All 'gray's papaya' Posts on Grub Street - New York Magazine's Daily Food Blog

All Posts Tagged: ‘gray's papaya’

NewsFeed

7/10/08

1:00 PM

How the Wienermobile Can Save Your Life

Robin Gelfenbien still loves Oscar Mayer.Photo courtesy Robin Gelfenbien

For us, the highlight of next month's Fringe Festival is (of course) Robin Gelfenbien's multimedia show, My Salvation Has a First Name: A Wienermobile Journey. Gelfenbien, 36, spent twelve months during 1993–1994 behind the wheel of the iconic, hot-dog-shaped vehicle, which has been promoting Oscar Mayer goodness for over 70 years. Now living on the Upper West Side, Gelfenbien told us all about her adventure and her play.

More: NewsFeed »gray's papaya, hot dogs, oscar mayer, robin gelfenbien, upper west side

Mediavore

6/11/08

10:00 AM

Empire State Tomatoes Safe; How ‘Top Chef’ Judging Works

• No salmonella here! All tomatoes grown in New York were deemed safe to eat by the State Department of Agriculture yesterday. [NY1]

• When it comes to fancy digital menus, Adour’s is the only one that isn’t completely wretched. [TONY]

• Top Chef judge Ted Allen says picking this season’s winner wasn’t easy and that he and the other judges used “numerical models” to evaluate the finalists. [Zagat Buzz]

More: Mediavore »adour, broadway east, cesare casella, david chang, food and wine classic, gray's papaya, james beard awards, kosher, lee gross, localvores, maremma, meat, padma lakshmi, ruth reichl, salmonella, ted allen, tom colicchio, tomatoes, top chef

NewsFeed

5/14/08

12:00 PM

McNally, Colicchio, Meyer Among Most Powerful Real-Estate Players

Number 90.Photo: Patrick McMullan

The Observer comes out with a list of the city’s real-estate power players, and, not surprisingly, plenty of restaurant folk make the cut. Scary to us is that none of them rank as high as Christine Quinn — the anti-nightlife councilwoman who will, according to the piece, help determine the fate of billions of dollars of development in the next months — or Daniel Boyle, the chairman of the New York State Liquor Authority. Nevertheless, Danny Meyer clocks in at number 24, followed by Robert De Niro (26), health commissioner Thomas Frieden (82), Tom Colicchio (84), and Keith McNally (90). Steve Cuozzo, “the Andy Rooney of New York’s real estate and restaurant worlds,” has to be smarting over being ranked several notches below Frank Bruni, the man with the “ugh more feared than any other reviewer.” We're wondering where Nicholas Gray is, who, with Gray’s Papaya stands (and their imitators), is fighting back the scourge of ATM machines with hot dogs, a noble fight if ever there were one.

The 100 Most Powerful People in New York Real Estate [NYO via Eater]

More: NewsFeed »christine quinn, danny meyer, department of health, frank bruni, gray's papaya, keith mcnally, nicholas gray, robert de niro, state liquor authority, steve cuozzo, tom colicchio

Celebrity Settings

3/18/08

11:00 AM

Ethan Hawke Hits Qdoba; ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ Reunion at D'Or

Clearly misses Benny's Burritos.Photo: Getty Images

Last week Todd Barry told us he was a Chipotle man and we noted that a couple of respected chefs were too — but it seems Ethan Hawke, for one, prefers naked burritos to burrito bols, if a recent sighting at Qdoba Mexican Grill is any indicator. Are notable New Yorkers embracing casual dining chains? Lizzie Grubman did take her client Tailor Made to, um, the Olive Garden…

More: Celebrity Settings »21, beatrice inn, brother jimmy's, butter, cafe habana, d'or, da silvano, gray's papaya, hawaiian tropic zone, hiro, john's pizzeria, kobe club, los dados, michael's, morandi, olive garden, pangea, park avenue liquor, prime, qdoba, shun lee, spotlight live

NewsFeed

3/ 3/08

4:45 PM

Gray's Papaya Gets Political Again As Prices Rise

Shortly after AM New York reported that the price of the Recession Special is on the rise, the Times' City Room points out that Gray’s Papaya top dog Nicholas Gray, who previously endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president, may have jinxed Obama by erecting a sign at his 72nd Street store that reads “YES SENATOR OBAMA ‘WE ARE READY TO BELIEVE AGAIN.’” Maybe Mr. Gray should put his money where his mouth is and allow customers to donate the increased cost of the Recession Special to Obama ’08?

