Gourmet Gossip: December 2016

In this great restaurant city of ours, barely a day passes without news of an exciting 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 Midtown burger return and upcoming Brooklyn expansion, to Gabriel Stulman’s first sortie, into the lucrative land of hotel dining.

Sweet Salvation: After suspending service indefinitely after a fire, Salvation Burger is once again back in business; slinging patties supplied by April Bloomfield’s just-opened White Gold butcher shop.  So if you weren’t one of the lucky few to snag a coveted seat, during Salvation’s mere three months of active operations, now’s the chance to battle the crowds once more over wood-fired Caesar Salads, boozy Butterscotch Shakes, hand-held apple pies, and of course, classic, veggie or namesake burgers, topped with caramelized onions and taleggio, and propped in golden, house-baked buns.

Luxe Tux: Chicken and broccoli is getting the black tie treatment at Chinese Tuxedo, recently opened in a former, bi-level opera house on historic Doyers Street.  Taking its name from Chinatown’s first fine dining restaurant, the establishment reimagines and refines classic banquet dishes; resulting in a Charcuterie board of honey glazed pork, spiced duck liver pate and soy stock beef shin, Dumplings augmented with Lao Gan Ma vinaigrette and flying-fish roe, and Steamed Supreme Mushroom Custard topped with handpicked Jonah crab.

Grand Hotel: Gabe Stulman’s the latest high profile restaurauter to lend his star wattage to a hotel dining program.  The West Village kingpin (behind Joseph Leonard, Fedora and Perla), is taking his act to Gramercy, opening a 3,000-square foot eatery and second-floor bar and lounge, inside the upcoming outpost of Freehand.  And he won’t be alone in the venture; the team behind The Smile (a popular NoHo café) will run a coffee shop in the tourist hub too.

So Long Soto: Michelin sure does love its New York sushi spots; so it should be sad (as are we) to learn that longtime two star-holder, Soto, is pulling up stakes, so that its chef can move back to Japan.  The tiny, minimalistic jewel (especially known for its exotic uni preparations) will be replaced by Park Slope’s Sushi Katsuei; so things should keep on rolling at the West Village location, although perhaps not on the Michelin level.

Bloomfield Takes Brooklyn: In further April Bloomfield news, she and partner Ken Friedman are making their very first foray into Brooklyn this spring, as food partners in an upcoming, Williamsburg outpost of the Pod hotel chain.  And just as with their Manhattan location, they’re opening an in-house branch of Salvation Taco, complete with a roof from which to serve spiked horchatas, hen of the woods tostadas, braised lamb shoulder tacos and pibil pork tamales.

Where’s The Beef: And speaking of Brooklyn, an all-vegan butcher shop is planned for Bed Stuy.  An offshoot of Smorgasburg’s flesh-free comfort food stand, Monk’s Meat, the spot intends to peddle slabs of seitan steaks, sausages and salamis, in a thoroughly modern emulation of an old-school Jewish deli.  We wonder what Bloomfield would have to say about that?