NYC’s Most Anticipated Openings of Winter 2019

“To be sure, increased costs is having its impact. Some of the city’s most exciting restaurateurs are focusing their efforts on smaller spaces. The Franks of Italian favorite Frankies 457 are now working with one of Long Island’s most legendary pizzamakers, Umberto Corteo, but it will be for a slice shop. All-day dining — a format that, for some, is a way to help maximize sales — continues to flourish, like at Gertie, Pilar Cuban Bakery, and Bourke Street Bakery.

Money, after all, still runs things. The biggest change to the dining scene will be the debut of all the restaurants at Hudson Yards, the behemoth Manhattan far west side development from Related Companies that has cost $20 billion. Most of the chefs in it needed to have at least $2 million in upfront capital. It arguably isn’t great for the future of NYC dining.”

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The Absolute Best Rugelach in New York

Orwashers Bakery

“Amidst the many delights at this iconic New York bakery — sour-cherry-jelly doughnuts, sticky-bun babka, black-and-whites — the rugelach more than hold their own. The twisted nuggets of shortbread pastry glisten with mouth-puckering raspberry or apricot jam — arguably the preeminent jam in the rugelach oeuvre. And they come packed with chewy bites of raisins, a scattering of sunflower seeds, and, if you’re making your rugelach run at the original Upper East Side location, a sultry dip into melted baking chocolate.”

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Pearl Found In Restaurant Oyster For Second Time In Month

Pearl Found In Restaurant Oyster For Second Time In Month: Report

“The latest treasure was discovered at the Williamsburg eatery Maison Premiere on Bedford Ave., the New York Post reported. Kristin Pulaski, 29, told the newspaper she felt something hard in an oyster that she bit into on Dec. 15.

Earlier this month, Rick Antosh, 66, chewed an oyster in the Grand Central Oyster Bar and bit down on a pearl thought to be worth $4,000.

An appraiser told Pulaski her the pearl was lumpy and wouldn’t be worth a fortune, but she intends to have some statement jewelry made out of it, she told the Post. The restaurant’s owner told the paper this was the first pearl he knew of that had been found there in eight years.”

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Path Coffee Roasters Leads the Way for Specialty with Westchester County Training Facility

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“Five-year-old specialty coffee wholesale roasting company Path Coffee Roasters has unveiled a new specialty coffee destination at its home base in Port Chester, New York.

Working with Dianne Eaton of Mamaroneck-based Keller/Eaton Architects, Path has created a new cupping lab and training space adjacent to its roastery that is designed to give advanced training, skills development and cupping opportunities to wholesale clients and home baristas alike.

Despite the brand being just five years old, it also constitutes the specialty division of Empire Coffee Roasters, which has been producing wholesale, mostly private-label coffees for clients throughout New York for more than three decades.”

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New York City Restaurants That Are Open on Christmas Day

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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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Tom Colicchio Opens His First New Restaurant in 2 Years on Long Island

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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The best Venezuelan restaurants in New York City

Arepas Cafe

Located at 3307 36th Ave. in Astoria, it is the highest rated Venezuelan restaurant in New York City, boasting four stars out of 817 reviews on Yelp. Yelpers recommend the empanadas, the patacon con camarones and the plantains, as well as the sangria.

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Italian Restaurant at Eataly Transforms Rooftop Into Winter Wonderland

Eataly, the Italian food market and restaurant in Flatiron unveils their newest holiday installation: SERRA ALPINA. The rooftop bar and restaurant is doused in holiday cheer for the season, showcasing silver and golden leaves that dangle from the ceiling, creating a magical ambiance. The restaurant makes as good a photo-op as it does a delicious meal. The holiday pop-up opened early November and runs through March.

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The Nutella Cafe is finally opening in Union Square

“Nutella stans of the eastern seaboard, your time has finally come: the Nutella Cafe in New York City opens on Nov. 14, in all of its ridiculously decadent, Instagrammable glory. In case you have not also been tracking this cafe so intensely that employees at Google are probably concerned about your Nutella search history, a bit of background: in June, Ferrero announced the opening of a Nutella cafe in the Big Apple, marking the second such cafe in the U.S. after the original opened in Chicago in 2017. The menu at the Chicago location is already drool-worthy enough — now, many of those fan favorites are about to hit the New York location, which also includes new menu items that will make your Nutella-loving heart sing.

Before we even get into the menu, though, you need to know that this new cafe is a capital E Experience, from the decor to the merchandise to ordering the food itself. The new cafe, which is located in Union Square, is so Instagram-worthy that it has attracted crowds long before its opening. The front door is a Nutella jar; the ceiling is crafted to replicated Nutella spread; even the light fixtures are based off of the yellow flower on the iconic Nutella jar. The place is wall-to-wall Nutella, lined with unique merchandise, a gelato station, a coffee station, shelves of Nutella goods, and a massive light fixture that says “Nutella” on it that covers an entire wall.”

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Taiwanese food is finally having a moment in New York City

A sampling of the dishes at 886

“It’s not impossible to find — I get asked about Taiwanese food in New York a lot, by both visitors from home who are in town and those who learned about Taiwanese food thanks to Anthony Bourdain’s visit to Taipei in 2013. I’ve satisfied my cravings in a variety of ways: eating a lot of spicy Sichuan food as a replacement; traveling to Flushing, Queens, for a hearty Taiwanese breakfast of fried crullers and soy milk; and ordering delivery from Taiwan Bear House, which specializes in bento boxes with Taiwanese-style fried chicken or braised pork belly.”

Read more here.