Truffle ShuffleThe two-and-a-half-pound truffle that couldn’t find love in New York took its business elsewhere.
ByDaniel Maurer
NewsFeed
Breaking: Another Freakish White Truffle Comes to TownWe are so, so torn on the matter of the white truffle. Late last week, we professed our unconditional love for the fungi (and also learned that Alterna offers white-truffle haircare products) but, given that the Waverly Inn just raised their truffle macaroni and cheese to $85 and Le Cirque’s massive truffle acquisition and the truffle shortage and the $1,000 truffle bagel and, you know, just the general deluge of “truffles are expensive and awesome”-related media as of late, we wondered if this whole white-truffle business had gotten a little bit out of control. Then our very own magazine came out on Monday, complete with more truffle talk, and we knew that there was no point in fighting. There’s nothing we can do but accept the darling ‘shroom, regardless of whether we could ever afford it in our lifetimes.
And it’s a good thing we’ve come to terms with the situation, because it just got a lot more intense.
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Soup Spots, Haute East Village, and Lower East SweetsNumerous options for “soupies.” [amNY]
East 5th Street, home to the East Village’s rarefied restaurants. [NYT]
White-truffle madness, including Sea Grill’s $1,000 tasting menu. (Dessert: white-truffle beignets and white-truffle ice cream.) [TONY]
Another white-truffle menu for good measure, and it’s a bargain at $385. [MUG]
A heaping helping of Thanksgiving options, from a six-courser at Bouley to thyme- and sage-rubbed takeout bird at Dean & DeLuca. [Citysearch]
Room Service and other places diners can get a room. [NYP]
Related: Inside Room Service’s VIPee
Steak that doesn’t break the bank. [Chowhound]
Heavenly kitchens in Hell’s Kitchen. [Chowhound]
Booze isn’t the only thing the Lower Eastpacking District is good for: There are sweets, too. [Gridskipper]
What to Eat Tonight
How to Make Women More Tender, for Only $2,400 Per Pound
Alexandre Dumas reckoned that white truffles can, “on certain occasions, make women more tender and men more lovable.” We would hope so — the ‘shrooms, imported from Piemonte, Italy, were selling last week for as much as $2,400 per pound. If you’re going to throw down for some, you best leave their preparation to the city’s top Italian chefs. (Or, better yet, go straight to the source — here’s our five-point Piemonte Weekend Escape Plan.)
Wait until you hear what these cooks are doing with truffles (hint: it doesn’t involve pizza).