Posts for April 12, 2012 -- Grub Street: New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog

Posts for April 12, 2012

4/12/12 at 5:45 PM
Leftovers
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Bourdain, Colicchio Make Their Claymation Debut; Delicious-Sounding Menu Additions at Jack’s Wife Freda

• Read the story of how Dale Talde and the rest of the guys behind Talde opened shop — in graphic novel form. Plus, more on Pork Slope, opening this summer. [Food Republic]

• Adam Richman's newest carbo-loading Travel Channel venture? The Best Sandwich in America, premiering June 6, where he intends to judge, not gorge, this time. He's got a roadmap and a sammie roster, but fans can submit their choices for two wildcard sandwiches to compete in the championship. [Grub Street]

•Japanese company Suzumo unveils a new sushi robot that can turn out up to 3,600 impeccable rolls in an hour — the perfect gadget for your next dinner party, or competitive-eating showdown. [NYDN]

4/12/12 at 5:05 PM
Foodievents
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The Luckyrice 2012 Lineup Is Out, and It Looks Awesome

By Jenny Miller

The night market.

For Asian-food fiends like us, the upcoming Luckyrice Festival is a source of much excitement. Sadly, we're told Andy Ricker's amazing-sounding Chiang Mai Thai dinner is sold out, but a bunch of other fun events still have tickets left, including a Sunset Luau and pig roast at the Gansevoort, the annual Night Market, a Chinese wedding banquet with chef Susur Lee, and more. See the full lineup below, and purchase tickets here.

4/12/12 at 4:45 PM
Video Feed
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Watch Two Singing Waitresses Burn Through Their Tax Refund at Barbuto

By Carolyn Murnick

When they're not slinging sliders at Little Owl and Market Table, waitress/actress duo Monica West and Valentine Bureau are the ladies behind MVPleez, a viral-video stream full of madcap musical spoofs and foodie-skewering rants with cameos from restaurant industry pals. After making Harold Dieterle blush in a chat about ramps as aphrodisiacs, they're back this week with "Tax Refund Time," a TLC-esque number about the joys of blowing a $640 kickback on everything from Swedish sweets at Sockerbit to Jonathan Waxman's roast chicken. Check out the full video below.

4/12/12 at 4:00 PM
Non-openings
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Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield Scrap Bleecker Street Plans

By Alyssa Shelasky

Goodbye, Bleecker.

Maybe our wine-bar story killed the buzz, but Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield have backed away from their plan to open a cute lil' vino hang in the old Bar'rique space on Bleecker Street. Friedman says he originally wanted to create a venue for Carla Rzeszewski, the wine director at the Spotted Pig, who has a sweet spot for Spanish wines and sherries. But with all the community board B.S., and a sneaking suspicion that they're not really wanted, he's walked away ... in style. [Eater]

4/12/12 at 3:30 PM
Earthy
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Patagonia Sports a New Line of Foodstuff

By Alyssa Shelasky

Mountain food.

When you think of a Patagonia fleece, the first thing that comes to mind might not be delicious jerky ... 'til now. The company has lauched Patagonia Provisions, a new line of sustainable food that definitely doesn't have MSG and might even be protecting endangered species of salmon. What does edible Patagonia taste like? "We’ve got a smoked pepper, a smoked teriyaki, and a smoked chili pepper. It’s not necessarily fishy. It’s not too far off from beef jerky." [Bloomberg Business Week]

4/12/12 at 3:00 PM on Grub Street LA
Marketing Gimmicks
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Forbes: Kobe Beef Is ‘Food’s Biggest Scam’

By Hadley Tomicki

Not found in Vegas sliders

If you spend enough time around foodie friends with Japanese fetishes, you've doubtlessly been subjected to a tirade or two on how high-priced domestic beef that gets labeled "Kobe" almost anywhere outside of Japan is nothing but a damned lie (you'll get this even if all you want to do is down a freaking burger). But today Forbes gets super-pissed about the issue, grabbing the bull by the horns and labeling all "Kobe" marketed in the U.S., South America, and Australia as "food's biggest scam." The publication also debunks the whole beer-and-massage treatment for these cows as apocryphal, much like Gourmet discovered over four years ago. So, what's Forbes's, um, beef with "faux-be"?

4/12/12 at 2:25 PM
Paris
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The Last Rendezvous at Hemingway Bar Happened

By Alyssa Shelasky

Au Revoir.

