Yaffa Cafe Closes in East Village

October 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Yaffa Cafe, a favorite 24-hour restaurant in the East Village, has closed for good after 32 years of service. Yaffa Cafe was a great late night spot in the neighborhood popular amongst NYU students. Last month the Department of Health shut down the cafe for several violations including a lack of a secondary fire exit in the backyard. The managers at Yaffa Cafe tweeted that their recipes would live on at their sister establishment, Simone Martini Bar, which can be found just down the block.

Locals took to twitter to express their anger, nostalgia and bitterness about the sudden close of Yaffa Cafe. It seems the general feeling is that Yaffa Cafe in St Marks Place will be missed for its quirkiness and all-night backyard hangout space which has already been dismantled and removed. The editor of the Guardian, Alex Koppelman, tweeted, “Yaffa Cafe is gone, and 23-year-old me is very sad.”

To read some of the tweets that came upon the news of the closing of Yaffa Cafe, click here

Filed Under: Closings, Local Market Buzz Tagged With:

Brooklyn Smorgasburg and The Flea’s Winter Home

September 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Beginning November 8th, Jonathan Butler and Eric Demby, co-founders of the outdoor food courts and markets, will be moving a similar version of The Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg to a 30,000 sq ft space on Dean Street in Crown Heights for the winter. The Dean St space is around the corner from their brand new beer and food hall, Berg’n. The winter market will have a very similar layout to the way it was set up in Williamsburg. Over 100 vendors from The Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg will be present in the space on 1000 Dean Street on weekends starting in November and running through till March 2015.

Commenting on the neighboring Berg’n, Jonathan Butler states, “We wanted to have a business that wasn’t just on weekends and wasn’t reliant on the weather.” Berg’n will have a similar feel in atmosphere as the outdoor markets. Eric Demby states, “I think people really appreciate the way we have kind of creatively transformed the feeling at the outdoor markets, which is impossible to concentrate into a brick-and-mortar space in the literal sense.”

To read more about the Flea and Smorgasburg’s vendors’ new winter home and the new Berg’n beer and food hall, click here

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

The Good Batch Bakery Opens in Clinton Hill

September 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

A new bakery, The Good Batch, opened September 9th in Clinton Hill. Some of you may be familiar with The Good Batch as their team has been present at Smorgasburg serving up delicious ice cream sandwiches. The Good Batch in Clinton Hill serves morning pastries, cakes, ice cream sandwiches and many other delightful sweets and treats. The bakery has also been working hard to grow their new wholesale line. The bakery has a small  cafe in the front of the shop that has been warmly welcoming neighbors since their opening.

Be sure to check out the shops latest ice cream sandwich creation from Sous Chef Chloe: The Crispy. The Crispy is a gluten-free caramel rice crispy cookie filled with vanilla ice cream. Other items on the menu this weekend include the Goodwich (oat chocolate chunk cookie, sea salt, drizzled fudge, vanilla ice cream), the gluten-free Almond Toffee (almond toffee macaroon, toasted almonds, burnt sugar caramel, toffee candy, vanilla ice cream) and the Coffee Caramel (brown butter salty cookie, caramel cream, crushed espresso beans, coffee ice cream).

To check out some pictures of The Good Batch at 936 Fulton Street and their goodies, click here

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

Welcome Autumn With Cider Doughnuts

September 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

With the change of seasons and arrival of Autumn comes a certain craving for all that is pumpkin spiced, but also for delicious apple cider doughnuts. If you are not able to take the trip upstate New York to try different farm stands’ delicious apple cider donuts, below is a selection of the best places to satisfy this seasonal craving right here in Manhattan. From food trucks to bakeries and green markets there are many spots to find cider doughnuts in the city.

  • Dough: This bakery can be found in Bed-Stuy, with a first Manhattan location in the works.  Dough is launching a pear-apple cider doughnut next month that promises to be very special.
  • Doughnuttery: This bakery can be found at pop ups such as Maddison Square Eats, but also has a home at the Chelsea Market. Doughnuts can be purchased by the bag in seasonal flavors such as tart mulled green apple or sweet red apple.
  • The Cinnamon Snail: This food truck actually carries a delicious cider doughnut year round! This prize-winning food truck makes their doughnut with local cider, fried in organic oil, and topped with cinnamon and sugar.
  • Carpe Donut: Another food truck, Carpe Donut came to New York last year and made its way into Cheap Eats 2013. You will be tempted by the FroDo, a doughnut sandwich with a vanilla ice cream middle. Follow @CarpeDonutNYC on Twitter to see when and where you can get your hands on a FroDo!

To see more places throughout New York to get your Fall Doughnut fix, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz Tagged With: ,

Single Concept MatchaBar in Williamsburg

September 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Matcha is a powdered green tea that has almost as intense of an energy kick as caffeine. Additionally, the finely ground matcha powder is full of all the same nutritional benefits as green tea. This traditional Japanese drink is currently offered in a few Japanese coffee shops throughout Manhattan (for example Bosie Tea Parlor in the west village). Now, however, it can be found in the new single-concept MatchaBar that opened in Williamsburg!

Owners Max and Graham Fortgang (brothers) import matcha directly from farms in Nishio, Japan and have created a menu based around the matcha powder. A few items that can be found at MatchaBar include matcha lattes, matcha tea, and a few dessert and food items that include matcha in the recipes catered by Watty & Meg, a farm to table neighborhood restaurant in Cobble Hill.

