Grub Street: New York Magazine's Food and Restaurant Blog

12/6/12 at 1:55 PM
Listen Up
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Your Favorite Food People Would Like You to Hear Them Out

If you're in need of a good talking-to, look no further than the serene Apple Store Soho, where tonight Times columnist Oliver Strand will be talking with Rachael Ray about her book My Year in Meals beginning at 7 p.m. If you're looking for something with a little more, say, Danny Meyer flair, join Sam Sifton next Monday at the 92YTribeca for a talk on the ever-evolving nature of the restaurant business with Blue Smoke's Kenny Callaghan, North End Grill's Floyd Cardoz, and the Union Square Hospitality Group honcho himself. [OliverStrand/Twitter, 92YTribeca]

12/6/12 at 1:20 PM
Overnights
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Top Chef Seattle Recap: David Rees on Vegan Sushi and Artisanally Candied Salmon

By David Rees

Don't get any ideas, Photoshoppers of the world.Photo: Bravo

According to Padma, there are fourteen “cheftestants” remaining. (My count was closer to 15,619, but what do I know?) Josh broods over his inconsistent performance thus far — is his cartoon-undertaker’s mustache sapping his power? Meanwhile, Tyler, ever doleful, steels himself for future disappointment. He vows to “continue to do the best I can.” I’ve seen a fair amount of reality TV and am pretty familiar with the standard “types” of characters — Tyler’s self-hating, hangdog persona feels unusually sincere and fragile. He’s my favorite cheftestant.

12/6/12 at 12:50 PM
Extra Mustard
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Pastrami Alert: Katz’s Deli Now Delivers

You have long been able to send a salami to your boy in the army, and the Local East Village reports that you can now also ferry a box of knishes to your homegirl on Loisaida Avenue. Yes, Katz's Deli has joined Seamless — GrubHub too — and if you get beyond order minimums and minor fees, better access to one of New York's most enduring restaurants (and its sandwiches) can be all yours. [Local EV/NYT]

12/6/12 at 12:20 PM
Grapes of Doom
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Apparently Someone Found a Black Widow Spider in Her Bag of Organic Whole Foods Grapes

By Hugh Merwin

Someone get this spider a book deal.

This 27-year-old yoga instructor was about to start snacking on some organic grapes purchased from a Whole Foods in Fairfield, Connecticut, when she noticed a little Charlotte's Web action happening within. It turns out that a potentially deadly black widow spider had stowed away inside the bag, perhaps in Mexico, where the grapes were grown. Nora Weiss reacted by calmly posting a Facebook message that read: "Attention all Fairfield Whole Foods Customers!!!! I just found a black widow spider in my Sunview Organic Table Grapes bag!!!! If you just bought or will be buying these grapes or any other produce from them, carefully inspect and wash them with rubber gloves!!!! Ahhhhhh!!!! Totally freaked me out!" A day later, Weiss says no harm, no foul, and wishes the spider the safest of travels and the best of luck. "My boyfriend let it go outside,'' she tells the Connecticut Post. "That's how we live. It's a living animal and we have no hard feelings.'' [CT Post]

12/6/12 at 11:35 AM
Annoying People
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Donald Trump Bans Glenfiddich From His Properties, Calls for Boycott

By Hugh Merwin

No whiskey to wash down that Trump steak.

Donald Trump is really on fire this week. First, Trump Grill is bestowed with the illustrious and completely nonexistent "highest rated sanitary award in NY," and now, ever the crusader for truth, Trump has called on the good people of Earth to boycott Glenfiddich and its parent company, William Grant & Sons. "Glenfiddich is upset that we created our own single malt whisky using another distillery, which offers far greater products," Trump has decreed, according to the Guardian. "People at our clubs do not ask for Glenfiddich, and I make a pledge that no Trump property will ever do business with Glenfiddich or William Grant & Sons."

Watch the You've Been Trumped trailer.

12/6/12 at 10:45 AM
Remember The Maine
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Luke’s Lobster Now Sells Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

By Hugh Merwin

They said it couldn't be done.Photo: Courtesy Luke's Lobster

Ben Conniff of the Maine-centric lobster-roll company tells Grub Street that its financial district location is still offline after losing equipment and suffering damage during the storm, adding that it is likely that the South William Street Luke's will not reopen until next month. In the meantime, Luke Holden and company have decided to update the chainlet's menu for the first time in three years, adding a lobster grilled cheese loaded with lobster, Gruyère, and white bread from Maine. They're selling hot cider by the cup, seasonal Maine beers at their Upper East and Upper West Side locations, and two kinds of vegetable soup made by Hurricane's Soup, a Maine company whose name (and chowders) predate Sandy.
Luke's Lobster Winter Menu [PDF]

12/6/12 at 09:50 AM
Fin
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What It’s Like Fishing in Post-Sandy New York City Waters

By Hugh Merwin

No fluke.

