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Grub Street

Edited by Josh Ozersky with Daniel Maurer

All Posts Tagged: ‘sam mason’

NewsFeed 

6/26/08

9:00 AM

Fran Derby Now Cooking at Solex

fran derby

Fran Derby has moved across town and likes it.Photo: Melissa Hom

The last we heard from Fran Derby, he had hit the ejection-seat button from his position as Sam Mason’s co-pilot at Tailor. Now he's manning the stove at East Village wine bar Solex, where he has also upgraded the menu. Solex's old selection was marked by an unappetizing combination of daintiness and heaviness (a tiny ham-and-cheese sandwich with ham, béchamel, Gruyère, and two quail eggs; gruyere-soaked pigs in a blanket, and other such midget gut-bombs). Now it will serve some of the most sophisticated (but cheap) food in the East Village: a cold-smoked scallop carpaccio with radishes for $10, Basque-style deviled eggs with white-anchovy crisps and Bayonne ham for $3 apiece, and even a cauliflower pannacotta with a quail-egg yolk in the middle. (Some of the older items are still on the menu, but not for long.) Derby’s even growing his own herbs out back. “I’ve been here just over two weeks,” he says. “It’s just me in the kitchen, pretty much. I take the orders, make the food, scrub down the kitchen at the end of the night. I’m having a blast.”

Earlier: Fran Derby, Sam Mason's Co-Chef, Leaves Tailor

More: NewsFeed  »east village, fran derby, sam mason, solex, tailor

Engines of Gastronomy 

5/30/08

6:00 PM

Tailor's Liquid-Nitrogen Dispenser Is Very, Very Cold

sam mason

Sam Mason in full mad-scientist mode.Photo: Melissa Hom

The Dewar liquid-nitrogen dispenser at Tailor is no simple kitchen tool. A tank filled with a substance so cold that it boils at -327 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s used by Sam Mason and the other cooks at Tailor to flash-freeze foods without changing their cell structure. “I hit grapefruit sections with it,” explains Mason, “and in a few seconds they’re broken down to their most basic structures. And it can make ice cream in two minutes!” Like a lot of molecular gastronomists, Mason uses liquid nitrogen because it can change the structure of a food without changing its flavor at all; it dissipates almost instantly, leaving no aftereffects other than a radical shift in texture. “There aren’t a lot of limits of what you can do with this,” he says. “Just don’t get it on your hands for too long.”
More: Engines of Gastronomy  »desserts, liquid nitrogen, molecular gastronomy, sam mason, tailor

NewsFeed 

5/21/08

5:00 PM

Fran Derby, Sam Mason's Co-Chef, Leaves Tailor

Sam Mason and Fran Derby, prior to last Friday.Photo: Josh Ozersky

Tailor’s co-chef, Fran Derby, has left the restaurant. Derby and Sam Mason were a cooking tandem since the restaurant opened late last summer, but Derby says he wants his own kitchen: “I left on Friday. Everything between Sam and I is great. I liked being the co-chef at Tailor, but I want to find my own place, my own niche.” The Gilt and wd-50 alumni says that he’ll take some time away from the kitchen before starting a new venture. “We’re good with Fran,” says Mason. “We know he’ll succeed with whatever he does.”

Related: The Launch

More: NewsFeed  »fran derby, sam mason, tailor

NewsFeed 

5/ 7/08

11:00 AM

Chef Groupies Await Their Backstage Passes

Chefs

From left, Johhny Iuzzini, Sam Mason, Sam TalbotPhotos: Patrick McMullan, Melissa Hom, Getty Images

They're sweaty, profane, covered with tattoos, and totally unavailable on both days and nights — what woman can resist that, right? Yes, chefs are the ultimate sex objects for a certain sort of girl, as a piece in this week's Time Out New York points out. But you knew that already, didn't you? Between our ongoing man-crush on Sam Mason to our outright mockery of Johnny Zs, we're helping feed the groupie phenomenon. (Even Alex Day, of Death & Co., told us, "I was almost a groupie of the bartenders" at the bar once.) Not everyone in the article buys it, however. Anne Burrell, who has fended off a few late-night Lotharios herself, finds the whole idea ridiculous: “I’m usually so focused on what I’m doing that I can’t imagine someone coming up while I’m expediting and asking if I want to go on a date. I’d probably just laugh.”

