Boerum Hill: There are rumors of an indoor beer garden coming to 61 Bergen Street. [Brownstoner]

Columbus Circle: From September 9 to 16, customers who show a Fashion Week show ticket at Nougatine can get a complimentary glass of Champagne to go with their specially priced prix fixe lunch ($26) or dinner ($38). The offer also stands at Jean-Georges’s restaurants Jojo, Perry Street, and Matsugen. [Grub Street]

East Village: Tompkins Bagels will open at 171 Avenue A on November 1. [EV Grieve]

Financial District: The New Amsterdam Market will be open weekly through the winter, taking place at the South Street Seaport every Sunday from September 12 to December 19. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Wall & Water chef Maximo Lopez May teaches monthly cooking classes through November. On Saturday, September 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the class focuses on tomatoes. Space is limited to twelve; call 917-833-4137 or e-mail for reservations. [Grub Street]

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, nougatine, wall & water

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After Josh Ozersky, Sam Sifton is the next Brooklyn-based food writer to respond to Jeffrey Steingarten’s accusations of being Brooklyn-biased. Introducing tomorrow’s one-star review of Fornino Park Slope (”the sort of restaurant that will appeal mostly to those who still think of Manhattan as ‘the city,’ and who rarely cross a river to get to work”), Sifton basically calls Steingarten’s writing illogical (“he plunges deeply into opinion before soaring over fact. He flies into accusation then banks quickly past proof”) and says that searching the Times website will reveal that “we’re fans of the delicious in whatever guise and borough it comes. (Though, jiminey crickets, we could take a few more runs through the Bronx and Staten Island!).” To Sifton’s credit (?), only five Kings County restaurants (Motorino, Diner, Fatty ’Cue, Prime Meats, Purple Yam, the River Café, and Tanoreen) make the Sifty Fifty, his list of “current fifty favorite restaurants.” One Queens restaurant (Imperial Palace) makes it on.

In his New York Diet, Steingarten singled out Sifton when he said, “I’m not naming any names — but the food editor for the [Times] magazine, who is one of our best food writers, and the restaurant reviewer of the newspaper all live in Brooklyn, and they are relatively uncritical of things in Brooklyn the way that sometimes — but not often — Frank Bruni became a little uncritical about things on the Upper West Side.” On Friday, Pete Wells, the editor of the newspaper’s “Dining” section, responded to one of those accusations via Twitter: “Steingarten a little confused about where the Brooklyn Boosters are. Mag food editor lives in Village.”

Reviewing Fornino Park Slope [Diner’s Journal/NYT]

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Filed Under: beef, brooklyn, fornino, imperial palace, jeffrey steingarten, motorino, prime meats, purple yam, sam sifton, tanoreen, the river cafe

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Consumer Reports recently surveyed 28,000 of its online subscribers and they voted McDonald’s the least tasty out of eighteen fast-food chain burgers. Least tasty, sure, but perhaps the longest lasting! Scoring the highest marks were In-N-Out and Five Guys, which sounds about right. Though the full results aren’t yet out, Wendy’s also ranked “far worse than the highest-rated chains,” according to a Consumer Reports teaser — lending credence to a recent Onion article: “Wendy’s to Phase Out Unpopular Hamburger Sandwich.”

Consumer Reports magazine: October 2010 [Consumer Reports]

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Filed Under: the chain gang, fast food, five guys, hamburgers, in-n-out, mcdonald’s, wendy’s

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Jeffrey Lefcourt and Glenn Harris are close to a deal to open a midtown offshoot of their East Village restaurant, the Smith. The duo (who also owns Jane), along with chef Ryan Ellis, have found a second location at 956 Second Avenue (51st Street) and hope to open with a similar menu but a new design this spring. The new place, aimed at Turtle Bay residents and midtown businesses, will serve gently priced breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. “I hope we can open up there, but we don’t have an inked deal yet,” Lefcourt tells us. Meanwhile, Life Without Food and Drink reports that another Third Avenue go-to, Blue 9 Burger, has opened an outpost at 789 Ninth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets.

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Filed Under: empire building, blue 9 burger, glenn harris, jeffrey lefcourt, the smith

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As if we needed another reason to get excited about Michael White’s forthcoming endeavors, Osteria Morini and Ai Fiori, the Feed reports that Eben Freeman (the mad mixologist who introduced the city to absinthe Gummi Bears and vodka-soaked Rice Krispies treats at Tailor) will be ”director of bar operations and innovation” at the restaurants. [Feed/TONY]

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Filed Under: openings, ai fiori, eben freeman, michael white, osteria morin, tailor

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Early Sunday morning, a yellow cab collided with a Jeep it was trying to swerve away from, hit two bicyclists, and then crashed into the window of the Bean in the East Village. The Daily News reports that a 71-year-old man was rushed to the hospital with neck and back injuries (four others were injured), and EV Grieve wonders if the coffee shop reopened too soon? In any case, it’s eerie timing: An elderly Florida driver was just nominated for a James Weird Award after she accidentally backed into a restaurant there. Actually, car crashes involving eateries aren’t all that weird. Perhaps you’ll recall these recent ones?

