-
Chefs Love What Mom Used to Make
Posted 05/09/08 in Grub Street: NewsFeed
We asked a handful of chefs which childhood dishes they remember most fondly and which ones, if any, they’ve reinvented as their own.
-
Analyzing the Counter at Pichet Ong’s Bakery
Posted 04/29/08 in Grub Street: Blueprint
Next door to his sleek dessert bar P*ONG, pastry chef Pichet Ong has opened a small, sunlit bakery called Batch. The treats here — little cupcakes, chewy cookies, and cupped puddings — are far more familiar. But the tastes may not be.
-
What Can’t Pichet Ong Do With Foie Gras?
Posted 02/20/08 in Grub Street: NewsFeed
We checked in with dessertologist Pichet Ong recently and found him inordinately pleased with one of his newest creations: a foie gras Chantilly “taco,” created for the Valentine's Day tasting menu and now served every day at P*ONG. The shell is made of chocolate and hazelnut, the filling foie gras Chantilly, with a little bit of red-chile jam for heat. “It has that creamy, melt-in-your-mouth feel that people want from foie gras, with the crunch from the taco. Everyone loves it.” So says Ong. And there’s more foie in the future!
-
The Hidden History of Starbucks; Café Carlyle Still Bumpin'
Posted 01/09/08 in Grub Street: Neighborhood Watch
Astor Place: The building that houses Starbucks has such interesting history (saw a bloody theater riot in 1849 at what was once the Astor Place Opera House; held a barber shop where mobster Albert Anastasia got slaughtered while sitting in his chair) that Lost City has decided to target "kudzu-like chains" around town and attempt to uncover their past incarnations. [Lost City] Chinatown: Dumpling House has reopened and the renovations include tables and chairs! [Eater] East Village: Bar Veloce is returning to the space it once occupied before transforming into now deceased Room 4 Dessert. [Eater] Tribeca: Harrison Tavern has already closed after a July opening. Clearly, offering ranch-chicken pizza did not bring in herds. [Grub Street] Upper East Side: Café Carlyle has added a D.J.-hosted soirée Thursday through Saturday from midnight to 3 a.m. to its cabaret-night repertoire, and a new cocktail menu comes from the mixologist at Bemelmans Bar. [Zagat] West Village: Pichet Ong is renaming his dessert bar P*ong & Batch at the end of the month when he’ll be expanding the space to include a retail bakery. [Zagat] Williamsburg: Breakfast mecca egg (it's too cool to have a capital letter) deigns to open for dinner. [TONY]
-
Tables Available at Rayuela and Provence; BLT Market Fully Booked
Posted 10/17/07 in Grub Street: Two for Eight
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: Reviewed by Adam Platt.
-
Tables Available at Rayuela and Provence; BLT Market Fully Booked
Posted 10/17/07 in Grub Street: Two for Eight
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: Reviewed by Adam Platt. -
If It's a Frozen Dessert at P*ong, Blame the Pacojet
Posted 10/12/07 in Grub Street: Engines of Gastronomy
It takes more than skilled hands, sharp knives, and a creative mind to power New York’s restaurants. There's also some heavy equipment that deserves periodic recognition. Today’s dessert alchemists draw from a considerable arsenal in their battle against conventional cake and ice cream. But the real secret weapon for many of these artisans is the Pacojet, a kind of high-tech blender. Pichet Ong was one of the earliest adopters of the Pacojet and uses a customized one at P*ong for all of his ice creams, sorbets, and ices.
-
Tables Available at Insieme and Wild Salmon; Perilla Nearly Booked
Posted 09/28/07 in Grub Street: Two for Eight
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: Reviewed by Adam Platt. -
Tables Available at Insieme and Wild Salmon; Perilla Nearly Booked
Posted 09/28/07 in Grub Street: Two for Eight
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: Reviewed by Adam Platt. -
Bruni Maintains Luger's Middling Reputation; Bar Fry's Tempura More Varied Than You'd Think
Posted 09/19/07 in Grub Street: The Other Critics
Frank Bruni complains about the steak, the service, the sides, and the salad at Peter Luger but caves and hands it two stars. [NYT] Restaurant Girl gives Elio’s two and a half stars, citing its “charming lure of old-world” Italian, code for a menu that has barely changed in 26 years. [NYDN] Alan Richman visits Il Mulino and in crushing it strikes a blow against “this style of oversized, oversauced, overcooked cuisine” with all the force he can muster. [Bloomberg]
-
Tables Available at Insieme and Provence; Rosanjin Fully Booked
Posted 09/14/07 in Grub Street: Two for Eight
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: Reviewed by Adam Platt. -
Tables Available at Insieme and Provence; Rosanjin Fully Booked
Posted 09/14/07 in Grub Street: Two for Eight
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: Reviewed by Adam Platt. -
A ‘Top Chef’ Surprise and Other Summer Treats
Posted 08/13/07 in Grub Street: In the Magazine
The lull of midsummer is already over, and new growths sprout everywhere. A young chef gives his first restaurant a go, a veteran gets his own place for the first time, and an established star gets a fresh start. We have restaurant openings, new and better lemonades, and even a baked squash blossom. Summer is starting to tire, but the food stays sharp.