Go for Toques [TONY]
Related: Chefs Put on Something a Little More Comfortable

More: NewsFeed  »anne burrell, chef objectification, chefs, johnny iuzzini, sam mason

NewsFeed 

3/21/08

12:00 PM

Tailor’s Menu Reborn, Again

Mole churros

Definitely better than the churros on the subway platform.Photo: Melissa Hom

There are two things that have been true about Tailor since it opened: Sam Mason and Fran Derby's food is often brilliant, and the city hasn't really warmed up to it yet. But the restaurant’s menu has evolved, first with bigger portions in December, and it is organized into course “one,” “two,” and “three.” More importantly, both the kitchen and Eben Freeman's bar downstairs have added some characteristically inventive new items.

Read more»

More: NewsFeed  »cocktails, desserts, eben freeman, sam mason, soho, tailor

Back of the House 

3/12/08

9:00 AM

Chefs Put on Something a Little More Comfortable

sam mason

Sam Mason on the left, Michael Psilakis on the right, and Craig Koketsu in the role of Lucky Pierre.Photo courtesy Maxim

Can someone remind us, again, when chefs became fashion icons? Was it when Esquire featured a spread of Simon Hammerstein and David Chang in tough-guy postures? Or maybe the Daily News’ “Sexiest Chef” contest was the turning point. Meanwhile, the last time we looked, chefs spent most of their time either wearing grease-splattered whites, or dressing in band T-shirts to show that they were rocking hard, and ever mod. But there’s no arguing with the genre of the chef fashion pictorial, and we have to say, this one, taken from the new Maxim, is pretty soigné. But why is Michael Psilakis wearing a suit in a refrigerator? Shouldn’t he have an overcoat on, at least? And why doesn't Craig Koketsu have a Pucci apron on, if he's butchering? And as for Sam Mason’s hippie-lothario duds, we can only nod our heads in mute, approving awe.

New York City's Hottest Young Chefs [Maxim]

Related: When Chefs Play Dress-Up

More: Back of the House  »craig koketsu, michael psilakis, sam mason

NewsFeed 

2/ 6/08

9:30 AM

Tailor’s Location No Longer a Well-Guarded Secret

Could it be that our beloved godchild, Tailor, whose gestation we chronicled so patiently last year, is taking its first steady steps? After absorbing the blows of the blogosphere for its first months, it has made adjustments. First, mixologist Eben Freeman’s cocktail program acquired its own identity and made the downstairs bar a destination; then Sam Mason and Fran Derby got the message that nobody wanted to eat food the size of Kit Kats and expanded the portion size; and now, at last, Tailor has thrown in the towel on its pretense of low-key anonymity and put an honest-to-God sign up on the door. What's next? Big-screen TVs? Once the philistines get ahold of you, there's nothing left but prosperity and degradation.
More: NewsFeed  »eben freeman, fran derby, sam mason, tailor, the launch

NewsFeed 

1/16/08

1:15 PM

Nicole Kaplan Leaves Del Posto

Nicole Kaplan: moving on again.Photo: Patrick McMullan

Major developments on the pastry front: Del Posto's head pastry chef, Nicole Kaplan, who soared to fame as the chef at Eleven Madison Park (and, incidentally, as the creator of the Shake Shack's custard), has left the restaurant. We had heard that it was to head the dessert program at the St. Regis Hotel or, possibly, one of its restaurants, but the hotel denies this. (We’re still trying to reach Kaplan.) Del Posto GM Alfredo Ruiz confirms that Kaplan has been gone since January 1, but that her full staff is still in place and doing her menu as before. Co-owner Joe Bastianich says, “The split was amicable, and we wish Nicole nothing but the best in everything she does.” Bastianich added that the restaurant is looking at a couple of people and that, when the hire does happen, it will be “big news.”

