Tea Makes a Stir in New York City

May 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment
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Christopher Day at EMP

In the past tea has not always been though of as a trendy drink but now the industry is noticing an increase in demand. Loose leaf teas from around the world, tea preparation classes and artisan teaware are now available from a myriad of online purveyors and tea salons. Chain stores are also popping up nationwide as Starbucks purchased Teavana in 2012 and now has expanded to 301 stores across the country. According to the Tea Association of the USA in 2014, Americans consumed over 80 billion servings of tea, or more than 3.60 billion gallons.

These days, tea is also making a stir in New York Restaurants.  New York’s elite are now offering extensive tea lists and some even offer matching tasting notes. Tea programs are now offered at Eleven Madison Park, Atera, Blanca and Betony providing diners a chance to experience some of the world’s best teas. Eleven Madison Park’s tea program currently offers a seasonal menu of 32 types of teas served by the pot. Christopher Day, the man behind Eleven Madison Park’s tea program told Eater “”tea represents more than a beverage meant to be drunk at the end of a meal…We regard it as with wine, spirits, and coffee — as something to be selected and prepared with the same attention to detail and concern for excellence as any aspect of the menu.”

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Iced Matcha Teas at MatchaBar

Fast causal concepts are also appearing across the city offering different variations of the beverage. Flushing’s Fang Gourmet Tea offers 70 teas at $5 to $10. In Williamsburg New Yorkers can enjoy the city’s first speciality matcha cafe at MatchaBar where they offer everything from classic matcha to specialty  seasonal drinks such as Iced Mint Matcha Lemonade.

To read more from the New York Times click here

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Kosher Burger Concept Opens In Crown Heights

February 10, 2015 by Leave a Comment

A new Kosher burger concept, named Boeuf & Bun, has opened in Crown Heights at 217 Kingston Avenue.  The new spot has been self-proclaimed as an “artisanal burger lab” serving high-end gourmet burger options. The main focus lays in quality, which is why all burgers are ground in house, nothing is premade or prepackaged (including the custom sauces). After a long, unsuccessful search for the best Kosher bun on the market, Australian owner Tzemach Woolstone decided to make his own.

One burger, called ‘The New Yorker,’ is topped with pastrami, cabbage slaw, and horseradish. There is also a lamb burger with olive tapenade and cumin garlic aioli.  There are a few non-burger options such as seasonal soups, tacos, and a slow-cooked beef sandwich. For more information and photos of Boeuf & Bun, check out their Facebook page here

 

 

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Welcome June In Cobble Hill

January 28, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Attention Cobble Hill residents, there’s a new wine bar in town! June opened last week in the space that used to house the Van Horn Sandwich Shop. The space, which had been vacant for quite some time, was redesigned and redone by the design team ‘hOme,’ and now has a 1920’s Parisian vintage look and feel. Tom Kearney is the new co-owner, who directs the menu at The Farm on Adderley. Kearney opened June last week with the partner at Rucola and Fizcarraldo, Henry Rich.

Kearney states, “I wanted to do a wine bar that wasn’t just charcuterie and cheeses.” The small plates menu includes Tokyo turnips, apple brioche and pork meatballs with nigella seeds and polenta. The extensive wine list was put together by Nick Gorevik with glasses starting at $8 and some bottles that go above $100. The bar will also be hosting events with wine producers for guests who would like to learn more about wine. For the time being June is open only in the evenings, but come spring Kearney is hoping and expecting to expand the hours; this will also mark the opening of the restaurant’s backyard area!

June is at 231 Court Street and can be reached at 917- 909-0434. Check them out here!

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Here Come The Cake Doughnuts!

January 22, 2015 by Leave a Comment

We, for one, could not be more excited about the arrival of cake doughnuts at our neighborhood doughnut shop, Dough. TaraPaige Group’s dear friend Fany Gerson, expert doughnut maker for Dough, has revealed that cake doughnuts will be making their debut in upcoming weeks. The three flavors they will be available in include apple-pear cider, chocolate malt, and buttermilk (or possibly sour cream, still deciding).

Dough has a location in Brooklyn at 305 Franklin Ave, as well as in Manhattan at 14 W 19th St, New York. Pies ‘N’ Thighs will also be soon introducing new sourdough doughnuts, so it is a great time for doughnut lovers in the city! For more details on the doughnuts or to see a picture of the doughnut maker, click here.

