Gourmet Gripe
Dear Restaurant Girl, “Hi, can I make a reservation for 2 for dinner please? Sure, we can offer you 4:30pm or 12:15am.” What planet are these people from?? That is earlier than the early bird special for Ethel and Ira in Miami Beach. And who sits down for dinner at 12:15am? Seriously. How about they just say we are booked and do away with these wasteland time offerings. It is so silly and obnoxious. Normally when they offer me these times I say I will take both….. G DAWG Isn’t it fun to get things off your chest? Complaining can be very fulfilling, so keep ’em coming. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreUES Gets Sauced
The newest addition to the gimmicky food set has me recalling Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally) demanding, "I want the sauce, but only if it’s on the side." A restaurant that actually wants to put up with New York City’s most high maintenance. God bless him: Saucy’s chef, Simon Mann, plans to lure fickle ladies with a build-it-yourself, mix & match menu. Well, there’s certainly no better neighborhood to open this type of joint than on the Upper East Side. Post-pilates or the exercise class du jour, starved females can retreat to the 75-seat space, outfitted with a mirror & burlap-bag festooned ceiling and black-leather banquettes, to graze on organic chicken, filet mignon or pasta with a choice of fifty globally-inspired sauces: anchovy, tandoori, calamari and a French grenadine sauce. But the most curious offering is a garlic,...
Read MoreDevin Tavern’s Spring Cleaning
For Devin Tavern, spring cleaning apparently means more than just cleaning out a closet or seasonally updating the menu. Chef Christoper Dunn has officially been “let go”: gone is the “rustic” American menu and sadly those chocolate-covered potato chips I did so adore. Alas, hopefuly chef Derrick Styczek (River Cafe) will cushion the blow with his modern american cooking. Not one single dish has made the cut onto the new menu, which features the likes of short rib ragu and king crab flat iron steak – apparently a NYC first. Out with the old and in with new pastry chef James Distefano, who’s doing the retro thing: double chocolate cake, mixed berry cobbler and a slow-roasted pineapple upside down cake. It seems the slow-roasting trend has snuck its way into desserts. Whether the new menu’s worth a trip to...
Read MorePizza Paired
Fancy this…it seems a beer isn’t worthy of the almighty slice these days. Then again, what do you expect when you enlist Gourmet Magazine’s wine aficionado to tweak the wine list at a pizza joint? While obsessed oenephiles have been scientifically pairing pizza & wine for decades, it’s only in the past few years that restaurants like Batali-Bastianich’s Otto & Vincent Scotto’s Gonzo have come along to introduce aggressive wine programs. Michael Ayoub’s Cronkite Pizzeria & Wine Bar, a LES subterranean pizza place with inventively topped pies, has just launched a new wine menu and with it, a wine flight. Wine expert Michael Green has apparently taken his cue from the pizza menu, which is uniquely organized according to generation: classic, regional & modern. Essentially – the older the pie, the less trappings. For example, a margherita pizza would...
Read MoreDebut Gripe
It has recently come to my attention that too many a restaurant grievance goes unaired: an all too apathetic server, a half-thawed hen, a mortgage-your-meal check. After my inbox reached capacity for the 11th time, I have finally decided to make two changes. First, I finally purchased more email space, so feel free to gripe away. But more importantly, hereon forward I will now post the most noteworthy or glaring offenses in a weekly column, deemed Gourmet Gripes. It’s official. Thus, you stand warned that when you beef, it will go public. Seeing as I only enacted the new policy this week, I’ll happily be the first to throw an objection into the mix. Behold, my greatest dining displeasure – the unisex bathroom. While I prayed this trend would die out, it seems all too alive and well. Case...
Read MoreSo You Think You Can Cook…
Apparently now you can prove it on The Food Network’s newest series, “Ultimate Recipe Showdown”. The latest in reality tv could potentially skyrocket you into instant foodie fame…for only fifteen minutes of course. Here’s how this colossal cook-off breaks down: CHICKEN – Whole, Fried and Soups & Stews CAKES – Chocolate, Birthday and Cupcakes COOKIES – Chocolate Chip, Spice and Bar PASTA – Spaghetti & Meatballs, Lasagna and Stuffed COMFORT FOOD – Sandwiches, Mac & Cheese and Chili BURGERS – Beef, Poultry and Seafood/Veggie The top nine entries in all six categories will then compete on-air for $10,000 and the title. It’s anyone’s game, so submit your food gems at Ultimate Recipe. Never mind recipes, I wonder if they’re looking for the ultimate judge… Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreTribeca Film Festival Dinner Winner
Lynne Sun has won a $100 gift certificate for dinner at Devin Tavern and two tickets to Tribeca Film Festival’s closing premiere of “The Gates” on Saturday, May 5th! There’s still time to hobnob with Hollywood’s elite, just visit to purchase tickets. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreUncle Jack’s Steakhouse
What was once Juniper Suite, a bi-level space in midtown, is soon to become Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse. But before we prematurely jump ahead, I think it only appropriate to first pay our respects to the dearly departed. Juniper Suite will be remembered for its foreshadowingly cutesy, “Finger, Fork, Spoon” menu: let this be a lesson to all restaurateurs to beware of gimmicks at all costs. And lest we not forget owner Jerri Banks, a NYT self-proclaimed “cocktail stylist” (a cringe-worthy label), and perhaps a self-inflicted curse. But we won’t dwell in the past. New life stirs in the vacant space and it appears to be another offshoot of Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse. Jack was serving Kobe beef before it was in vogue & now out (yes, I do declare it out). In fact, Uncle Jack loyalists have been gnawing on...