MARCH 2007
The Car: A woman had a leg spasm while driving a Honda Accord.
The Restaurant: A Popeye’s in Hamilton Heights
The Impact: “It was just cracking, like a big cracking,” a cashier told the Times. Four were injured, and “an unfinished meal of fried chicken sat amid the wreckage.”

SEPTEMBER 2008
The Car: A bike jumped the curb after it was cut off by a cab.
The Restaurant: Eatery
The Impact: “It was very scary, but it looked worse than it was,” the owner told the Post. Four were injured.

OCTOBER 2008
The Car: A Honda Pilot carrying a Haitian senator jumped the curb.
The Restaurant: Indus Valley
The Impact: “The car just came at us,” a waiter told the Daily News. “All the glass came flying. People were hiding under the tables.” It happened just a few blocks from where a car had crashed into Mama Mexico a couple of years prior.

MARCH 2009
The Car: A taxi cab jumped the curb.
The Restaurant: Mama’s Pizzeria
The Impact: “It didn’t have a full impact but it was enough of a crash to send my kids flying in the air,” a customer told the Post. Seven were injured.

MAY 2009
The Car: A Ferrari lost control as it was pursuing a Mercedes, during the filming of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
The Restaurant: The Sbarro in Times Square
The Impact: “Next thing you know it jumps the sidewalk and smashes the door,” a customer told the Post. “The manager just started freaking out and told everyone to get out.” Two were injured.

AUGUST 2009
The Car: Honda Civic
The Restaurant: Joseph Leonard
The Impact: “Driver was a female,” Robert Sietsema told Runnin’ Scared. “She stepped out of the car and blacked out.”

FEBRUARY 2010
The Car: Range Rover
The Restaurant: Gray’s Papaya
The Impact: “The staff kept serving, which was nice,” reported The Hollywood Reporter’s Buzz blog.

Taxi smashes into East Village coffee shop; five people injured [NYDN]
Did The Bean Reopen Too Soon? [EV Grieve]

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Filed Under: crime scenes, car accidents, car crashes, eatery, gray’s papaya, indus valley, joseph leonard, sbarro, the bean

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Martinez with owners Lia SanFilippo (right) and Selene Martinez (left)

5 & Diamond was moving in a Portuguese direction when David Santos took over for Ryan Skeen, and now that Santos is out, it’ll get a Spanish influence care of David Martinez. The new chef is a French Culinary Institute grad who worked at Bouley and Aureole before becoming executive sous-chef at Hotel and Resort Sol Melia in Costa Brava. His new menu, below, goes into effect tonight.

Prawns & Iberico Serrano Ham 14.
Cipollini Puree, Sangria Sauce

Hudson Valley Baby Greens 12.
Vermont Goat Cheese, Shallots, Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Heirloom Tomato Salad 13.
Burrata, Basil Oil, Arugula & Balsamic Granita

Grilled Sepia 14.
Piquillo Pepper Puree, Olive, Chive Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette
Hawaiian Hamachi Belly 16.

Watermelon, Green Curry Broth, Shrimp Crisp
Seared Scallops 13.

Fuji Apple & Date Puree, Paprika Oil, Micro Salad
Housemade Pappardelle 16.

Lamb Ragout, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Fontina Cheese
Butternut Squash Risotto 15.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage Foam

Grande Plates
Grilled Branzino 26.
Okinawa Sweet Potatoes, Cipollinis, Fine Herb Vinaigrette

New Zealand King Salmon 25.
Quinoa, Candied Beets, Coconut & Lemon Grass Foam

Chatham Cod 26.
Phyllo Wrapped Cod, Asparagus, Parsnip & Piquillo Puree

Senat Farms Chicken 24.
Vermont Goat Cheese Potato Puree, Brussel Sprouts, Natural Jus

Creekstone Hanger Steak 28.
Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Baby Carrots, Crispy Shallots, Bordelaise Sauce

Berkshire Pork TenderLoin 25.
Apple Wood Smoked Bacon, Sweet Corn,Wild Mushrooms, Black Mission Figs

New Zealand Rack of Lamb 32.
Pistachio Crusted, Creamed Swiss Chard, Pomegranate Gastrique

Sides & Bar Food
The Burger 13.
Gruyere & Fontina Mac & Cheese 8.
Local Market Side 8.
Roasted Baby Fingerlings, Shallots 8.
Patatas Bravas, Spicy Romesco Sauce 8.

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Filed Under: chef shuffle, 5 & diamond, david martinez, harlem

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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 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: TV Chefs.