Two Hot Dogs, a Drink, and a Nod to Obama [City Room/NYT]
Rising Prices Hit City Pockets Hard [amNY]

More: NewsFeed »gray's papaya, nicholas gray

Mediavore

2/20/08

10:00 AM

A Recession-Proof Restaurant Scene?; Death & Co. Owner Disgusted by Hassles

With all the exciting new restaurants opening in town, you’d never know there’s talk of a recession. But Frank Bruni figures anything opening now was planned a few years ago in better economic times, which makes us worry about restaurant openings in 2010. [NYT]

Death & Co. can continue to operate until mid-April, but don’t expect owner David Kaplan to produce any more nightlife destinations after that: “I’ll never open another bar, another restaurant, a deli, a fucking bodega — I’ll never open up anything ever again in New York.” [NYO]

The current cocktail craze has led to a lot of handmade – and therefore illegal – ingredients being mixed into drinks. Marijuana-infused gin, anyone? [NYP]

More: Mediavore »butter, cocktails, david kaplan, death & co., frank bruni, gray's papaya, mcsorley's, momofuku ssam bar, per se, recession

Neighborhood Watch

10/15/07

3:00 PM

Josh DeChellis Frying Lunch in the West Village; Gray's Papaya Still Political

Clinton Hill: Il Torchio may have only opened in August and be prone to underseasoning and overbearing Italian accents, but the restaurant is already gearing up to expand. [Eat for Victory/VV]
East Village: Savoy chef Peter Hoffman’s new restaurant Back Forty has a soft opening today and will officially begin service on Wednesday. [Grub Street]
Greenwich Village: The 70-year-old founder of Gray’s Papaya who posted the “Bloomberg for President” sign on 8th Street “has never been shy about using his store windows for political expression; Jimmy Carter, in 1976, and Bill Bradley, in 1999, both earned his presidential endorsement. And in 1998, when Bill Clinton was facing impeachment, Mr. Gray displayed a sign that read, ‘Hang in there, Mr. President.’” [NYT]
Midtown: Beacon has added a "kitchen counter" which functions as a chef's table, a burger bar, and the site of a weekly tasting menu. [Strong Buzz] A midtown pizza-truck war has broken out. [Midtown Lunch]
West Village: BarFry kicks off lunch service today. [Grub Street]

More: Neighborhood Watch »back forty, barfry, beacon, clinton hill, east village, gray's papaya, greenwich village, il torchio, josh dechellis, peter hoffman, savoy, west village

Neighborhood Watch

10/12/07

2:58 PM

Plate of Pig Liver Silences Bruni in Nolita; ‘Top Chef’ Contestant's Restaurant Will Be Speakeasy

Astoria: Coffee and desserts are available at Tell Astorya Cafe on 28th Avenue during events including Friday’s Independent Film nights and afternoon jazz on Saturday. [Joey in Astoria]
Clinton Hill: Former Top Chefer Josie Smith-Malave has named her restaurant on Waverly and Greene Speakeasy. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: The food-feature documentary King Corn opens today at Cinema Village. [Cakehead]
Flatiron: Centro Vinoteca’s Anne Burrell, Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez of Lassi, and Dos Caminos chef Ivy Stark will be cooking for next Thursday’s benefit for Women Chefs & Restaurateurs at the Prince George Ballroom. [Gothamist]
Greenwich Village: Gray’s Papaya on 8th Street has endorsed Bloomberg for president because “he talks the talk, and he’ll walk the walk.” [Blog Chelsea]
Nolita: Frank Bruni is actually at a loss for words to describe a favorite dish that Frank DeCarlo serves at Peasant: “the suckling pig liver will fascinate you because it tastes so very much like other liver you’ve had and yet … and yet … different, but in ways that are tough to pinpoint.” [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

More: Neighborhood Watch »anne burrell, astoria, clinton hill, dos caminos, east village, flatiron, frank bruni, frank decarlo, gray's papaya, greenwich village, heather carlucci-rodriguez, ivy stark, josie malave, nolita, peasant, speakeasy, tell astorya cafe

The New York Diet

5/18/07

8:55 AM

Singer-Actress Anika Noni Rose Doesn’t Fear Ferocious Pies and Quasi-Lethal Doughnuts

“If you gave the macaroni and cheese to kindergarteners, you could use it as paste.”Photo: Melissa Hom

