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All Posts Tagged: ‘l'impero’

Beef

7/30/08

12:15 PM

Scott Conant Knocks Chris Cannon

Scott Conant speaks his mind.Photo: Melanie Dunea

Scott Conant digs into former Alto and L’Impero partner Chris Cannon in the new New York Restaurant Insider. “It became clear to me that I couldn't work with that group anymore.…There is such a thing as the Peter Principle, where people rise to their level of incompetence. And it just became clear to me that maybe I was associated with a group that was in that category,” he said. Today in the Post, Steve Cuozzo asks Conant to explain himself. “I'm going to do the right thing and keep my mouth shut,” Conant said. “It was a conversation I didn't realize they were going to take verbatim.” Conant was quick to say that Michael White is “doing a great job” at Alto and Convivio, but something tells us this won’t be the last time hard words come out.

The Italian Job [NYP]
Related: Behind the Scenes at the Conant-Cannon Divorce

More: Beef »alto, chris cannon, limpero, michael white, scarpetta, scott conant

Two for Eight

7/29/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Insieme; Del Posto, Bar Milano, and Il Buco Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »abboccato, alto, bar milano, del posto, felidia, fiamma, il buco, insieme, l'impero, scarpetta

NewsFeed

7/21/08

9:38 AM

Michael White to Open Seafood Restaurant in Former San Domenico Space

Coming in 2009 to this space: Marea.Photo: Shanna Ravindra

Having just finished reworking L'Impero as Convivio, and with sister restaurant Alto firing busily away in midtown, chef Michael White and partner Chris Cannon are now turning their attention toward a big new project: The two will be opening an high-end Italian seafood restaurant, Marea (“tide”), in the old San Domenico space at 240 Central Park South early next year. “We're going to concentrate on coastal seafood in a very refined way,” says White. “The fish will be sourced from all over the world, but the restaurant will be very Italian; don't expect to see any wasabi.” White says that the food will be comparable to the kind of simple but very composed seafood dishes currently on the menu at Alto. As for the economics, White and Cannon aren't scared by the rent, which is near $750,000 annually, high enough to send San Domenico packing after twenty years. “It's not that bad,” says Cannon. “It's comparable to what we pay at Alto. That's just the cost of doing business in midtown now.”

Earlier: L’Impero to Close, Reopen As Convivio
San Domenico to Go Big Downtown

More: NewsFeed »alto, chris cannon, columbus circle, convivio, italian, limpero, michael white, midtown, san domenico, seafood

Two for Eight

7/15/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Alto and Insieme; Scarpetta and Il Buco Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »abboccato, alto, bar milano, del posto, felidia, fiamma, il buco, insieme, l'impero, scarpetta

NewsFeed

7/14/08

5:00 PM

First Look: Convivio

Convivio goes for a looser look.Photo: Randi Eichenbaum

As Rob and Robin write in this week's issue, Convivio, the Michael White–Chris Cannon restaurant formerly known as L’Impero, opens tonight. White and Cannon asked designer Vicente Wolf to replace the old-world regality with a sleeker, more modern look. The new menu, linked below, is less stately and more casual. White emphasizes tapas-size plates called sfizi, along with an expanded antipasti section. His intent, says the chef, is “really delving into Southern Italian cooking of a kind that’s not being done in America. This is meant to be intensely authentic, in-your-face, regional cooking that reflects the assertive flavors of Sicily, Campagna, and other parts of Southern Italy.” White's cooking, which excels at taking zaftig, robust dishes and refining them without taming their rustic essences, will be tested by this ambitious program. But will the city's foodies hasten to Tudor City to see what's happening there?

