Chinese Noodles From a Chile-Haunted Region

“The rise of Sichuan food in New York has made the past decade or two a glorious era for prowlers of Chinese restaurants. Chongqing chicken and mung-bean jelly proliferated as skilled chefs flocked to the city. But while the miles of dan dan noodles and mountains of Sichuan peppercorns have been exhilarating, they have tended to overshadow the cuisine of another great chile-haunted region, Hunan.”

“When people in Hunan get hungry for a bowl of noodles, what they have in mind are mifen: long, white strands made from pounded rice, so smooth they may slither right out of the chopsticks of inexperienced slurpers. Chances for New Yorkers to practice their antiskid chopstick techniques have been limited, generally speaking, to the rice noodles of other parts of Asia. When you could find Hunanese noodles around town, they tended to be tucked away on larger menus with so many other Hunanese opportunities that they were rarely given a chance to slither.”

Read more here.

Restaurants Offering Halloween Promotions

For the first time ever, Krispy Kreme has released the Trick-or-Treat Doughnut—a scary good mashup of candies and doughnuts. This new creation features an Original Glazed Doughnut dipped and drizzled in salted caramel and topped with pieces of some of your favorite chocolate Halloween candies.

The Trick-or-Treat Doughnut joins another new creation, the all-new Monster Batter Doughnut, featuring a classic cake batter filling, dipped in slime green icing and topped with monster eyes and festive confetti. These two new doughnuts join Krispy Kreme Halloween fan favorites the Jack-O-Lantern Doughnut, and the Chocolate Iced Doughnut with Halloween Sprinkles.

“Our newest collection brings the fun-filled spirit and delicious flavors of Halloween, creating an unexpected treat option for celebrations all month long,” says Alison Holder, Vice President of U.S. Marketing for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. “No matter what your Halloween plans or cravings are, Krispy Kreme has the perfect spooky treat.”

To complete the season of fun, Krispy Kreme is also hosting the ultimate costume party. Wear your costume on October 31 to get a free doughnut of choice at participating U.S. Krispy Kreme shops.”

To view more restaurants offering Halloween promotions click here.

NYC’s New Restaurant Openings

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Oath Pizza
Oath is a pizza place on the UWS that grows some of its own produce in an on-site hydroponic garden. You can get 11-inch pizzas for $11, or half pies for $7. Come for a casual group hang with all your houseplants.

See more Restaurant openings here.

Smorgasburg Brings Its Market Indoors For the Winter

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“Smorgasburg will soon be year-round. The popular food market has taken over a massive weekend space in Fort Greene, as well as teamed up with Vice Media for a Friday night market to run in November and December.”

“For the weekend market, Smorgasburg has taken over 25,000 square feet of space in the Atlantic Center mall across the street from Barclays Center at 625 Atlantic Ave., between South Portland Avenue and Fort Greene Place. About 25 food vendors will appear here, including fan favorites such as salteñas from Bolivian Llama Party and the ramen burger, as well as newcomers like Izakaya’s katsu sando and Mutz, which offers a Sicilian pizza stuffed with meatballs and mozzarella. There will also be a full bar, coffee bar, and bocce court from Bocce USQ (…).”

It starts on Saturday, November 3 and will be on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March, when the outdoor locations will reopen.

View more here.

Restaurants at New York’s Hudson Yards Have a Big Plan to Feed Office Workers

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“More details are emerging about the dining roster at the $25 billion Hudson Yards project, and as a food editor who also happens to be a native New Yorker, I can say that it’s time to get very excited. By mid-March the megaproject’s 25 restaurants and food concepts, from José Andrés’s Mercado Little Spain food hall to the fish temple Estiatorio Milos, should be open.

Hudson Yards anticipates more than 40,000 employees arriving to work daily—a new epicenter of Manhattan supporting companies from Steve Cohen’s Point72 Asset Management to Tapestry, VaynerMedia, and Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs.

The question of feeding all those workers, as well as the thousands of residents and tourists who will be flowing through the 1-million-square-foot space, has obsessed Kevin Stuessi, vice president at Related Companies LP, the real estate company developing the project. He’s determined that most of the restaurants will have continuous service, starting at about 11:30 a.m., with late-night menus planned.

Following an exclusive hard hat tour in early September, Stuessi and Related Urban CEO Kenneth Himmel shared some of the most exciting details of the project’s signature concepts.”

Read more here.

