Cobble Hill: Organic Italian restaurant Verde will open on April 5 at 216 Smith Street (near Butler Street). [BococaLand]

Clinton Hill: A new Vietnamese sandwich shop called Tigerlily is set to open its doors soon at the corner of Greene and Classon Avenues. [Local/NYT]

East Village: Back Forty is teaming up with Saxelby Cheesemongers and Chelsea Brewing Company to host an evening of spring cheeses and new beers. The cost is $55 per person, and reservations are available by calling 212-388-1990. [Grub Street]

Financial District: On Easter Sunday, Wall & Water debuts its brunch menu, which includes a raw bar, eggs Benedictine, and seared Hudson Valley foie gras. [Grub Street]

Explore the eateries of lower Manhattan with the Alliance for Downtown New York’s walking-food-tour series, which resumes Saturday, April 10. To purchase tickets, visit the Alliance’s website. [Grub Street]

Greenpoint: Nuts, soups, baked goods, and sauces will be for sale at the Greenpoint Food Market’s Spring Awakening on April 10. [Greenpointers]

Midtown: Austrian chocolatier Demel has closed its shop in the concourse of the Plaza, its only U.S. location. [Midtown Lunch]

Murray Hill: Vino Fine Wine and Spirits now carries international labels. To celebrate, the shop is hosting free tastings (with more than twenty different bottles to try) on April 1 and 2 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. [Grub Street]

Soho: Savoy’s Peter Hoffman will welcome spring with a four-course shad dinner and a reading from John McPhee’s The Founding Fish on April 14. The cost is $95. Call 212-219-8570 for reservations. [Grub Street]

West Village: Julius is now serving up egg creams (with your choice of Baileys, Kahlua, or vanilla vodka). [Jeremiah's Vanishing New York]

Williamsburg Pizza joint Carmines II is coming soon (with a garden) to 436 Union Avenue (near Metropolitan Avenue). [NY Shitty]

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, back forty, clinton hill, demel, east village, financial district, flatbush, greenpoint, greenpoint food market, julius, midtown, murray hill, savoy, soho, subway, taste of tandoor, tigerlily, vino fine wine and spirits, wall and water, west village, williamsburg

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Momofuku Milk Bar is no longer selling cake by the slice, Eater laments, but Christina Tosi tells Fork in the Road that it’s for our own good. “We were running into issues with waste. I don’t want to say no to somebody at 10 at night who wants a slice of banana cake, even though I know that the chance of other people wanting a slice is slim to none.” But there’s always pie, and new containers will help you take your slice to go. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Read more posts by Aileen Gallagher

Filed Under: sweet news, cakes, christina tosi, desserts, momofuku milk bar, pies

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Matt Roff and Soda Bar’s Anatoly Dubinsky will open Dutch Boy Burger on Friday to feed the drinking masses at adjacent Franklin Park in Crown Heights. “The whole space used to be one of the Dutch Boy paint shops that was bought by Sherwin Williams,” Roff tells Grub Street. “When we took off the old storefront, the original sign was hanging there and was in pretty good condition and now it’s hanging in the restaurant.”

All of the beef burgers will feature a combination of brisket and short rib from Los Paisanos Meat Market in Cobble Hill. Michelle Ragussis, formerly of Beast, will turn out dishes like a blue-cheese bacon burger, a beer-braised burger with onions and mushrooms, and a lamb burger stuffed with feta. Dutch Boy is also selling sausages — kielbasa, knackwurst, and bratwurst — from Morscher’s Pork Store in Ridgewood served with “Gulden’s Mustard, because that’s what I grew up on,” says Roff. (You can have Bauer’s horseradish mustard, too, if you’d like.) Also available is a pulled-pork sandwich with pomegranate barbecue sauce, a veggie burger, and a turkey-meatball sandwich with turkey-mushroom gravy. Drink Abita root beer on tap or order Foxon Park sodas. The milk shakes are made with Blue Marble ice cream and U-Bet chocolate syrup. (You can also order your shake spiked.)

Franklin Park customers can order from Dutch Boy, and you can enter the bar through the burger joint. (A temporary wall is up right now to satisfy a permit issue with the Buildings Department, but it should come down soon.) Delivery service in the neighborhood will begin after the kitchen gets situated, but takeout is available immediately. Dutch Boy Burger is open daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., though Franklin Park customers can order from the kitchen till 1 a.m on Monday through Saturday, and midnight on Sundays.