Read more»

More: NewsFeed  »alex stupak, claudia fleming, del posto, dessert, jean georges, joe bastianich, johnny iuzzini, karen demasco, nicole kaplan, sam mason

Neighborhood Watch 

12/ 6/07

3:30 PM

Le Bernardin Pastry Chef a Fan of Mason; Tour East Village Dumpling Master's Lair

Astoria: A new wine bar on 35th Avenue at 30th Street called Rest-au-Rant features about 30 wines and beers — from Germany, New Zealand, Hawaii, Belgium, and France. [Joey in Astoria]
Dumbo: Waterstreet Restaurant and Lounge hosts carolers and expects dancing till late tonight as part of a holiday shopping promotion throughout the nabe. [Dumbo NYC]
East Village: A photo tour of the magical workshop of "Sun Le, the dumpling master who makes TKettle’s juicy little masterpieces." [Eat for Victory/VV]
Lower East Side: Le Bernardin pastry chef Michael Laiskonis just had a great meal at Tailor and has "always been a fan of Sam Mason’s food." [Restaurant Girl]
West Village: The Bowery Hotel’s Eric Goode and Sean McPherson are rumored to have closed a deal on another boutique hotel, at an unknown location. [Down by the Hipster]

More: Neighborhood Watch  »astoria, bowery hotel, carolers, dumbo, east village, eric goode, le bernardin, lower east side, michael laiskonis, rest-au-rant, sam mason, sean macpherson, sun le, tailor, tkettle, waterstreet restaurant, west village

Engines of Gastronomy 

11/30/07

5:30 PM

Mr. Recipe Is the Spice Guru to the Chefs

Mr. Recipe: a nondescript figure behind the scenes Photo: Melissa Hom

“If the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted,” Jesus asks in Matthew’s Gospel, and we have to agree: Spices need to bring it in the kitchen, or they shouldn’t be used at all. So when New York’s top chefs want to max out their flavor, they usually turn to the mysterious individual named Mr. Recipe, a one-man spice emporium who supplies the city’s chefs with enormous vanilla beans from Sulawesi and Madagascar, Tellicherry extra-extra-bold black pepper, Ugandan mace, and more. “I've learned a lot from him,” says Mark Ladner of Del Posto. Mr. Recipe handles over a hundred spices, but he started out in the vanilla business, and that’s still his calling card: “He procures the very best vanilla beans, extremely intense. He also has a wonderful ground vanilla bean that is perfect for gelato,” says Alto’s Michael White. (Sam Mason of Tailor is also a huge fan.)

Read more»

More: Engines of Gastronomy  »alto, michael white, mr. recipe, sam mason, tailor

The Other Critics 

11/21/07

10:48 AM

Bruni Closes the Book on Tailor; Allen & Delancey Gets Good, Not Great, Notices

Bruni waited to be the last one to pronounce on Tailor, and his review pretty much recapitulates, albeit in wittier prose and with some much-appreciated Grub Street love, what everyone else has said: erratic brilliance, wee portions, and a killer cocktail program. The result: one star. [NYT]

Allen & Delancey keeps impressing the critics, at least with chef Neil Ferguson's meat mastery. His fish, though, is strictly from hunger, according to Restaurant Girl. [NYDN]

Randall Lane offers one of his most thoughtful and precise reviews of Allen & Delancey, finding fault only in flavor balances and the fact that the place has to close up at midnight. [TONY]

Read more»

More: The Other Critics  »5 ninth, allen and delancey, frank bruni, hakata tonton, pamplona, paul adams, randall lane, restaurant girl, robert sietsema, ruyan sutton, sam mason, tailor

Foodievents 

11/19/07

1:00 PM

Pastry Royalty Performs at Sweet

Johnny Zs plays to the cameras (the dessert was awesome).Photo: Melissa Hom

The city’s top dessert chefs, from Johnny Iuzzini on down, delighted deep-pocketed foodies with their signature confections at Sweet on Friday night. Evian and Ferro Rocher flexed their marketing muscle, dispatching well-formed young people in tight clothes to represent their not especially sexy brands. The pastry aristocracy (Goldfarb, Iuzzini, and Stupak) were all present and accounted for, standing proudly behind space-age-looking creations that tasted even better than they looked. (Only Sam Mason wasn’t around, as someone had to man the stoves at Tailor.) At first we were sort of alarmed: There were obviously many more guests than had originally been intended, for the long, narrow, space, but since cake isn’t combustible, it all seemed safe enough. A body can only take so much chocolate ganache, Champagne, and high-powered pastry cooks crammed into one hall.

