Dan Barber Is a Man of Carrots and Kangol Hats

25 Feb

Posted by Daniel Maurer as Brooklyn, Delivery, Food, Manhattan, Review

We’re not sure what gets more camera time in Dan Barber’s “Character Approved” video — the chef or his carrots. Barber is, of course, pretty hard-line as far as locavorism goes (unlike, say, Tom Colicchio): “I’ve never tasted a delicious leg of lamb or a truly delicious carrot that didn’t support a local food economy.”

Dan Barber Webisode: Character Approved [USA]

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Filed Under: awards, blue hill at stone barns, dan barber, usa character approved

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140-Year-Old Hot Dog Was a Phony Coney

25 Feb

Posted by Daniel Maurer as Brooklyn, Delivery, Food, Manhattan, Review

We have to admit, our first thought about the 140-year-old hot dog found in Coney Island was: hoax? Especially because the dog didn’t look much worse for the wear. But hey, News 12 Brooklyn seemed sure it was for real, as did CNN, and if they could find a 100-year-old bottle of scotch and a 2,000-year-old rotating banquet hall, why not a fossilized frankfurter? Well, the Post now reports that the Coney Island History Project faked the find in order to promote an exhibit displaying other remnants of the Feltman’s building. Well, doggone it.

Network falls for 140-year-old hot dog hoax [NYP]

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Filed Under: fun while it lasted, coney island, coney island history project, feltman’s, hoaxes, hot dogs

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Van Leeuwen Gets Grounded; New Coffee Shop in Bushwick

25 Feb

Posted by Sally Holmes as Brooklyn, Delivery, Food, Manhattan, Review

Bushwick: A little local coffee joint has sprung up in the form of Little Skips, which will offer fair-trade coffee, house-blended teas, and small plates and desserts from Ceci-Cela. [BushwichBK]
East Village: Back Forty will offer a special four-course dinner on March 9, centering around the Alsatian favorite choucroute, paired with Captain Lawrence beers. Captain Lawrence’s brewer, Scott Vaccaro, will be on hand that night to answer questions. [Grub Street]
Financial District: Bridge Café is hosting Texas Independence day starting March 2. Texans and Texas wannabes are invited to celebrate all week and enjoy specials like Chef Kunst’s Frito Pie. [Grub Street]
Greenpoint: Ice-cream truck Van Leeuwen opens a stationary shop this Saturday. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Marc Murphy on Sick Leave, DOH Letter Grades: ‘We’re All Going to Be Closed’

25 Feb

Posted by Carolyn Murnick as Brooklyn, Delivery, Food, Manhattan, Review

Landmarc’s Marc Murphy has been quite outspoken about his opposition to the city’s proposed mandatory paid sick leave for restaurant workers (and other industries), so when we ran into him at last night’s CCAP Benefit at Pier 60, we asked if he’d had any backlash.

“Yeah, I’ve had some criticism. (I’m almost calling it the Hangover/“I’m Sick” Leave Day.) But I’m not just standing up for myself. As the vice-president of the New York chapter of the Restaurant Association, I’m speaking for, I think, all the restaurants in New York City. We’re all struggling right now. If they keep coming at us looking for another dollar, it’s just not going to work.” Murphy is so passionate about the issue that he followed up today with an e-mail outlining his primary arguments. We’re reprinting it here because it’s the most coherent argument so far that a restaurateur has presented against the bill.

1-This bill is being sold as a sick leave bill and as a moral issue, ie.workers should have the right to take off from work when sick and get paid. This is a three card monty scheme. It is NOT limited to employees being sick no matter what is says in that employees can take 1 or 2 days off at a time and it will be illegal to require any documentation to support the illness claim. So in other words, this is a paid personal time time off bill, having nothing to do with employee illness.

2-The business community uniformly supports the right of all workers to stay home if they are sick without any fear of employer retribution. If the current laws are not strong enough to guarantee this, lets work together on that. But PAID time off is another matter. If this really is the moral issue that the advocates claim it is, then this new government mandated social policy should be paid for like all others such as unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, disability … not with a 100% employer funded requirement, but with all parties paying its fair share … government, workers and employers. When an employee gets hurt and cannot work, the employer doesn’t pay his salary, a government insurance program does, one in which everyone contributes to. This should be the same. And if the government doesn’t have the money in this economy, clearly neither does the business community.

3-Unlike all other pieces of legislation that designates a city agency to enforce the law, this bill is somewhat unique in that it provides for a private cause of action for disgruntled employees to bring private lawsuits under the law claiming they were wronged. This will cause an explosion in lawsuits against employers, including class actions. That means huge legal fees just to fight them. This law, if passed, should be enforced just like any other law is enforced, by the government agency responsible for it, period.