Dutch Boy Burger, 766 Franklin Ave., nr. St. John’s Pl., Crown Heights, Brooklyn; 718-230-0293.

Read more posts by Aileen Gallagher

Filed Under: openings, anatoly dubinsky, burger, crown heights, dutch boy burger, matt roff, michelle ragussis

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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: Splurge.

Adour Alain Ducasse (Menu)
212-710-2277
Two for eight? No
Best available: 6:45 p.m. or 8:45 p.m.

Corton (Menu)
212-219-2777
Two for eight? No
Best available: 7:45 p.m. or 8:15 p.m.

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

Jean Georges (Menu)
212-299-3900
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:45 p.m.

Le Bernardin (Menu)
212-554-1515
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10 p.m.

Eleven Madison Park (Menu)
212-889-0905
Two for eight? No
Best available: 6:15 p.m. or 9:45 p.m.

Oceana (Menu)
212-759-5941
Two for eight? Yes

Per Se (Menu)
212-823-9335
Two for eight? No

Marea (Menu)
212-582-5100
Two for eight? No

SHO Shaun Hergatt (Menu)
212-809-3993
Two for eight? No
Best available: 6:30 p.m. or 8:45 p.m.

Filed Under: two for eight, adour alain ducasse, corton, daniel, eleven madison park, jean georges, le bernardin, marea, oceana, per se, sho shaun hergatt

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Sant Ambroeus Italian restaurant in the West Village relaunched last night with a new design by Robert McKinley. The GoldBar decorator used striped fabric from Italian fashion house Etro for the dining area’s booths, which feature chairs upholstered in peacock-blue mohair, while banquettes are done in burnt-orange Italian leather. A large photograph of La Scala theater in Milan alludes to the restaurant’s roots — the original Sant Ambroeus opened there in 1936 — and a new Murano glass chandelier also references Italy.

Sant Ambroeus has an expanded wine list, and the restaurant’s new look calls attention to it with bottles displayed prominently by the entrance. Customers can order snacks from the bar menu as an aperitivo, while pastries are still available for sale during the day. The new menus, and more photos, are below.

Yoo Jean Han

Bar Menu

I Nostri Crostoni
(toasted Tuscan bread)
9
BRUSCHETTA CLASSICA
with
fresh diced tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil
CROSTONE AL FORMAGGIO DI FOSSA
E MIELE
with
aged fossa cheese and honey
CROSTONE DI MELANZANE, ZUCCHINE
E BURRATA FILANTE
with
eggplant, zucchini and burrata cheese
CROSTONE CON PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA
E SALSA DI OLIVE
with
prosciutto di parma and black olive pate

I Nostri Taglieri
(toasted Tuscan bread)
9
TAGLIERE DI FORMAGGI MISTI
Chef’s hand-picked selection of imported cheeses
TAGLIERE DI SALUMI TOSCANI
Chef’s hand-picked selection of imported cured meats
TAGLIERE MISTO DI FORMAGGI E SALUMI
Chef’s hand-picked selection of imported
cured meats and cheeses

New Spring Dishes:

CARPACCIO DI PESCE SPADA
swordfhis carpaccio with avocado and tomato tartare
INSALATA DI SPINACI
baby spinach with pear, almonds, blue cheese and olives

Lupi di Mare
paccheri pasta with crab meat, alaskan king crab leg and saffron
**
Risotto Arlecchino
risotto tossed with green asparagus, tomato confit, carrots, pisellini,
butternut squash and parmesan cheese
**
Ravioli
homemade ravioli with ricotta, baby spinach
and burro spumeggiante

Yoo Jean Han

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Filed Under: trimmings, italian, menus, sant ambroeus, west village

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Brooklyn Flea returns to Fort Greene on April 10 with 25 food vendors. Eric Denby tells us that this season’s roster includes Porchetta; the Good Fork; imported olive oil and house-brand ricotta from Salvatore Bklyn; bagles and lox from Mile End; stroopwafels from Good Batch; and drinks from Brooklyn Soda Works.

The Flea also announced concessions plans for Central Park SummerStage today: AsiaDog, Blue Marble Ice Cream, Pizza Moto, Red Hook Lobster Pound, Soler pupusas, and Marlow & Daughters. Food vendors will also peddle in an outdoor space at the Flea’s Williamsburg Savings Bank location beginning Sundays on April 11.

