Williamsburg’s Biblio Closes

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In a statement posted to Facebook this week, the owners of Biblio at 149 North 6th St. in Williamsburg announced that they would be closing the doors to their book-themed bar and restaurant. Biblio opened in 2013 with a cozy, library atmosphere and a number of literary touches, including a menu divided into sections like “Forward” and “Preface” which they simplified in eventually pared down to gastropub classics and lighter takes on comfort food.

In their statement on Facebook, the restaurant’s owners thanked their patrons from the past two years, but explained that business has not been strong enough to sustain them, particularly in 2015. They did not give a specific date for their final day.

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El Atoradero Opens in Brooklyn

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In 2014, Underground Gourmet ranked chef Lina Chavez’s El Atoradora taqueria their best “Cheap Eats” Mexican restaurant, and locals have been flocking to the Bronx spot for years for the delicious carnitas, fresh salsa and daily specials, all served next to favorite bodega offerings. Brooklynites now have their own version to look forward to, with a lot more elbow room and a full bar to boot. El Atoradora Brooklyn is now open at 708 Washington Avenue.

The restaurant is currently in soft-open mode, so only wine and beer will be available for now and the menu is still limited. But guests can look forward to Chavez’s albondigas enchipotladas (meatballs in chipotle sauce), Pueblan-style chalupas, and an assortment of tacos and quesadillas on handmade tortillas. If the open kitchen doesn’t get your mouth watering, you’ll also be able to wash all that down with a range of Mexican spirits, from the expected tequilas and mezcals to the less familiar but equally delicious racilla. And expect a mean margarita as well, if pictures and reputation are anything to go by.

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Minibar, Drizly, and Amazon Want to Keep your Champagne Popping

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If you’ve taken the New York subway recently, you may have noticed the seasonal ads for Minibar, the alcohol delivery service that has been expanding rapidly the past few months, first by acquiring competitor Booze Carriage in March, and then by launching a subscription service for recurring orders in October. Minibar claims to have the largest share of the New York market, but that’s difficult to confirm. They certainly have plenty of competitors out there who are looking for a piece of the alcohol-delivery pie.

Most notably, and perhaps most threateningly to Minibar, is Amazon. Until early this month, Amazon only offered 1-hour booze delivery in Seattle, but as of December 9th New Yorkers with a Prime subscription can take advantage of the service as well.  Amazon is billing it as part of their Prime Pantry, so you can stock your party with other necessities like paper towels and Swiffers as well.

A third option is Drizly, which has a larger share of the Boston market, but is also available in parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Both Drizly and Minibar work by partnering with local liquor stores, listing their offerings via their app and website by zipcode, and taking a percentage of sales. Which service emerges as the market leader in New York may come down to who snatches up those local partners the fastest, but Minibar is also bolstering their business by providing other services – their website includes a party-planning feature to make sure you’re well stocked for any event, and if you feel intimidated by all those bottles you can even rent a bartender through their site.

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Move to End Tipping Gains More Momentum

yI1Ya0x8QbiTi7potxLc_022.jpgDanny Meyer’s decision to end tipping at all his restaurants has already become the sort of high profile case that’s likely to spark conversation and debate in circles reaching far beyond the industry. As two more restaurateurs move to join him, it now seems like his announcement represents a major tipping point (pun intended) in what is considered standard.

This week both Gabriel Stulman and Andrew Tarlow announced that they would eliminate tipping at some or all of their restaurants. Stulman is the owner of six casual restaurants in downtown Manhattan, including Fedora on West 4th where he plans to eliminate gratuities in January. Stulman calls this a test drive of the new system, but ultimately he hopes to implement it at more of his restaurants as well. Tarlow, who is responsible for Diner and Marlow & Sons, said he plans to completely eliminate gratuities at all of his restaurants in 2016.

Although Meyer seems to have set off a domino effect, the trend is likely also due to the $2.50 increase in New York’s tipped minimum wage, which will go into effect in January. For many restaurants, it makes more sense to eliminate tipping altogether and hope that they can communicate the change effectively and avoid sticker-shock at higher prices.

Although the anti-tipping movement cites fairness as a major motivator, with higher wages for back of house workers as well as well as front of house, some employees may balk at the change, which puts more money in the employer’s pockets (at least until it reaches the workers paychecks). Stulman in particular is preparing for this backlash by offering “guaranteed wages for the members of our dining room team to be consistent with what they were averaging before the change.” To meet this requirement he’ll be increasing prices around 25% across the board.

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Maman Opens New Location in Tribeca

 

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On Monday, the French cafe Maman opened the doors to its newest branch on 211 West Broadway in TriBeCa. The new location is broken up into two rooms with a much larger total square footage than the SoHo original. The front room is lined with comfortable couches and ample room for enjoying  lunch or pastries, and the back room opens up into a full-service restaurant seating 40. Dinner service starts this week with specialties like scallop carpaccio, braised beef cheeks, and red tuna ceviche.

Maman in SoHo was opened last year by chef Armand Arnal, baker Elisa Marshall, and restaurateur Benjamin Sormonte. Since then it’s become a popular destination for both eating and Instagramming. The new space will likely become popular as well, particularly with parents and families. Marshall told the NYTimes that Maman TriBeCa would be “very kid-friendly,” and even has a stroller valet.