Read more»

More: Foodievents  »alex stupak, desserts, johnny iuzzini, sam mason, sweet, tailor, tom colicchio, wichcraft

Mediavore 

10/23/07

10:06 AM

Chodorow's Got Big, Big Plans; Aaron Sanchez Has an Enemy

Jeffrey Chodorow is devising a new megarestaurant for a 15,000-square-foot double-decker space in the Empire Hotel at Broadway and 63rd Street. In other news, Frank Bruni has already given it zero stars. [NYP]

Our pal Aaron Sanchez barely avoided being cut on the Next Iron Chef since according to Bourdain, Alton “Knowlton seems not to have disclosed a prior schoolyard incident with a young Aaron ‘El Guapo’ Sanchez — in which Sanchez (it would appear) bullied him mercilessly. He seemed unnaturally eager to send him packing.” [Ruhlman]

Williamsburg’s Hasidic community has its own street-food truck, but you too can buy the kosher grub. [Eat for Victory/VV]

Read more»

More: Mediavore  »aaron sanchez, cbgb, chodorow, danyelle freeman, iron chef, john varvatos, sam mason, tailor, williamsburg

User's Guide 

9/27/07

3:30 PM

Grub’s Gold: The Best From Year One

Scenes from a year on Grub Street…Photo: Melissa Hom, Lee Balterman/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images

Ah, how time gets away from us! It was only one year ago that Grub Street began. How we long for those innocent days of yore! We poked through our archives, and, while we had to put a few personal favorites aside, here’s our short list of Grub Street’s Greatest Hits.

Read more»

More: User's Guide  »adam platt, anthony bourdain, beatrice, charlie rose, dirty delta, jason neroni, mario batali, red hook, sam mason, tailor, tila tequila

The Launch 

9/ 5/07

2:30 PM

A Trip to Tailor, Camera in Hand

Sam Mason and Fran Derby, back on the job at last.Photos: Josh Ozersky

Having documented nearly every stage of Tailor’s much-delayed development, we couldn’t very well pass up experiencing its promised joys. We attended last night’s soft opening, camera in one hand and Eben Freeman cocktail in the other. The official opening is tonight and the photos are below.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »sam mason, soho, tailor

The Launch 

8/24/07

12:35 PM

Sam Mason's Tailor Revealed to the World

Sam Mason

Sam Mason mixing, pre-Tailor.Photo: Melissa Hom

Isn’t that just the way? Just weeks after we finally give up on Sam Mason, and then go on to have a little sport with him by way of his anonymously blogging portraitist, down comes the plywood on Tailor, with all systems apparently go for an August 30 opening. So reports one of Eater’s anonymous tipsters. But who are we to argue with their own eyes?

BREAKING Plywood Alert: Sam Mason's Tailor Revealed [Eater]

Related: What to Read While You Wait for Tailor to Open — Sam Mason: The Novel
Farewell, Sam Mason. Hello, Tailor

More: The Launch  »sam mason, tailor

NewsFeed 

8/22/07

3:18 PM

What to Read While You Wait for Tailor to Open — Sam Mason: The Novel

Sam Mason

Sam Mason LOVES having his photo taken.Photo: Melissa Hom

If you miss following Sam Mason’s quixotic adventures now that the Launch is kaput, fear not — an anonymous blog Sympathy for the Restaurant Industry is offering “meta-fictional restaurant drama set in present day New York City, served in a convenient serial” and the first story details, in rather purple prose, the agonies of Sean Kasen (sounds kind of like Sam Mason if you mumble it, no?), a young, media-plagued chef opening his first restaurant who is up against “the punishment that comes when you attempt to create something perfect but fail” and also the fact that “being handsome and very talented when you are a chef is a burden.” Oh, the humanity!

Read more»

More: NewsFeed  »blogs, sam mason, sympathy for the restaurant industry, tailor

Mediavore 

8/20/07

10:00 AM

Sam Mason Needs More Money; Hawaiian Tropic Zone Looking for Studly Men With Personality

In an effort to change its image as an “upscale Hooters,” Hawaiian Tropic Zone is hiring a beefy male staff "with personality." [NYDN]

Does Sam Mason need a new financial backer to open Tailor? Those delays cost major cash. [Down by the Hipster]

China has formed a cabinet-level committee to monitor food safety but still calls the national coverage of tainted exports “viciously sensationalized.” [NYT]

Read more»

