Posts for September 13, 2012 -- Grub Street: New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog

Posts for September 13, 2012

9/13/12 at 5:20 PM
Leftovers
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Hummus Shop Open on the LES; Gastroarte Shutters Temporarily

• Upper West Side Spanish restaurant Gastroarte has shuttered "temporarily," amid rumors of a staff exodus; as we mentioned, chef Jesús Nuñez will open another Spanish sport, Barraca, later this month at 81 Greenwich Avenue. [Eater NY]

• Chef Jehangir Mehta of Graffiti and Mehtaphor will be cooking at Millbrook Winery's annual harvest party on October 13, where he will prepare a four-course lunch paired with the winery's offerings. $165 for lunch and transportation from Grand Central, $125 if you get there on your own. [Grub Street]

• The straightforwardly named Hummus Shop is now open on Ludlow Street on the Lower East Side. The restaurant, a creation of the owner of Candela Candela, will offer bargain-priced hummus and other Mediterranean selections. It's hot on the heels of the opening of equally simply named Falafel Shop, nearby. [Bowery Boogie]

9/13/12 at 4:45 PM
Grub Guides
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Beyond Apples and Honey: Where to Dine for Rosh Hashanah

By Monica Burton

Kutsher's has you covered.Photo: Danny Kim/New York Magazine

L'shana tova! Rosh Hashanah starts this Sunday, and even if you're a last-minute planner, there's still hope for a joyous, delicious start to the Jewish New Year. Not to mention one where you don't have to do any cooking — see below for ways to observe the High Holiday by dining out.

9/13/12 at 4:15 PM on Grub Street LA
Celebrity Settings
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Tacos and a Toke: Amanda Bynes Smoked Some Pot Outside a Baja Fresh

TMZ busts actress Amanda Bynes today for smoking weed in the parking lot of a San Fernando Valley Baja Fresh. Blazin' Bynes, as she shall now be known, paired her pipe with an order of tacos on Tuesday before setting off on a meandering "Me Day" that found her allegedly swerving through traffic, enjoying a three-hour spa treatment, and taking a final toke in the parking lot of a Home Depot. [TMZ]

9/13/12 at 3:30 PM
What to Eat
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What to Eat at Super Linda Taqueria, Home of the Pastrami Taco

By Jenny Miller

Speaking of stylish restaurants, Super Linda has rolled out its long-promised taqueria. The takeout-counter affair has its own entrance on West Broadway, and the little window offers an assortment of tacos (including a pickle-topped pastrami version), tortas, soups, and salads, plus daily aguas frescas. At $4 to $5 a taco (and extra for salsas), it's not the world's cheapest taco stand, but we bet Tribeca lunchers will still be glad to have it. Scope the food in our slideshow.

See the menu.

9/13/12 at 2:15 PM
Coming Soon
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Looks Like Umami Burger Is Headed to Greenwich Village [Updated]

By Hugh Merwin

A thing of beauty.

We're still waiting on an In-N-Out, but Los Angeles chain Umami Burger's NYC plans are starting to take shape: Tonight's CB2 Manhattan SLA Licensing committee agenda includes the appearance of an entity called Village Eats 10011, LLC, which will be doing business as none other than Umami Burger. The restaurant is listed as being located at the bi-level space at 432 Sixth Avenue* in Greenwich Village, most recently home to sushi spot Amber.

9/13/12 at 1:30 PM
Foodievents
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What to Expect at Omnivore, Bringing Badass Chefs to Brooklyn Next Weekend

By Jenny Miller

Coming next weekend: badass chefs, special dinners, exciting street food ... actually, we're not talking about Le Fooding, but rather the Omnivore World Tour, which, ballsily, is planned for the same time frame (this one's at DeKalb Market). Both festivals are French, both feature Ignacio Mattos, and both are happening in Brooklyn, meaning all you foodster cool kids have some scheduling decisions to make. Let us help by offering Omnivore's full lineup, below.

Voulez-vous manger avec moi ce soir?

9/13/12 at 1:00 PM
House Style
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House Style: Jezebel

By Jenny Miller

Glamorous and kosher aren't usually words that appear in the same sentence, but Jezebel, which opened a few months back in Soho, is trying to change that. As co-owner Henry Stimler tells us, "The only restrictions we have are in the kitchen." That means hostesses have the freedom to wear whatever they want, and the staff uniforms cut a smart profile — all in the hopes that they'll inspire customers to do the same. So far, it's working: Jezebel has quickly become one of the most fashionable restaurants in the city, making it the ideal candidate for our latest edition of House Style.

