Singer-Songwriter Vanessa Carlton Indeed Loves Ruby’s in the Afternoon
In her single “Nolita Fairytale,” Vanessa Carlton sings about her love of “Ruby’s in the afternoon”— a reference to her favorite neighborhood hang. “It’s the best people-watching,” she says of Ruby’s. “Everyone looks like they’re out of an editorial shoot for some hip magazine. But it’s not posey.” Other favorites near the “Nolita flat on rent control” she famously exalts? La Esquina (“I love to get takeout or to just sit at the front taco bar”), Freemans (“I think it wins the devils-on-horseback competition with the Spotted Pig”), and N (“the best chorizo I’ve ever had”). We asked her whether this week found her at any of the above.
The Gobbler
How to Eat in Tokyo, Michelin Capital of the World
When it comes to New York restaurants, the Gobbler’s views on the addled Mandarins at the Michelin Guides are well known. But when news came, the other day, that the first-ever Michelin Guide to restaurants in Tokyo had awarded our distant sister city a mind-boggling total of 191 stars (compared to 65 in Paris and 54 in New York), the Gobbler had to admit that those crazy fools might be on to something. Not long ago, we spent a week rampaging through Tokyo in a kind of epicurean daze. The Gobbler still isn’t sure exactly what he consumed (fugu sperm sacks, possibly; grilled chicken uterus, definitely; a very nice chocolate éclair flavored with bamboo), but one thing’s for sure. It was all pretty damn good. Here are a few rules for eating yourself silly in that great restaurant mecca, Tokyo, Japan.
Kristina Klebe of ‘Halloween’ Likes Her Yogurt With Pumpkin Seeds
If you’re one of the many who saw Rob Zombie’s Halloween during its record-setting opening weekend, you last saw Kristina Klebe playing trash-talking cheerleader Lynda. You’ll probably next see her alongside Uma Thurman in Griffin Dunne’s comedy The Accidental Husband, in which she plays Isabelle Rossellini’s (fully dressed and much more conservative) daughter. In the meantime, she’s jetting between her hometown, New York (she used to bartend at Serafina), and her adopted city, L.A.“I love that I can walk back to a place after dinner,” she says of New York. “If you go out in L.A., you’re full and you just go out to your car and go home.” So where did she dine and dash during this week of auditions and director meetings?
Mediavore
‘Top Chef’ Talbot Out at Spitzer’s Corner; FDA Too Weak EvenTop Chef runner-up Sam Talbot is out at what was to be his debut restaurant, Spitzer’s Corner. [Eater]
The FDA is facing increasing ire about its having largely abdicated its regulatory role. Even the produce industry wants the agency to do its job; suppliers are “virtually begging for stronger intervention.” [NYT]
Salsa mogul gives the Culinary Institute of America $35 million to advance the careers of Latin cooks and kitchen workers and to “deepen the United States’ relationship with food from Latin America.” [NYT]
At the Market
Spring Forward With Daffodils, Branch Out with Different BananasNow that we’ve set the clocks ahead, our minds turn to tender dandelion greens and slender ramps, but until the local growing season gets under way, we’ll have to bide time with forced bulbs and unusual bananas.
At the Market
Cute! Kiwiberries and Other Fresh ‘Babies’
In a culture that prizes youth, it’s no surprise that we’ll pay twice as much for a half-size fruit or vegetable if it’s called a “baby.” But are those Lilliputian Brussels sprouts and their ilk actually young? And do they have a special taste?
At the Market
Red Rice, Pink Beer; Ruby Grapefruits to Share, Cure ColdsWhen it comes to Valentine’s Day, lovers cannot live on chocolate alone — there’s also the obligatory pink-food category! Unlike conversation hearts and wax lips, the following rose-hued delectables are all delicious enough to seek out more than once a year.
The New York Diet
Designer Lyn Devon Survives Fashion Week With Pizza and the City’s Best
Lyn Devon designed for Ralph Lauren and Zac Posen before starting her own house out of the basement of her Broome Street apartment in 2005, dressing Sarah Jessica Parker and Julia Stiles. Normally she’d be dining out with friends (her fridge holds little more than hummus, ice cream, and beer), but during Fashion Week, twelve-hour workdays rule out anything beyond the occasional late-night decompression session at the local dive bar. Besides “constant coffee and water,” we wondered what else fueled her as she prepared for her show yesterday morning.
Tasmanian Christmas Honey Arrives, Old-Fashioned Bonbons Stage a ComebackFor eleventh-hour holiday shoppers, gourmet markets, with their late hours and wide variety, are a godsend. Bundle imported fancy foods — from French pear cider to Spanish Marcona almonds — with cheeses, exotic fruits, and artisanal baked goods for a gift that needs no apology.