The Red Cat, a Pioneering Chelsea Restaurant, Will Close

“The Red Cat, an unpretentious neighborhood restaurant in Chelsea that became a destination, will close at the end of December after nearly 20 years in business. The reason is none of the usual suspects: a big rent hike, slumping traffic or the need for a costly renovation, said the chef, Jimmy Bradley. He has simply decided to quit.”

“(…) “My goal was to have my own business by the time I was 30,” Mr. Bradley said. He was 31 when he became the chef and an owner of the Red Cat, on 10th Avenue.
Chelsea was a much different place back then, with no High Line, art-gallery scene or sleek high-rise condominiums. London Terrace had elegant apartments; nearby there were, and still are, public housing projects. Gentrification has not had a huge impact on the Red Cat’s business Mr. Bradley said. The condos often have absentee owners who don’t come in for a bowl of lentil soup or a plate of local skate, and tourists plying the High Line are not particularly tuned in to the restaurant’s presence.

“It’s difficult for small businesses in New York now,” Mr. Bradley said. “My staff can’t afford to live nearby like me. They get home at 2 a.m. and have to be back at work at 9.”

Read more here.

Seafood Chain Opening First NYC Restaurant in Kips Bay

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Food truck-turned-restaurant chain Cousins Maine Lobster is opening its first brick-and-mortar location in New York City after inking a lease at 77 Lexington Avenue in Kips Bay, Commercial Observer has learned.

The seafood franchise signed a 12-year deal for 2,700 square feet at the base of the four-story, mixed-use residential building at the southeast corner of East 26th Street, according to a release from Newmark Knight Frank, which represented Cousins Maine Lobster franchisee Yunus Shahul in the transaction.

The restaurant, slated to open before the end of this year, will occupy 1,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and an additional 1,200 square feet of lower-level basement space, NKF said. The location was previously occupied by gluten-free Italian restaurant Tali.

View more here.

Best Restaurant POS Tools: How to Choose the Right System for You

Breadcrumb POS inside of a restaurant

“Understanding the needs of your restaurant is a most important first step in choosing the best POS software. After all, the needs of a small brewery with no food service differ greatly from those of a large restaurant. To assess your needs and find the best restaurant POS system for your growing establishment, here are a few things to consider.”

“You’re likely already using tools to manage your accounting, payroll, food costs and scheduling. These tools are essential for the daily operations in your restaurant. That’s why we suggest choosing a POS system that integrates with these tools that you already use. This will reduce the organizational disruption in your restaurant and ensure that your POS leverages data from the past to make more informed suggestions for the future.”

Read more here.

How Hudson Yards Chose Its 25 Restaurants

“On March 14, 2019, Hudson Yards will fully open its eastern portion. Twenty-five restaurants will fire up the stoves. More than 100 stores will fling open their doors. Marquee companies like BlackRock, Wells Fargo, and HBO will occupy office space. An entirely new neighborhood will spring into existence in what seems like an instant.

In reality, though, it’s taken mega-developer Related Companies over a decade to get to this moment. In that time, Hudson Yards — the stagnant rail yard area between 30th and 34th streets and 10th and 12th avenues — has turned into a modern adult playground of luxury retailers and restaurants, park space, and public events that have come to fruition through the vision of Related Urban CEO Kenneth Himmel.”

“Everything is designed to pull people in and up: the escalators, the open floor plan, Neiman Marcus starting on level five, the Keller and Estiatorio Milos flagships on five and six. Restaurants on higher floors are common in other countries, especially in Asia, but the format has not quite caught on in the United States — yet, if Himmel has his way.”

Read more here.

TripAdvisor Plans A Social Network Via New Feed, Site And Partners

“TripAdvisor wants to be a one-stop-shop for consumers to share, plan and learn about trips. To reach that goal, the Needham, Massachusetts-based travel site is unveiling a new website and mobile offering later this year that gives consumers the option to connect with friends, influencers, brands and publishers to build social feeds and plan trips.

“One size fits all becomes a personalized trip for you,” said Stephen Kaufer, chief executive and co-founder of TripAdvisor at an unveiling event in New York on Monday morning. “I’m an individual, I’m unique,” he added, noting that consumers want to hear what other voices are saying, and then pick and choose accordingly. According to TripAdvisor data, 66 percent of trip planning incorporates reviews from other travelers, and 62 percent comes from friends and families sharing tips.”

Read more here.