Eric Asimov awards the new Fatty ‘Cue two stars in a rave, calling it a “witty, creative and delicious mashup of traditions from Southeast Asia, Europe and the American South.” Asimov recommends the shareable plates of deep-fried bacon, which is “not nearly as oily as it might sound,” and fried rabbit (“the best fried chicken in town!”). [NYT] La Esquina “has always been known more for its scene than its food.” But at the new Cafe de La Esquina in [...]

He’s learning from the best. Yesterday, we told you that Greg Baxtrom recently left his chef de cuisine position at Blue Hill Stone Barns, a role already filled by the talented Michael Gallina. Today, Baxtrom tells us that he’s found a new, if temporary, home at Floyd Cardoz and Danny Meyer’s North End Grill. He explains: “Because I eventually want to open my own restaurant, I wanted to see an opening. Dan Barber put me in touch with Floyd Cardoz, [...]

• Now that the FDA has approved the practice of issuing DNA barcodes for seafood, “restaurants are planning to start using it to prove the provenance of their pricey fish.” [Popular Science] • Burger King is changing its French fry recipe. The new fries are thicker, less salty, and have “a coating that makes them crisper and keeps them hotter longer.” Mmmm … coating. [MSNBC] • Forget five-dollar footlongs: Subway will soon offer six-inch subs for a measly two bucks. [...]

East Village: Corkbuzz Wine Studio — complete with bar snacks under $10 like chicken liver toast and $75 educational wine classes, which start January 7, but you can enroll now — opens tonight in Union Square. [Eater NY] Agave Azure was apparently a horrible name for a restaurant, due mostly to its lack of badassery (and a cease-and-desist letter sent to them for allegedly swiping the name of another Agave in the rivaling West Village). Now, chef Evangelos Gavalas wants [...]

Faux dates over foie gras. Finding love through food is one thing, but finding food through love is quite another. Business Insider has a story about Jessica Sporty, a New York girl who used Match.com solely to extract fancy dinners from clueless men. Bankers took her to places like La Esquina and Megu, and by not buying her own meals, she basically made “over $1,200 a month.” [BI] Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky Filed Under: karma, manipulation

They were open today, at least. The Times City Room blog has a good summary of all the Grimaldi’s doings that have been in the news over the last couple of days and manages to uncover a little more information in the process. The most interesting part is that the opening of the new location of Grimaldi’s, around the corner from the current location at 19 Old Fulton Street and originally scheduled to open today, has been postponed “indefinitely” while [...]

They lost Baxtrom (above), but gained Gallina. Grub Street has learned that Michael Gallina, one of the chefs from Blue Hill New York (and former sous chef at Eleven Madison Park), has replaced Greg Baxtrom as chef de cuisine at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. No word yet on Baxtrom’s next moves. Sources say the transition was drama-free, and like all things at Blue Hill, handled in excellent taste. Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky Filed Under: chef shuffle, blue [...]

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: For Vegivores. ABC Kitchen (Menu) 212-475-5829 Two for eight? No Best available: 5:30 p.m. or 10 p.m. Applewood (Menu) 718-788-1810 Two for eight? Yes Barbuto (Menu) 212-924-9700 Two for eight? Yes (but [...]

The unstoppable McDonald. Sources close to John McDonald tell Grub Street that a Lure Fishbar “Miami” could be happening in the near future. No word on where it will be, exactly, but a rep for McDonald confirms that talks are in the works. We predict it won’t be long before he’s sipping Rosé on the beach, with fellow Soho-to-SoBe trailblazer Andrew Carmellini. Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky Filed Under: snowbird, john mcdonald, lure fishbar, miami

One of the unfashionable models. “Designing an apron is a lot harder than designing a suit … If it’s overdesigned, it will be tacky. If it’s underdesigned, no one will notice it.” —A lot of thought went into the servers’ aprons at Tertulia, apparently. [Runway/WSJ] Read more posts by Alan Sytsma Filed Under: quote of the day, seamus mullen, tertulia