This week’s overview of celebrity dining features our favorite characters, except they’re acting completely out of character. Snooki, Ronnie, and Sammi Sweatheart, for example, betrayed their Italian roots as soon as they crossed the Hudson to Manhattan, picking Japanese fusion joint SushiSamba Seven over many of the West Village’s great Italian eateries. The momentary lapse on their part was made up for when they made their way to Armani Exchange after lunch.

Ballato: Approaching month three of her anti–heartbreak-related depression year, Alexa Ray Joel seems just peachy as she dines with mom Christie Brinkley. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Blue Water Grill: Jessica Szohr, sans fellow Gossip Girl cast member and current boyfriend Ed Westwick, washes her spicy tempura roll down with a bottle of Pinot Noir. [People]

Butter: In a “diva” move, Bono demands Perrier and — gasp! — properly chopped salad while dining with fellow U2 band member the Edge. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Elaine’s: The studly actor Josh Lucas is off the singles menu, it seems: He was spotted canoodling with model Amelie Latournald at a bash for PR great Bobby Zarem. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Library Bar: Pam Anderson does drinks and appetizers with Richie Rich and an entourage before her runway appearance at Richie’s fashion show — perhaps this is why she was an hour late? [People]

Sòlo: Miss Universe 2008 and Miss Universe 2009, both from Venezuela, share dieting tips over lunch with their immigration lawyer. [Page Six/NYP]

SushiSamba Seven: Snooki, Sammi Sweetheart, and Ronnie might be proud Italians, but they weren’t afraid to try some of the West Village’s posh Japanese offerings before heading to their treasured Armani Exchange. [Gatecrasher/NYDN]

Read more posts by Evan Mulvihill

Filed Under: ballato, blue water grill, butter, Celebrity Settings, elaine’s, library bar, solo, sushisamba 7

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East Village: A new bar has finally set its sights on the spot that held the Raven Café before it was destroyed by a fire in 2006. [EV Grieve]
Midtown East: The Oak Room is celebrating the snow by serving hot chocolate in fifteen-ounce to-go thermoses. Ten percent of the proceeds will go to the Central Park Conservancy. [Grub Street]
Red Hook: The corner of Ninth and Smith, formerly the site of an Uncle Louie G’s, will soon house Il Cuntuccio Brick Oven Pizza. [Pardon Me for Asking]

Tribeca: On Monday, Locanda Verde launches a cocktail list by Bobo mixologist Naren Young. [Tasting Table]
West Village: Final preparations on Otarian, a vegetarian fast-food chain from Australia, look to be wrapping up as the eatery gets ready to open its first East Coast outpost on Bleecker Street. [Bowery Boogie]

Read more posts by Sally Holmes

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, central park conservancy, east village, il cuntuccio, midtown east, oak room, otarian, red hook, the raven cafe, uncle louie gs, west village

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Danny Mena and Ethan Smith, the team that brought delicious, authentic Mexico City–style cooking to the Dumbo General Store, relocate to the old Marion’s space next Friday, and it goes without saying that all across Dumbo, gloom and despair reign. Why did the pair abandon a devoted clientele for the Bowery’s burgeoning restaurant row? “We outgrew the space,” says chef Mena of the cramped kitchen he shared with the DGS’s daytime operation, a wine-and-panini bar of sorts. “It was a hassle: two different teams fighting each other, with no centralized management. We had to completely rearrange the kitchen every night, and we’d only have two hours to prep. It became painful to work there.” Still, it was a loyal team Hecho that scoured Dumbo for a suitable replacement space, to no avail, and now, as they say, Brooklyn’s loss is Manhattan’s gain. (As a tribute to their Kings County roots, they’re keeping the name.)

When Mena and Smith fling open the doors to their new digs, it will be to reveal some newly exposed brick, a ceiling covered with reclaimed barnwood from Montreal, and 68 seats including a few that overlook an open kitchen they can call their own. Lots of ingredients, from hand-pressed tortillas to queso Oaxaca, will be made in-house. An intriguing Mexican brunch menu that goes into effect mid-March will be served every day until 4 p.m., chilaquiles included. And, as in Brooklyn, a dinner menu of antojitos will be supplemented with more elaborate small plates, like guinea hen confit in a mole made from chiles grown by Mena’s mother in South Carolina. For more of what’s in store, view our slideshow and preview the menu.

354 Bowery, nr. 4th St. 212-937-4245

Dinner Menu [pdf]
Brunch Menu [pdf]

Read more posts by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Filed Under: openings, danny mena, ethan smith, hecho en dumbo, menus, slideshows

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Virtual tour of AL BUSTAN

Al Bustan

319 E 53rd St, New York

(212) 759-5933

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Yesterday as dusk turned to night, 27 chefs gathered on a strip of sand in South Beach to wage war, medium rare. It was the fourth annual Burger Bash, hosted by Rachael Ray, who sauntered around the tent surrounded by four large men in black suits with earpieces. The tent filled with smoke and the smell of blood on the grill.

As in bashes past, defending champion Spike Mendelsohn was there with poor hot, nearly naked girls shivering in the Miami night. This year, Jeffrey Chodorow jumped on the lady train, too, planting a shivering scantily clad lady next to his “beach burger.” To be fair, there was also a shivering topless man there, too. The girls helped neither.

The evening came down to competing ideologies. The judges — expert, urbane, and mostly arrived that day from New York — chose a burger that would happily feed New York’s hunger for culinary simplicity. Michael Schwartz, representing Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink in Miami, cooked what he said was “the perfect bacon cheeseburger.” It was as pared down as a bacon cheeseburger could be: house-smoked bacon, white Cheddar, heirloom tomato, and local lettuce on a homemade brioche bun. He took home the Golden Grill Award.