Read MoreBLT Market Delayed
While the signage teases a spring awakening for BLT Market at The Ritz Carlton, all signs point to NO. Laurent Tourondel’s newest stint, a greenmarket homage, has been pushed back to late August. A blow to midtowners and tourists alike patiently awaiting its arrival, there is good news: outdoor dining for thirty-five. Sure, it’s cement sidewalk seating with a view onto Central Park and horse-drawn “carriage to carriage” traffic, but in Manhattan we happily call that dining al fresco. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s...
Read MoreWine. Dine. Donate.
Epicurious.com ushers in Hunger Awareness Day with a weeklong series of fund-raising dinners at some of the country’s top restaurants. What better place to launch than in New York City at Blue Hill (one of my personal favorites), Dan Barber’s ode to the Greenmarket & his own garden at Stone Farms. Tanya Steel, editor-in chief of Epicurious, will graciously host the June 4th kickoff dinner benefiting the Food Bank of New York. To purchase tickets for the prix fixe dinner at Blue Hill, visit Epicurious.com. Blue Hill 75 Washington Place 212.539.1776 Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to Subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreThe Insatiable Critic Goes Soft
Finally available in paperback, Gael Greene dishes on what she ate and what she did between meals during the four decades that America was falling in love with food and becoming the most food-obsesed nation in the world. And to think it began with a fried egg sandwich that afternoon in Elvis’s hotel suite… Forget investing in a hard cover of this saucy tell-all, Gael’s gone soft for $13.99 available almost everywhere. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl *Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl’s Weekly...
Read MoreTribeca Film Festival
Sundance who? Tribeca’s got its own film festival with hands-down better fare. And even Hollywood’s vanguard has to eat (well, maybe not the slender starlets). VIP tickets come with your own personal dining concierge & special reservations at some of Tribeca’s finest. In celebration of this week’s festival, Tribeca Film Festival & Devin Tavern are graciously giving away a $100 gift certificate to the 50th person to email me at restaurantgirl@restaurantgirl.com! LIST OF PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS • Blaue Gans (German, Austrian) 139 Duane St, btwn. W. Broadway & Church Sts. 212.571.8880 • Cafe Sabarsky (Austrian) 1048 5th Avenue, at 86th St. 212.288.0665 • Devin Tavern (American) 363 Greenwich Street, btwn. Franklin & Harrison Sts. 212.334.7337 • Dylan Prime (American) 62 Laight St., at Greenwich St. 212.334.4783 • Megu New York (Japanese) 62 Thomas, btwn....
Read MoreHog Wild at Mai House
Come the stroke of ten, Drew Nieporent & Michael Bao Huynh’s latest riff on Modern Vietnamese, suddenly becomes a downright deal with a new 10 After 10 PM menu. While Michael’s dinnertime fare successfully elevates regional Vietnamese to a plane of elegance, the 10 After 10 PM brings it right back to its “down & dirty” beginnings in the markets of Saigon. Blissfully peppered with wild game, pork and hog, not one of these late-night plates exceeds ten dollars: BBQ quail with sticky rice, corn & coconut fritters, lemon grass short ribs and pork buns. But the true tour de force here is the “Mai Burger”, Bao’s exotic take on the patty; beef marinated in a fish stock & sugar mixture, then piled high with a pickled assemblage of daikon, carrots, cilantro, and mint. Lest we not forget the...
Read MoreBalthazar Celebrates its 10th Anniversary Today
Keith McNally’s classic French, Balthazar, became an instant success from the moment he opened the doors to this fashionably-outfitted Soho destination. With ten years now under its belt, a separate VIP reservation line for the privileged few and a healthy all-day clientele, McNally celebrates the milestone of his baby. In honor of its tenth anniversary, Balthazar will serve complimentary glasses of champagne at breakfast as well as an entire bottle of bubbly for both lunch & dinner crowds. With Balthazar, Pastis, Schiller’s Liquor Bar and most recently Morandi – McNally’s newest addition to his food fold with partner chef, Chef Jody Williams – McNally has finally ventured outside his French “comfort zone” to boldly try his hand at recreating an authentic rustic Italian vibe in the West Village. After disappointing reviews from NYM’s Adam Platt & NYP’s Steve Cuozzo,...