9/13/12 at 12:20 PM
Fizz Away
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Not So Sweet: Board of Health Approves Soda Ban

By Hugh Merwin

As our friends over at Daily Intel have noted, the New York City Board of Health voted this morning to officially approve the controversial and "confusing" amendment to the health code that will effectively ban the sale of sugary drinks in sizes of more than sixteen ounces throughout the city. The Times also reports that industry groups "say they will do whatever is necessary to stop the plan," which will take effect in March if it isn't first overturned in court. [NYT via Daily Intel, Earlier, Earlier]

9/13/12 at 11:55 AM
Foodievents
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Website for Alinea–Eleven Madison Park Switcheroo Is Up and Running

By Hugh Merwin

Trading places.

It's like Freaky Friday, but instead of Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis, it's the Michelin-lauded chefs Daniel Humm and Grant Achatz trading places, and instead of one weekday, it'll be five days at the end of the month and five more in October. The engagement now has a website, and tickets for the 21st Century Limited — the name is a riff on a railway that once connected Chicago and New York — will no doubt sell out fast. Best go choo-choose your log-in name and password details over here now! [Grub Street Chicago, Earlier]

9/13/12 at 11:30 AM
Money Money Money
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Paula Deen’s Newest Moneymaker: ‘Anti-Fatigue’ Kitchen Mats

By Alan Sytsma

She's too rich to care what we think.Illustration: Andrei Kallaur, Jen Cotton

There's little doubt that Paula Deen is a name-licensing legend: After all, this is the woman who sells butter-flavord lip balm and parlayed a type 2 diabetes diagnosis into a prescription-medicine spokesperson deal. But her deals go much deeper than that. The latest example: a press release that calls our attention to a line of Paula Deen–branded Anti-Fatigue Kitchen Mats.

9/13/12 at 10:50 AM
Sugar Crashes
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Brooklyn Candy Shop Beefs Up Security to Thwart Sweets Bandits

By Hugh Merwin

Leave these Dots alone!

It's come down to this: Cobble Hill's Sugar Shop has hired a former linebacker to protect the inventory just weeks after 40 marauding teens took its taffy, lifted the Lifesavers, and needled its Nerds during a flash mob. A subsequent spree on Sprees prompted owners to consult with a security firm, whose operator tells the Daily News: "This is the first time I heard about security in a candy store,” adding, "it’s rough out there.” The News also talks to an 8-year-old (paying) customer: “I don’t like that,” she says. “I want the candy. Stop stealing all the candy.” [NYDN]

9/13/12 at 10:40 AM
The Chain Gang
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Dunkin’ Donuts Doing Its Part for the Freshman Fifteen

Add readily available Munchkins and heart-shaped fritters to the long list of temptations facing today's college students: Nation's Restaurant News says Dunkin' Donuts is spending this school year making a big college push, opening new branches in ten universities around the country. The campus outlets also sell Dunkin-branded Keurig cups for dorm rooms, and, you know, getting kids hooked relatively early on mediocre coffee is always good for business. [NRN]

9/13/12 at 10:00 AM
The Feeding Tube
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Thomas Keller and Phil Rosenthal Teaming Up for New Food Pilot

By Alan Sytsma

The talent.Photo: Getty Images

It sounds like Thomas Keller is finally getting serious about food TV: While the chef appears here and there on television (and famously consulted on the movie Ratatouille), he's never had his own show. But this might be a start. Grub Street learns he's headed to London with producer Phil Rosenthal to start production on the pilot for a still-unnamed series.

9/13/12 at 09:25 AM
Overnights
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Top Chef Masters Recap: An Unforgivable Elimination

By Michael Alan Connelly

Making all the wrong choices.Photo: Isabella Vosmikova/Bravo

Last night, the unthinkable occurred on Top Chef Masters — well, not the unthinkable, which of course would be Art popping out of a cake in a diaper and proposing to Curtis, but it was something pretty bad. I’d like to think I’ll never forgive the judges for what they’ve done, but it’s fine if they want to ruin the show’s credibility and, frankly, I’ll be moving on to happier thoughts after this kitchen closes. But before that happens, let’s revisit the grim details of last night’s competition and again place bets on who’s going to win, shall we?

9/13/12 at 09:00 AM
Openings
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Tom Colicchio’s Hamptons Restaurant Opens This Weekend

By Alan Sytsma

Moving east for a bit.

Right before Labor Day, Tom Colicchio told us his new Bridgehampton restaurant, Topping Rose House, was coming right along, and now Newsday says the new spot — part of a larger inn — will open on Saturday night. Expect a dish of roasted peppers, eggplant, and grilled lamb loin to run you $40, even though, as Colicchio told us, the "proteins will take a secondary role." We're all for that kind of Vegivore-centric thinking, but those are some pricey peppers. [Newsday, Earlier]