In an effort to keep expenses down, some diners have been bringing their own wine to restaurants. But Sagaponack, which opened for dinner this past Wednesday, is taking the interactive concept to a new level by inviting customers to bring their own fish on Mondays and Tuesdays. For a $15 plate charge, owner James Kang will cook up the catch and serve it with fresh vegetables and a choice of truffled mashed potatoes or seven-grain rice.

“I’m a fisherman, and there are places in Montauk, the Bahamas, and the Keys where I can bring in a nice fish I catch and they will prepare it. I didn’t know of any places in New York that did that,” he explained. Kang’s idea is that fellow fishermen can bring in their weekend haul and enjoy it professionally cooked in a restaurant setting, but those that come in with a Citarella purchase won’t be turned away. “Who is to say they didn’t catch it?” he shrugs. Hopefully those who bring their own seafood will be good enough to purchase their wine from the restaurant. “One hopes so,” says Kang. “But if they insist on bringing their own, we will allow it. These days, the customer is king.”

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Filed Under: byo, james kang, sagaponack, seafood

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A few weeks ago when Southwestern institution Miracle Grill followed its East Village shuttering with a Park Slope closure, Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn wondered “if the ever-crowded Barrio right across the street put them out of business or if it’s just a sign of the economic times that they couldn’t make it.” Now Crain’s brings an answer: The restaurant’s lawyer says they filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because of the downturn in the economy. The brunch standby, which counted Bobby Flay as its first chef, had $35,000 in assets and over $380,000 in liabilities. “It owes money to more than 50 creditors, including a debt of more than $3,500 to Joli Seafood and Meat in Brooklyn and another of $470 to Longo Coffee & Tea on Bleecker Street.”

Park Slope brunch spot is another recession victim [Crain's]

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Filed Under: closings, andrew karcie, bankruptcy, bobby flay, financial woes, miracle grill, park slope

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UrbanDaddy reports that Niagara’s reboot of the adjacent Pizza Shop space will open tonight without a name and without oysters and burgers, which will be added in a week. Expect “exposed brick, tufted black leather banquettes, an old chandelier or two and just enough light to see Agyness Deyn sitting in the corner.” [UrbanDaddy]

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Filed Under: openings, east village, hamburgers, niagara, nightlife, oysters

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Senate hopeful Harold Ford has revealed his neighborhood go-tos to Cindy Adams. Gawker rightly teases him for naming Starbucks, and we’re slightly amused that (getting in on the fried-chicken trend?) he praises Big Daddy’s. Wonder if he goes during half-off Fridays. [Cindy Adams/NYP via Gawker]

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Filed Under: celebrity settings, big daddy’s, harold ford, starbucks

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“I think Bravo is about to announce TCMasters lineup very soon.” —Gael Greene [GaelGreene/Twitter]

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Filed Under: tv land, gael greene, top chef masters

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Soup and Bread, the Chicago bar event where local personalities ladle their free homemade soups and then pass the hat on behalf of local food pantries, is coming to Brooklyn. Organizers Sheila Sacks and Martha Bayne (who started the event while bartending at one of our favorite Second City dance dens, the Hideout) have wrangled a host of local chefs and bloggers to cook at the Bell House on February 4 from 6 p.m. till 9 p.m. Here’s the latest lineup.

Cathy Erway, of the terrific Not Eating Out in New York (and the new book drawn from the blog, The Art of Eating In).

Gabe McMackin, of Roberta’s Pizza

Jimmy Carbone, of Jimmy’s No. 43

Matt Greco, chef at Char No. 4

Ben Schneider, owner of the Good Fork (or … someone from the Good Fork)

Grub Street Chicago editor Helen Rosner
Blogger Dave Klopfenstein, of Dave’s Kitchen fame.

Ben Schneider, owner of the Good Fork (or, well, someone from the GF more likely)

Our friend Millicent Souris, now of the Roebling Tea Room

Jason Bitner of … a zillion different projects, but most recently Cassette From My Ex, the book and the blog, and LaPorte, Indiana, the book and the film.

