D.J. Brunch at the Bedford; Rockaway Beach Club Opens for Summer

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:32 +0000

• Uncertainty is adrift on the liveliness of Lotus of Siam. Not much activity has been fluttering around the Thai institution since Vegas duo Bill and Saipin Chutima’s left their New York location behind, although an official closing has not been announced. [Eater NY]

• If you’re not going to the Great GoogaMooga this weekend, how about a tasting-table-style music brunch? Gerald Hammil of Other Music specializes in rare, underground, experimental music and will curate live D.J. programs this Sunday at the Bedford. Newly appointed chef Jason Michael Giordano will serve up worldly market-driven specialties — including Nutella-and-currant-jelly French-toast fritters. [Grub Street]

• Lantern’s Keep has made the top ten hotel-bar finalists for the Tales of the Cocktail 2012 Spirited Awards. Big congrats. [Grub Street]

• Morso just opened its new outdoor terrace last week, just in time for summer. Enjoy Italian-Mediterranean specialties al fresco as you look over the Queensborough Bridge and Roosevelt Island cable cars all summer long. [Grub Street]

• Jimmy at the James opens their Summer Saturdays and Sundays weekend D.J. series with Chelsea Leyland on Saturday. Sunday beginning at 3 p.m., stop by the hotel for hand-crafted cocktails, light bites, great music, and a dip in the pool. [Grub Street]

• Andrew Carmellini takes Serious Eats editors on a tour of his favorite Soho jaunts and eats. Among the Dutch chef’s favorites? Morning chocolate buns and sipping Guinness and Macallan simultaneously. [Serious Eats]

• Rockaway Beach Club officially opens tomorrow. Indulge in Caracas’ arepas, Comodore East’s pork boats, and a chocolate-dipped frozen banana from Motorboat and the Big Banana [Gothamist]

• Nantucket comes to the LES, just in time for summer. New in the old White Slab Palace space at 77 Delancey Street is Grey Lady<, serving fresh-shucked oysters and homemade ales. [UrbanDaddy]

Filed Under: leftovers, closings, openings, summer

Chicken Tikka Masala With Floyd Cardoz

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:31 +0000

He makes it look easy.

Watch the executive chef of North End Grill, Top Chef Masters winner, and Danny Meyer’s lucky charm excite his many fans and prepare the popular British-inspired dish done his way over at the New York Culinary Experience.

Read more posts by Evan Kleinman and Jake Moore

Filed Under: nyce, floyd cardoz

Sofia Vergara Danced on Chairs at Beauty & Essex; Bono Celebrated at Marea

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:31 +0000

Bono celebrated his daughter’s graduation.

Sofia Vergara continued to live la vida single this week, dancing on chairs at a Gloria Gaynor fête with sixteen girlfriends. This and more in our weekly roundup of celebrity dining.

Ai Fiori: Julian Schnabel was there once, and Reba McEntire returned twice, all in the same week. [Grub Street]
Asellina: Ashley Greene and a gaggle of “giggling girlfriends” stayed for two-and-a-half hours for a chow-down on ravioli, tiramisu, and some wine. [People]
Beauty & Essex: Last week it was Twinkies. This week, freshly single Sofia Vergara danced on chairs. She showed up to Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” event at the restaurant Wednesday with sixteen ladies. She and her leopard-print Louboutins boogied on the furniture until security stopped them for “safety reasons.” [People]
Marea: Bono celebrated his daughter’s college graduation with fourteen guests. [Grub Street]
Osteria Morini: Clive Owen dined on Monday night. [Grub Street]

Do Bad Restaurant Reviews Really Make Readers Feel Good?

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:31 +0000

Words are weapons, Rayner.

“You start your Sunday morning reading a terrible review of somebody’s restaurant and as long as you’re not the chef’s mother, you’re probably going to feel slightly better for the rest of the day,” —Identity-theft victim Jay Rayner on the subject of being a restaurant critic, 50 years after the New York Times published its first restaurant review. [CNN]

Watch Brooks Headley Drum Up Some Sweet Grilled Eggplant

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:31 +0000

Sticky and fearless.