More: Mediavore  »craftsteak, hawaiian tropic zone, peter lugar, sam mason, southern hospitality, strip house, tailor, view bar, wolfgang's steakhouse

Neighborhood Watch 

8/10/07

3:16 PM

Prepare to Pose With Dumplings in the East Village

East Village: Pose with your favorite dumpling! The Rickshaw Dumpling Bar opening on East 8th Street will feature a black-and-white photo booth. [Eat for Victory/VV]
Hell’s Kitchen: Burgers and Cupcakes has opened Mitchel London Pizza next door. [Eater]
Lower East Side: Sam Mason may have plans to serve brown-butter whiskey at Tailor. [Down by the Hipster]
Soho: Yes, that is a yo-yo in the pocket of Balthazar executive chef Riad Nasr, and he plays with it between platings. [Downtown Express]
West Village: Pinkberry accused of seeking world domination for plans to open not just a new location on Sixth Avenue, but two others in the city in addition its four already thriving stores. [Gothamist]

More: Neighborhood Watch  »balthazar, burgers and cupcakes, east village, fort greene, hell's kitchen, lower east side, mitchel london pizza, pinkberry, red velvet cake, riad nasr, rickshaw dumpling bar, sam mason, soho, tailor, west village

NewsFeed 

8/ 6/07

9:00 AM

Room 4 Dessert Is Dead, Long Live Room 4 Dessert

Wait, so it's not re-opening soon? What about this hastily-written note then? Photo: Melissa Hom

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.”

Read more»

More: NewsFeed  »degustation wine and food bar, desserts, momofuku ssam bar, pichet ong, pong, room 4 dessert, sam mason, tailor, will goldfarb

The Launch 

7/27/07

1:00 PM

Farewell, Sam Mason. Hello, Tailor

It’s time we finally admitted it: Our winding journey with Sam Mason has come to an end. Construction crews told a Grub Street staffer that the Tailor people plan for an August 6 opening. There might be some truth to this: The date’s not all that far off from the official “mid-August” projection we were recently given, and frankly, we’d sooner believe the laborers than publicists nervous over a massively hyped opening day. And so, we present this album of the magical moments we shared with Mason as he chased the dream of Tailor. If nothing else, we’ll have the memories.

Earlier: Sam Mason Has Maybe a Month or So to Visit Fire Island
The Launch

More: The Launch, VideoFeed  »desserts, openings, sam mason, soho, tailor

The Launch 

6/14/07

3:40 PM

Sam Mason Has Maybe a Month or So to Visit Fire Island

You'd look satisfied too if you'd waited this long for a kitchen.Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »jennifer leuzzi, sam mason, soho, tailor

The Launch 

5/24/07

9:00 AM

Sam Mason Parties Like Rock Star, Gets Meta

We should have the plastic off in about a week or so … Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »sam mason, soho, tailor, wylie dufresne

The Launch 

5/10/07

9:00 AM

Sam Mason Knows an A-hole When He Meets One

Post no bills, and hire no jerks.Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »james beard awards, sam mason, soho, tailor

The Launch 

5/ 3/07

9:00 AM

Sam Mason Doesn’t Find Wine Intoxicating

We will sell no wine until...um....Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »cocktails, eben freeman, sam mason, soho, tailor, wine

Mediavore 

4/27/07

10:00 AM

Alain Ducasse Hates Molecular Gastronomy; BLT Market Pushed Back to August

Alain Ducasse speaks out on his restaurants, his rivalry with Joël Robuchon, and the challenge of running a global empire. But his most pointed remarks are about molecular gastronomy: “I prefer to be able to identify what I’m eating.” [Bloomberg]

BLT Market, Laurent Tourondel’s entry into the Haute Barnyard sweepstakes, has been pushed back to August. [RG]

“Hipster chef” Sam Mason’s new Internet TV show gets love in the Daily News, which swooningly describes him as “witty, goateed and extremely good-looking.” But you already knew that. [NYDN]
Related: The Launch

Read more»

More: Mediavore  »alain ducasse, blt market, brooklyn pigfest, foie gras, gordon ramsay at the london, haute barnyard, sam mason, the food network, top chef

The Launch 

4/26/07

9:00 AM

Sam Mason Ogles Waitresses, Buys Tiles

"There were some very, very attractive women. I had to leave."Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »craig's list, sam mason, soho, tailor

Click and Save 

4/24/07

2:15 PM

Rock-Star Recipes!