More: NewsFeed »chris cannon, convivio, limpero, michael white, tudor city

Two for Eight

6/27/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Abboccato and Felidia; Il Buco and Del Posto Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »abboccato, alto, bar milano, del posto, felidia, fiamma, il buco, insieme, l'impero, scarpetta

Foodievents

6/23/08

5:30 PM

Summer Restaurant Week Brings Back a Chance to Steal a Meal

restaurant week

Restaurant Week is upon us once again.Image courtesy of NYC & Company

Summer Restaurant Week means the usual drill: crowded restaurants serving B-menu items at fixed costs to diners they’ll probably never see again. And yet, even for the most seasoned Manhattan gastronome, Restaurant Week is a terrific opportunity to go places you would never hit otherwise. All the restaurants will take reservations on Thursday for the periods of July 21 to July 25 and July 28 to August 1.

More: Foodievents »barbetta, esca, limpero, lure, new york restaurant week, park avenue summer, petrossian

Two for Eight

6/13/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Fiamma and Insieme; San Domenico and Scarpetta Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »abboccato, alto, bar milano, del posto, felidia, fiamma, insieme, l'impero, san domenico, scarpetta

NewsFeed

6/12/08

1:45 PM

L’Impero to Close, Reopen As Convivio

L'Impero in its current, castle-like incarnation.Photo: Shanna Ravindra

L’Impero, Michael White and Chris Cannon’s Tudor City counterpart to Alto, is about to get a major makeover. When the restaurant closes on June 29, it will reopen in mid-July as Convivio. “We’re going to have even more of a focus on Southern Italian cooking,” says chef-owner White. “It’s going to be serious food in a much more casual atmosphere — small plates, a $59 prix fixe four-course dinner, and a design that’s much less formal that L’Impero currently is.” A new menu and image will help the duo make a clean break from L’Impero’s former identity as Scott Conant’s flagship. White has been cooking some of the city’s most adventurous Italian food, and with Conant doing his thing over at Scarpetta, there’s no reason L’Impero should keep its name or its fuddy-duddy dining room. The change also invites the possibility of a rereview from Frank Bruni, who gave L'Impero only two stars on his last visit.

More: NewsFeed »convivio, italian, limpero, michael white, scott conant, tudor city

Two for Eight

5/30/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Abboccato and Del Posto; Scarpetta Fully Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »abboccato, alto, bar milano, del posto, felidia, fiamma, insieme, l'impero, san domenico, scarpetta

Two for Eight

5/ 9/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at i Trulli and San Domenico; Del Posto and Il Buco Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: Haute Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, babbo, del posto, felidia, i trulli, Il Buco, insieme, l'impero, san domenico

Two for Eight

4/23/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Morandi and Insieme; Del Posto and Il Buco Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: Haute Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, del posto, felidia, i trulli, Il Buco, insieme, l'impero, morandi, san domenico

Two for Eight

4/ 7/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at A Voce and Felidia; Babbo Fully Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, babbo, del posto, felidia, i trulli, Il Buco, insieme, l'impero, san domenico

NewsFeed

3/ 9/08

12:13 PM

Scott Conant Returns With Scarpetta

Scott Conant is back.Photo: Melanie Dunea

Lost in the shuffle of this year's high-profile openings has been a major lingering question: What ever happened to Scott Conant? One of the city's top Italian chefs, Conant last year gave up both of his restaurants, L'Impero and Alto, to pursue a mystery project. (Michael White took over both places, to great acclaim.) Conant monkeyed around in the Hamptons, consulting for a friend, but only now is his next real project in view.

More: NewsFeed »alto, italian, limpero, meatpacking district, scarpetta, scott conant

Two for Eight

3/ 4/08

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Abboccato and San Domenico; Babbo Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: high Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, babbo, del posto, felidia, i trulli, il buco, insieme, limpero, san domenico

Back of the House

2/28/08

4:58 PM

Babbo Tops Zagat Italian List, Followed by Relics

We can agree with number one. That's okay.Photo courtesy Babbo restaurant

We’re not surprised that Babbo is the city’s top Italian restaurant, according to Zagat's new America's 1,000 Top Italian Restaurants book — its popularity alone is enough, in Zagat-land, to ensure yearly dominance. And in fact, Babbo is a wonderful restaurant, four stars by our lights, and justly beloved. But if you had any doubt how unreliable the Zagat surveyors are, just check out number two: Village relic Il Mulino! Now, don’t get us wrong: Il Mulino is a fine restaurant and uses very expensive ingredients to good effect. The tuxedoed wait staff are as servile as ever. But it should be the second-most-popular Italian restaurant of 1958. Haven’t the matrons of Secaucus ever heard of A Voce? Or L’Impero? Or for that matter Del Posto? Don’t look for any of those at number three: The winner there is another beloved mummy, Roberto in the Bronx.