The Rockaways are still a disaster zone, so it's with some compunction that writer Monte Burke gathers his lures and rod and catches all kinds of midsize striped bass just 200 yards off the Rockaways shoreline. "We could still catch occasional glimpses of the boarded-up houses and ruined cabanas," he writes at Forbes, noting that fishing boat captains lost their ships, the guides lost more than a month of business, and even with the jetty out of sight, the storm effects are still felt. Not much has been made of it, but last month, Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank declared an unprecedented fishery resource disaster in the fishing communities of coastal New Jersey and New York. "In 2010 alone, New Jersey and New York commercial fisheries landed almost 190 million pounds of fish, valued at more than $210 million dollars," they note. Recreational fishermen went out on 10 million trips and caught 5 million pounds of fish in the same year. The damage to the local fishing economy is still unknown. [Forbes via SamSifton/Twitter, NOAA]

12/6/12 at 09:00 AM
Lump It
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Grimaldi’s vs. Juliana’s Pizza War Extends to Coal-Oven Claim

By Hugh Merwin

Just open already, Juliana's.

The ongoing battle between 71-year-old Grimaldi's owner Frank Cirolli and 81-year-old Juliana's owner Patsy Grimaldi in Dumbo has an entirely unshocking new twist: Cirolli's architect has written a letter to the Department of Buildings alleging that the still under-construction Juliana's installed a new coal oven, which is all shades of pepperoni-illegal. Although many pizza experts claim coal ovens produce the finest crust and hottest pies, their use is heavily regulated by the city because of the emissions produced by burning fossil fuels. "Given the scrutiny that my filing for such an installation at another location underwent," the Post quotes Robert Scarano's complaint letter to city officials as saying, "I feel that it is my fiduciary obligation to bring this troubling and possibly life threatening issues to your attention." [NYP, Earlier]

12/05/12

12/5/12 at 5:55 PM
Leftovers
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Four & Twenty Blackbirds Launches Online Ordering; Thomas Keller Offers His Take on Gift Baskets

• Grub Street isn't the only one in the holiday-gift-guide game: Chef Thomas Keller has prepared gift sets that show up a standard-issue fruitcake in a wicker basket. [Grub Street]

• Plan ahead: Brooklyn pie specialists Four & Twenty Blackbirds are now taking online holiday orders. [Grub Street]

• Starbucks is expanding again: The coffee mega-chain announced they will open 1,500 new stores in the next five years. [AP]

Coffee, brunch, and sombreros.

12/5/12 at 5:10 PM
Video Feed
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Watch This Deli Man Trailer, With Footage of the Now-Closed Stage Deli

By Hugh Merwin

The Jewish delicatessen is going extinct, but what this trailer for a project called Deli Man makes clear is that the concept of the deli itself was a by-product of the forces of immigration and city life, with salami, spiced meat, and pickles appearing like a novelty in late-nineteenth-century New York. We see Larry King laying out his ground rules for corned beef, Fyvush Finkel on hot dogs and beans, and plenty of interviews with the owners and operators of the last remaining Jewish delis in New York, Los Angeles, and, funnily enough, Texas. The greats are here, including Carnegie, the 2nd Avenue Deli, and Stage Deli, which closed last week after 75 years of operation. In the video below, co-owner Steve Auerbach laments the fact that more and more of the Stage Deli's customers had been asking for hamburgers, leaving the blintzes behind.

Everyone like hamburgers.

12/5/12 at 4:05 PM
Tuber
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Which Baller Chef Will Step Up to This One-Pound White Truffle?

By Hugh Merwin

Send your kids to college or make some nice risotto. Your choice.Photo: John Magazino

You've probably noticed that there haven't been too many giant white truffles on the giant-white-truffle shelf at your local supermarket as of late. It's been something of a low stock season, so the arrival of this one-pounder, which was unearthed yesterday in Piemonte and just cleared customs at JFK, may be worth your while, especially if jumbo truffles are your thing. Bring home and shave it over a salad of bitter lettuces and old cheese, why don't you? At $4,000, it's a bargain — you may remember Sirio Maccioni shelled out $7,000 for something similar five years ago. Interested parties should contact John Magazino at Baldor Specialty Foods. Buy it, and this holiday season, you make it snow. [Related]

12/5/12 at 3:30 PM
Video Feed
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Watch a Charming Little Video About the International Banana Museum

By Alan Sytsma

We'll be honest: Until about four minutes ago, we were not aware that the world's largest collection of banana paraphernalia was in Southern California, but it turns out that it is. Cool Hunting stopped by the International Banana Museum and talked to owner (and apparent savior of the museum) Fred Garbutt about why in the hell someone would have a banana museum in the first place. It's ridiculous, of course, but gosh this guy's enthusiasm is just so darn agreeable.

12/5/12 at 3:10 PM
Grub Guides
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Hot Hot Hot: Thirteen Tongue-Scorching Dishes That Aren’t From Mission Chinese Food

By Jenny Miller

Sripraphai's papaya salad looks innocent enough ...