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Photo via Eater.com

NASA Engineer Makes Your New Robo-Barista

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Most coffee shop regulars are willing to sacrifice at least some quality for speed, and the time-consuming process of  making pour-over coffee usually just isn’t feasible when there’s a line of customers out the door, even if the end product is a superior brew. In July, Cafe Grumpy introduced their solution to this problem at the Chelsea branch: a robotic pour-over machine capable of brewing 5 cups at a time. The Poursteady was engineered by Mark Sibenac and Stuart Heys, whose CVs include building parts for NASA’s Mars Rover, but who have now turned their attention towards quintupling the production of pour-over coffee.

Far from becoming our caffeinated robot overlord, the Poursteady actually puts as much control as possible in the hands of the barista, who can change the water temperature to within a degree, the water volume to within a gram, the timing to within a second, and the size of the drizzle pattern, all from a custom app. Outsourcing all those controls to an app keeps the machine itself clean and simple. So far, it seems to be working well for Cafe Grumpy, who originally installed the Poursteady for a trial run but bought it only a month later. Several more are currently in production, and you can even buy your own through their website.

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Correction: an earlier version of this article listed Stephan von Muehlen, the product designer, as chief engineer.

Met Museum Adds Estela to its New Outpost

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new modern outpost, Met Breuer, will be opening in March of 2016 at Madison and 75th, and it’s sure to be a popular destination for art lovers all over the city. Food lovers may now have a reason to head there as well, as the Met recently announced that the outpost will include a second branch of Estela, the oft-packed bar/restaurant on East Houston run by chef Ignacio Mattos and restaurateur Thomas Carter.

Thomas P. Campbell, the director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, cited the restaurant’s “downtown energy,” and it’s ability to meet the needs of both formal and informal diners. Carter said that the Met’s leaders wanted something “convivial and rustic and fun.”

The new restaurant will likely not be open till Summer of 2016, and the menu is still up in the air. One thing to expect is an impressive wine list: Carter has said that the selection at the new uptown branch will “dwarf” the Houston street location, with 500 bottles to the original Estela’s 200. It never hurts to have a good glass to go with your contemporary art.

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The Chocolate-Bone Broth No One Saw Coming

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Photo via Grubstreet.com

Trends have a way of folding in on themselves – stretching their own limits and testing their customers taste buds in the process. Bone broth, the trendy hot health drink which took off last winter with Marco Canoro’s Brodo is the latest example. This year, Canoro is teaming up with Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream on Rivington (which also opened last year) to open a pop-up window shop with some unexpected new mashups.

In addition to the full Brodo broth menu, the shop will offer the “What Came First” (organic egg yolk, freshly grated nutmeg, organic chicken broth), a savory take on eggnog, and the “St. Nick” (bitter chocolate, beef broth, coconut milk). Canoro calls the savory-broth-cocoa “fucking outrageous,” which is a bargain at $7.75 for ten ounces. TBD on whether New Yorkers will take to this combo the way they did to the original broths, but who knows what’s possible in this post-chocolate-and-bacon-trend world. At least customers can still tout the health benefits of the broth, with the added kick of dark chocolate.

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Photo via Grubstreet.com

Port Authority to Get an Upscale Food Court

Few people think of going to Port Authority unless they absolutely have to, let alone hosting a business lunch or out of town guests there. That may not change in the near future, but the bus terminal is trying to make your Greyhound layovers a little more swanky by adding an upscale food court with three “diverse, high-end dining options,” according to a recent press release.

The Board approved OHM Concession, which operates airport food courts all over the country, will be renting space near the ticketing entrance on a 10 year lease totaling just over $15 million. This price is a good deal higher than any existing vendors pay for the same area.They plan to start construction in February, but there is no word yet on exactly what restaurants will go into the space.

This particular lease is part of the Port Authority’s “Quality of Commute” program, which includes more general plans to improve the space over the coming years by adding more cell phone service, WiFi, and new restrooms. The program should run around $90 million overall.

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Apres-Ski Themed Bar on Eataly’s Roof

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Photo via eataly.com

Eataly, the Italian food mecca on 5th avenue, has opened the pop-up Baita bar on their roof with an “Italian Alps” theme. According to their website, they’ve “replaced the stone walls and nearby hills of grazing sheep with a retractable glass roof and views of the neighboring Flatiron building, but the food and drink will make you think you’re in the Italian Alps, right in the middle of Manhattan.”

Holiday shoppers, tourists and Eataly regulars can all enjoy tasty seasonal fare, like polenta and homemade sausage, while sipping on the sort of drinks you might crave after a long day on the slopes. Eataly’s brewery Birreria is running the pop-up, and pints of their cask ales will be available alongside a full wine list and house cocktails. Featured among those are mulled wine and Bombardino – a cream based Italian cocktail reminiscent of eggnog – but if the ski lodge aesthetic isn’t enough to make you forget the unseasonable warm weather we’ve been having, there are plenty of original cold cocktails as well. Other classic Italian goodies like fresh pasta and charcuterie from the market below will also be available.

If you visit and fall in love with the festive atmosphere, Eataly is also renting out Baita for parties of up to 175. But get there soon – the pop-up will only be around through March of 2016.

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