“Every cart or truck will be getting (a) newly designed decal, and when the inspector finishes the inspection, an ‘A’ looks just like the restaurant A,” says Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Health Corrine Schiff.
Beginning in December, all of the city’s 5,500 mobile food vendors will be graded on their food safety and will receive a corresponding alphabet score. A tracking device will also be attached to every unit so inspectors can keep track of each business.”
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1. Flora Bar
945 Madison Ave., nr. 75th St.; 646-558-5383
Sure, the location is a little eccentric by local standards (the dining room sits on the semi-bunkered basement level of the Met Breuer museum on Madison Avenue). The decor is a little spare, too (did we mention that it’s in the basement of the Met Breuer?), and local gourmets will complain that the chef, Ignacio Mattos, is an interloper from the wilder, much more unruly culinary regions further downtown (he operates two popular restaurants below 14th Street). But we’d argue that the mingling of high culture and high cuisine at this unlikely three-star establishment creates the kind of alchemy which is unique not just on the Upper East Side, but to the city as a whole. Throw in Mattos’s refreshingly ingenious brand of high-low cooking (where else on the block can you get your crème fraîche and caviar served with house-frizzled potato chips?), the elegantly accessible lunchtime service (yes, there’s a Wagyu burger), the exceptional all-day coffee-and-pastry bar, and one of the better brunch menus in this brunch-crazed part of town, and you have the ideal Upper East Side restaurant for this unfussy, post-gourmet age.
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“It’s not impossible to find — I get asked about Taiwanese food in New York a lot, by both visitors from home who are in town and those who learned about Taiwanese food thanks to Anthony Bourdain’s visit to Taipei in 2013. I’ve satisfied my cravings in a variety of ways: eating a lot of spicy Sichuan food as a replacement; traveling to Flushing, Queens, for a hearty Taiwanese breakfast of fried crullers and soy milk; and ordering delivery from Taiwan Bear House, which specializes in bento boxes with Taiwanese-style fried chicken or braised pork belly.”
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“Michelin has handed out its coveted stars to 76 restaurants in New York City in its 2019 guide, four more than last year, boosting the Big Apple’s reputation as a global destination for its diverse and innovative culinary offerings.”
“Michelin will release the latest edition of its New York City eating guide tomorrow. Their grading system uses anonymous reviewers in 28 countries. Some argue it is rigid and overlooks some restaurants that critics and diners praise.
The restaurant rater awarded its highest ranking of three stars to the same five New York establishments as last year for their “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”: Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Masa and Per Se. But New York will still likely lag San Francisco in the number of three-star restaurants for a second year. San Francisco and the wine-producing regions of Napa and Sonoma had seven last year, the most of any US cities.”
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“Calling all introverts. A Japan-based restaurant, Ichiran, known for its solo dining booths, has just opened its second location in New York City. The popular Midtown ramen restaurant allows customers to enjoy their meal without distraction.
Here’s how it works — you place your order by filling out a form specifying exactly what you want. A waiter takes the form without uttering a word, and a few moments later the steaming bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen appears. You enjoy the ramen and when finished, you push a button and the empty bowl is taken away. All of this happens without a single spoken interaction.
The idea of solo dining first occurred to the creator of Ichiran when he noticed all of the distraction that came with eating in a restaurant. Thus, the flavour concentration concept was born. By sitting alone, diners are able to solely focus on the taste of their food, and therefore fully enjoy the experience of the ramen.”
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Shake Shack, once the darling of better-burger brands, continues to show signs of struggle in the sector as it reported a same-store sales decline this week.
Comps decreased 0.7% for the quarter ended Sept. 26, while total revenue rose 26.5% and sales increased 27.2%.
Shake Shack stock prices tumbled more than 11% on the news early Friday.
During the quarter, Shake Shack opened seven company-operated stores and two licensed units.
The brand expects to launch its largest number of new stores in history in 2019, with plans to open 36 to 40 units, executives said during a call with analysts Thursday.
The company drew concern from investors following its announcement in August that it was suffering from a logjam in unit expansion, stalling growth until the later part of 2018.
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Preparing Thanksgiving dinner in a cramped New York City kitchen is the opposite of festive, and with so many excellent restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day, there’s no reason to clear out your oven-turned-sweater-storage to roast a turkey. Especially when you can outsource the cooking, and cleaning, to a renowned New York City restaurant.
Cote
Simon Kim’s Michelin-starred, hyper-trendy Korean steakhouse Cote will be serving a prix-fixe Thanksgiving feast. The menu includes four selected steak cuts from Cote’s dry-aging room, grilled tableside with classic Korean accompaniments. Chef David Shim will also be offering traditional sides like pomme aligot, roasted vegetables with maple syrup, butternut squash soup and cranberry and gravy sauces for the meat. A supplemental vension loin will be available a la carte. Festive sweets like pecan and pumpkin pie will end the meal. $72/person
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“Tim Ho Wan has received a bunch of international hype throughout the years as it was dubbed the cheapest Michelin-starred restaurant in the world a year after it opened in 2009 and subsequently earned one star. The first NYC location launched in the East Village in 2016 to very long lines, serving its signature baked BBQ pork buns, steamed shrimp dumplings and pan-fried turnip cakes, all priced in the single digits.”
“The new location will serve these specials from head chef Yinghui Zhou, in a space inspired by 17th-century French salons, with Chinese accents like an embedded bamboo steamer and the Tim How Wan dragon logo.”
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Prime 13 Wood Fire Grill and Bar, Brielle
“Earlier this month, two Jersey Shore restaurateurs came together to open the second location of Prime 13, a steakhouse in Point Pleasant known for its prime rib and 40-ounce rib-eye for two.
The restaurant opened in the space previously occupied by Brielle Ale House, owned by Chris, Frank and Matt Gullace. The brothers run the bar, and Gerard Tortora, owner of the Point Pleasant Beach restaurant, leads the kitchen. The menu is similar to Point Pleasant Beach: wood-fired filet mignon, dry-aged strip steak and rack of lamb with the option to add seared scallops, lobster tail and foie gras ($29.99 to $76); seafood dishes, and cocktails, plus 10 beers on tap, more than a dozen bottles, and nearly two dozen wines.”
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“Sue Chan is the founder and chief executive officer of Care of Chan, a two-year-old brand management agency that has worked with a hit list of restaurants including Alta, Cosme, Una Pizza Napoletana, and Wildair to create that all-important but so-hard-to-capture great restaurant experience. Chan was previously the brand director at Momofuku for seven years.
At her own company, Chan focuses in on everything that makes a memorable restaurant experience the type of place that customers want to keep returning to again and again. While there’s no set formula for creating that unforgettable experience, once it’s in place it can drive sales and longterm customer loyalty like no quick-hitting press coverage can. “It doesn’t matter if you’re on Bon Appetit’s top ten, you could close in a year or two,” Chan explained. “That is a real thing that happens a lot. It’s more about just caring about the actual customers who come in every single day, and focusing on that community and building that community.”
See full interview here.
paigepapers.com 