Pies ‘N’ Thighs New Manhattan Location

January 19, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The Brooklyn favorite Pies ‘N’ Thighs will be opening their first manhattan location today on the Lower East Side. Co-owners Sarah Sanneh and Carolyn Bane must be excited to have the gas turned on, Health Department inspection approved, and final touches finished for opening. The new 43 Canal St location has a lunch counter with retro stools as well as wooden booths and fun tiled floors. Fun fact: the retro stools at the lunch counter actually belonged to the original Pies ‘N’ Thighs on Kent Avenue that closed in 2008.

There will also be some new additions to the original menu. These additions include a cauliflower gratin, a chicken and dumplings soup, and a raw collard green salad with lime vinaigrette and smoked coconut. A new sourdough doughnut will also be introduced, which is promised by co-owner Sanneh to be the only thing of its kind in the city. Eventually there will also be some new sandwiches added to the menu. The usual menu suspects will of course be available, such as the fried chicken, biscuits and pies.

To read more coverage on the opening of the Manhattan Pies ‘N’ Thighs opening, click here

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

Wahlburgers Coming To NYC

January 14, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Wahlburgers is a fast growing burger chain founded by actor Mark Wahlberg’s brother, Paul Wahlberg. It seems like soon the burger chain will have many more franchises and make its first appearance in New York. The family’s expansion plans were announced last month and included franchises in Florida, Vegas, Philadelphia, and Canada. No less than seven outposts were promised in New York City and the family is acting fast on this promise!

The Wahlberg brothers sold their franchise rights to John Cestare, of Big Apple Burgers, who will be overseeing all the new Wahlburger outposts in the city. The first of these outlets is aiming for a May 1st open in Coney Island. A great portion of the success and populariy of the Massachusetts outpost is in no doubt due to the A&E reality show filmed in and around the burger chain that documents all the Wahlberg family antics, but we hope they do just as well or better as the family takes the franchise nationwide!

To read more about the expansion of the Wahlburgers Boston Burger Restaurant, click here

Filed Under: Local Market Buzz, Openings Tagged With:

Santina Opening Tonight Beneath High Line

January 12, 2015 by Leave a Comment

The Torrisi team are at it again! Their new concept, Santina, evokes a very 1950’s Italian beach vibe as it is decorated with plenty of venetian glass chandeliers, palm trees and a vibrant neon signage. This past weekend the Torrisi team hosted a soft opening of sorts, for friends, family and members of the press. The opening of Santina to the public will be tonight and is already listed on OpenTable!

Santina will open at 820 Washington Street underneath the high line in the Meatpacking District. The restaurant will be serving a menu based on (but not bound to) traditional Italian coastal cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. According to Grubstreet, Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone and Jeff Zalaznick’s menu will not include a lot of red meat (one dry-aged T-bone steak will be on the menu), and will also include, amongst other dishes, chickpea flour pancakes, turkey meatballs, agrodolce-glazed octopus spiedini, and a Guanciale e Pepe Stir Fried Rice (yum, see photo here). The restaurant will be open for dinner Monday-Saturday from 5PM to Midnight.

For more photos of the space and more info on the opening, click here.

Filed Under: Openings Tagged With: ,

Rent Spike Forces Heartland Brewery To Close

January 2, 2015 by Leave a Comment

It is sad to see such an integral part of the Union Square neighborhood closing. Heartland Brewery at 35 Union Square West opened in 1995, and as of yesterday was forced to close due to a large rent spike. Jon Bloostein also has four other brewery locations as well as Flatiron Hall, Houston Hall and Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar in Times Square, but there is something about this specific closing that makes it eerie for the restaurant scene in Union Square; if a high-profit brewery with a large turnover can’t make it, does that mean all restaurants are doomed?

Danny Meyer, who will be closing the epic Union Square Cafe at the end of this year, wrote that the rent had tripled for the 6,600 sq ft space. Rumors are that the other high-volume touristy spot in Union Square, Blue Water Grill, may also be facing the same fate. As for the Heartland Brewery, Bloostein said the rent spiked to $2 million for the full space, meaning $450 per square foot. According to a real estate broker who focuses mainly on spaces for the hospitality industry, the average asking rents in the Flatiron/Union Square area are on average $275 per square foot. This creates a very tricky atmosphere for traditional restaurants.

To read more about the closing of the iconic Heartland Brewery in Union Square, click here

Filed Under: Closings

Blue Ribbon Empire Expansion

December 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The former Sambuca restaurant at 20 West 72nd Street currently has a Tony’s Di Napoli’s sign outside the window apologizing for the ‘inconvenience during transformation.” Actually, it is not the Tony’s Di Napoli family style restaurant that will be occupying the space, it will belong to the Blue Ribbon Bromberg brothers, Eric and Bruce, with partner Ken Sturm (Iridium, Campeon). The crew inside are transforming the space into a new American restaurant called, The Ribbon.

The restaurant is due to open in late February 2015, and will be able to seat up to 200 guests. The interior design will have an ‘elegant industrial’ theme including a bar top converted from a Brooklyn factory floor. The menu, which will be quite broad, will include amongst other things a raw bar and rotisserie. Private dining will also be available with a room that can seat up to 12 guests. It has been over a year since the last addition to the Blue Ribbon Empire, and this one will certainly have a big impact in the neighborhood.