Perhaps you've heard of a restaurant on the Lower East Side turning out incredibly spicy, Sichuan-ish Chinese food to hordes of diners that huddle outside for hours at a time just waiting for a table? Mission Chinese Food might be the tongue-burning temple of the moment, but it's hardly the only place that can blast its customers' taste buds. There's plenty of heat to go around in New York. Read on to see our favorite baker's dozen of blistering plates.

12/5/12 at 2:25 PM
Expansion
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Freemans Looks to Expand on Rivington

By Hugh Merwin

Freemans Alley

The Lo-Down notices that Taavo Somer and Kent Kilroe of Freemans Alley have applied for a liquor license at 8 Rivington Street, former home of the National, and plan to operate a combination retail space and a restaurant. "We are expanding Freemans Sporting Club," Somer's rep tells Grub Street in an e-mail, "and looking at the possibility of having a small classic cocktail bar with snacks on the basement level as a service to retail customers." The team will present its plan at next week's CB3 Manhattan meeting. [TLD]

12/5/12 at 1:45 PM
Red Hook
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Mayor Bloomberg Met With Red Hook’s Business Owners This Afternoon

By Hugh Merwin

Bloomberg, with Monica Byrne (left) and others.Photo: Lauren Leonardi

An hour ago, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn paid a visit to Fort Defiance in Red Hook to meet with a group of small business owners, among them a representative of Fairway market, Home/Made owner Monica Byrne, and St. John Frizell, who owns the bar. The mayor asked the assembled group what they felt it would take to rebuild the neighborhood, which was damaged extensively by Sandy. Byrne, who helped spearhead the fund-raising group Restore Red Hook, said that most area businesses suffered, on average, $50,000 of damage apiece. Bloomberg and Speaker Quinn, who have separately visited the damaged Brooklyn neighborhood during the last few weeks, said they are seeking input from the community with regard to what the administration can do to expedite recovery in the neighborhood. The business owners want to promote the message that businesses are coming back and, despite the lingering effects of the storm, that Red Hook is still open for business. [Earlier]

12/5/12 at 1:05 PM
Gimmicks
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Yes, Pizza Hut Does Have Its Own Perfume

By Hugh Merwin

Remember when perfume didn't smell like beef and cheese?

“Introducing Pizza Hut Perfume - a brand new fragrance from Pizza Hut Canada boasting top notes of freshly baked, hand-tossed dough,” says the press release attached to this new fragrance, released by Pizza Hut in Canada to commemorate some kind of Facebook milestone. Thankfully, only 110 bottles were made. We could make our own dough and just smell that forever, but we'll keep our eyes peeled on eBay for one of these. We need something to replace the smell of our old Burger King Whopper cologne. [CSM, Earlier]

12/5/12 at 12:30 PM
Stuffed Pizza
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Tribeca’s Il Mattone Reopens, But ‘Inside’ Tre Sorelle

By Hugh Merwin

This is like the cute indie version of how Red Lobster and Olive Garden locations are smushing together and forming Frankenrestaurants: Tribeca Citizen reports that brick-oven old-timer Il Mattone, which shuttered after Sandy, has now reopened a dozen blocks south, joining up with Tre Sorelle. The blog says Carly Adams of Torly Kid noticed that Il Mattone has put up a sign, seen here, announcing the move. "Same chef," it says, "same food." Great, but now what about the name? [Tribeca Citizen]

12/5/12 at 11:55 AM
Closings
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The 30-Year-Old Soutine Bakery Has Closed

By Hugh Merwin

Thank you for the cake.

Sad news out of the Upper West Side: The 30-year-old Soutine Bakery, a New York Magazine favorite, has closed. My Upper West reported last month that the space will next be home to Muffins Cafe. The well-loved bakery's owner, Madge Rosenberg, sold some of her recipes to Muffins, according to West Side Rag, and also to Jessica Echevarria, a former Soutine employee who has started her own bakery called One Cup Two Cupcakes. Rosenberg says she'll lend a hand there from time to time.

Kiss the crumbs good-bye, the sweetness and the icing.

12/5/12 at 11:20 AM
Total Recall
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Trader Joe’s Recalls 4,865 Pounds of Chicken and Basmati Rice

By Hugh Merwin

First Valencia peanut butter, now this: Trader Joe's says its house brand Butter Chicken with Basmati Rice meals may be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes. There haven't been any confirmed cases of food-borne illness, but Aliya's Foods, the grocery store's Alberta-based supplier, wants to keep it that way.

What to look for.

12/5/12 at 10:45 AM
Sloshed
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Sloshed: How to Drink Your Way Through the Christmas Season

By Matthew Latkiewicz

Your actual Christmas might look a little different.Photo: Fox Photos/Getty Images

Christmas is not a drinking holiday, per se (we have Saint Patrick's Day and the Super Bowl for that), but it is the holiday that presents the strongest reasons to drink: family time, shopping madness, end-of-year ennui, sweater parties, cookie swaps, hearing "The Little Drummer Boy" for the fourteenth goddamn time in one day. The only sensible way to navigate the Yuletide gauntlet is with drink in hand.