What You Missed at Taste of the NationWith great food and a committed sense of duty from the chefs, Taste of the Nation made for one of L.A.’s best tasting events of the year.
It’s an Especially Edible Easter This YearMuch as we enjoy Peeps (who doesn’t?), New York is a mighty big town, and there’s plenty of room for other, better Easter treats. Submitted for your approval, then: a slideshow of some of the best the city has to offer, from the likes of Jacques Torres, Bouchon Bakery, and One Girl Cookies.
Neighborhood Watch
Live Poultry Not Live for Long in Woodside; Champagne at ParadouDumbo: 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]
Mediavore
Jenna Jameson Does Chinatown; Nobu’s Fish Not That ExclusiveJenna “ex-porn honey-turned-businesswoman” Jameson and Heatherette designer Richie Rich plan to open a nightclub/clothing shop in Chinatown next year called the General Store. [NYP]
Part-owner of the Waverly Inn and Maritime Hotel Eric Goode enjoys retreating to small-town Ojai in California. [NYT]
Nobu executive chef Mark Edwards reveals not only that the restaurant’s infamous black cod is actually sablefish (which is so not endangered), but also that he can’t stand the dish anymore after tasting it day after day. [Bloomberg]
Mediavore
Citywide Truffle Shortage; A New Eastside Fro-Yo FoeA citywide truffle shortage can explain why “the Waverly Inn jacked up the price of its infamous truffle-topped mac & cheese from $55 to $85. The dish was an amusing punch line at $55; at $85, it’s just obscene.” [NYP]
Related: Le Cirque Bids High for Monster Truffle
Bruni eschews all the courtesies one suffers at the dinner table, which he refers to as restaurantspeak: “Would I ‘enjoy coffee with dessert?’ I don’t know; it depends how good the coffee is. I’ll have some, yes, then we’ll see.” [NYT]
FR.OG has now lost Jean Georges alum chef Didier Virot to the Plaza’s new restaurant-to-be, the Palm Court, set to open later this year. [Diner’s Journal/NYT]
Neighborhood Watch
Jacques Torres Cocoa Will Get You Hot; Artisanal Bringing Cheesy Bites toDumbo: Jacques Torres’s Wicked Hot Chocolate is so good it will put you in the mood like “six gin and tonics.” [NYPress via Dumbo NYC]
Fort Greene: Seventeen-year-old African restaurant Keur N’Deye has closed. [Eating in Translation via Eater]
Midtown East: Terrence Brennan instated a bar menu at Artisanal this week that includes smoked paprika popcorn and grilled cheese bites. [Strong Buzz]
Upper West Side: The All State Café had a different name in 1973 when a teacher was brutally murdered after coming in for a drink but still survived until last night when the storied space closed due to rising rents. [NYT]
Williamsburg: The director of King Corn Aaron Woolf is a partner in Lodge restaurant and has decided to open a Slow Food natural market called Urban Rustic, on the edge of McCarren Park, by Thanksgiving. [Brooklyn Based]
Neighborhood Watch
Williamsburg’s Aurora Opening in Soho ThursdayDumbo: Restaurants and shops including Bubby’s and Jacques Torres Chocolate will celebrate Mother’s Day by offering brunch specials and discounts. [Dumbo Improvement District] Or just bring Mom to the Brooklyn Pigfest, also held this Saturday, for all-you-can-eat barbecue. [Brooklyn Record]
Midtown West: City Club Hotel guests are no longer the only patrons of the DB Bistro Moderne breakfast; morning service is now open to the public. [Grub Street]
Soho: Williamsburg Roman favorite Aurora is opening a 60-seat branch on 510 Broome Street on Thursday. [Grub Street]
West Village: Property managers of the former Movida space have high hopes of bringing in a Starbucks. [Gawker]
Neighborhood Watch
So Much for Eating Year-Round in Union SquareClinton Hill: A brewery on Waverly Avenue hopes to start bottling Kelso beer. [Clinton Hill Blog]
Coney Island: The Slice pizza club convenes on April 15 at Totonno’s. Catch: You have to ride the Cyclone before you chow. [Slice]
Lower East Side: A sneak preview inspires Whole Foods envy: The new one on Houston puts the original Chelsea location in the shade. [Snack]
Prospect Lefferts Gardens: The deli on Washington Avenue is getting renovated; neighbors hope that more than just sugar and water will be for sale. [across the park]
Sheepshead Bay: Grillin’ by the Bay, the city’s only Kansas City Barbecue Society–sanctioned BBQ contest, to be held Saturday. And this year, you’ll actually be able to eat the stuff. [NYDN]
Tribeca: Brunch plans rocked as the Department of Health shutters Kitchenette; also, Bubby’s on its way out. [Eater] Jacques Torres making dark-chocolate-covered peeps for those who didn’t already find them conducive to throwing up in church. [DailyCandy]
Union Square: Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe says there’s no chance of a year-round restaurant when the park’s north end gets overhauled. [Daily Intel]
Upper West Side: Ollie’s Noodle Shop workers take their protest to the next level with a hot-shot lawyer. [Daily Intel]
Williamsburg: A sign spotted earlier this week in the window of Brick Oven Gallery said they would reopen today after renovations — but a disconnected phone seems to tell a different story. [Grub Street]
Restaurant Sues Critic and Wins; A Study of Pizza for PesosGood news for Jeffrey Chodorow: A restaurant owner in Ireland has successfully sued a critic’s publication for giving him a bad review. [BBC]
A Texas pizzeria riled anti-immigration types with a pesos-for-pizza stunt. This subsequent essay is part marketing communications, part sociology. [NYT]
Fun interview with Drew Nieporent. Question: Is his favorite low-end restaurant really the random Benito’s II in Little Italy? [NYT]