Zagat names Babbo New York's No. 1 Italian restaurant [NYDN]

More: Back of the House »a voce, babbo, del posto, il mulino, italian, limpero, mario batali, zagat

Neighborhood Watch

2/ 4/08

3:00 PM

Wing Woes on First Avenue; French Bistro Tougher Than Gun Shots in Brooklyn

Ditmas Park: Patois and Sweetwater owner Jim Mamary is opening a French bistro at the corner of Newkirk Avenue and Argyle Road, and his progress hasn’t been hampered by a recent shooting nearby: "You can’t open up a flower shop on a strip nobody would walk on. It’s us guys who take the risks. Restaurants take the risks.” [NYT via Eater]
East Village: Despite having encouraged wing reservations for yesterday’s big game, Atomic Wings lost track of orders and left customers waiting one to two hours for what turned out to be cold Buffalo not-so-goodness. [Grub Street]
Financial District: A new Mexican cantina called Mad Dog and Beans has brought fish tacos and chiles rellenos to Pearl Street. [Zagat]
Soho: Palacinka has lost its lease. [Eater]
West Village: L’Impero alum chef Michael Genardini will be in the kitchen of a rustic Italian eatery called I Sodi, which should be ready this March in the former Puff & Pao space. [TONY]

More: Neighborhood Watch »atomic wings, ditmas park, east village, financial district, i sodi, l'impero, mad dog and beans, michael genardini, palacinka, patois, soho, sweetwater

Chefwatch

1/23/08

5:20 PM

Gordon Finn Is Mike White's Secret Weapon at Alto

Finn is not a sixth-grader, all appearances to the contrary.Photo: Melissa Hom

Each week, we'll be highlighting one of the great but obscure young chefs running one of the city's major restaurants. These are the unheralded chefs de cuisine, the right arms to the name chefs, and when they are big stars themselves, you can say that you read about them here first.

Name: Gordon Finn

Age: 25

Restaurant: Alto

Background: Finn, a CIA graduate, earned his Italian-food chops cooking in good restaurants in Puglia, Tuscany, and Lombardy, before signing on with Scott Conant as line cook and then pasta chef at Alto, and eventually, under Michael White, chef de cuisine.

More: Chefwatch »alto, gordon finn, italian, l'impero, michael white

Two for Eight

12/20/07

4:00 PM

Tables Available at A Voce and Insieme; Il Buco Mostly Booked

It's 4:30 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, del posto, felidia, i trulli, il buco, insieme, l'impero, morandi, san domenico

Two for Eight

12/ 3/07

4:00 PM

Tables Available at i Trulli and Insieme; Il Buco Mostly Booked

It's 4:30 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, del posto, felidia, i trulli, il buco, insieme, l'impero, morandi, san domenico

Mediavore

11/28/07

10:05 AM

Gordo Blog Better Than the Real Thing; Water Trend More Ridiculous

A true innovator has started a mock Gordon Ramsay blog with such posts as “What? Emeril’s boobs aren’t nice enough?” But when will someone step in to fill in the gaps at Chodoblog? [News Groper via Serious Eats]
Related: Food Network, Emeril No Longer Feeling the Love

No holiday parties at Chumley’s this year; according to the owner Steve Shlopak, the space has no ceiling and no floor. [NYO]

Even after a top-chef shuffle and “showdown between Fiamma, L’Impero and Alto … all three places have come through recent turmoil, and the good news is that they’re better than they were before,” says Steve Cuozzo. [NYP]

