Gourmet Gossip: August 2015

In this great dining city of ours, barely a day passes without news of an exciting new restaurant opening, a devastating closing, a shocking chef shuffle, or a groundbreaking, must-try dish.  That’s why we’re keeping you apprised of the industry’s most noteworthy bits and bites — from April Bloomfield’s big deal burger spot to Telepan’s celebratory prix fixe, and B&H Dairy’s long-awaited relaunch.

Burger Blockbuster: Brooks Headley may be rocking the meat-free burger world with his veggie sandwiches at Superiority Burger, but the patty queen herself, April Bloomfield, is about to bring the beef in a big way, per her just-announced plans for Salvation Burger.  Slated to open in the Pod hotel (alongside Bloomfield’s Mexican venture, Salvation Taco), the spot won’t attempt to replicate the revered hamburgers at The Spotted Pig and The Breslin, but instead, will offer wood-grilled short rib and brisket burgers, as well as all-American smashed-style patties, layered with cheddar cheese and mustard on sesame seed-studded potato buns, all made in-house.

A Passage to India: David Chang never rests on his laurels for long.  Which is why, shortly after nearly inciting riots over chicken sandwiches at Fuku, he’s worked New Yorkers into a frenzy once again with Ruth Krishna’s — a joke restaurant advertised in his magazine, Lucky Peach, which he (and collaborator Akhtar Nawab), decided to make real.  But only on September 17th, that is — and its no surprise that tickets to the pop-up dinner sold out in literally less than a minute, with Chang acolytes chomping at the bit to try Indian steakhouse inventions, like Tandoori Ribeye, Biryani Onion Rings, and Creamed Saag Paneer. But being that Chang isn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth, additional nights are bound to be announced in the future, so you might want to keep your trigger finger on the OpenTable app.

Going Back to Cali: If your memories of the 1980’s involve the reign of Jonathan Waxman, preaching the gospel of California cuisine, rather than leg warmers and Spandex, get ready for a serious flashback — because the laid-back chef just revived his seminal restaurant, Jams, this week.  Located in 1 Hotel Central Park, the trappings of the 100-seat eatery may be decidedly modern, but the menu is strikingly similar to the original, which happens to be a very good thing!  Think Pancakes with red pepper, smoked salmon and corn sauce, Charcoal-Grilled Chicken with tarragon butter, and even meringue-spiked Baked Alaska.

Dairy Do-Over: After suffering terrible damage after the Second Avenue explosion back in March, the iconic B&H Dairy is once again serving Egg Sandwiches on housemade challah, cheddar cheese and apple-studded Omelets, Potato Pancakes, Stuffed Cabbage, and other kosher, vegetarian fare to its longtime supporters in the East Village.  And thank goodness for that, because 70-year-old restaurants (where you can get a massive breakfast for $6, a massive lunch for $7, and a massive dinner for $8) are hardly a dime a dozen in New York.

Telepan Throwback: In celebration of its tenth anniversary, farm-to-table pioneer, Telepan, is offering its signature tasting menu for the very same price as when they launched; all the way back in 2005.  Which means, for the very reasonable dinner-time price of only $45 for three-courses, or $55 for four, you can enjoy classic dishes like House-Smoked Brook Trout with corn blini, Southern-Style Heritage Pork with red beans and rice, and Tristar Strawberry Granita Parfait, layered with toasted anise cream, almonds, and bubbly prosecco.

Seafood Shack: The ever-enterprising Shake Shack recently attempted to one-up Fuku, with its very own top-selling chicken sandwich.  And now, Danny Meyer’s unstoppable fast food franchise is looking to take one last bite out of summer, by cannily combining two of the most iconic eats of the season — char-grilled hamburgers and New England-style lobster rolls.  For only $8.99, the ingenious “Surf n’ Shack” burger comes topped not just with lettuce and tomato, but a healthy portion of lobster salad as well, featuring Maine shellfish sourced from Homarus, tossed with Shake Shack’s special sauce.  But before you start queuing up at your nearest outpost, here’s the bum news; the burgers are only being offered at Boston locations, as well as shops in already lobster roll-blessed Connecticut.