Former rocker-drummer and world-acclaimed pastry chef at Del Posto, Brooks Headley had some mind-bending fun at the New York Culinary Experience when he made a savory dessert featuring … grilled eggplant. Watch the bad-ass master do his thing, and get ready to crave some chocolate-studded aubergine.

Read more posts by Evan Kleinman and Sarah Frank

Filed Under: nyce, brooks headley, del posto

Sneak Peek at the Lakes, Now Pouring Craft Beer in Williamsburg

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:30 +0000

It’s Lake blue.

Owners of Brooklyn Public House in Fort Greene had an impromptu opening last night for their new venture in Williamsburg. Located at 51 Kent on the corner of North 11th, the Lakes fills a big, dry gap in this mostly vacant stretch of pavement along the East River. The bar will be open Thursday through Sunday for the time being, with plans for a full opening in the coming weeks.

About half of the 24 taps are already flowing with a solid selection of imports and craft brews, and bartenders will be pouring from the other twelve — including two nitros, which makes beer creamier, with a richer head — soon. When it opens, the kitchen will serve mostly pub fare of the burger-and-hot-dog variety. If the owners have their way, sidewalk seating for about 50 will be in place in time for summer.

The Lakes, 51 Kent Ave., at N. 11th St.

Mission Chinese Food Opens NYC Outpost Tuesday

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:30 +0000

It’s almost ready.

It’s almost here: FloFab has it that San Francisco cult fave Mission Chinese Food will open Tuesday at 154 Orchard Street on the LES. Like spring’s other big Asian import, Pok Pok Ny, Mission won’t take reservations for tables — only for the twelve seats at the bar. As it does in San Fran, the restaurant will donate 75 cents from each dish to charity; here it’s the Food Bank of New York City (see S.F.’s menu here to get an idea of what will be served). Mission will be dinner only to start, adding lunch and drinks a bit later on, and it will be, quirkily, closed Wednesdays. Get ready. [Diner's Journal/NYT, Earlier]

John Cusack Convinced Andrew Carmellini to Start Juicing

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:30 +0000

He says hi to Josh Capon.

Serious Eats goes on a Soho eating binge with Andrew Carmellini, where they start at Dominique Ansel and end at Milady’s, with a lot of food and scoop in between. Over at Melvin’s Juice Bar, Carmellini says he was was iffy about the au courant juice obsession, “until John Cusack was staying at The Greenwich Hotel where he brought his juicer and started juicing for me. He made this pear-kale juice and it was then, then I started to understand.” Yup, Carm can say anything and we’ll listen. [Serious Eats]

Paula Deen’s Fans ‘Couldn’t Spell Her Last Name,’ Says Bourdain

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:29 +0000

He still doesn’t like ‘em.

After roasting Richman and talking Angry Bobby Flay to Grub, Anthony Bourdain just couldn’t bite his tongue when “Page Six” asked him about his famous feuds with Sandra Lee — “I don’t think much of her cooking, but a tough lady … impressive, and I think, scary woman … I don’t want to get audited.” And of course, Paula Deen, and the only thing worse than Paula Deen, her hate-mailing fans: “Most of them couldn’t spell her last name. It’s only four letters in it. It’s scary. I’ve saved some of the mail in case I go missing.” [Page Six/NYP]

Searching for a New Hang in a Post-Elaine’s World

Kylie Leander — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:53:29 +0000

When you can’t go home again.

Peter Khoury files a yearning piece in the Times about his quest to find a new roost in the year since Elaine’s shuttered. “Like dozens of other people, I am part of the Elaine’s diaspora,” he writes. Trying out other restaurants and bars has been “a sort of speed dating.” And he’s been getting around, dropping into Donahue’s, Campagnola, Nicola’s, Sardi’s, “a hideaway bar in Midtown that shuns publicity and has a great Côtes du Rhône,” and finally settling on Neary’s as a sort of replacement. But it’s not the same. “After one year in the post-Elaine’s world, I can say that for me there is still no place that makes up for the loss of Elaine’s, and there might never be.” [NYT]