Gourmet Gossip: April 2016

In this great dining city of ours, barely a day passes without news of an exciting  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 heralded return of a talented Daniel alum, to a couple of new concepts from Momofuku kingpin, David Chang (what, only two?).

Food Hall Intel: There always seems to be a new food hall in the works nowadays, but the one bound for Grand Central Station is different than most.  More akin to Le District than Hudson Eats, with its multicultural array of vendors, The Great Northern Food Hall will be overseen by one of the original co-founders of Noma, Claus Meyer.  As such, it will be entirely Nordic, featuring a bar and five pavilions, each boasting different themes and revolving menus.  So great ready for The Grain Bar, serving savory and sweet porridges, coffee from Brownsville Roasters, produced at an in-the-works Brooklyn facility, an outpost of his Scandinavian bakery, Meyers Bageri, which already has a location in Williamsburg, as well as smorrebrod (open-faced sandwiches) from Open Rye, and vegetable-focused small bites at Almanak.  And if that doesn’t sound ambitious enough, keep in mind that’s it’s all in addition to Agern, his upscale, 100-seat restaurant.

Great Scott: Scott Conant may be best known as a Food Network personality nowadays, but the former owner of Scarpetta is officially back in the restaurant business, with the launch of Impero Caffe.  Located in the new INNSIDE New York Nomad Hotel, the 73-seat restaurant plays to his strengths with rustic Italian fare, including a selection of ten different pastas, such as Campanelle with squid, clams and mussels, Cavatelli with black truffle sugo, and Pappardelle with braised rabbit and mint.

A Starr is Reborn: After laying low in the suburbs for 11 years, committing his talents to Long Island’s Glen Oaks Country Club, Daniel’s longtime executive chef, Alex Lee, has finally been lured back to the city.  Taking the reigns as the culinary director of Stephen Starr’s expansive hospitality group — comprising 34 establishments throughout Philly, New York, New Jersey, Florida and D.C. — he’ll be tasked with overseeing eateries as diverse as Morimoto, El Vez and The Clocktower, along with helping develop new projects for the group.

More and More Momo: The David Chang train shows know signs of slowing down. Having already dipped his toe into the new food delivery space as a major investor at Maple, he recently announced plans for a “delivery-only restaurant” called Ando. Together with wd-50 vet, J.J. Basil, he’s devising a menu of craveable takeout items, which will be packaged in retro Chinese food containers — think chicken buckets, cheesesteaks, and Milk Bar cookies courtesy of Christina Tosi.  And, oh yeah, he’s got a sit-down spot slated for the South Street Seaport, too.  We can’t wait to see what else he’ll come up with tomorrow.

Kiddie Klub: Does a hot dinner date mean a trip to Chuck E. Cheese nowadays?  What if you could be granted access to tony eateries like Luksus, Landmarc and Upland, with your toddler still in tow?  Nibble and Squeak — a membership-only club, that specifically buys out entire rooms in restaurants for the use of the stroller-bound set (and their fast food-weary parents), helps teach little ones how to behave in fancy establishments, while their adults dine on something other than mac & cheese and chicken fingers in semi-peace, without worrying that they’ll disturb other patrons.

California Dreaming: Unless you regularly travel cross-country, you might never have the opportunity to dine at Chris Kostow’s three Michelin-starred The Restaurant at Meadowood, located in Northern California, which also regularly makes the World’s 50 Best Restaurants long list.  But for the next month, he’s actually previewing dishes from his upcoming eatery (also slated for California) at NYC’s own Nomad Bar; so if you’re not angling for the frequent flier miles, make a quick trip to the Flatiron District for Rye and Chicken Dumplings with onion flowers, Cold-smoked and Dried Carrots with charcoal cream, and Tempura-fried Avocado with oyster dipping sauce.