The Pennsy Now Open for all Your Upscale Food Court Needs

January 14, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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Photo via travelandliesure.com

The Pennsy, the new upscale food court with celebrity chef credentials, is now open in the space formerly occupied by Borders Penn Station. Along with a full service bar, 8,000 square feet, and additional outdoor space, The Pennsy boasts stalls from Marc Forgone, Franklin Becker, Pat LaFrieda and Mario Batali (the latter in collaboration with Mary Giuliani through Mario By Mary). There you can get everything from lobster rolls to tempeh sandwiches, and Italian panini to  gluten-free bowls at The Little Beet.

So far The Pennsy has a 4-star review on Yelp, indicating it’s already getting a lot more love than its eponymous railway station. Hopefully this carefully curated food hall can lighten the burden of wading through crowds to catch the LIRR

To read more, click here.

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The Latest Health Craze Gets Hand-Wavey About Super-“Food”

January 11, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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Activated Charcoal Drinks from Juice Generation

While it may not be a superfood in the strictest sense of the word, charcoal is now being touted by some as the next miracle ingredient that can rid your body of those mysterious toxins you somehow still have, even after eating nothing but kale and quinoa bowls since 2015. Activated charcoal has long been found in beauty products, and it is indeed used by the medical community to treat overdoses and food poisoning. The principle is simple – charcoal is absorbent and will bond to other harmful chemicals in the digestive tract, helping to flush them out safely. But some have now taken this a step further and claim that charcoal has numerous benefits (like lowering cholesterol and treating viral infections), even for those not currently in the middle of a drug overdose.

The ingredient may not do much in the way of improving taste, but it can be found in juices and elixirs everywhere from Los Angeles-based Juice Served Here to LuliTonix to Juice Generation, not to mention gracing recipes at Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream and Lowlife on Stanton Street. Other restaurants are also toying with adding charcoal-laced dishes to their repertoires, including El Rey and Dimes, if they can figure out how to do so without sacrificing flavor or texture. Mission Chinese Food even uses it in a cocktail to achieve a pitch black color, although beverage director Sam Anderson is adamant that it will not prevent hangovers – or do much of anything for your health, for that matter.

As the latest health trends move outside the realm of what might fairly be called “food,” the best advice might be to take your charcoal with a grain of salt – and never trust health advice that says your food can’t be tasty too.

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Trending Now, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

David Chang Gets Feisty With Momofuku Nishi

January 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Momofuku Nishi – David Chang’s latest project in Chelsea – has finally opened, and Chang made the announcement today through his magazine Lucky Peach along with an interview. The restaurant was rumored to be an Italian-Korean fusion, but Chang balks at that description. Instead, he asks “what food isn’t fusion?” and says,

“There are Italian words on the menu but we’re not trying to make Italian food. We’re not trying to make a Korean restaurant. We’re trying to do something that we’ve never done at Momofuku. We’re inspired by Italy but we’re not using any Italian ingredients. Things are moving at light speed here.”

Momofuku Nishi will also add to the list of major New York restaurants operating with a no-tipping policy. Chang cited the greater parity between front of house and back of house wages as the primary factor in this decision, and made no apologies for charging more.

The real cost of selling food is not accurately reflecting the labor that’s going into it. In 2000, I got paid maybe $10 an hour. Inflation has definitely risen, but cooks’ wages haven’t. That’s one of our biggest issues. We want to be able to grow as a company so we can provide for more people. This is a way we might be able to do that. And if it doesn’t work, we can always go back to the old way.

The menu is not yet available online, but Nishi is now open Tuesday – Saturday from 6:00pm-11:00pm.

To read the full interview, click here.

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings, Trending Now Tagged With: , ,

The Lucky Bee Promises Both Flash and Substance in LES

January 7, 2016 by Leave a Comment
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Photo via The Lucky Bee’s Facebook page

Although they have no set opening date (Facebook messages promise “about two weeks”), The Lucky Bee on Broome street is already generating  exciting press for their Thai street-food/Asian-fusion concept. Conceived by Rupert Noffs and chef Matty Bennett (formerly of the Fat Radish), the Lucky Bee looks to be a brightly colored, design-heavy confection of a restaurant; the interior, menu and website are all splashed with neon pink, and in some cases they literally flash. But Noffs and Bennett have a more serious mission beyond the aesthetic, with a mission to provide original Thai-influenced cuisine not available anywhere else in Manhattan, and a major locavore bent.

And while the term “locavore” (or “farm-to-table”) might seem like more of an empty prerequisite than a real statement these days, The Lucky Bee is at least serious about respecting their namesake. The cocktail list features drinks made with local honey, and a dollar from each drink sold goes to the New York Beekeeper’s Association. They even hope to keep their own hive on the roof soon. With the troubling free fall of honey bee populations in the past few years, the pollinators could certainly use some PR men with as much design sense and culinary chops as Noffs and Bennett. Hopefully their momentum continues well past opening.

To read more, click here.

UPDATE: The Lucky Bee is now open! They began serving dinner January 21st.

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With:

David Chang’s Maple Expands Delivery Zone

January 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment

As of today, workers in midtown now have the option to order there lunch from Maple – the streamlined food delivery competitor of Seamless and Grubhub backed by Momofuku’s David Chang. The Maple app launched last spring, and has since then allowed users downtown to order lunch or dinner from a rotating selection of menus (roughly 5 a day) to be delivered to their work or home. What separates Maple from other delivery apps is that there is no restaurant or selection of restaurants you are ordering from; instead, their small staff operates out of a commissary kitchen testing, preparing, and packaging the recipes each day (although Chang describes the operation as a “real restaurant,” with the app and delivery logistics taking the place of typical front of house operations).

