Fake Butter Harming Chefs?; Crave Ceviche Bar Closed by Crane AccidentA federal investigation is under way in New York’s kitchens to measure the hazards cooks face when handling an ingredient in artificial butter that is known to cause tissue damage. [Seattle Post Intelligencer]
Frank Bruni thinks Thomas Keller should just stick to what he knows and avoid this casual-dining nonsense he puts on at Ad Hoc. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Sexy British TV chef Nigella Lawson has reportedly put on some weight, with one catty source saying, “The result is a butt like a Budweiser horse.” [NYP]
The Other Critics
One Star and Thirteen Recommended Dishes for Centro Vinoteca; BLT Market TakesAnother somewhat capricious Frank Bruni review: He gives Centro Vinoteca one star, praising nearly everything he ate (there are thirteen recommended dishes) but complaining about the noise and crowds on the first floor and presumably on that basis withholding a second star. [NYT]
Danyelle Freeman is so not impressed with BLT Market. According to her, the ingredients themselves aren’t even that good! But she likes the place enough to give it two stars anyway. [NYDN]
The usually harder-to-please Alan Richman, on the other hand, had a much higher estimation of the place, except for the part about it smelling like shit. But that, he hopes, will pass with the warm weather. [Bloomberg]
The Other Critics
Gemma Rewarded for Its Calculations; Tailor Makes a FanFrank Bruni, surprisingly grants Gemma a single star. Bruni sees the place as a slicker, less technically accomplished Morandi — an insta-enoteca calculated to the nth degree to please modern middlebrows. Which, we guess, is worth a single star these days. [NYT]
Ryan Sutton is, as usual, the first to review Tailor, which he finds a molecular wonderland of trippy but delicious foods: exactly what a certain kind of restaurantgoer needs to hear to get the buzz going. [Bloomberg]
Moira Hodgson thinks that Alex Ureña’s new direction at Pamplona — modern, imaginative Spanish cookery minus the bells and whistles — is exactly what he needed and rewards him with two stars. “So this is bistro food? I don’t care what he calls it, it’s great.” [NYO]
Neighborhood Watch
Chicken & Beer a Chelsea Favorite; Miraculous Iced Tea From Midtown EastAstoria: Check out photos of both the interior and the baked goods at newly opened coffeehouse the Soleil Cafe, on Astoria Boulevard South near 38th Street. [Joey in Astoria]
Chelsea: There goes the neighborhood: a sushi restaurant at 23rd Street has been replaced by a new spot called Chicken & Beer. “What next, ‘Hamburgers and Crack?’” [Blog Chelsea] Klee Brasserie has added dishes like Lowenbrau sauerkraut with Kobe bratwurst and warm apple strudel to its menu in honor of Oktoberfest. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Clinton Hill: Thirty-year-old Gourmet Kitchen closes for good on September 30. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: The Joy of Sake (with all its tasty bites) is this Thursday. [NYM]
Lower East Side: Rosario’s Pizza isn’t good but should be honored because “there should always be room in every NYC neighborhood for a basic slice joint.” [Lost City]
Midtown East: New Japanese tea and sweet shop Tafu, on 51st Street near Third Avenue, not only serves extraordinary brews but also an imported thermos which keeps ice frozen for seventeen hours. [Mouthing Off/Food & Wine]
In the Magazine
A ‘Top Chef’ Surprise and Other Summer Treats
The lull of midsummer is already over, and new growths sprout everywhere. A young chef gives his first restaurant a go, a veteran gets his own place for the first time, and an established star gets a fresh start. We have restaurant openings, new and better lemonades, and even a baked squash blossom. Summer is starting to tire, but the food stays sharp.