Read more posts by Aileen Gallagher

Filed Under: foodievents, brooklyn flea, vendors

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Dovetail is a very contemporary yet quaint American restaurant on the Upper West Side. Jeff Fraser left his position…

Dovetail

103 W 77th St, New York

(212) 362-3800

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Crop to Cup Cafe, a retail co-op, opened in Brooklyn Heights yesterday, and not only can you buy coffee there, but really anything in the shop (except the espresso machine). Expect pastries from Kumquat Cupcakery and a range of coffee drinks: espresso, drip, French press, and single-serve cups made with au courant gadgets like Clever Coffee Drippers and Hario drippers from Japan. Take a look inside with our slideshow, then stop by for a coffee — or a piece of furniture.

Crop to Cup Cafe, 139 Atlantic Ave., nr. Henry St., Brooklyn Heights

Read more posts by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Filed Under: openings, brooklyn heights, coffee, crop to cup cafe, slideshows

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Nevada Smith’s patrons are just as crazy about their bartenders as they are about soccer. A group of customers is threatening to boycott the bar until owner Paddy McCarthy reinstates the two bartenders who were fired after authorities briefly shuttered the bar last week for serving minors. According to an online petition in support of the bartenders, “Nevadas [sic] has built its reputation and strong customer base through the hard work of the likes of two individuals in question.” But a McCarthy supporter claims the owner had no choice: “The court initially specified a number of conditions in order for the bar to be reopened (fairly standard practice for the court). These initially included the rule that all four barmen who were ticketed be fired!”

Trouble in Soccer Paradise [EV Grieve]
New York Gooners Forum

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Filed Under: beef, nevada smith’s, nightlife

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“Ms. Lee and Mr. Schenker are going to be around for a while,” Sam Sifton predicts of the chefs at Recette. “The menu is remarkably free of stuff that’s available everywhere else.” [NYT]
Related: First Look at Recette

Jay Cheshes tries several of the city’s new sandwich shops and finds something to like at Saltie, Torrisi Italian Specialties, and the Meatball Shop, but says at This Litty Piggy Had Roast Beef, “a short-order cook zips through a limited roster of messy sandwiches and trashy sides.” [TONY]

“There’s nothing like the shock of a messy divorce to bring out the best in some women,” Gael Greene writes after a night at Mia Dona sans Michael Psilakis. [Insatiable Critic]
Related: What to Eat at Mia Dona 2.0

“Meticulous appearances mask trouble” at Le Caprice, says Lila Byock, who blasted most of the food there and deemed the service “unforgivable.” [NYer]
Related: Inside Le Caprice

“Print is a fuzzily positioned very good restaurant in a neighborhood that even the most intrepid New Yorkers rarely get to unless they happen to be buying a car,” writes Ed Levine. “If [Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez and Charles Rodriguez] give the restaurant more of a distinctive focus, it could actually become a destination restaurant.” [Serious Eats NY]

Don’t miss the obanzai at Hibino, Robert Sietsema urges: “These are seasonal, homestyle dishes of the [Kyoto] region, and they’re spectacular.” [VV]

“Keens isn’t old-fashioned; it’s old school,” Ryan Sutton enthuses. “No amuse bouche, just a plate of cold carrots and pickles. No petits fours, just a bowl of mints by the exit. No snobbish chefs, I don’t even know who he is.” [Bloomberg]

Alan Richman considers the twenty-year span of the Tribeca Grill: “The menu has few surprises and no major disappointments. The portions are jumbo. … The prices are reasonable.” [Forked/GQ]

Filed Under: the other critics, hibino, keens steakhouse, le caprice, mia dona, print, recette, saltie, this little piggy had roast beef, tribeca grill

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A few weeks ago, I noticed this place open next to Sushi Park and Pommes Frites , which I noticed while walking by…

May Chan Ramen and Robatayaki

119 2 Ave, New York

(212) 982-4285

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The familiar hams and lambs of Easter are gleefully shoved aside for that other holiday staple: chocolate. Helen Rosner found some of the city’s most ornate and festive seasonal candy, from the Easter-egg hunt in a box from L.A. Burdick (pictured) to the Barnyard Mix from Papabubble. View the slideshow and then place your order.

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Filed Under: sweet news, candy, chocolate, easter

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