Read MoreLCB J.J. Rachou
“The old grey mare, she ain’t what she used to be,” I peculiarly hummed – yes I admit to humming – as I wandered past celebrated midtowner, LCB J.J. Rachou. The restaurant formerly known as La Cote Basque has been “closed for renovation” for over a week. One of the last French haunts to embrace such classics as pike quenelles, vichyssoise, escargot and good old, artery-clogging cream sauces, the aged space received a much-needed makeover in 2004. No doubt an attempt to morph itself into a hipper dining destination for the 21st century, it was also renamed LCB J.J. Rachou. Yet even with the reinvention, it lacked a certain joie de vivre that had come to be expected from the elegant bistro, recalling a Broadway show that had overstayed its run. While the present signage out front reads “Closed...
Read MoreFR.OG
FR.OG (of French Origin) – Liquor License Achieved OPEN FOR BUSINESS – April 24th A busy day for restaurant openings, it seems FR.OG will celebrate its opening Monday, April 23rd, officially open to the public at large on Tuesday, April 24th. Fashionably located across from Balthazar, Philip Kirsh & chef Didier Virot’s French-bent downtown venture will play host to 120 guests in a two-level space. By way of an open kitchen, you can even watch the handsome Virot create French, Lebanese and Moroccan delicacies: sardine tart, canelloni of lamb, roasted lobster with almonds and honey, and duck leg in pastilla. 71 Spring St., btwn. Broadway & Lafayette Sts....
Read MoreMERCAT – OPEN FOR BUSINESS
MERCAT At long last, Mercat will finally open Tuesday, April 17th! After a month-long delay due to gas issues with the city, the 90-seat tapas bar stage is set and hopefully ready for primetime. Native Barcelonian Jaime Reixach plans to dish out Catalan-bent small plates, homemade sangrias and an exclusively Spanish wine list. Through the subway-tiled kitchen, diners be able to watch chefs David Seigal (Bouley) & Ryan Lowder (Jean Georges) in action. With fish stew & pork belly with brussel sprouts , Mercat has the potential to make waves in the vogue pursuit of tapas. Stay tuned for first bites… 45 Bond St., btwn. Lafayette & Broadway 212-529-8600 OPEN FOR BUSINESS Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl Updates**...
Read MoreLandmarc – Delivery
Ladies and gentlemen, this is delivery at its finest. Behold, what I ate for lunch… What was once a delivery ghost town just may have changed forever this fine Nor’easter afternoon as Landmarc was transported to my midtown doorstep in just under forty five minutes. Not bad for opening day. While I’ve never had tartare of any kind delivered, I tempted a chunky salmon tartare, washed in a lively dijon mustard and handsomely speckled with zesty lemon confit & fleur de sel. Monday’s rigatoni alla genovese arrived blissfully sauced with an unusually soothing walnut-spiked pesto. I’d say the real estate value in these parts just went up. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl...
Read MoreLandmarc Lands at Time Warner Center
Landmarc10 Columbus Circle, 3rd floor (TWC)Hours: Open 7 days a week 7am-11pm.212.823.6123DELIVERY – 646.437.3200 Landmarc uptown officially opens today – finally. With the success. Landing a prime location in the Time Warner Center, Landmarc will now rub elbows with Cafe Gray, Masa, Porterhouse NY and Per Se. That’s not too shabby for a Tribeca bistro with humble beginnings. While deemed a "neighborhood spot", Marc Murphy & wife Pamela Schein Murphy’s Landmarc earned deserved praise for both its New American fare & unpretentious vibe, fast becoming a dining destination. To boot, Murphy boasts a wine list with a mere 30% markup, a practical steal in a city where 100% markups are par for the course. With an industrial chic space & 300 seats, this is a jackpot for midtowners. Landmarc’s menu remains intact: smoked mozzarella & ricotta fritters, pumpkin &...
Read MoreGordon Ramsay Throws a Tantrum: Oscar-worthy Performance
It’s not everyday you witness a chef making a scene in front of a packed dining room. But that was NYC pre-Gordon Ramsay’s invasion. On my way home from Time Out’s Eat Out Awards last night, I literally caught Ramsay throwing a fit through the window of Nirvana Restaurant at Dillon’s on West 54th Street. I assumed he was just testy after losing to Stephen Starr (Buddakan & Morimoto) for “Best new restaurateur from out of town” at the Eat Out Awards ceremony. But apparently it was all staged for an upcoming episode of Fox’s reality show, Kitchen Nightmares, Ramsay’s follow-up to Hell’s Kitchen. Ramsay seems to be making a nice living off his anger management issues, but here’s an idea for an episode: Gordon Ramsay actually steps foot into his own kitchen (The London) and balls himself out...
Read MoreCheck out My Book – Try This