More: Mediavore »alto, bourbon, brandy library, charolais, chumley's, dave martin, fiamma, gordon ramsay, hoiday food gifts, l'impero, michelin guide, steak frites

Two for Eight

11/12/07

4:35 PM

Tables Available at Abbocato and Morandi; Babbo Mostly Booked

It's 4:30 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, babbo, del posto, felidia, i trulli, insieme, l'impero, morandi, san domenico

NewsFeed

11/ 1/07

9:00 AM

Tell L'Impero What You Feel Like Eating Sunday Night

On Sundays at L'Impero, BYO menu.Photo: Shanna Ravindra

Sunday suppers, when they’ve been offered by New York restaurants, have generally been big red-sauce feeds, and none too exciting. But when, one month ago, L’Impero launched its Domenica Rustica menu, the city got a pretty outrageous bargain. Meant to be more homey and casual than you might normally expect from L’Impero, it starts early (4:30), ends early (9:30), and comes at the cost of four courses for $42. It’s still not really homey or casual, but it’s really good, and that’s the key thing. Also: L’Impero wants Grub Street readers to have a say in what they serve.

More: NewsFeed »l'impero, menus

The Other Critics

10/31/07

11:30 AM

A Star Swap for Alto & L’Impero; No Amore for Richman at Fiamma

The Times’ verdict is in on Alto and L’Impero, and it’s the expected three and two stars, respectively. Lost in the Alto upgrade is the hard fact that L’Impero now enters the dreaded two-star limbo into which Frank Bruni puts any place neither transcendent nor mediocre. Personally, we would have had it at four and three. [NYT]

Alan Richman admires the new Fiamma (former home to Mike White) in a cool and distant way, finding the food busy and not at all Italian, although not exactly lousy by any means. No one will read this review and want to spend money to eat at Fiamma. [Bloomberg]

On the other hand, Restaurant Girl’s three-star review reads like a perfume ad, it’s so loving: “Like an artist, he paints deeply flavored ragu onto a pappardelle canvas, finished with tender ribbons of venison.” Ew! But Steve Hanson must be happy. [NYDN]

More: The Other Critics »alan richman, allen and delancey, alto, andrea thompson, danyelle freeman, el quinto pino, fiama, frank bruni, l'impero, paul adams, peter meehan, randall lane, restaurant girl, robert sietsema, ryan sutton, spitzer's corner

Two for Eight

10/24/07

4:00 PM

Tables Available at Morandi and San Domenico; Del Posto Mostly Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, del posto, felidia, i trulli, il buco, insieme, l'impero, morandi, san domenico

NewsFeed

10/18/07

1:37 PM

NYC Chefs: Setaro Pasta Rules!

All the Setaro you can hold, at BuonitaliaPhoto courtesy Buonitalia

Today marks the tenth anniversary of Chelsea Market, a place we would avoid if there were anyplace else to get Setaro pasta. The supremacy of the Campagnan product, sold only in Buonitalia at the market, is something we never stop hearing about: last night, Kevin Garcia of Accademia del Vino told us, “All the top chefs I know use it — it’s the pasta of choice, the best I’ve ever been able to find.” Mark Ladner of Del Posto, Jonathan Benno at Per Se, and any number of other food luminaries swear by the stuff. But why? Buonitalia co-owner Antonio Magliulo says, “This company, Setaro, is very small. They don’t produce a lot of pasta. And when they dry it, it’s at low temperatures, so it keeps the flavor and texture. The way it cooks, the bite that it keeps — it’s something special.”

More: NewsFeed »accademia di vino, alto, buon italia, chelsea market, del posto, jonathan benno, kevin garcia, l'impero, mark ladner, michael white, pasta, per se

Two for Eight

10/ 5/07

4:00 PM

Tables Available at A Voce and Abboccato; Babbo Fully Booked

It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: High Italian.