Cleveland’s Michael Symon won the People’s Choice award for understanding that his audience was filled with transplanted New York Jews. Symon’s burger, the Fat Doug, was awash with Swiss, pastrami, and coleslaw — a half-burger, half-Reuben chimera that channeled Katz’s Delicatessen while still technically being a burger. Symon’s margin of Victory, said Ray, was Bush v. Gore slim.

View our slideshow to see a sampler of the burgers and their chefs.

Read more posts by Joshua David Stein

Filed Under: burgers, burger bash, hamburgers, micahel schwartz, michael symon, slideshows, south beach wine and food festival

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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 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: TV Chefs.

Babbo (Menu)
212-777-0303
Two for eight? No
Best available: 11 p.m.

Becco (Menu)
212-397-7597
Two for eight? Yes

Butter (Menu)
212-253-2828
Two for eight? Yes

Daniel (Menu)
212-288-0033
Two for eight? Yes

Felidia (Menu)
212-758-1479
Two for eight? Yes

Jean Georges (Menu)
212-299-3900
Two for eight? Yes

Le Bernardin (Menu)
212-554-1515
Two for eight? Yes

Mesa Grill (Menu)
212-807-7400
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

Morimoto (Menu)
212-989-8883
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:15 p.m.

Wd-50 (Menu)
212-477-2900
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9 p.m.

Filed Under: two for eight, babbo, becco, butter, daniel, felidia, jean georges, le bernardin, mesa grill, morimoto, wd-50

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Pit Stop’s backyard now belongs to 5 Burro.

Marla Cornejo, who owns 5 Burro Café along with her husband, Jorge, confirms that the Forest Hills favorite will open a location in Red Hook at 127 Columbia Street, just a few blocks from Calexico. Construction will begin in early March, and in April she hopes to open a location that closely resembles the Queens original, right down to the palapa bar. The menu, however, will be just a little different: “My husband seems to think there’s a more savvy customer in Brooklyn than in Forest Hills,” says Cornejo, “so he wants to put a few really authentic things on there like mixote.” And expect at least one other thing the Queens location doesn’t have: outdoor seating. The Cornejos will continue to host petanque in the back patio (just like Pit Stop did), and they also hope to turn an adjacent lot into an additional patio that will be covered in the winter. The Brooklyn location will be their first satellite since a brief run on MacDougal Street.

Read more posts by Daniel Maurer

Filed Under: openings, 5 burro cafe, red hook

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The soft-serve flavors (red velvet, carrot cake, and cream-cheese frosting) aren’t the only new thing in Momofuku’s world. We’ve just learned that Colin Alevras, the former Tasting Room chef who brought wine kegs to DBGB, has left Daniel Boulud’s restaurant to become the beverage director for the Momofuku Group. A DBGB rep confirms: “Colin Alevras did an amazing job establishing the unique beer and wine program we offer at DBGB Kitchen and Bar. He has recently moved on and taken on the role as Beverage Director at the Momofuku Group. Our Wine Director, Daniel Johnnes, is still determining which candidate will join DBGB as the new sommelier. Until then, Mr. Johnnes will be overseeing the program.” It’s uncertain what Alevras has in mind for Momofuku (we’ll let you know when we find out), but this much is certain: On March 13, he’ll moderate a panel discussion on sustainable seafood at the 92nd Street Y. Tickets here.

Read more posts by Daniel Maurer

Filed Under: chef shuffle, daniel johnnes, dbgb, momofuku, the tasting room

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from Grub Street Chicago

Sorry, not for you.

Reinforcing what we pretty much already knew, an upcoming book called Culinary Careers (by Institute of Culinary Education CEO Rick Smilow) makes a point of noting just how little money most chefs earn. Setting aside the seven-figure paychecks that big dogs like Batali, Colicchio, and Keller can haul in, the book, which is previewed today in NRN, says that an average executive chef earns something in the $70,000-$140,000 range, while a humble sous’s salary hovers around $50,000.

But those figures apparently differ region by region: the book also quotes Graham Elliot Bowles as saying that in Chicago, cooks only pull in about $30,000-$60,000, depending on seniority — a figure corroborated by 312 Chicago pastry chef Kimberly Schwenke. If you think that’s low, you can wave goodbye to your dreams of squeezing in a stage at El Bulli before it changes form: a cook on her way to assist Ferran Adrià said the range for someone at her level is “free to $15.50 an hour.”

Book offers details on chef salaries [NRN]

Read more posts by Helen Rosner

Filed Under: foodienomics, jobs, salaries

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Is twenty-year-old Forest Hills kitsch den 5 Burro Café (one of New York’s 50 reasons to love Queens) coming to Red Hook? Gregory T. O’Connell of the O’Connell Organization tweets that the Mexican spot “will take the place of Pit Stop … yum,” meaning it would be poised for 127 Columbia Street. Also coming to Columbia, according to Word on Columbia Street: An “international sandwich café” called Fultummys.

Fultummys International Sandwich Cafe coming to Columbia St soon! [Word on Columbia Street]
TheOConnellOrg [Twitter]

Read more posts by Daniel Maurer

Filed Under: Openings

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David Sax, author of Save the Deli, outs himself as a staunch 15 percent tipper on City Room (“Yes, I know you’re all underpaid,” he tells members of the service industry. “But guess what? So am I.”), and Fork in the Road recalls its ten worst restaurant moments (“If you can see bloody meat juice dried on the walls, it is best not to eat there.”). [City Room/NYT, Fork in the Road/VV]

Read more posts by Daniel Maurer

Filed Under: eatiquette, david sax, tipping

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Dear Food Diary: A big giant red lobster handed me the menu for an Urban Lobster Shack while passing through 3rd Ave…

Urban Lobster Shack

805 Third Ave, New York

(212) 809-2626

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