Gourmet Gossip: March 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 the crumbling of the Terroir dynasty, to the launch of Martha Stewart’s long-awaited cafe.

It’s A Good Thing: Not only can New York lay claim to the Martha Stewart of Greece (i.e., Maria Loi, of Loi Estiatorio in Midtown), but we currently have access to the domestic goddess herself, now that Martha Stewart has finally opened an eponymous coffee cafe, right by her offices in the Starrett-Lehigh building.  Granted, she probably has a slew of interns to fetch danish and espresso for her, but you can still avail yourself of all manner of Martha-branded items, such as “Martha’s Blend” Decaf and tasty Bien Cuit pastries, “hand-selected” by the media maven herself.

Brotherly Love: Philadelphia’s food scene is about a whole lot more than cheesesteaks nowadays.  And one of its most notable new establishments is High Street on Market, which has been met, in just the last two years, with a slew of accolades (Torrisi alum Eli Kulp was crowned “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine; baker Alex Bois is a James Beard semifinalist; and the eatery was dubbed the second “best new restaurant” in the country by Bon Appétit).  And luckily for New York, we’re about to get a taste of what the City of Brotherly Love has to offer, when an outpost of High Street opens this fall in the former Corsino space.  Expect breakfast, lunch and dinner service, as well as an attached bread bakery, selling —not cheesesteaks — but classic Philly-style Roast Pork and Broccoli Rabe sandwiches, piled on Bois’ much lauded bread.

Toast of the Town: We recently explored New York’s unlikely toast trend, and it looks like the city is going to get another major contender in the bougie bread game.  We’re talking about none other than Dominique Ansel — who appears to have a number of savory tricks up his sleeve for his upcoming bakery in the West Village.  A recent Instagram photo revealed twin hunks of ebony Squid Ink Brioche, injected with mushroom béchamel, and topped with mashed potatoes, confit egg yolks and parmesan.  Not the most attractive thing to ever come out of Ansel’s kitchen, but yeah, we’d totally hit that.

In the Clubhouse: Mercurial chef John Tesar (who cemented his bad boy reputation on “Top Chef,” has been referred to as “The Most Hated Chef in Dallas,” and famously banned critics from his Texas restaurant, Knife) will actually be in residence at Food & Wine’s Chefs Club on March 24 and 25.  Guests will enjoy a seven-course dinner featuring Live Diver Scallop with brown butter, dashi and shaved black truffle, Butter-poached King Crab, and Morcilla with Uni.  But if you actually don’t enjoy it?  Best to keep your opinion to yourself.

Top Baller: Michael Chernow may have made his name on meatballs (as co-owner of the Meatball Shop), but he’s just set his sights a little higher.  Seamore’s, his planned Nolita restaurant, will focus on (as per the name), seafood, with a menu featuring Ceviche, Fish and Chips, Po’boys and Fish Tacos, along with locally sourced specials such as Sea Bream and Sea Robin.  Sounds significantly more refined than a Bucket O’ Balls.

Reign of Terroir: Marco Canora has definitely been in opening mode since splitting with longtime partner, Paul Grieco (he just launched Fifty Paces, a seasonal share plates spot, in the Terroir East Village space).  But even though he retained the lion’s share of the Terroir dynasty, Grieco appears less than committed to preserving the line of wine bars, recently shuttering the Murray Hill outpost (Park Slope’s branch folded last summer).  The Tribeca location remains as Terroir HQ for now, but the golden days of Beet and Gorgonzola Rice Balls and Happy Hour pours of sherry (for only $2.50!) may be seriously numbered.