All 'akhtar nawab' Posts on Grub Street - New York Magazine's Daily Food Blog

All Posts Tagged: ‘akhtar nawab’

Neighborhood Watch

7/17/08

3:00 PM

Alto Given ‘Wine Spectator’ Grand Award; Pig Roast in the ‘Burg on Sunday

Carroll Gardens: Rob and Robin have already noted that South Brooklyn Pizza owner Jim McGown transitioned from real-estate developer to pizzaiolo, but here are some more details about how he did it. [Business Week]
Greenwich Village: Akhtar Nawab might unveil some homemade breads at Elettaria that are like the ones he used to roll out in his mother's kitchen. [Restaurant Girl]
Midtown East: Alto has picked up the Grand Award from Wine Spectator. The honor, which only 72 other restaurants worldwide have, is only for restaurants with over 1,500 bottles on their lists. [Grub Street]
Nolita: Thanks to the soon-to-open Delicatessen, "the smell of bubbling cheese is everywhere" (around Prince and Lafayette streets). Someone call a CB meeting. [Eater]
Soho: A papered storefront on Sullivan Street, between Houston and Prince, has a sign painted on the window that says they will sell authentic "Liegé" Belgian waffles. They put the wrong accent on the town name Liège, but "Liegé" totally sounds more authentic. [Eater]
Williamsburg: Artist's space 3rd Ward, at 195 Morgan Avenue, is hosting a pig roast with help from Marlow and Bonita this Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with live music from 6 p.m. on. [Bushwick Is Beautiful]

More: Neighborhood Watch »3rd ward, akhtar nawab, alto, beligian waffles, carroll gardens, elettaria, greenwich village, kim mcgown, midtown east, pig roast, soho, south brooklyn pizza, williamsburg, wine spectator

NewsFeed

5/ 9/08

11:00 AM

Chefs Love What Mom Used to Make

Pichet Ong, Jean Adamson, Sue Torres, Alex Urena

Clockwise from top left, Pichet Ong, Jean Adamson, Sue Torres, Alex Ureña.Photos courtesy of the chefs

We’re into foams and deconstruction as much as the next guy, but nothing satisfies us more than our mom’s simple yet singular gazpacho (this is the half-Spanish half of Grub Street talking). We’re not the only ones prone to such nostalgia: Pichet Ong’s mother, Ruby, who to this day frosts the cupcakes at his bakery, raised him on a roasted-eggplant dish that will make an appearance on the Mother’s Day tasting menu at P*ONG. We asked a handful of chefs which childhood dishes they remember most fondly, and which ones, if any, they’ve reinvented as their own.

More: NewsFeed »akhtar nawab, anita lo, bar q, batch, chefs, dovetail, elettaria, ignacio mattos, il buco, john fraser, los dados, mother's day, p*ong, pichet ong, sue torres, suenos

VideoFeed

4/18/08

1:30 PM

Restaurant Tour: Inside Elettaria

Chef Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz met at Craftbar and went on to open their new restaurant, Elettaria, in an old big-and-tall store in the West Village. We wanted to see what they'd done to the place, so Josh Ozersky took a camera along for a tour this week. Watch and eat.

More: VideoFeed »akhtar nawab, craftbar, elettaria, noel cruz, video, west village

Mediavore

3/12/08

10:20 AM

Chef Counters on the Rise; Chefs Put in Their Time on the Line

As chefs and cooks take on more roles of service, they cut out more costs and create a more intimate dining experience, especially at restaurants with counters overlooking the food preparation. [NYT]
Related: Ringside Seats at the Chef's Counter

Apparently, restaurants’ hanging of red velvet curtains in colder months signals metaphors of birth and womblike spaces for diners. Ew. [NYO]

Chefs like Akhtar Nawab of Elettaria and Josh Eden of Shorty’s.32 both spent years cooking on the line before being able to fly solo. [TONY]

More: Mediavore »akhtar nawab, bar boulud, blue smoke, elettaria, fette sau, fiamma, frank bruni, josh eden, madaleine mae, market table, meat, rub, shorty's.32, st. patrick's day, tablexchange, tiffin wallah

House Mix

3/ 5/08

1:41 PM

Elettaria Asks: Have You Ever Been Experienced?

Jimi stands next to Akhtar Nawab's fire.Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Elettaria’s space was formerly occupied by the 8th Wonder, where a young Jimi Hendrix performed. So is his ghost still setting guitars (or at least flambés) on fire? Since proprietors Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz are big into classic rock (Akhtar is a bass player who loves him some Rush), we figured it was a strong possibility that after the early-evening jazz and blues, it would be, “Move over Rover, let Jimi take over…”

More: House Mix »akhtar nawab, elettaria, noel cruz

NewsFeed

10/19/07

10:52 AM

Akhtar Nawab to NOT Leave E.U., Will Open New Restaurant

Akhtar Nawab gives away food, not information.Photo: Patrick McMullan

Akhtar Nawab, the talented chef who turned around E.U.’s fortunes, is expecting to leave, Grub Street has learned. “We’re planning something, and we are looking at a space,” Nawab told us. The new restaurant, which Nawab will open with Dani operating partner Noel Cruz, will be on West 8th Street. The menu will reflect casual but sophisticated Mediterranean food “something like the original Craftbar,” Nawab explained. (This style is in contrast to earlier rumors, which aligned the new venture with Nawab’s more upscale Allen and Delancey model before he parted from that project.) Nawab was reluctant to present any sort of timeline; he will leave E.U. “soon,” but the new restaurant likely won’t open until late winter or spring.

UPDATE: We spoke to Nawab yesterday and misunderstood. Though he will open a new restaurant, he plans to stay on at E.U. Grub Street regrets the error, our bad, etc.