4-As to the specifics of the bill, if we were to look for changes around the edges, then:

a) the number of days off (9 for most employers) should be reduced to the national average for number of days people take off from work due to illness … which is 4.

b) Any paid time off that employers currently provide … whether it be called vacation, holidays, personal or sick … should be credited to this law’s requirements.

c) individuals that work for a combination of wages and tips (waiters, etc) should not be covered by this law, just as they were excluded in the Washington, DC law, as it makes no sense. These workers will likely make up the lost shift, so they do not need to be paid for that shift … it will not be lost. Same for part time workers.

Of course, Murphy has also spoken out about DOH letter grades. He’ll lead a group of restaurateurs protesting that initiative when the DOH announces its plans Tuesday, March 16. “It’s a game of gotcha,” he told us of the letter grades. “If we just lie down and take this, we’re all going to be closed.”

Marc Murphy on Sick Leave, DOH Letter Grades: ‘We’re All Going to Be Closed’

25 Feb

Posted by Carolyn Murnick as Brooklyn, Delivery, Food, Manhattan, Review

Landmarc’s Marc Murphy has been quite outspoken about his opposition to the city’s proposed mandatory paid sick leave for restaurant workers (and other industries), so when we ran into him at last night’s CCAP Benefit at Pier 60, we asked if he’d had any backlash.

“Yeah, I’ve had some criticism. (I’m almost calling it the Hangover/“I’m Sick” Leave Day.) But I’m not just standing up for myself. As the vice-president of the New York chapter of the Restaurant Association, I’m speaking for, I think, all the restaurants in New York City. We’re all struggling right now. If they keep coming at us looking for another dollar, it’s just not going to work.” Murphy is so passionate about the issue that he followed up today with an e-mail outlining his primary arguments. We’re reprinting it here because it’s the most coherent argument so far that a restaurateur has presented against the bill.

1-This bill is being sold as a sick leave bill and as a moral issue, ie.workers should have the right to take off from work when sick and get paid. This is a three card monty scheme. It is NOT limited to employees being sick no matter what is says in that employees can take 1 or 2 days off at a time and it will be illegal to require any documentation to support the illness claim. So in other words, this is a paid personal time time off bill, having nothing to do with employee illness.

2-The business community uniformly supports the right of all workers to stay home if they are sick without any fear of employer retribution. If the current laws are not strong enough to guarantee this, lets work together on that. But PAID time off is another matter. If this really is the moral issue that the advocates claim it is, then this new government mandated social policy should be paid for like all others such as unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, disability … not with a 100% employer funded requirement, but with all parties paying its fair share … government, workers and employers. When an employee gets hurt and cannot work, the employer doesn’t pay his salary, a government insurance program does, one in which everyone contributes to. This should be the same. And if the government doesn’t have the money in this economy, clearly neither does the business community.

3-Unlike all other pieces of legislation that designates a city agency to enforce the law, this bill is somewhat unique in that it provides for a private cause of action for disgruntled employees to bring private lawsuits under the law claiming they were wronged. This will cause an explosion in lawsuits against employers, including class actions. That means huge legal fees just to fight them. This law, if passed, should be enforced just like any other law is enforced, by the government agency responsible for it, period.

4-As to the specifics of the bill, if we were to look for changes around the edges, then:

a) the number of days off (9 for most employers) should be reduced to the national average for number of days people take off from work due to illness … which is 4.

b) Any paid time off that employers currently provide … whether it be called vacation, holidays, personal or sick … should be credited to this law’s requirements.

c) individuals that work for a combination of wages and tips (waiters, etc) should not be covered by this law, just as they were excluded in the Washington, DC law, as it makes no sense. These workers will likely make up the lost shift, so they do not need to be paid for that shift … it will not be lost. Same for part time workers.

Of course, Murphy has also spoken out about DOH letter grades. He’ll lead a group of restaurateurs protesting that initiative when the DOH announces its plans Tuesday, March 16. “It’s a game of gotcha,” he told us of the letter grades. “If we just lie down and take this, we’re all going to be closed.”

Tables Available at L’Artusi, Sfoglia; Maialino Fully Booked

25 Feb

Posted by Grub Street New York as Brooklyn, Delivery, Food, Manhattan, Review

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 could squeeze in a couple for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don’t guarantee the results.) Today: Notable Italian.

A Voce Columbus (Menu)
212-823-2523
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:15 p.m.

Babbo (Menu)
212-777-0303
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:30 p.m.

Convivio (Menu)
212-599-5045
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

Del Posto (Menu)
212-497-8090
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:45 p.m.

L’Artusi (Menu)
212-255-5757
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:15 p.m.

Locanda Verde (Menu)
212-925-3797
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10 p.m.

Maialino (Menu)
212-777-2410
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Scarpetta (Menu)
212-691-0555
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10 p.m.

SD26 (Menu)
212-265-5959
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:15 p.m.

Sfoglia (Menu)
212-831-1402
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:15 p.m.

Filed Under: two for eight, a voce columbus, babbo, convivio, del posto, l’artusi, locanda verde, maialino, scarpetta, sd26, sfoglia

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