“When it comes to choosing a restaurant, it seems good old-fashioned word of mouth is not dead, according to a recent survey by reservation platform SevenRooms.
More than half of American diners (54 percent) turn to friends and family for restaurant recommendations. About 30 percent consult review sites like Yelp, and 25 percent were influenced by something they saw on TV, according to the survey, conducted with research firm YouGov.”
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“Serena Dai, editor of Eater NY: I suppose I shouldn’t be so surprised by this because the world is such a garbage fire, but it was interesting to see how quickly powerful people (and a lot of media) were to embrace the return of the Four Seasons Restaurant seemingly without any caveat. I guess I’m an optimist, which means I will always be a little bit surprised at how naive old-school power is. Did the 40 investors really think that Julian Niccolini’s past behavior wouldn’t impact perception of the restaurant among the new audience they were reportedly aiming to attract? Did they really think amazing food and a $30 million build-out could overcome years and years of baggage — now newly visible in the age of #MeToo — when nobody from the restaurant came out front to address the fact that the face of the restaurant is an admitted sexual assaulter? People can’t move forward without an apology, but here, there wasn’t even really that. Yes, it’s legendary; yes, it’s hugely influential. But we live in a different world now, and sometimes it is okay to pay our respects, and then lay a restaurant to rest.”
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“Chef Einat Admony is familiar with the stress of opening a new restaurant, having opened 13 restaurants throughout her career. But the days leading up to the reopening of her latest eatery, Balaboosta, felt more intense than usual.”
”We have all-time favorites such as the cauliflower with lemon, currants, pine nuts, parsley and crushed Bamba (an Israeli peanut butter-flavored snack), and fried olives with labane and harissa oil.”
New creations include the short rib zabzi with hand-rolled couscous, herbs and almonds; and red snapper with pickled okra tempura and sour Fresno chili in okra chraime sauce.
Customers can also choose from an extensive wine list including Israeli wines. The dessert section features malabi and halva creme brulee.”
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This sleek seafood destination on Staten Island, with waterfront views that take in the sweep of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge is the latest from the restaurateur Victor Rallo. It’s directly across the street from his restaurant Surf, which, despite its name, is more about turf, and has a sibling for barbecue in Rumson, N.J. Mr. Rallo’s partner in the new venture is Dave Pasternack, the executive chef and an owner of Esca, the long-running Italian seafood magnet in Manhattan. So it comes as no surprise that Mr. Rallo’s executive chef is Katie O’Donnell, who was a chef de cuisine at Esca several years ago. Offerings like a crudo tasting, spicy spaghetti with lobster, and Sicilian-style fish stew with sea urchin and crab meat echo some of Esca’s specialties.
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“The design of each Starbucks Roastery— with locations in Seattle, Shanghai, and Milan — is inspired by its home city. Architect Rafael Vinoly’s designed the three-story New York City location in the city’s Meatpacking District. The design was inspired by the geometry of New York City’s buildings and will feature systems of “symphony pipe” tubes where beans will be transported, as a nod to the city’s subway system.
Exclusive to the New York City Roastery will be a cellar-level terrarium featuring vegetation inspired by the Starbucks coffee farm in Costa Rica.
The Roastery will also feature a 10-foot copper sculpture of the Starbucks siren, which has become a design staple at each Roastery location. This statue, designed by Brooklyn artist Max Steiner, is New York City-inspired.”
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“Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, you may be in the market for a festive meal on December 25. While plenty of kitchens will be closed so employees can take well-deserved breaks, many restaurants across New York City will be running service. From festive brunch and prix-fixe dinners to good ol’ à la carte dining, you can find the Christmas Day meal that suits your needs.
DaDong
Beijing import famous for its roast duck open for Christmas lunch and dinner with its à la carte menu, as well as three prix-fixe menus for groups of two to six guests. All three menus feature Champagne-glazed vine tomatoes and DaDong’s “SuBuNi” roast duck served with sugar, pancakes, crispy sesame buns, and special sauce.”
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Celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is set to open his first new restaurant in more than two years, this time on Long Island. Small Batch, opening tomorrow, will serve American fare made from locally sourced ingredients in a rustic, 180-seat space at Roosevelt Field in Garden City.
The space, modeled after a farmhouse, will feature an open kitchen and wood-fire grill churning out an American menu with an emphasis on Long Island regional products. Starters include honeycrisp apple and delicata squash with honey, smoked chile, and country ham. There will be a raw bar and seafood mains, like grilled swordfish, roasted cod, and braised tuna.
The Top Chef judge also has four kinds of pasta on the menu, along with meaty mains like braised pork belly, Long Island duck, smoked short rib, and grilled lamb sausage. A portion of the menu is dedicated to the wood-fire grill, with offerings like a half chicken, bone-in lamb loin, and a dry-aged New York strip.
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Soho is now home to a two-floor Latin American restaurant called Her Name Was Carmen, with seafood, music, and a design inspired by the modernism from the ’50s and ’60s in Latin America. Thatcher Shultz (the Garret) and Andres Diaz (Felix, Tropicana parties) own the spot at 527 Broome St., and Diaz, who is of Colombian heritage, wants it to be “an elevated Latin American concept.” To do so, they’ve brought on chef Ben Hammou, formerly of Le Bernardin and Flora Bar, to helm savory and chef Victoria Louise to run pastry. Though both of them are of Peruvian heritage, they will be cooking up seafood with inspiration from all of Latin America.
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“Dollar cheeseburgers and discount nuggets are getting Americans in the door at their favorite fast-food joints, but the savings end there.
Even as the recent fast-food discount wars rage on, with Burger King advertising 10 chicken nuggets for $1 and Pizza Hut offering $5 pies, fast-food items that don’t make it onto value menus are actually climbing in price. Median fast-food hamburger prices have jumped 54 percent over the last decade to about $6.95, according to menu researcher Datassential. Chicken sandwiches are up 27 percent. Both surpass overall U.S. price inflation during that same time.”
“McDonald’s Corp., the world’s biggest restaurant chain, recently started touting a $6 meal including a burger, fries, a drink and a pie, but it’s also offering plenty of items at the other end of the price scale. Its honey-barbecue glazed chicken tenders are more than $6 without any drinks or sides, and the new Bacon Smokehouse Quarter Pounder meal runs nearly $9 in Chicago.”
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“Another well-known Versailles restaurant is opening a Lexington outpost: Addie’s at the Woodford Inn is opening Stein’s by Addie’s in early December. Addie’s is a bed and breakfast and restaurant, with a live music venue. Addie’s also has food truck.
Stein’s will be a New York-style deli, according to owner Linda Parker. The name is a shortened version of her maiden name, Edelstein. Her father was Jewish, she said, but she isn’t.
However, she wanted to open a Jewish-style deli that will serve corned beef, salami and Reuben sandwiches, chicken salad, soups and other items.”
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