Beginning in a few weeks, the MatchaBar space will also double as a speakeasy at night. Check out the space at  93 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn (near North 10th Street). To read more about the opening of MatchaBar and to view some photos of the food and beverages, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings

Russ & Daughters Uptown at The Jewish Museum

September 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Russ & Daughters, the purveyor of Jewish-American foods on the Lower East Side, plans to open a cafe in the Jewish Museum uptown on 92nd St and 5th Avenue early next year. Recently, Russ & Daughters opened Russ & Daughters Cafe on East Houston St next to its flagship store. The new cafe at the museum will be on the lower level and will also have a retail counter. Claudia Gold, Museum director, describes her thoughts on Russ & Daughter, “They’re really hip, and we want to try to make Jewish hip. We feel like the brands align.”

Niki Russ Federman, an owner of Russ & Daughters, is also excited for the collaboration, “We’re both important cultural institutions. We want to preserve tradition yet move ahead, so there’s a synergy in our values.” The fare at the new shop in the museum will be kosher and will not require museum admission to enter.  The 75-seat sit-down kosher café will have a selection of Russ 7 Daughter classics such as bagels, egg creams, herring, knishes and traditional homemade breads.

To read more about the partnership between Russ & Daughters and the Jewish Museum, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With:

Midtown Interactive Lunch Finder

September 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Where should you grab lunch in Midtown today? DNAinfo New York has made it easy to choose! By launching an interactive food finder, the viewer will be able to navigate through the hundreds of restaurant and fast-casual eateries available in Midtown. The food finder first prompts the viewer to choose where they are located (midtown north, south, or east). Following this selection the food finder generates a list of different types of foods to help the viewer figure out what they are in the mood for (Mexican, Middle Easter, Soup/Salad, etc.). After the meal type is selected, the viewer is prompted to state their desired lunch budget, and the food finder will show a list of restaurants that meet the criteria.

For the initial rollout DNAinfo has included 36 popular Midtown eateries to choose from but the selection will continue to grow. The website also allows for the viewer to send along suggestions of good recommended lunch spots either by leaving a comment directly on the site or by letting them know via Twitter: @DNAinfo.com New York.

To check out the interactive food finder for lunch in midtown click here!

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz Tagged With:

Manhattan Food Halls

September 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Brookfield Place, the upper level of the World Financial Center, houses Hudson Eats: a food hall consisting of 14 different eateries. Hudson Eats is not comparable to a food court, it is more upscale  with marble countertops, walnut furniture and custom light fixtures. Some of the eateries include known lunchtime establishments such as Num Pang sandwich shop or Black Seed Bagels, whom are both serving the same $10 meals that are found in their standalone shops. It is five times cheaper to be operating out of Hudson Eats than it is at a standalone shop.

Hudson Eats is one of the new food halls that are cropping up around the U.S and across the globe. These new “upgraded food courts” are targeted towards a white-collar working audience who seek an easy and appetizing lunch. Other food halls in Manhattan that are comparable to Hudson Eats include the Chelsea Market, Gotham West market, Plaza Food Hall, and Mario Batali’s Eataly. Rumor is that Anthony Bourdain also has plans to open an international street-eats bazaar. .

Edward Hogan, the national director of leasing at Brookfield Office Properties who own Hudson Eats. has stated, “This customer is more educated…they want fast casual food, and they want to be impressed.” To read more about the Food Hall trend in Manhattan, click here

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Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest

September 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The 13th Hudson Valley Wine & Food Fest will take place this Saturday, September 6th and Sunday September 7th at the Dutchess County Fairground in Rhinebeck, NY. The event will begin at 11AM featuring wine and beer tasting from some of the best wineries and breweries in New York State. As the festival is a NY registered farm market, bottles are available for purchase. To view a list of the participating wineries, click here.

The restaurant, food truck and gourmet specialty food line-up is also very impressive. At the Festival you will be able to sample a variety of gourmet specialty foods from across the East Coast. There will be a food truck corral and ongoing cooking demos from celebrity chefs. Gourmet ingredients will also be available for purchase. To view a list of the participants, click here

Tickets for regular admission start at $22 for the day and $37 for the weekend. The tasting ticket (must be 21 years or older) is $40 for one day and $70 for the weekend. For more information on the festival and to purchase tickets online, click here

 

Filed Under: Events, Local Market Buzz

Opportunities For Growth At Penn Station

September 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Transportation officials hope to transform Penn Station into a complex where travelers are eager to experience the dining and retail offerings at the hub; similar to Grand Central Terminal where travelers can choose from various good coffee, dining and retail options, such as Shake Shack’s burgers, the GCT Market or Michael Jordan’s steaks. As it stands now, Penn Station is lined with cases of (probably day-old) soft pretzels, less than average pizza slices and grab and go food establishments. The frequent insect sitings, dim flickering lighting, low ceilings and visible homeless population certainly do not add to the experience either.

Several restaurants operated by Riese Organization in spaces owned by Vornado Realty Trust within Penn Station are expected to close, however it remains unclear whether or not they will be immediately replaced or if these spaces will be closed to make room for higher-end dining options. The owner of the station along with other Amtrak officials have stated that it would be challenging to have a fast turnover given the layout of the building and overcrowding concerns; they did, however, agree that there is a definite push towards a change to upgrade.

Moynihan Station, which is a future planned rail hub construction across eighth avenue, is intended to be built to resemble Grand Central Terminal in the sense that it will offer enticing dining and retail options. Amtrak’s principal of capital program development, Jeff Gerlach, has mentioned that new retail and food additions are more likely to be found in the Moynihan Station project over the next several years.

To read more about the efforts to upgrade New York City’ Pennsylvania Station, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz Tagged With:
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