Live Poultry Not Live for Long in Woodside; Champagne at Paradou

Dumbo: The Japanese publication Mapple released a guide to the nabe and recommends Jacques Torres Chocolate, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, and Grimaldi’s as top picks. [Dumbo NYC] East Village: You don’t need to hunt down any Danish to track Frank Bruni; he’s a huge fan of Death & Co (and hopes the bar’s not really in trouble). [Diner’s Journal/NYT] Meatpacking District: A $25 Champagne tasting at Paradou next Tuesday also comes with snacks. [Paradou NYC] Midtown: A rare bottle of scotch fetched $54,000 at Christie's liquor auction last night. The Rob Roys we made with it were great. [Food and Wine] Woodside: For a truly hands-on holiday meal, you can head to Bismillah Live Poultry market in the warehouse quarter; choose your "turkey out of a flock of around 30, and off it went in a shopping cart to be slaughtered, scalded in hot water, and plucked by the staff. Fifteen minutes later it emerged in a bag, warm to the touch, its fat tail sticking out." [The Grinder/Chow]

Posted 12/11/07 in Grub Street : Neighborhood Watch

Tags: bismillah live poultry market, brooklyn ice cream factory, chelsea, death and co., dumbo, east village, frank bruni, grimaldi's, hill country, jacques torres, lou elrose, mapple, neighborhood watch, smith and mills, steve hanson, tribeca, wildwood, woodside

No Plaza for Graydon; Mr. Rachael Ray Drops $35K for Lunchbox

Graydon Carter won’t be taking over the Plaza’s Oak Room, so you’ll still have to head downtown to the Waverly Inn for that truffled macaroni and cheese. [NYP] Jean-Georges Vongerichten seeks the elusive fifth taste by serving “umami bombs” at his restaurants. [WSJ] Related: Waiter, There’s a Fifth Element in My Soup It’s possible that locally grown products have a comparable or even greater carbon footprint than food that travels long distances, so you can stop patting yourself on the back for being a greenmarket fanatic. [NYT] Related: Local Schmocal [NYM]

Posted 12/10/07 in Grub Street : Mediavore

Tags: bensonhurst, camaje, del posto, gilt, gotham bar and grill, graydon carter, greenmarket, jean-georges vongerichten, localvores, lou elrose, mediavore, oak room, plaza, rachael ray, umami, waverly inn, wildwood bbq

Big Lou Elrose Hired as Wildwood Pitmaster

When Steve Hanson decided to launch a major barbecue restaurant (as we told you about in August), he didn’t have to look far for a pitmaster. He turned to the most critically acclaimed new barbecue in the city’s history, Hill Country. Big Lou Elrose, ex-cop, ex–competition barbecuer, and now ex–deputy pitmaster at Hill Country, will lead the pit team at Wildwood BBQ when it opens in December. The six-foot-five ex-policeman will also help develop operations for subsequent restaurants. “Lou has a lot of passion,” the B.R. Guest bigwig told us. “And he really knows pork. He’s truly gotten into the culture of barbecue, and he’s going to be one of our main guys.” Elrose, for his part, has a simpler ambition. “I just want to cook good barbecue,” he says. Related: B.R. Guest's New BBQ: Will Wildwood Succeed?

Posted 10/05/07 in Grub Street : NewsFeed

Tags: b.r. guest, big lou's breakfast, lou elrose, newsfeed, steve hanson, wildwood bbq