Soup and Bread: Brooklyn! [Soup and Bread]
Related: Martha Bayne Dishes on the Soup and Bread Cookbook [Grub Street Chicago]

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Filed Under: foodievents, soup and bread

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Nate Appleman is still tinkering and tweeting: “Do [sic] anyone know the best variety of potato for salt roasting?” [NAppleman/Twitter]

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Filed Under: the twitterverse, nate appleman, pulino’s

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Last night I took my brother-in-law Jim and the Mysterious Chinese Woman to Morton’s here in my neigborhood in…

Morton’s the Steakhouse

339 Adams St, Brooklyn

(718) 596-2700

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While Michael Huynh, who just pulled out of a project at 6 Clinton Street, contemplates opening a gastropub at 239 Third Avenue (per Diner’s Journal), there’s news from another indecisive entrepreneur. Eater has noticed a sign in the window at the city’s unlikeliest Michelin-star holder, Rhong-Tiam, indicating that Andy Yang has closed the LaGuardia location and it will now operate out of (and deliver from) the 87 Second Avenue location that opened as Kurve.

Rhong Tiam Closes, Moves All Operations to Kurve Space [Eater NY]
Huynh Closes One Door and Opens Another [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

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Filed Under: closings, andy yang, east village, michael huynh, openings, rhong-tiam

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A recent menu, designed by Juan Hamilton.

As previously reported, Chanterelle’s wines live on at Nice Matin and Barbounia, and now (for two days, anyway) so do the menu covers that were created by the likes of Edward Albee, Matthew Barney, Robert Mapplethorpe, Allen Ginsberg, Francesco Clemente, Annie Leibovitz, Richard Prince, and many others. On February 7 and 8, Greenpoint antiques store Kill Devil Hill will display the works of art (some of them for sale), from the first one by Marisol to one by Chuck Close that never saw the light of day. Here’s the incredible roster of contributors.

Edward Albee, Donald Baechler, Matthew Barney, Jennifer Bartlett, Gretchen Bender, Ross Bleckner, James Brown, John Cage, Vija Celmins, Francesco Clemente, Chuck Close, Cosby & Henderson, Merce Cunningham, Lynn Davis, John Dugdale, Donald Evans, Eric Fischl, Allen Ginsberg, April Gornik, Maurice Grosser, Juan Hamilton, Keith Haring, Howard Hodgkin, Jenny Holzer, Gregory Hull, Michael Hurson, Robert Indiana, Jasper Johns, Cletus Johnson, Bill Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Annie Leibovitz, Julian Lethbridge, Tom Levine, Roy Lichtenstein, Glenn Ligon, Robert Longo, Andrew Lord, Robert Mapplethorpe, Marcel Marceau, Marisol, Francoise Morellet, Malcom Morley, Elizabeth Murray, Louise Nevelson, Daniel Oates, Philippe Petit, Richard Prince, Robert Rauschenberg, Susan Rothenberg, Julian Schnabel, David Seidner, Jack Shear, Cindy Sherman, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, Mike and Doug Starn, Kunie Sugiura, Philip Taaffe, Virgil Thompson, Cy Twombly, Kara Walker, Robert Wilson, and Terry Winters.

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Filed Under: foodievents, allen ginsberg, annie liebovitz, edward albee, francesco clemente, kill devil hill, matthew barney, richard prince, robert mapplethorpe

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Direct from Schnipper’s: “We will be giving away a free 12 ounce milkshake (chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry) hand dipped from Gifford’s Ice Cream, or an Ice Cream Float, or a 12 ounce draft beer from our selection of 6 American craft beers with the purchase of any burger. It’s available in store only (not on delivery, sorry!) all day from 11 AM to 11 PM.”

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Filed Under: freebies, beer, hamburgers, milkshakes, schnipper’s quality kitchen

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Hanover Café, the deli underneath the U2 Karaoke parlor, hasn’t hit its December 18 opening date (the image you see here is a rendering posted on the window), but a look inside indicates that in addition to salads, sandwiches, and sushi, it will boast an outpost of Korean-chicken chain Kyedong. As previously reported, another Korean-chicken contender, BBQ Chicken, flamed out down the block and will be replaced by the “irresistible Taiwanese food” of TKettle. Now Fork in the Road notices that TKettle’s reopening has also been delayed, till February 10.

Kyedong ChickenDaniel Maurer

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Filed Under: openings, bbq chicken, east village, fried chicken, korean, kyedong, u2 karaoke

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