Historic Hippie Cafes of the Village Still Nail Veggie Fare

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Beginning around 1970, nearly every campus had one: a vegetarian cafe catering to hippies, guys with long hair and handlebar mustaches and gals in tie-dyed dresses with lots of beads. Some operated in church basements, others in bookstores or student unions. They were the pop-ups of yesteryear.

The vegetarian fare provided a stark contrast to the burgers and pizza that students often ate. Steamed vegetables, black beans, nut loaves, leafy salads with bright orange dressing, as well as acre upon acre of brown rice, were presented on steam table serving lines.

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Affordable Sushi Flown Daily From Japan Touches Down in Murray Hill

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Now open in Murray Hill is Wokuni, a fish-focused restaurant straight from Japan. It’s the first U.S. restaurant from Tokyo Ichiban Foods, a Japanese restaurant group, food distributor, and aquafarm company, which means much of the fish is straight from a fish farm in Hirado City, Nagasaki.

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SF’s Fast-Casual Greek Sensation Souvla Pops Up in NYC This Week

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Food from popular San Francisco Greek mini-chain Souvla — an Eater SF 38 member known for rotisserie meat pitas and salads — will be available in New York for a brief time this week. The restaurant will be offering most of its menu of sandwiches, fries, and salads via delivery on Caviar on Thursday, October 19 and on Friday, October 20. The restaurant’s frozen Greek yogurt and drinks won’t be available, but favorites like its Greek fries and its lamb sandwich with harissa-spiced yogurt will be.

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Cafe Orlin Has Closed After 36 Years

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As expected, 36 years in, the East Village’s Cafe Orlin closed on October 15. Its chalkboard sign out front now simply reads, “Thank you.” The restaurant’s owner also owns the building but was reportedly tired of running a restaurant. Another restaurant may open in its place.

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Tao Group Debuts a Seafood Brasserie — and More Openings

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Times Square: Tao Group is leading the dining charge at the Moxy Hotel near Times Square, and the newest opening is Legasea, a 145-seat seafood restaurant with brasserie style. Executive chef Jason Hall created the menu, full of global seafood preparation inspiration, from a New England clam bake to French moules frites. The full menu is below. 485 7th Avenue at 36th Street

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Carla Hall on Six Lessons Learned From Her Failed NYC Restaurant

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Runway model-turned-caterer-turned-TV star Carla Hall has become a household name, thanks to a stint on season five of Top Chef and her work on The Chew, the Emmy Award-winning culinary variety show on ABC she hosts alongside Mario Batali, Michael Symon, and Clinton Kelly.

But as Hall found out the hard way, fame doesn’t necessarily lead to success in the restaurant business. “Everyone assumed that my first restaurant’s success was a foregone conclusion,” Hall said recently on stage at Nation’s Restaurant’s News MUFSO conference.

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Acclaimed Japanese Offal Chef Takashi Inoue Dies at 40

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Takashi Inoue, the chef behind the namesake Japanese grill spot in te West Village, died last Wednesday after a long respiratory illness, according to the restaurant’s Instagram account. He was 40 years old.

“At his passing, he was surrounded by his family and close friends at New York Presbyterian Hospital,” according to the post. The Hudson Street restaurant will remain open, according to Grub Street, which first reported on Takashi’s death.

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Carbone Now Has Its Own Hip Gear at Kith

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Uber-hip streetwear brand Kith has partnered with Major Food Group’s Italian-American restaurant Carbone for some new gear. Kith’s founder Ronnie Fieg is apparently good friends with MFG’s Jeff Zalaznick, leading to a series of hoodies and T-shirts emblazoned with the names of Kith and Carbone. It’s yet another move in building up the myth of Carbone — the super-exclusive and snazzy red sauce restaurant has also been immortalized in Drake songs. The clothes go on sale Monday at 11 a.m.

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Man in Trump Hat Who Sued Bar for Discrimination Claims It’s a Spiritual Symbol

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A discrimination lawsuit against West Village burger and cocktail bar The Happiest Hour for allegedly denying service to a man wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat just took another turn.

The Daily News reports that Greg Piatek — the Philly man who claimed that the bar wouldn’t serve him because of his hat — now says his MAGA gear was not a political statement, but part of his “spiritual beliefs,” according to the suit.

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Grand Central Is Going Hard on a Plan to Be a Hip Dining Destination

Grand Central is doubling down on a plan in place to transform itself into a dining destination for a newer, hipper clientele. The transit hub is replacing five of its longtime food vendors with trendier restaurants and cafe — including a restaurant and whiskey bar from Oprah Winfrey’s former personal chef, the Post reports.

Heading in next year will be Soho French open-faced sandwich restaurant Tartinery, as well as Art Bird & Whiskey Bar from chef Art Smith, who formerly cooked for Oprah and has since turned into a TV chef. Art Bird is replacing Dishes, a grab-and-go spot, with a $4.1 million-per-year rent compared to Dishes’ $3.3 million offer.

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