Last night marked the final pour at the Hemingway Bar at the Ritz Paris, with New York fashionistas, ambassadors, and international jet-setters sipping their final delights from legendary bartender Colin Field. [WWD]

4/12/12 at 1:45 PM
The Chain Chang
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Let the Colonel’s Herbs Protect You

Oops! KFC's Thailand division has apologized after "being criticised for a Facebook message that urged people to rush home during Wednesday's tsunami scare and order a bucket of KFC chicken." [Daily Mail UK]

4/12/12 at 1:00 PM
Openings
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What to Eat at Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, Opening Next Week on the Lower East Side

By Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Few chefs take such a culinarily inclusive approach as Eric and Bruce Bromberg, the Jersey-bred, Paris-trained, Japanophile brothers behind the Blue Ribbon empire. At Blue Ribbon Sushi Izakaya, which opens next week at the Thompson LES hotel, that ecumenical slant characterizes dishes like chicken-liver mousse with miso, negi, and challah toast. The “LEO” — one of eight fried-rice options — pays homage to that Jewish-appetizing classic, lox, eggs, and onions. Whole fish and shellfish, like aji and lobster, are served sashimi-style. And Asian-accented chicken wings and pork ribs come in four-piece increments, presumably with Wetnaps. Here's a look at the menu and some of the dishes you'll find on it.

See the menu.

4/12/12 at 12:15 PM
Bullies
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Jewish Hate Crime Via Maple Syrup Is Punished by Jon Lovitz

Bullying is alive and well, as evidenced by three vile teenagers who drew swastikas and the word "Jew" in maple syrup in front of a classmate's house in California. The classmate, however, happened to be a family friend of Jon Lovitz, who took to Twitter, disgustedly, to reveal — and eventually, permanently expel — the cruel clique. [The Inquisitr]

4/12/12 at 11:30 AM
Cavity Hole
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Mike and Ike Have Split

By Alyssa Shelasky

Complicated relationships, even in Candyland.

As if the death of king-size Snickers and Hostess cupcakes weren't enough, now some genius ad exec thinks Mike and Ike should go their separate ways. Blaming irreconcilable differences, the two fictional characters have left notes on their packages, saying things like Mike is “spending way too much time on his music” and Ike is “spending way too much time on his graffiti art.” Wonder how Snackman — albeit a gummy-bear guy — feels about this. [NYT]

4/12/12 at 11:05 AM
What to Eat
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What to Eat on Adour’s New Menu, Debuting Tonight

By Alan Sytsma

As we told you back in March, Julien Jouhannaud took over the kitchen at Adour Alain Ducasse after former chef Didier Elena split the month before. With the changing of the guard comes a total overhaul of the menu, which reps tell us will make its debut tonight. From the look of things, Jouhannaud, who was previously at the helm of Ducasse's Washington, D.C. Adour outpost, is taking a simpler, more straightforward approach than his predecessor did. Expect things like asparagus with creamed morels, langoustines in Chardonnay nage, and salmon in a classic sauce matelote (a combination of seafood stock and red wine). Will the new menu be enough to help Adour regain some of its lost cachet, and possibly that second Michelin star it dropped back in 2009? That's for diners to decide, but for the time being, you can check out a few of the new dishes in our slideshow, and grab a first look at the full menu, below.

4/12/12 at 10:30 AM
Models and Bottles
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Pink Elephant Bubbling Back Up

By Jenny Miller

A rep tells Grub that Pink Elephant, which shuttered on 27th Street in 2009, will reopen in May at 40 West 8th Street in Greenwich Village. The location is the former home of the storied Bon Soir, where a young Barbra Streisand reportedly performed for the first time. The 4,000-square-foot club will have a live-performance space and a "separate mixology bar," so presumably pink Champagne with sparklers in it won't be your only drink option. "Page Six" has it that Pink is also planning locations in Dubai and Vegas, adding to its presence in Mexico and Brazil.

4/12/12 at 10:05 AM
White People Problems
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If You’re Black, Latino, or Asian, Adrian Grenier’s Food Co-op Wants YOU

By Jenny Miller

Even in historically diverse Clinton Hill, the carrot enthusiasts who belong to Adrian Grenier's new favorite food co-op, Greene Hill, are almost all Caucasian. And being earnest white people, they're very concerned about this. "I did look around the room and notice that everyone is white," one member confessed to the Daily News. The co-op has tried advertising at the Bed Stuy YMCA and offering $5-a-month payment plans for the $175 join fee, but so far only 34 people have signed up for that option. We're sure Adrian Grenier can somehow be dispatched to help with this. [NYDN]

4/12/12 at 09:20 AM
Not Okay
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Chin Chin Sued for Dong-Shaped Dumplings

By Alyssa Shelasky

No-no's and "Nay Nays" at Chin Chin.

A tormented ex-bartender from the posh Chin Chin is suing the workers for sexual harassment, claiming the staff made dirty dumplings shaped as man-parts, violently groped her bottom, offensively called her chest "Nay Nays"; watched porn obsessively, and allegedly hid a drugged-out Mariah Carey in the corner (only to feed her a phallic platter). Sounds like J. Lo and Tyra Banks might have had some wong-tons, too. [NYP]

4/12/12 at 09:00 AM
Cool
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Kirin’s Frozen Foam Beer Looks a Lot Like Soft-Serve

By Jenny Miller

Kirin's latest beer innovation looks a lot like something else we love: soft-serve ice cream. Though they're dubbing it Ichiban Shibori Frozen Draft, probably to keep the kiddies from catching on. It's currently available at select restaurants in Tokyo. See video below — and tell us if you recognize that song while you're at it.