Babbo (Menu)
212-777-0303
Two for eight? No
Best available: 6:30 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? No
Best available: 10 p.m.

Felidia (Menu)
212-758-1479
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9 p.m.

Jean Georges (Menu)
212-299-3900
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:15 p.m.

Le Bernardin (Menu)
212-554-1515
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:45 p.m.

Mesa Grill (Menu)
212-807-7400
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:15 p.m.

Morimoto (Menu)
212-989-8883
Two for eight? Yes

Wd-50 (Menu)
212-477-2900
Two for eight? No
Best available: Closed on Tuesdays

Filed Under: two for eight,

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“Who is more important to you, Deedee, Johnny or Joey? Fuck you for even asking me this.” —Colin the “Slice Harvester,” who’s on a quest to eat at every pizza joint in New York, when asked if he’s more into cheese, sauce, or crust. [Slice/Serious Eats]

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Filed Under: quote of the day, pizza, slice harvester, the ramones

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Last week, when Jeffrey Steingarten said, “I actually hate people, hate them, really dislike people who worship Di Fara’s,” some (though not many) of those people chimed up to defend the pizzeria in the comments at Slice, and now another one of them, Josh Ozersky, is calling the statement “blasphemous” and “grossly untrue.” Ozersky has claimed that he bought an apartment near Di Fara just so he could go there without having to drive, but now he tells us he’s looking to move to Manhattan as soon as he can! Indeed, if you thought Steingarten might’ve been talking about him when he said that Brooklyn-based food writers tend to be “relatively uncritical of things Brooklyn,” today Ozersky makes clear that he’s no knee-jerk Brooklyn booster.

“The best restaurants in Brooklyn, for the most part, are just outposts of Manhattan restaurants,” he says in the latest Ozersky.tv video, seemingly begging for hate mail (he tells us he’s been “deluged” with it). It’s uncertain which outposts he’s talking about, though he does concede that there are “a couple of great Brooklyn restaurants that really do have the Brooklyn vibe and that exist as great restaurants.” For instance, Vinegar Hill House — a curious one to single out since its “Brooklyn vibe” is so similar to the one at the Manhattan restaurant (Freemans) where chef-owner Jean Adamson got her start. Gotta wonder what the authors of the New Brooklyn Cookbook would have to say about this? And what, dear readers, do you have to say?

Steingarten is Right about Brooklyn [Ozersky.tv]

Previously: Jeffrey Steingarten Cooks Goat Sous-Vide, Disdains Brooklyn Boosterism
Jeffrey Steingarten on Eataly: ‘They’re Going to Have to Be on the Edge for the Rest of Their Lives’

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Filed Under: beef, brooklyn biased, di fara, freemans, jean adamson, jeffrey steingarten, josh ozersky, new brooklyn cuisine, vinegar hill house

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The opening of Atlantic Grill isn’t the only news coming from West 64th Street — several doors down, Picholine is now serving a $28 two-course and a $38 four-course lunch Wednesday through Saturday. Zagat Buzz reports that it’s also offering a $58 three-course pre-theater menu. Also nearby, the folks at A Voce Columbus tell us they’ve launched a new sandwich menu (at the bar only) in addition to adding an insalate section to their regular lunch menu. You can see both, along with Atlantic Grill’s menus, below. And to help you decide where you’ll be eating, here’s your first look inside Atlantic Grill, now open.

A Voce Salumi Bar Menu [PDF]
A Voce Lunch Menu [PDF]
Atlantic Grill Dinner Menu [PDF]
Atlantic Grill Raw Bar Menu [PDF]
Atlantic Grill Dessert Menu [PDF]

Atlantic Grill at Lincoln Center, 49 West 64th St., nr. Broadway; 212-787-4663

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Filed Under: slideshow, atlantic grill, b.r. guest, chris lim, mike lim, openings

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It’s 2 a.m.— do you know where your kids are? According to the Post, if they’re “beautiful girls who look a tad too young to be out past midnight,” they’re probably topless at Le Bain, the Jacuzzi atop the Standard hotel where “everyone gets naked.” Meanwhile, the Daily News (rehashing an earlier Post story) tries some fake I.D.’s out on hapless nightspots. The News interns don’t get into Tenjune (no wonder — the club is being investigated after the falling death of 17-year-old Nicole John), but they do score a drink at Bill’s Bar and Burger. Guess Steve Hanson’s secret underage shoppers need to step up their game. Anyway, if the tabloids keep running these stories, the city’s young’uns will have nothing to do other than chase Justin Bieber around.

Crazy Sexy Pool [NYP]
Fake IDs get reporters into or served at 13 out of 18 bars [NYDN]

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Filed Under: nightclubbing, bill’s bar and burger, fake ids, le bain, standard hotel, tenjune, underage drinking

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