Elaine’s Turns 45; Chefs Cursing Too $*$@% MuchLiterary hangout Elaine’s turned 45 on Sunday, Tom Colicchio doesn’t think profane language is appropriate for chefs, and “Big Lou” Elrose enjoys his moment in the sun and smoke.
Bye-bye, Bottled Water; Cheyenne Diner ClosedBottled water is becoming a faux pas, Cindy Adams takes the stand in the Patsy’s-vs.-Patsy’s trial, and the patrons of the Cheyenne Diner have one last meal there.
Patsy’s Sues Patsy’s; Bones Found Beneath Tribeca EateryTwo Italian restaurants sue each other over Frank Sinatra, Tokyo Bar finds something scary in the basement, and the economic forecast for food prices does not look good.
NewsFeed
Have Your Veal ‘Frank’s Way’ at Patsy’s Wednesday
Wednesday would have been Frank Sinatra’s 92nd birthday, and at least one of the Chairman’s old haunts, the occasion won’t pass unobserved. Frank’s favorite New York restaurant, Patsy’s (no relation to the pizza chain), will be serving “Frank’s stuffed artichoke,” “Frank’s veal cutlet Milanese” (“Frank had it made easy on the garlic,” Patsy’s chef Sal Scognamillo tells us), and sfolgiatella, Frank’s favorite dessert, on Wednesday (the last course is on the house). Sal is a font of Sinatra anecdotes, too, and will be on hand to repeat a few of them. If you see him, ask about the night in 1977 when the Yankees came in after winning the World Series, and Billy Martin wanted to know why he didn’t have the best table.
The New York Diet
Leven Rambin Consoles Herself With Chocolate After the Daytime Emmys
In addition to playing the autistic teenager Lily Montgomery on All My Children, Leven Rambin, the face of Caressa jewelry, has been a party fixture ever since she moved from her mom’s house in Connecticut to a place on the Upper West Side. When making the scene, she skips the hors d’oeurve. “After working from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.,” says the 17-year-old, “the last thing I want to do is go to the gym. So I try to eat light.” That is, except for those addictions to peanut butter and protein bars — and the occasional serotonin-boosting chocolate splurge.
The In-box
I Wonder If ‘New York Pizza’ Is a Total JokeDear Grub Street,What’s the deal with Patsy’s and Grimaldi’s? The guy’s name was Patsy Grimaldi, right? Didn’t the place under the Brooklyn Bridge used to be called Patsy’s? I remember going there when I used to come out for AAU games. And where else would you recommend for true “New York–style” pizza? Or is that term a total joke?DeWayne
Neighborhood Watch
Three Words: Chelsea Cupcake ControversyBedford-Stuyvesant: Next Thursday’s cocktail fund-raiser at Carver Savings bank benefits Fulton-Nostrand United Merchants Association, Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, and if you’re still reading this, congratulations. [Bed-Stuy Gateway]
Chelsea: The pink cupcake — you know the one — inspires reactions from diabolical blogger rants to posters defending the pretty cake. [Blog Chelsea] Ronnybrook Dairy will be converted into a milk bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner — with special lactose twists. [Eater]
Clinton Hill: Olivino is hosting an Italian wine tasting tonight starting at 6:30 p.m.; you’ve got three hours to “taste” as much as your liver can stand. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: The Bowery Hotel lobby may be getting a tepid response, but the 10,000-square-foot bar space on the second floor should impress, assuming the weather warms up sometime. [Down by the Hipster]
Tribeca: Patsy’s Pizza coming to the former Dominic spot; booze a sure thing. [Eater]
West Village: Chumley’s won’t be torn down — not yet, anyway. [Gawker] The Spotted Pig has updated their menu. [Grub Street]
Back of the House
Patsy’s, Le Madeleine Fight Turf Wars; Danny Meyer Takes TokyoA food co-op opens, but can East New Yorkers swing it? [NYT]
Joe, home of the $14,000 espresso machine, looks for a fourth location despite high rents. [NYT]
Danny Meyer takes Union Square Cafe to Tokyo. [Snack]
Related: Danny Meyer Walks Into a Pub
Back of the House
A Japanese Gastropub and Other Openings; KFC’s New Recipe Tastes Like Chicken• More on “Japanese gastropub” Zenkichi, Lower East Side brick-oven pizzeria Cronkite, and others; Antoine Bouterin packs it in. [NYT]
• Taste-testers prefer trans-fat-free KFC. [NYDN]
• Cuozzo presses Michael Lomonaco for 9/11 memories, likes the drapes at his new place. [NYP]
• Guss’s in a legal pickle. [NYP]
• Patsy’s, too, fights for its name. [NYS]
• Park Slope sandwich and gelato spot Tempo Presto’s latest locale. [NYS]
• Vendy victor is doing brisk business. [NYDN]
• Emily Sprissler blows the whistle on “rat-trap” conditions (and Padma’s cellulite) on the “Top Chef” set. [Chow]