When Connecticut native and Tony Award–winning singer-actress Anika Noni Rose — best known for playing Lorrell in Dreamgirls — visited New York as a child, her parents took her to restaurants like the Russian Tea Room and Sign of the Dove. “I had quail there for the first time,” she recalls of the latter, “and they had a bread pudding that was out of control.” Her education in food wasn’t lost on her— even this week as she rehearsed for a benefit at Carnegie Hall and put the finishing touches on her work in the upcoming miniseries The Starter Wife, the Inwood resident made time for phenomenal comfort food, ferocious lemon-meringue pie, and a certain doughy treat that she insists is “the best thing in the world.”

More: The New York Diet »anika noni rose, dojo, dreamgirls, georgio's country grill, gray's papaya, kitchenette, le pain quotidien, mayrose, passing strange, pret a manger, the starter wife, yum yum bangkok

Ask a Waiter

12/20/06

4:42 PM

Papaya King's Alexander Poulus Serves Franks to Martha Stewart, Referees Fights in Line

"We might serve 2,500 customers in eighteen hours on a Friday."Photo: Melissa Hom

Alexander Poulus was working as an engineer five years after graduating from NYU, but when his uncle Gus, the founder of Papaya King, offered to bring him into the company, he couldn't refuse. For 35 years, he has seen the Upper East Side location (which is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary) through stolen tip jars, windows shattered by brawling drunks, and of course the snappy service of countless hot dogs that are “Tastier Than Filet Mignon.”

More: Ask a Waiter »gray's papaya, hot dogs, papaya king

Openings

12/18/06

9:00 AM

Papaya King Plots Hot-Dog Imperialism

We can just hear that Seinfeld bass-popping music.Photo courtesy of Papaya King

The recent price hike at Gray’s isn't the only change afoot in the papaya world: Gray’s predecessor Papaya King, which recently opened locations in La Guardia and JFK, is poised to open two more stands — the first next month in Clifton, New Jersey, in the Corrado's shopping center, and another one in the middle of the year near the Sears store at Fordham Road and Webster Avenue in the Bronx. President and CEO Dan Horan says he thinks the city can absorb 35 to 40 Papaya Kings and has already earmarked fifteen potential locations. Not only that, he’s opening another stand in Baltimore's BWI airport in early 2007 and looking at opportunities as far west as Los Angeles. So why are there currently just three Manhattan locations? Apparently, rising rents and competition from banks eyeing the same 500-square-foot corner spaces are to blame. We’d much rather blow $1.79 on a Papaya dog (handmade from bull's beef, unlike those of his competitors, Horan points out) than on unsavory ATM fees. — Daniel Maurer

Earlier: Bummer Indeed: Gray's Papaya Finally Raises Prices

More: Openings »gray's papaya, hot dogs, papaya king

NewsFeed

12/11/06

4:30 PM

Bummer Indeed: Gray's Papaya Finally Raises Prices

Giant grease stain on bottom half of receipt not shown.

When Gray's Papaya announced in September that the price of its Al Franken–endorsed frank was to go up from 95 cents, founder Nicholas A. B. Gray was keeping mum about the math. We visited the Sixth Avenue location this weekend and can now report that as of the beginning of the month, the price is $1.25. This exceeds even the 25-cent jump (from 50 cents to 75 cents) of 1999. Still more devastating, the Recession Special — two dogs and a small drink — has gone from $2.75 to $3.50. Not that we would forsake Gray's for an inferior imitator, but when we called every other listed Papaya stand in the city, we made an all-too-sobering discovery: These days you'll have to go out to Queens to get a 95-cent frank. Here's how much fourteen different dogs will set you back.

More: NewsFeed »gray's papaya, papaya king

The New York Diet

11/ 3/06

9:00 AM

D.J. and Waverly Diner Regular Mark Ronson Craves Skips and Walkers

"I had popcorn, nachos, a Kit Kat, and soda. That was dinner."Photo: Melissa Hom

Mark Ronson, the A-list set's most in-demand D.J. — he's spun parties like the Met gala and is a favorite of everyone from Tommy Hilfiger to Jay-Z — isn't one for home cooking. "The only thing I really waste expendable income on is food. When I go to my accountant, he's like, 'Do you have to eat out all the time?' He's half happy I don't have a heroin addiction instead." We asked him how he allotted his dining dollars during the past week.