Bruni at Double CrownThe ‘Times’ critic was spotted there last night, sending the kitchen into overdrive.
ByDaniel Maurer
NewsFeed
Bartenders Reassert Stylishness in the Face of Chef DandyismYesterday, we continued to marvel that chefs have become beacons of fashion, but we all know that bartenders are the real fops. Guys like Jim Meehan, Sasha Petraske, and David Wondrich aren’t waiting around for Maxim or Esquire to doll them up — in fact, as evident from a Time Out how-to on cocktail dandyism, even Toby Maloney, the guy who’s responsible for the mai tais and Zombies at the Rusty Knot, wouldn’t be caught dead in a Hawaiian shirt.
NewsFeed
Time to Start Thinking About A Taste of New YorkAnyone involved with the madness that was A Taste of New York last year won’t need much convincing to go back. (We gave a hint of the proceedings the next morning.) This year, 40 major restaurants will serve their best, champagne will flow like Red Bull during finals, and everyone will dress well. (No promises for Bill Telepan.) The 2007 Taste of New York will be held November 5 at the Puck Building. General admission is $145; the VIP Preview preceding the event is $200. Tickets are on sale now.
2007 Taste of New York
Related: More Than Just a Taste of New York
Neighborhood Watch
Women Chefs Congregate in Chelsea; Sam Mason Has Fans on the LESChelsea: 25 women chefs including Anita Lo and Del Posto pastry chef Nicole Kaplan will cook at a cancer benefit at Pier 60 on Monday. [Restaurant Girl]
Related: Women Chefs Come Out in Force For Benefit
Flatiron: Hill Country hosts 4-Foodies on September 18 for the online group’s second tasting event. [4-Foodies]
Harlem: Mexican street vendors will prepare the fare at Restaurante La Hacienda on September 19 for a Tamale and Tequila Tasting organized by the non-profit group Esperanza del Barrio. [Uptown Flavor]
Lower East Side: Tailor gets high marks from opening-night diners who may not have understood the menu, but appreciated the results. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Midtown West: A food cart on 46th Street at Sixth Avenue is serving up special Ramadan “break-the-fast” boxes. [Midtown Lunch]
Tribeca: Cognac week at Brandy Library means free tastings every night from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through Saturday.
The In-box
Bialy Expert Says Kossar’s Not Quite the Final Word on BialysIn our tribute to Kossar’s bialys yesterday, we pointed to the imprimatur of the august Mimi Sheraton, whose book The Bialy Eaters is the definitive work on the subject. Well, the last we heard, Sheraton loved the place. But no more, apparently: “The Book was written a long time ago and times change, as do bialys,” Sheraton writes. “[Kossar’s makes them] barely with any onions and much too soft, bland and puffy, often with barely defined center wells. The only thing I buy there now are mini-discs, i.e. miniature pletzels, with poppy seeds and, with luck, onions.” So there it is. We’ll probably still go on eating Kossar’s bialys, but now with a diminished sense of triumph. Live and learn.
But, Sheraton tells us, there is hope for a new yardstick bialy.
Neighborhood Watch
‘Top Chef’ Open Call to Be Held in SohoAstoria: French-Asian restaurant Bistro 33 serves beer, wine, sake, and cocktails now that its liquor license has gone through. [Joey in Astoria]
Boerum Hill: Smith Street may be getting a McDonald’s. [Curbed]
Financial District: For $10, you can add an illegal lap dance to your lunch at Cordato’s Deli. [WCBSTV]
Hell’s Kitchen: Port Authority’s 7-Eleven has transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart for the remainder of July to promote the new Simpsons movie and is even selling Blue Woo Hoo! Vanilla Squishees and KrustyO’s cereal. [7-Eleven]
Soho: Pinkberry open at 41 Spring Street! [Eater] Open call for the next season Top Chef will be held at the French Culinary Institute on July 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. [Bravo]
Openings
Park Slope Gastropub Serves Guinness on Tap — and as a Foam!
A few months ago, we alerted you that the “gastropub” phenomenon, deftly explored by Rob and Robin, was infiltrating Park Slope. Well, on February 21 the eagle lands in the form of Alchemy, the love child of former Lucky Strike barkeep Kevin Read and Jared King, previously a chef at Peacock Alley, Windows on the World, and Oceana. Their collection of antique jars isn’t the most impressive in town (guys, how could you let Simon Hammerstein beat you? Those things come so cheap at the Seventh Avenue flea market), but the menu, available for you here exclusively, is nothing to scoff at. Hanger steak served with bone marrow? Scallops with acorn-squash purée and Guinness froth? Cuttlefish with chorizo-oil mayonnaise? O’Connor’s across the street better step up its game — bar nuts ain’t going to cut it anymore. —Daniel Maurer
Earlier: The Slope Gets Gastropub — With Garden, Perfect for Six Months From Now