Photo courtesy of Hyperion Books

You may recall that restaurant-launching chef Sam Mason stars in an Internet show called Dinner With the Band, where he teaches tricks of the trade to participating musicians. Intrigued by this concept, we wondered what other rockers eat. How handy are they in the kitchen — or in the parking lot, as the case may be — without the help of a professional? Kara Zuaro, editor of the Brooklyn Record, has the answers in her new book, I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen With Your Favorite Bands, a collection of recipes she gathered from musicians at festivals, bars, and friends’ homes. There’s wild-boar ragù from the Violet Femmes, semi-raw everyday pasta from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, buttermilk pie from Okkervil River, and much, much more. After the jump, Grub Street provides a taste of a few New York favorites.

Read more»

More: Click and Save  »kara zuaro, recipe, sam mason

Neighborhood Watch 

4/19/07

3:18 PM

Sam Mason Is Hiring in Soho

Chelsea: Taste from over 400 wines plus eats from Alfama and Tintol at Vini Portugal, tonight at Pier 60's Lighthouse. [Slow Food USA]
Columbus Circle: Bouchon Bakery to beef up its menu starting tomorrow with the addition of Waygu sliders. [A Hamburger Today]
Park Slope: Whole Foods marks its toxic territory. [The Gowanus Lounge]
Soho: Sam Mason is hiring [Eat for Victory/VV]
Tribeca: Mai House will launch a late-night menu of dishes under $10 served after 10 p.m. starting April 25. [Myriad Restaurant Group] Tonight, Centrico is closed for a private party. [Grub Street]

More: Neighborhood Watch  »alfama, bouchon bakery, centrico, lighthouse, mai house, sam mason, sliders, tintol, vini portugal, whole foods

Mediavore 

4/19/07

10:12 AM

New York Is Tops; More Sam Mason

New York named the nation's top restaurant city, based on total restaurants, number of internationally known fine-dining places, “a wide segment of second-tier restaurants,” and more. [MSNBC]

The shuttered Tonic holds a press conference at the steps of City Hall to demand the protection of cultural venues. [Gothamist]

Ed Levine goes inside Esca as they await yesterday's Times review. [Serious Eats]

Read more»

More: Mediavore  »chanterelle, david waltuck, ed levine, esca, frank bruni, gordon ramsay, heston blumenthal, sam mason, the fat duck, tonic

The Launch 

4/19/07

9:00 AM

Sam Mason Gets His Own Special Island

You haven't been using this oven, right?Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»

More: The Launch  »gordon ramsay at the london, openings, sam mason, soho, tailor

In the Magazine 

4/16/07

11:00 AM

Chefs Try to Take It to the Next Level in This Week’s Issue

The new, improved Gramercy Tavern.Photo: Credit: RJ Mickelson/Veras for New York Magazine

Five established chefs take center stage in this week’s issue – or six, if you count Kurt Gutenbrunner, who, per In Season, has a way with white asparagus. The others? Michael Anthony, the Blue Hill Haute Barnyard prodigy who stepped into Tom Colicchio’s shoes at Gramercy Tavern; Christopher Lee, a major rising talent who filled big shoes at Gilt; Kerry Simon, a Las Vegas–based Vongerichten lieutenant who is now doing the food for a giant karaoke bar; and finally Marco Canora and Asian dessert master Pichet Ong, whose long-awaited debuts, Insieme and P*Ong, respectively, open this week. All this star power, along with two short lists that couldn’t be more different, awaits in this week’s magazine.

Read more»

More: In the Magazine  »christopher lee, gilt, gramercy tavern, insieme, kerry simon, kurt gutenbrunner, marco canora, michael anthony, p*ong, pichet ong, room 4 dessert, sam mason, spotlight live, tailor, tom colicchio

The Launch 

4/12/07

9:00 AM

Sam Mason Joins a Molecular Secret Society

Three mad scientists: from left, Sam Mason, Wylie Dufresne, and Will Goldfarb.Photo: Melissa Hom

Welcome to the latest installment of the Launch, where Sam Mason, former pastry chef at wd-50, relates the ups and downs of preparing to open Tailor, the swanky restaurant and lounge coming together at 525 Broome Street.

Read more»