer Forty Carrots from the basement to a larger, more befitting seventh floor space. [NYT] Sherry-Lehmann wine store has completed its relocation to Park Avenue at 59th Street. [NYT]
Red Hook: You may have missed LeNell’s absinthe tasting (she drinks it up by the way), but she’ll host a tequila tasting this Sunday in honor of Mexican Independence Day. [LeNell’s]
Upper West Side: A second Magnolia bakery will open on 69th Street at Columbus this winter, and owner Steve Abrams thinks he can keep it a secret from tourists. [Eater] Juan Cuevas has left Blue Hill to be the chef de cuisine at Ed Brown’s Eighty One, which should open in December. [NYS]
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Community Board Bounces Kane’s ClubWe’ve just heard from Community Board No. 2 that its business committee, in a private meeting last night, voted unanimously to recommend a denial of liquor license to Forty Deuce. That recommendation will be mulled over by the full board on September 20, after which a recommendation of denial will most likely be sent to the SLA. Not a good day for Ivan Kane, David Bowie, or Sting, the last of whom will likely need to take a lot of hallucinogens to get over this.
Earlier: Neighbors Take the Riding Crop to Forty Deuce
The Other Critics
Bruni Finds Bar Stuzzichini Good Enough; Sietsema Worships InsiemeFrank Bruni gives Bar Stuzzichini one star, praising its small plates (which give him his obligatory Zeitgeist paragraphs at the top) and then pointing out that the room and service are basically that of a “midtown mess hall.” The moral? Aim low, price right, and execute, and the critics will give you the guarded praise you need to stay open. [NYT]
Here’s one we never would have predicted in a million years: Insieme getting the panegyric it deserves from Robert “horsehead soup in the Bronx” Sietsema. Interestingly, the one thing he didn’t like was the lasagne, which was the place’s proudest boast when it first opened. [VV]
We predicted recently that it was just a matter of time before someone came down on Wakiya, but we never dreamed it would be Danyelle Freeman. She hits the place hard, mostly for the “dull” and “skimpy” food but, not a killer at heart, gives them credit for service, cocktails, and soup dumplings. But it won’t be long before another, meaner critic really lets it fly. [NYND]
Mediavore
Liebrandt’s Secretive, Non-Chinese Project; Former Cheftestant Victim of BiasPaul Liebrandt is still being cryptic about his new project saying little more than it won’t be Chinese. [TONY]
Connecticut’s Foxwoods casino will soon serve New York’s favorite cheesecake: Junior’s will open its first outlet outside of the city in the resort’s new MGM Grand. [NYS]
Former Top Chef contestant Josie Smith-Malave was one of the victims of an anti-gay attack outside of a Sea Cliff bar during Labor Day weekend. [NYP]
NewsFeed
Neighbors Take the Riding Crop to Forty Deuce
During an hour-long debate at last night’s Community Board 2 meeting, Ivan Kane didn’t get much love for Forty Deuce, construction of which he says he halted after the CB rescinded its initial recommendation to approve a liquor license. Among his statements that were met with jeers: “There are only eight bars within a 500-foot radius” (neighbors counted twenty), “The ticketed entry fee is sometimes $10” (“Your burgers are $10!”), “There are layers [regarding the dancers’ costumes]” (“What does that mean?”), “I felt this was a community that welcomed artists” (“Oh, please!”).