Maple is a favorite of downtown 9-to-5’ers for it’s focus on presentation, affordability, and simple, healthy options. Chang originally invested in the project because he believed that “no one [had] ever taken the time to really do delivery food well.” They are expanding slowly for now, and still have all the trappings of a service-focused start-up: they have a small team of well-paid employees with a high attention to detail, and if you contact them with any problems (like a food order that arrives after 30 minutes), you’re likely to get emails back from a real person whose top priority is keeping you as a customer. Orders even include a free sugar cookie to set them apart. So far all thi has worked to Maple’s advantage, and press has been consistently good. We’ll know soon whether they can build the momentum necessary to compete with top delivery apps on a larger scale.

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: , , ,

The $100 Donut You Probably Don’t Need

January 6, 2016 by Leave a Comment

manila-social-club-100-dollar-donut-101.jpgThe New York Lottery has been running subway ads recently which feature allegedly true stories of egregious displays of wealth – thousands of dollars spent on dead bats or caviar that never gets eaten, for example – with the tagline “You’d make a much better rich person.” The idea is a catchy one, and it’s easy to find examples of people who will pay a little (or a lot) more to get the most luxe versions of everyday items, and businesses willing to provide them. The latest example is Williamsburg’s Manila Social Club, where you can now buy a $100 donut coated in 24-karat gold and Cristal champagne icing.

The donut was originally conceived by chef Björn DelaCruz to pair with Braven Brewery‘s IPA. The recipe has morphed over time, although Manila was already known for other donuts featuring the same ube filling. So far the steep price tag and over-the-top execution have generated plenty of publicity, and according to Business Insider some guests have even paid 1,200 and gotten a full dozen. All of which raises the question – can any of us really be sure we would make better rich people than the dead-bat collectors and caviar-forgetters of the world?

To read more, click here.

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Andrew Carmellini Comes to Brooklyn

January 5, 2016 by Leave a Comment

Andrew Carmellini’s NoHo Hospitality Group, which brought Manhattan border-hopping concepts ranging from the French bistro (Lafayette) to the Italian cafe (Bar Primi) to the American oyster-house (The Dutch), not to mention a few hotel restaurants (Locanda Verde and Little Park), will finally come to Brooklyn this summer. The NoHo group, which includes Carmellini and partners Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard,  will be taking over food and beverage operations at The William Vale hotel: a 21 story building with 183 rooms, a ballroom, indoor-outdoor bar, and an elevated 15,000 square ft. public green space. They will be responsible for the hotel’s dedicated restaurants, as well as the bar, room service, and any events catering. Fortunately their CVs are up to the task and they have the enthusiasm to match. In a statement to BKMagazine, they said “We love Williamsburg and know this property will be an anchor for the neighborhood. The timing is just right.”

To read more, click here.

 

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With: , ,

Chick-Fil-A Rings in New Year by Getting Shut Down

January 4, 2016 by Leave a Comment

wrewr435345fdssdfsd.jpgAfter a December Health Inspection that earned the fried chicken chain a damning C grade, the midtown Manhattan Chick-Fil-A has closed for five days in order to make improvements to operations and hopefully earn a higher grade on re-inspection. “Grade Pending” currently hangs in their window until the update is complete.

This New York branch of the controversy-ridden chain earned a total of 59 violation points on their December 24th inspection, and 39 on an earlier December inspection. Those include a number of “critical” violations for things like the presence of filth flies and improper food storage. They are allowed to leave the “Grade Pending” sign up until their appeal is heard at an Office of Administrative Trials and Hearing Health Tribunal.

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Closings, Local Market Buzz Tagged With: ,

Bottle & Bine Opens in Midtown

December 30, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Atlantic Halibut 2-1.jpgThe much-anticipated New American restaurant Bottle & Bine opened last week on second avenue, and so far the reviews have been positive – lauding the female trio responsible for their original menu and strong craft beer and wine lists.

That trio includes chef Angie Berry, formerly of Asiate at The Mandarin Oriental, sommelier Gina Goyette (The Mark Restaurant by Jean Georges) and beer director Carolyn Pincus (Stag’s Head). Berry’s menu ranges from traditional French to southern, with dishes like Game Bird Terrine with foie gras and quince and Wagyu steak with sunchoke, coffee and mushrooms. Goyette’s wine list emphasizes local wine producers over traditional European selections, and there is a rotating selection of craft beers on 16 taps selected by Pincus. As indicated by the restaurant’s name (bine refers to a creeping plant like hops), both Goyette and Pincus get equal billing next to Berry’s dishes, and both bars in the multi-level space are sure to get plenty of use.

To read more, click here.

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New Year’s in Times Square Can Cost You $1,700

December 29, 2015 by Leave a Comment

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All over the city, “open bar” is the name of the game on New Year’s Eve. It makes sense: on the biggest party night of the year, bars and restaurants want you to commit to staying there. And since many people will overestimate their alcohol tolerance and underestimate the lines (or forget that tips are not included), an open bar can feel like a great deal.

There are certainly some reasonably priced covers scattered around the city, but you would be hard pressed to find them near Times Square this year. There, major chains are getting in on the action by charging triple figure covers for an all inclusive night with dinner, drinks and a (usually obscured) view of the ball drop. Olive Garden’s New Year’s dinner buffet and bar will cost you $400 a head, Bubba Gump Shrimp is $799, and Ruby Tuesday goes up to $1699 for the exclusive “couple’s table.” Maybe people got word that the recession is over – Bubba Gump Shrimp has sold out at least, according to their website.

To read more, click here.

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Trending Now Tagged With:
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