Singer-Songwriter Vanessa Carlton Indeed Loves Ruby's in the Afternoon

In her single “Nolita Fairytale,” Vanessa Carlton sings about her love of “Ruby's in the afternoon”— a reference to her favorite neighborhood hang. “It’s the best people-watching,” she says of Ruby’s. “Everyone looks like they’re out of an editorial shoot for some hip magazine. But it’s not posey.” Other favorites near the “Nolita flat on rent control” she famously exalts? La Esquina (“I love to get takeout or to just sit at the front taco bar”), Freemans (“I think it wins the devils-on-horseback competition with the Spotted Pig”), and N (“the best chorizo I’ve ever had”). We asked her whether this week found her at any of the above.

Posted 11/30/07 in Grub Street : The New York Diet

Tags: apizz, aurora, balthazar, beatrice inn, dean & deluca, freemans, la esquina, mexican radio, ruby's, strip house, the new york diet, vanessa carlton

Improve Your Looks with Pork in the West Village; Five Guys Wreaking Havoc in Midtown

Clinton Hill: Chinantla deli on Myrtle Avenue is dingy as all hell but makes tacos “that may bridge the gap between ‘real’ and … American-style.” [Eat for Victory/VV] Dumbo: Two ICE graduates just launched a neighborhood dinner-delivery service called Nylon Cooks. [Dumbo NYC] Lower East Side: Owners of ápizz and the Orchard John LaFemina and Xeras are "on the prowl for [their] next project." [Eater] Midtown West: Newly inaugurated Five Guys Burgers and Fries on West 55th Street has lunch crowds waiting up to an hour and a half for their orders. [Eater] Tribeca: Marc Murphy supplied this very straightforward carbonara recipe, which he considers a signature dish at Landmarc. [Restaurant Girl] West Village: The Japanese restaurant that promises better skin and hair through its pork dishes, Hakata Tonton has opened at 61 Grove Street. [Gothamist]

Posted 11/02/07 in Grub Street : Neighborhood Watch

Tags: apizz, chinantla, clinton hill, dumbo, five guys burgers and fries, hakata tonton, john lafemina, landmarc, lower east side, marc murphy, midtown west, neighborhood watch, nylon cooks, tacos, the orchard, tribeca, west village, xeras

Iron Sous-Chef Busts a Move; A Man Tells of His Meatballs, Liquor License

• Bruni dropped in on a restaurant wearing a fanny pack and riding a scooter? No wonder he needed some R&R. [Eater] • davidburke & donatella gets a new chef de cuisine (Eric Hara, doing bacon-wrapped duck) and pastry chef (Monica Bellissimo, standing by her egg cream in an eggshell). [NYO] • Some October-November openings via ZagatWire: The former Tocqueville space is turning Japanese; Anne Burrell, sous-chef to Batali on Iron Chef, takes over the kitchen at Centro Vinoteca. [Zagat] • John LaFemina of Ápizz and the Orchard recounts the joy of applying for a liquor license in an excerpt from the forthcoming A Man and His Meatballs. [Eater]

Posted 10/13/06 in Grub Street : Back of the House

Tags: apizz, Back of the House, centro vinoteca, davidburke & donatella, eater, eric hara, frank bruni, john lafemina, monica belissimo, the orchard