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The Year of Pie

January 21, 2015 by Leave a Comment

Pie has made quite the comeback and gained significant exposure and popularity this past year. There is no disputing the important presence of Four & Twenty Blackbirds in South Brooklyn (including their own custard flavor at Brooklyn Shake Shacks) and the success of Pies ‘N’ Thighs who will shortly be opening a Manhattan outpost. The latest pie haven on the scene can be found on Delancey Street in the Lower East Side and is run by Petra Paredez. Petra’s shop, Petee’s Pie Co., has been creating dozens of pie flavors since opening in November; some of these include: salty chocolate chess, butterscotch meringue and wild blueberry.

Inspired by the city’s new take to pies, Paredez and her husband Robert began to plan for their own pie shop with a focus on locally sourced ingredients; apples from the Hudson Valley, butter churned by Kriemhild Dairy Farms in Hamilton, organic wheat flour from Champlain Valley Milling upstate and buttermilk from Pittsford Farms Dairy outside Rochester. Paredez has said they will spend the winter sourcing even more local ingredients and hopes to turn not-so-convinced New Yorkers into pie aficionados. Paredez states, “It doesn’t make sense, it’s real food, made with real dairy, real fruit, real eggs. It’s not, like, a cupcake.” To check out some photos of Petee’s Pie Co.’s creations and for more background on the shop, click here.

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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

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3 Day Food + Enterprise Event in Brooklyn

January 8, 2015 by Leave a Comment

On February 27th-March 1st the exciting Food + Enterprise three day food event will take place in Industry City Brooklyn. Food + Enterprise was founded in 2013 as a social impact, mission driven platform dedicated to promoting understanding and collaboration amongst multiple stakeholders; be it farmers, entrepreneurs, consultants, funders or investors who aim to accelerate change in the local food system.

The event will consist of multiple speakers, workshops, and lastly a fun ‘shark-tank style’ pitch competition! The competition gives selected growth-stage food and farm enterprises an opportunity to present their business plans and launch crowdfunding programs on Barnraiser to an audience of investors, consultants, peers and consumers at the three-day summit dedicated to collaborating to finance for a better food system. The three day Food + Enterprise event will take place at Industry City in Brooklyn which is accessible from the D, N, or R trains to 36th Street. For more information on the event schedule and speakers or to register click here.

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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.

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Two More Sweetgreens in NYC

December 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The new Sweetgreen outpost in Nolita opened today! The opening is actually one day ahead of schedule, and is having a ‘Pay What You Want Day,” which is the tradition of the brand on opening day with all the proceeds going to a given charity; in this outpost the proceeds will all go to Grow NYC. The following Monday Sweetgreens will also be opening a new location in Brooklyn, in none other than Williamsburg, with the same charity event except that at this location all proceeds will be going towards Education Through Music.

Sweetgreens is having a really great run, especially in recent months given their $18.5 million boost from investors including Danny Meyer and Daniel Boulud. Both new New York City locations were designed by local artists to give a contemporary feel. The furniture in the Brooklyn location is mainly made from reclaimed oak from the company Aellon and Uluru (based in Brooklyn). The menu items also have a New York theme including seasonal ingredients such as pears, apples, cheddar and many fall vegetables.

To read more about the two new Sweetgreens locations in New York City, click here

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100 Montaditos to ReOpen in Brooklyn

December 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The 100 Montaditos on Ludlow Street that opened three months ago is now set to close. After spending a full year to build out the space the outpost will be closing after a short three month run. Mini Hospitality owns the US franchise rights to the chain, named for its 100 varieties of mini-sandwiches, and is planning to transform the space into more of an upscale concept with a full liquor license.

The concept works very well in Madrid, Spain’s capital, where the chain blankets the city center, but did not have as much luck when it opened in Miami, and is now proving to be unsuccessful in New York City as well. The goal of Mini Hospitality was to open 30 US locations by 2017 but this now seems too aggressive and it may be time to revisit this goal. Mini Hospitality believes the concept of small finger sandwiches and beer will do better in Brooklyn. A release from DNAinfo quoted the franchise owners, “We feel that the demographic of neighborhoods such as Bushwick, Greenpoint, and Upper Manhattan, offer us multiple opportunities to expand our international brand in the coming year.”

To read more about the closing of 100 Montaditos due to a combination of location and concept, click here

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