To read more, click here

Filed Under: Openings

Back Forty, Sad To See You Go

December 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

A rumor caught our attention yesterday that we wished weren’t true, but sadly it has been confirmed: Back Forty on Avenue B is closed. Peter Hoffman, chef and owner, confirmed that Sunday was the last day of operations for the farm-to-table restaurant in Alphabet City. The restaurant which opened seven years ago as mainly a burger joint made its name for sourcing responsibly and organically with a relaxed approach to the seasonal farm-to-table concept. Luckily, Back Forty’s sister restaurant, Back Forty West, is still open in SoHo at 70 Prince Street@Crosby, which used to be the home of Hoffman’s Savoy.

Back Forty West will be serving a Christmas Eve Dinner for $65 which includes one specialty cocktail. Check out the menu for the curried Christmas Eve Dinner:

  • tamarind chicken wings
  • crunchy cabbage and carrot salad with spices and pomegranate
  • squash coconut soup
  • potato and ricotta fritters
  • lamb curry
  • red lentil dal
  • brussel sprouts with turmeric and black mustard seeds
  • fragrant basmati pilaf
  • rugelach
  • winter citrus salad
  • fireplace cardamom crème brulees

For more information or to reserve a table, click here

 

 

 

Filed Under: Closings, Local Market Buzz Tagged With:

Mission Chinese Food Is Back!

December 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Danny Bowien fans were very upset when Mission Chinese Food shut down at the Orchard Street location. Following a lawsuit fiasco, Danny Bowien did open a Mission Chinese Food pop-up in Brooklyn for a short while. As of this weekend, Mission Chinese Food officially reopened at 171 East Broadway. This location used to be the home of Rosette which was short lived. For now, Mission Chinese will be open only for dinner, Tuesdays through Sundays.

The reopening being just in time for Christmas, Mission Chinese Food is partnering with Russ & Daughters Cafe for Christmas dinner! For $60 per person, by reservation only for Thursday, December 25th, a family style dinner will be served with some of the favorites from Mission Chinese Food and Russ & Daughters Cafe. The dinner will take place at Russ & Daughters Cafe, at 127 Orchard Street, and reservations for the very Lower East Side Jewish Christmas with Mission Chinese Food can be made my emailing russanddaughtersrsvp@gmail.com.

For more information on the reopening of Mission Chinese Food, click here

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Events, Openings

New Jack’s Wife Freda In West Village

December 19, 2014 by Leave a Comment

A second outpost of the popular brunch spot in SoHo on Lafayette Street, Jack’s Wife Freda, will be opening in the West Village tomorrow! The decor is very similar to the original location, and so is the menu aside from just a few new items. For example, the anchovy baguette with salsa verde, orange-blossom pancakes with yogurt and honey syrup, lamb tartare and mussels with coriander curry are all new additions.

The new outpost will be opening tomorrow at 50 Carmine Street, where Fatty ‘Cue used to be housed. Owners Dean and Maya Jankelowitz, state that the new location on Carmine Street will be a “natural extension” of the original on Lafayette. The space will be somewhat larger as well as the menu but the classic dishes will still be served such as the piri-piri sweetbreads, prego rolls, and matzoh ball soup.

To view some pictures of dishes at the new Jack’s Wife Freda in the West Village, click here

Filed Under: Openings

Cafe Edison Closing This Sunday

December 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Owner Jordan Strohl will unfortunately be closing the beloved lunch spot Cafe Edison on W 47th Street after a long battle to keep the space. There are hopes of opening the notorious theater spot in a new location. The final meal at Cafe Edison will be serves this Sunday, December 21st around 3PM, however, being that the owner “doesn’t like to waste food,” the Cafe will remain open until all the food is gone, down to the last Matzo ball!

Strohl commented on the closing of his Cafe by stating that, “We lost the fight…but we did not lose the battle. Six weeks ago, we would have just shut down, but the campaign to Save Cafe Edison re-inspired my family. We are committed to reopening in a new space, and to bringing our food and our family warmth back to the city. A thousand thank-yous to everyone. We cannot say thank you enough.” Even Mayor De Blasio and Ira Glass joined in on trying to save the favorite lunch counter near Times Square. According to Gerald Barad, who owns the hote, a “name chef” will be moving into the space.

To read more about the dramatic closing of Cafe Edison, click here.

Filed Under: Closings Tagged With:

Vietnamese Bricolage To Open In Park Slope

December 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Bricolage will be opening in Park Slope in the space that used to house Brooklyn Fish Camp. The people responsible for the acclaimed Slanted Door in San Francisco are opening up shop in Park Slope! The restaurant Bricolage will be serving a version of modern Vietnamese food, similar to the Slanted Door’s menu in San Francisco. The bar has already been set up as it is in the same place as it was when it was the Fish Camp, full of plenty of chairs and bar stools in the entryway. So far there is no hard opening date for Bricolage, but it seems like it could be in the near future.

The word ‘Bricolage’ implies something created or constructed from a variety of different materials, which would be very fitting for a Vietnamese fusion restaurant concept. The restaurant will open at 162 Fifth Avenue. To read more about the new Vietnamese neighborhood restaurant Bricolage opening soon in Park Slope, click here.

Filed Under: Openings Tagged With:
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