Free Tequila in Tribeca TonightAstoria: The Greek Orthodox feast of St. Irene Chrysovalantou began on Thursday but will continue through the weekend with celebrations and copious amounts of street food. [Joey in Astoria]
Harlem: House of Seafood may be the next victim of “adverse possession,” by which small business are being pushed out by property managers to make way for gentrification. [Amsterdam News via Uptown Flavor]
Meatpacking District: 4foodies, an online community site, is launching with a dinner Tuesday at 5 Ninth that includes a meet-and-greet with the chef. [4Foodies]
Midtown East: The new Pret a Manger on Madison between 48th and 49th Streets is giving away a limited supply of free prepackaged lunches today to promote Monday’s official opening. [Grub Street] Sherry-Lehmann wine store is orchestrating a move from its longtime home at 679 Madison Avenue to Park and 59th; the plywood covering the construction is a fabulous shade of plum. [Lost City]
Prospect Heights: Vanderbilt Avenue now boasts an old-fashioned ice-cream shop, the Old Brooklyn Parlor, that offers contemporary flavors like ginger crème brûlée. [Eat for Victory/ VV]
Tribeca: Tonight at Brandy Library from 6 to 8 p.m., David Suro hosts a free tasting of Tequilas Siembra Azul. [Brandy Library]
Upper East Side: Multiple local bars are registered for BuyYourFriendADrink.com, a service that allows you to purchase drinks and bar tabs in advance online. [Upper East Side Informer]
Williamsburg: A new Pinkberry clone joins the fro-yo fray on Driggs Avenue near North 9th Street with a mango lassi flavor standing in for green tea. [Eater]
Neighborhood Watch
Bondage and Brownies Together at Last in Soho on SundayAstoria: Time Cafe at 44-18 Broadway will have a jazz brunch Sunday. [Joey in Astoria]
Midtown East: In line with its plans for a New York expansion of immense proportions, Pret A Manger is opening a store on Madison at 49th Street. [Grub Street]
Soho: Use up all your indulgences on Mercer Street this Sunday when the Treats Truck sidles up next to Babeland. [The Treats Truck]
Southampton: You might consider dropping the name of Dune nightclub co-owner and cheesemonger Matt Schendell if you want to get in. [Down by the Hipster]
Tribeca: The grand opening of the new pub and restaurant Harrison Tavern on Chambers Street at West Broadway has revealed drab lighting, green-checked tablecloths, and a extensive menu of bar food that includes a ranch-chicken pizza. [Grub Street]
Mediavore
Pret a Manger Set for Huge Expansion Here; Ramsay Bans BluefinBritish sandwich chain Pret a Manger is launching an expansion of Starbucks-like proportions, announcing plans to open 33 more locations in New York — four times the current number. “If New York could support one on every corner, we’d love that,” the company’s head says. [NYS]
Related: Out to Lunch [NYM]
Urged by the Marine Conservation Society, Gordon Ramsay pulls endangered bluefin tuna from all his restaurants. [NRN]
The Department of Health’s current closure rampage continues with Union Picnic in Williamsburg, Café Angelique, and J’adore in Manhattan. [Eater]
The New York Diet
Singer-Actress Anika Noni Rose Doesn’t Fear Ferocious Pies and
When Connecticut native and Tony Award–winning singer-actress Anika Noni Rose — best known for playing Lorrell in Dreamgirls — visited New York as a child, her parents took her to restaurants like the Russian Tea Room and Sign of the Dove. “I had quail there for the first time,” she recalls of the latter, “and they had a bread pudding that was out of control.” Her education in food wasn’t lost on her— even this week as she rehearsed for a benefit at Carnegie Hall and put the finishing touches on her work in the upcoming miniseries The Starter Wife, the Inwood resident made time for phenomenal comfort food, ferocious lemon-meringue pie, and a certain doughy treat that she insists is “the best thing in the world.”