More: NewsFeed »akhtar nawab, allen and delancey, craftbar, european union

What to Eat Tonight

5/24/07

2:00 PM

A Not-So-European Union of Soft-Shell Crabs and Pickled Ramps

A short-lived romance: soft-shell crab and ramps.Photo: Melissa Hom

We’re coming into prime-time soft-shell-crab season, and we're about to leave ramps behind us. So tonight’s special at European Union, sautéed soft-shell crabs with pickled ramps ($16), is something not to miss. The crabs coming up from Maryland are bigger and fatter than the ones seen earlier in the season, one reason chef Akhtar Nawab put the dish on the menu. Says Nawab, “The soft-shells are so nice right now, meaty, sweet, and really soft. They’re alive when we get them. The pickled ramps really cut the richness and tenderness of the crab with a nice garlicky and crunchy bite.” Nawab freely offers that he didn’t invent the idea of pairing ramps with crabs, but EU makes the dish their own by also adding pickled red onions, baby leeks, and (for a trace of sweetness) cipollini onions braised in red wine and honey. Be warned, though — even the meatiest soft-shell crab isn’t going to sate you. Be prepared to order a couple, and think twice about sharing them. In another couple of weeks the dish will be a memory.

More: What to Eat Tonight »akhtar nawab, east village, european union, ramps, soft-shell crabs

The Other Critics

4/11/07

11:00 AM

Anthos Gets a Rave; More Knocks for Morandi

Randall Lane gives Anthos its first full-out rave, granting the restaurant five of six stars and writing about it in adoring terms. It's a rare move for Lane, and a good omen for the more powerful critics still to come. [TONY]

At times, Alan Richman likes the food at Morandi a lot, but when it's late and the place gets busy, he considers it to be a kind of restaurant hell. He won’t be going back after 9 p.m. “any time in my life.” [Bloomberg]

Paul Adams felt much the same about Morandi, calling out its fine fried foods but dissing its heavy pastas, “theme park” atmosphere, and lousy entrées. It’s unanimous: The critics all dislike Morandi. Meanwhile, Keith McNally is crying all the way to the bank. [NYS]
Related: Not So Bene [NYM]

More: The Other Critics »akhtar nawab, alan richman, andrea thompson, anthos, craft, david chang, east village, european union, frank bruni, jersey city, morandi, nomad, paul adams, peter meehan, randall lane, robert sietsema, rosanjin

The Other Critics

4/ 4/07

11:08 AM

Morandi Takes Another Hit; a Haute Barnyard Spree

The Four Seasons gets perhaps the most negative two-star review in the history of the Times; Bruni seems to think the stars were grandfathered in. A telling example of how reputation floats reviews. [NYT]

Meehan, meanwhile, visits a chowhound's paradise, a Hindu temple in Flushing. [NYT]

Morandi takes another blow, this time from Time Out’s Randall Lane, who like our own Adam Platt, finds it overdesigned and unimpressive, albeit with a few decent dishes. [TONY]
Related: Not So Bene [NYM]

More: The Other Critics »adam platt, akhtar nawab, amalia, blakely blackford, blue hill at stone barns, central kitchen, cookshop, european union, flushing, frank bruni, klee brasserie, lauren collins, moira hodgson, morandi, paul adams, peter meehan, randall lane, robert sietsema, ryan sutton, tasca, the four seasons

Mediavore

3/ 9/07

10:01 AM

Gansevoort Owner Apologizes for Sign He’s Not About to Take Down; FDA Acting Shady

The owner of the Hotel Gansevoort abjectly apologizes for its monstrous sign but says that the lease has been signed and that there’s no way out of it. Whether this satisfies Keith McNally and other opponents remains to be seen. [NYP]

Rachael Ray conquers yet another swath of America, becoming the official “spokes-chef” for Dunkin’ Donuts. She will develop a line of dishes for the chain. [Nation's Restaurant News (registration required)]

The FDA allowing factory farm veterinarians to use cattle antibiotics which may lead to resistant microbes and eventually endanger humans. The Times is not down. [NYT]

More: Mediavore »akhtar nawab, diner, european union, gordon ramsay, hotel gansevoort, keith mcnally, meatpacking district, rachael ray, rats

Back of the House

1/29/07

10:30 AM

Eating Out With Tim Zagat; the Littlest Feinschmeckers

What's it like to eat dinner with Tim Zagat? Something akin to eating with royalty. [Slate]

As Texas and New Haven fight it out for the title of who invented the hamburger, Grub Street's editor weighs in. [LAT]

How did eating and diet get so complicated? Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma, and one of the guys who helped make it so complicated, sorts it all out. [NYT]

More: Back of the House »akhtar nawab, andrea strong, izakaya, jane, michael pollan, peter luger, the neptune room, tim zagat

NewsFeed

10/19/06

12:22 PM

Allen and Delancey Tripped at the Finish Line, Won't Open

Allen and Delancey, the much-awaited restaurant from former Craftbar chef Akhtar Nawab, had been set to open in less than two weeks. But things change quickly in the restaurant world, and now we hear, from the man himself, that the opening has been delayed — possibly permanently. An investor pulled out at the eleventh hour, leaving Nawab $200,000 short of his opening costs. The downcast chef told us: "Out of the blue, the investor said, 'I'm not spending this kind of money!' He called everybody and fired them yesterday. The chairs just arrived two days ago!" Our guess is that Allen and Delancey will find an investor between here and the finish line, but in the meantime, the restaurant is in serious peril. "This situation is very sensitive, and something needs to happen very quickly," Nawab told us.