-
Room 4 Dessert Is Dead, Long Live Room 4 Dessert
Posted 08/06/07 in Grub Street: NewsFeed
In what might be the least surprising news of the summer, Will Goldfarb has told Grub Street that Room 4 Dessert, at least in its current location, is kaput. (The place has been closed for months, but Goldfarb has been promising it would reopen.) “We’re officially pulling the plug on 17 Cleveland Place,” the cake whiz tells us. “But we’re going to reopen, bigger and better, six months from today.” Goldfarb, theatrical as ever, refuses to disclose the location of the new place, except to say that it’s downtown “in another high-profile restaurant row.”
-
P*ONG Found to Be Small and Uneven; Monkey Bar Gets Hammered
Posted 07/18/07 in Grub Street: The Other Critics
Frank Bruni appreciates Pichet Ong’s skill and creativity but finds his restaurant, P*ONG, in what will probably be a defining review, unequal to his talent: “Mr. Ong is an enterprising cook, but he doesn’t seem to be a seasoned restaurateur, and P*ong points out the difference.” [NYT] Similarly, Paul Adams grants that FR.OG chef Didier Virot has “has a virtuosic ability with flavors,” but was less than thrilled with the restaurant. That’s about in keeping with most other reviews the place has had, which call out a few dishes but give it an “eh” otherwise. [NYS] Randall Lane disliked the Monkey Bar so much that it’s amazing that he gave it two stars (out of six). “More often, though, the dishes were so unsuccessful that I had difficulty finishing them.” Eek. Not what you want to hear after a huge, expensive relaunch.[TONY]
-
Provence Chef Pink-Slipped; Pichet Ong to Open Cupcake Shop
Posted 07/18/07 in Grub Street: Mediavore
Chef Lynn McNeely has been handed a pink slip after mixed reviews at the new Provence; no word on who the next chef might be. [Eater] Related: Provence Redux [NYM] Pichet Ong is opening a cupcake store next to P*ONG. “Vanilla, chocolate, yuzu and cinnamon will be my staples,” he says. “I want to add a little salt & spice to my take on them.” [Restaurant Girl] A tale of two bakeries under Health Department scrutiny: one, Magnolia, plays nice; the other, Delices de Paris in Park Slope, kicks back. Guess which one ends up closing. [NYO]
-
Le Cirque Scrambles for Relevance; P*ONG Expanding
Posted 07/02/07 in Grub Street: Mediavore
A myriad of consultants and experts are surrounding Sirio Maccioni, giving advice on how Le Cirque can recapture its now-departed magic. [Insatiable Critic] Dessert bars are a hot enough trend right now that some restaurants and bakeries are transforming themselves at certain hours, while others, like P*ONG, are built expressly for the genre. [NYP] Related: Because Our Desserts Are as Good as Everyone Else’s Entire Meals Speaking of which, Asian dessert guru Pichet Ong will open a shop devoted to ice cream, pudding, and cookies next door to P*ONG on August 17. [Strong Buzz]
-
Insieme Just Misses; One Big Up and One ‘Eh’ for P*ONG
Posted 06/20/07 in Grub Street: The Other Critics
Insieme’s bid for a third star went about the same way as Anthos’: two stars from Platt, then two stars from Bruni. [NYT] Related: Italian, Old and New [NYM] Randall Lane gives five of Time Out New York’s six stars to
-
Fette Sau and 15 East Get Strong Endorsements From the Experts
Posted 05/02/07 in Grub Street: The Other Critics
Peter Meehan gives a highly thought-out, admiring review (probably the most knowledgeable one so far) of Fette Sau, taking pain to mention the place’s few but significant shortcomings. [NYT] Related: Fette Sau’s Weird Williamsburg Barbecue Palace [Grub Street] Alan Richman, a person with highly developed opinions about sushi, thinks 15 East a great find: “If you have pricey seafood cravings without the wherewithal to finance them, I don't believe you can do better than 15 East,” he says. [Bloomberg] Frank Bruni inexplicably reviews Max Brenner: Chocolates by the Bald Man, a place that no one would ever expect to be good. Unsurprisingly, he hands them a bagel. [NYT] Related: Milking It [NYM]
Advertising
Welcome to Grub Street
What to expect from New York Magazine's food daily.
Sign up for the Newsletter
GET THE RSS FEEDMore Posts:
Ask a Waiter | At the Greenmarket | At the Market | Back of the House | Beef | Blueprint | Celebrity Settings | Chefwatch | Click and Save | Eatiquette | Engines of Gastronomy | Foodievents | House Mix | In Other Magazines | In the Magazine | Mediavore | Mr. Snitch | Neighborhood Watch | NewsFeed | Openings | Restroom Report | Spot Check | The Annotated Dish | The Gobbler | The In-box | The Launch | The New York Diet | The Orange Line | The Other Critics | The Underground Gourmet | Three Blocks | Trans-Fat Express | Trimmings | Two for Eight | User's Guide | VideoFeed | What to Eat This Week | What to Eat Tonight
The Look Book: 
Team Spotted Pig Takes On English Fish Cookery
Six Micro Luxury Buildings
Three Retail Giants Think Indie This Fall