More: Two for Eight »a voce, abboccato, babbo, del posto, felidia, i trulli, insieme, l'impero, morandi, san domenico

VideoFeed

10/ 3/07

2:00 PM

Two Chefs (and One Good Eater) Take a Trip to the Bronx

If there's something you can think of better than going up to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx in a big white Buick, for the express purpose of eating sandwiches with your two favorite Italian chefs, then we would like to know what it is. We heeded our lust for salumi and mozzarella and recorded the results for Grub Street posterity.

Grub Street Video Archive

More: VideoFeed »alto, arthur avenue, bronx, hearth, insieme, l'impero, marco canora, michael white

Beef

10/ 1/07

3:30 PM

Michael White on His Departed Pastry Chef: “He Was a Jerk.”

It takes a lot to make Mike White mad.Photo: Patrick McMullan

Restaurant Girl reported pastry chef Tim Butler’s departure from Alto and L’Impero yesterday, not long after chef Michael White found out himself. “He just told me on Friday and only told Restaurant Girl to stick it to me,” White says. The two had sparred over what White calls Butler’s refusal to use Italian ingredients and flavors in his desserts. “I asked him over and over again — use a little hazelnut or some Gianduja chocolate — but he totally refused. Then he told me he wasn’t coming in anymore. I’m the easiest guy to work for in the world! But this guy really was a jerk.” Chef de cuisine Kevin Sippel is also leaving White but had given notice several months ago for family reasons. White expects to name a new pastry chef soon — we’ll let you know when he does.

Creative Differences at L’Impero and Alto [Restaurant Girl]

More: Beef »alto, desserts, east side, l'impero, michael white, tim butler

Mediavore

10/ 1/07

10:04 AM

A Pastry Purge at Alto and L’Impero; Dosa Man Wins His Vendy

Executive pastry chef Tim Butler has left L’Impero and Alto after a two-year stint citing “creative differences” with recently installed former Fiamma chef Michael White; Alto’s chef de cuisine Kevin Sippel has also stepped down. [Restaurant Girl]

In a stunning upset, Dosa Man Thiru “Susan Lucci” Kumar won at the Vendy Awards on Saturday. [NYDN]

Manhattan sidewalk dining is ghetto, and the reasons New Yorkers suffer through it might include wanting to pretend they’re like Europeans and “if something is in limited supply, New Yorkers want it, period.” [NYT]

More: Mediavore »alto, fergus henderson, l'impero, mario batali, michael white, spotted pig, tim butler

Back of the House

9/26/07

3:30 PM

Ov-er-ra-ted! (Clap-Clap-ClapClapClap)

Junior's cheesecake really isn't all that…Photo: Corbis

The Post returned to an evergreen feature idea today, every editor’s best friend: the “overrated” list. Since our philosophy has always been to slavishly ape the Post in every way short of peppering our posts with the phrase “tot-slay suspect,” we thought we might add a few of our own. Since the Post didn’t limit itself to specific dishes at specific restaurants, we won’t either. Here are a few things that we find ourselves less than overawed with these days.

More: Back of the House »a voce, alto, carnegie deli, insieme, jamon iberico, junior's, juniors, l'impero, san domenico, the palm, the stage deli

Back of the House

9/25/07

3:30 PM

Who Will Win the Golden Clog?

Put it on the mantelpiece, next to that pile of money.Photo: Ruhlman.com

Culinary writer and BFF to the stars Michael Ruhlman has announced the Golden Clog awards, a new unofficial contest, with multiple chef categories. The winners will be announced, no doubt with much facetious fanfare, at this year’s South Beach Food & Wine Festival. The categories are as follows:
FERGUS AWARD — for best achievement in offal.
ALTON AWARD — for the food personality who can actually cook.
MARIO AWARD — for the chef-restaurateur who best multitasked, merchandised, multiplatformed and generally whored himself yet still continued to make significant and valuable contributions to the restaurant landscape.
ROCCO AWARD — for worst career move by a talented chef.
CHEF'S CHEF AWARD — for the least heralded yet most deserving working chef.

More: Back of the House »adam platt, chris consantino, golden clog award, l'impero, mario batali, michael ruhlman, michael white, th