East Village: Olivia Bistro has shut down for good. [EV Grieve] The Wai? Cafe location that left First Avenue has apparently reappeared in the form of Y Cafe on 182 Avenue B, near 11th Street. [EV Grieve] Financial District/Battery Park: New York’s first Potbelly Sandwich Shop location will open tomorrow at 10:30 a.m at 2 Gold Street. [Midtown Lunch] Flatiron: The Rosa Mexicano on East 18th Street will host a “Mexican Clambake Party” on Wednesday, July 13, from 7 to [...]

Thought Catalog asserts that grubby, mucky Williamsburg is “a world of fried chicken at 3am, rare burgers with extra crispy bacon, 3 dollar Buds and shuffleboard.” Meanwhile, partying in Manhattan is about long lines, “modelesque bartenders,” sleazy old men, and “a whole array of people that [look] like they might be famous.” The horror! [Thought Catalog] Read more posts by Jenny Miller Filed Under: nightlife, beef, williamsburg

For everyone who spent the weekend worrying about whether Chinese competitive eater Lui Ming Kui would or would not secure a visa in time for this year’s Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest, we’re happy to report that he has in fact gotten one and will be competing this coming Fourth of July. From what we can tell, Hillary Clinton didn’t have anything to do with it. [Earlier] Read more posts by Alan Sytsma Filed Under: marketing gimmicks, coney island, nathan’s [...]

You’ll recall that Michael Psilakis recently returned to Long Island to open a new restaurant, MP Taverna. Well, the Times loves it! Reviewer Joanne Starkey called it the “head of the class,” adding that it’s now on her “list of favorite Long Island restaurants.” Well done! Back in the city, though, Tables for Two stops by Fishtag and files a somewhat tepid take. Like others before, reviewer Mike Peed finds ordering to be perplexing, is put off by the wildly [...]

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: Seafood Experts. Brushstroke (Menu) 212-791-3771 Two for eight? Yes Esca (Menu) 212-564-7272 Two for eight? Yes Estiatorio Milos (Menu) 212-245-7400 Two for eight? No Best available: 8:30 p.m. Fish Tag (Menu) 212-362-7470 [...]

Well, this is interesting: Fox just announced that the winner of the newest season of Hell’s Kitchen will be named head chef at BLT Steak‘s New York location. Well, more specifically, they’ll win “a head chef position at BLT Steak,” according to the release, which to our eyes vaguely implies that there will be more than one? Anyway, it’s probably safe to assume that Laurent Tourondel won’t be tuning in when the series premieres on July 18. After you wrap [...]

The most obvious reason is that the stuff just tastes good! But Wired takes a look at the relationship between umami flavors and happiness, and concludes that a lot of the enjoyment “comes afterwards, when the food is winding its way through the gut.” [Wired] Read more posts by Alan Sytsma Filed Under: food science, umami

It’s fun when chefs get together, because they do things like this: Barbuto‘s Jonathan Waxman and Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in Miami are joining forces for a collaborative dinner to celebrate their new cookbooks, Italian My Way and Michael’s Genuine Food, respectively. As such, diners will dig into one dish from each book per course, for each of the planned meal’s four courses. The “Genuine Barbuto” dinner is $65 ($30 additional for a wine pairing) and [...]

Kind of like this, only reflecting the “terroir of Murray Hill.” Another Summer of Riesling isn’t the only thing going on for Terroir‘s Paul Grieco and Marco Canora. Grub Street just spoke with Grieco, who confirmed that the wine bar is planning a third location, in Murray Hill (and he hinted that this won’t be the last expansion). The new spot is slated for September on Third Avenue “in the low Thirties,” Grieco said, and it will have 55 seats, [...]

Two years after bringing her Rang Dangs and Chocolate-Bar Suckers back to the West Village, Chocolate Bar owner Alison Nelson tells Grub Street that the wind is blowing her in another direction yet again. Except this time, Chocolate Bar will stay firmly put while Nelson opens a new bakery just around the block. Nelson says she’ll open a West Village bakery called Doughboy this fall. “The name celebrates the famous WWI ‘Doughboy’ statue in Abington Square Park,” she says. “It’s [...]