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.
See more here.
“The aromas you might pick up in this building, owned by Lexus, the car company, may not be that new-car smell but rather curry, roasting meat, smoked vegetables, caramel and freshly ground coffee. Food is the main purpose of this installation, which features a ground-floor cafe, a full-service restaurant and bar upstairs, and not a car in sight. It’s the third such venture for the brand, after others in Tokyo and Dubai. Union Square Hospitality Group is behind the cafe and restaurant, but the food is being devised by Gregory Marchand, a French celebrity chef who owns the Frenchie restaurants in Paris and London. He will be on hand from time to time for the next four to six months; after that, another chef-in-residence will be imported. “We want chefs who are new to New York and up-and-coming,” said Kirk Edmondson, the manager. The long-term executive chef is Nickolas Martinez, who worked with Joël Robuchon and at Foragers City Table. Kaz Fujimura is responsible for pastries, and Andrea Morris is in charge of drinks and wine. A circular bar and lounge is on one side of the second floor. The dining room, done mostly in black and white with a spacious open kitchen, seats 50. Mr. Marchand’s menu includes some of his signature dishes like baby leeks with Parmesan sabayon and smoked egg yolk, halibut grenobloise, and a toffee and banana dessert called banoffee.”
View more here.
“A perfect vehicle for delivering on-trend flavors and seasonal ingredients, Loaded Hash Browns can keep a breakfast/brunch menu new and exciting. Here, chef/owner Alicia Hinze of The Buttered Tin in St. Paul, Minn., uses Idaho hash brown potatoes as a crisp, crunchy packet for tomatoes, corn and queso fresco. A fried egg and dollop of chimichurri complete the dish.
As a base and primary component, the crispy hash browns provide a satisfying textural complement to the Loaded Hash Brown’s ever-changing selection of fillings. This summery mix can morph into heartier combinations, such as grilled steak, pepper, onions and provolone.
“Already a substantial dish with 8 ounces of potatoes per serving, the Loaded Idaho Hash Browns could easily move to the lunch and dinner menu, especially when offered with a heftier filling,” says Don Odiorne, VP foodservice & website, Idaho Potato Commission. “Changing the filling with the season keeps this signature dish new and fresh.”
See more here.
“Every cart or truck will be getting (a) newly designed decal, and when the inspector finishes the inspection, an ‘A’ looks just like the restaurant A,” says Deputy Commissioner for Environmental Health Corrine Schiff.
Beginning in December, all of the city’s 5,500 mobile food vendors will be graded on their food safety and will receive a corresponding alphabet score. A tracking device will also be attached to every unit so inspectors can keep track of each business.”
Read more here.
1. Flora Bar
945 Madison Ave., nr. 75th St.; 646-558-5383
Sure, the location is a little eccentric by local standards (the dining room sits on the semi-bunkered basement level of the Met Breuer museum on Madison Avenue). The decor is a little spare, too (did we mention that it’s in the basement of the Met Breuer?), and local gourmets will complain that the chef, Ignacio Mattos, is an interloper from the wilder, much more unruly culinary regions further downtown (he operates two popular restaurants below 14th Street). But we’d argue that the mingling of high culture and high cuisine at this unlikely three-star establishment creates the kind of alchemy which is unique not just on the Upper East Side, but to the city as a whole. Throw in Mattos’s refreshingly ingenious brand of high-low cooking (where else on the block can you get your crème fraîche and caviar served with house-frizzled potato chips?), the elegantly accessible lunchtime service (yes, there’s a Wagyu burger), the exceptional all-day coffee-and-pastry bar, and one of the better brunch menus in this brunch-crazed part of town, and you have the ideal Upper East Side restaurant for this unfussy, post-gourmet age.
See more restaurants here.
“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.
“Michelin has handed out its coveted stars to 76 restaurants in New York City in its 2019 guide, four more than last year, boosting the Big Apple’s reputation as a global destination for its diverse and innovative culinary offerings.”
“Michelin will release the latest edition of its New York City eating guide tomorrow. Their grading system uses anonymous reviewers in 28 countries. Some argue it is rigid and overlooks some restaurants that critics and diners praise.
The restaurant rater awarded its highest ranking of three stars to the same five New York establishments as last year for their “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey”: Chef’s Table at Brooklyn Fare, Eleven Madison Park, Le Bernardin, Masa and Per Se. But New York will still likely lag San Francisco in the number of three-star restaurants for a second year. San Francisco and the wine-producing regions of Napa and Sonoma had seven last year, the most of any US cities.”
Read more here.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59095387/Ichiran_Midtown_West_15.0.jpg)
“Calling all introverts. A Japan-based restaurant, Ichiran, known for its solo dining booths, has just opened its second location in New York City. The popular Midtown ramen restaurant allows customers to enjoy their meal without distraction.
Here’s how it works — you place your order by filling out a form specifying exactly what you want. A waiter takes the form without uttering a word, and a few moments later the steaming bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen appears. You enjoy the ramen and when finished, you push a button and the empty bowl is taken away. All of this happens without a single spoken interaction.
The idea of solo dining first occurred to the creator of Ichiran when he noticed all of the distraction that came with eating in a restaurant. Thus, the flavour concentration concept was born. By sitting alone, diners are able to solely focus on the taste of their food, and therefore fully enjoy the experience of the ramen.”
Read more here.
“Chipotle’s new CEO Brain Niccol pulled no punches when he sat down for his first earnings call in April and candidly described Chipotle as an invisible brand. “This brand needs to be leading culture, not reacting to it,” Niccol said at the time.
In day-to-day operations, that’s led to a significant shift in the way that the company thinks about growth. Niccol said that he encourages more of a “test-and-see approach” on new initiatives under his watch, and in practice, the team has been freed up to move much more quickly on making decisions and testing new innovations. Niccol himself practices what he preaches — three months after he officially started as CEO, Niccol announced that Chipotle would be relocating its headquarters from Denver to southern California and closing down the New York City office.”
Read more here.
Shake Shack, once the darling of better-burger brands, continues to show signs of struggle in the sector as it reported a same-store sales decline this week.
Comps decreased 0.7% for the quarter ended Sept. 26, while total revenue rose 26.5% and sales increased 27.2%.
Shake Shack stock prices tumbled more than 11% on the news early Friday.
During the quarter, Shake Shack opened seven company-operated stores and two licensed units.
The brand expects to launch its largest number of new stores in history in 2019, with plans to open 36 to 40 units, executives said during a call with analysts Thursday.
The company drew concern from investors following its announcement in August that it was suffering from a logjam in unit expansion, stalling growth until the later part of 2018.
Read more here.
paigepapers.com 