New York & Co. has put up its "Just Ask the Locals" video featuring Colicchio and Lakshmi, and Padma’s recommendation for Indian food is actually kind of cool: She suggests you visit the basement of a temple on Bowne Street, in Flushing, for “really spicy authentic South Indian food.” Her directions aren't exactly helpful to tourists, but here's the spot. We are so there. [New York & Co.]

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Filed Under: flushing, indian food, padma lakshmi, padma-nia, tom colicchio

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Broadway East is the latest restaurant to partner with a hip designer — it’s planning to have regulars ThreeAsFour create server uniforms that will match the banquettes. Let's hope the outfits won’t be as outlandish as the asFour circle bags (shown here) that appeared on Sex and the City, since those have always kind of made us want to stick a fork in our eye. And this being a restaurant, there will actually be forks around.

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Filed Under: broadway east, food fashion, threeasfour

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Chef-owner Eric Ripert has parlayed fish savvy into fine-dining stars for Le Bernardin. But what does the city's most famous poissonier have to say about street food? We took Ripert on a tour of Manhattan’s best taquerias — including La Esquina, Pinche Taqueria, Mercadito Cantina, Pampano Taqueria, and Toloache — and asked him to rate pescado tacos on a ten-point system for taste; five for presentation; and five awarded at his discretion. During the tour, Ripert toyed with recipes for his own tacos, unfortunately too late for his new book, On the Line. We can only hope there’s a Lowbrow-Brilliant venture in his future. For now, click through the slideshow to see which fish taco swims to the top.

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Filed Under: eric ripert, fish tacos, food tour, la esquina, le bernardin, mercadito, pampano, pinche, slideshow, toloache, user's guide

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It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: Haute Asian.

Asiate (Menu)
212-805-8881
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Buddakan (Menu)
212-989-6699
Two for eight? No
Best available: 11:30 p.m.

15 East
212-647-0015
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9 p.m.

Kittichai (Menu)
212-219-2000
Two for eight? No
Best available: 6:30 p.m.

Morimoto (Menu)
212-989-8883
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:30 p.m.

Nobu (Menu)
212-219-0500
Two for eight? No
Best available: 6:30 p.m.

Rosanjin (Menu)
212-346-0664
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Sakagura
212-953-7253
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Sushi Yasuda (Menu)
212-972-1001
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Tamarind (Menu)
212-674-7400
Two for eight? No
Best available? 9:30 p.m.

Filed Under: 15 east, asiate, buddakan, morimoto, nobu, rosanjin, sakagura, sushi yasuda, tamarind, Two for Eight

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Convivio tells us that on Thanksgiving, it’ll be donating $25 of every party's check to Citymeals-on-Wheels; as you feed yourself, you’ll also be feeding four of the city’s homebound elderly. Meanwhile Gothamist has news of more food-lanthropy: Cold Stone Creamery is awarding Orphans International Tanzania up to 20 percent of the profits it makes from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight. [Gothamist]

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Filed Under: convivio, foodievents, thanksgiving

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This new Victorian bar in the Flatiron looks great (the bar itself was salvaged from a Belfast pub), but shame on the owners, who also run Papillon, for using the name Lillie’s, which will forever belong to Lillie Haws’s shuttered spot in Red Hook. We’re not familiar with the actress this place is named after, but no way is she as badass as Lillie. [Shecky’s]

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Filed Under: flatiron, Imposters, lillie's bar, papillon, red hook

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The economic downturn is trickling down to servers’ tips. “I think people are being a little more exacting in terms of their money,” says Erica Harrison, co-owner of 88 Orchard, a Lower East Side café. It’s hitting restaurants, coffee shops, even bars. “If someone orders a thirteen-dollar cocktail at the bar, normally they’d leave a two-dollar tip, but now they’re taking that extra dollar back,” says Peter Kane, owner of Stanton Social. Last month Tim and Nina Zagat wrote that customers are skipping appetizers, and New York restaurant workers agree. “They’re just going straight to the main course,” says Mehdi Jamil, general manager of Pound & Pence, a restaurant in the financial district. "If you buy less, you tip less." Some restaurateurs complain that the foreign customers propping up New York's economy are taking advantage of the weak dollar without compensating the waitstaff. “Our regulars are tipping about the same,” says Harold Wedick, manager of the Corner Bistro. “But it’s skewed by the influx of Europeans, who think that 50 cents is a big tip and pretend not to know the customs of the country.”

Earlier: Tipping Debate Continues, From Customer-Service Perspective

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Filed Under: foodienomics, tips

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Here’s a glimpse at Playa, the restaurant arm of Spencer Rothschild’s self-styled “Latin American Beachside resort” that is now fully open in Park Slope. We already brought you a slideshow of the bar part, which is where you’ll find us (the only resort-themed restaurant where we’d want to consume “bonfire bowls” is the fantastic Rancho Jubilee in Queens). Then again, the restaurant does also have a tiki bar, more or less the same décor, and a more extensive menu that you can see here.

Playa menu

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Filed Under: cabana bar, Openings, park slope, playa, queens, rancho jubilee, Spencer Rothschild

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Padma may have been using an outdated figure when she said that New Yorkers spend $10,000,000 on hot dogs — the owner of New York City Hot Dog Company (who recently ran for Congress) says that in the past months his business fell off by 50 percent. After losing $20,000 a month, he finally closed the joint. Brutal. But there’s good news: We just called Gray's Papaya in Hell's Kitchen and they're still doing 99-cent Obama dogs. [Downtown Express]

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Filed Under: Closings, hot dogs, new york city hot dog company, tribeca

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After the SLA announced new rules requiring that bars file for “all night” New Year’s Eve permits 45 days in advance, there was some concern that bar owners would drop the proverbial ball — eleven days before the November 17 deadline, only sixteen establishments had applied compared to 611 last year. But Robert Bookman, counsel for the New York Nightlife Association, has good news: “After NYNA determined that most applicants were unaware of and thus missed the new deadline to apply for a late-night permit for New Year's Eve, NYNA worked extensively with the SLA, who came to agree with us that an extension to December 5 was in order. As a result, we expect a similar number of places to be open late this year as in the past” Party on!

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Filed Under: after hours, ball drop, bars, New year's eve parties, new york state liquor authority, NYE in NYC, permits, robert bookman, sla

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The East Village may have lost a beer bar, but Park Slope has gained one. Draft Haus will serve pig knuckle and 250 varieties of beer. [Brooklyn Paper]

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Filed Under: beer gardens, draft haus, Openings, park slope

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The Post has news of a lawsuit stemming from an incident at Brother Jimmy’s BBQ that has to be the most unfortunate barroom incident since that mechanical-bull mishap: “As ‘Great Balls of Fire’ came on the jukebox, the bartender poured 151-proof rum across the bar and deliberately lit it on fire, according to a lawsuit she filed against the bar. The flame blew black into the bottle, turning it into a ‘flamethrower,’ said Sclafani's lawyer, Tom Moore. ‘I was just about to leave, and the next thing you know, I'm lit on fire,’ Sclafani said. ‘My face was burning, my hands were burning, my clothes were on fire. I was just praying to make it stop.’” For happier drink play, check out video of David Wondrich and Jim Meehan going head to head in the Blue Blazer contest we told you about earlier.

Molotov Cocktail [NYP]
Blue Blazer Competition at Pegu Club [YouTube]

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Filed Under: Barroom Follies, brother jimmy's bbq, david wondrich, jim meehan, lawsuits

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