The menu offered familiar items, but with interesting ingredient combinations. We were told that a pie was a must…

Gazala’s

380 Columbus Ave, New York

(212) 873-8880

• 0 Comments

East Village: French-Mexican restaurant Itzocan Café has shuttered. [EV Grieve]
Fort Greene: Popular neighborhood coffee shop Tillie’s will serve its last cup on New Year’s Day. One area resident is apparently trying to get a group together to buy the space and reopen it as a café and comic-book shop. [Eater NY/Brooklyn Paper]

Gramercy: Tommy Lasagna is launching lunch service this Tuesday, January 3. Lunch-size portions of their popular Italian dishes will include Nonna’s Lasagna, Truffle Lasagna, and Eggplant Parmigianino. Lunch specials range in price from $9 to $13. [Grub Street]
Times Square: Want to be in on the ball-dropping action without standing in the freezing cold among the one million? Head to the Bryant Park Hotel’s Cellar Bar for a New Year’s Eve party that includes a five-hour open bar from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., as well as a Champagne toast and hors d’oeuvres. Tickets run at $125 per person. [Grub Street]
Upper West Side: In what sounds like some kind of vice squad sting operation, Papasito was busted after NYPD detectives watched 18-year-old auxiliary police officers be served alcohol. The restaurant, which opened in September, has also faced mounting complaints from neighbors about late-night noise as well as allegations that it owes $27,000 in back rent. [DNA Info]

Filed Under: neighborhood watch, closings

• 0 Comments

Tell us how you really feel, Tony?

“Watched twenty minutes of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Twee screener before pain became too much. Despised it.” —Anthony Bourdain, via Twitter, on his unsentimental views about the heartfelt holiday movie.

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: quote of the day, anthony bourdain, uncensored

• 0 Comments

Shop till ya … need a burger.

If the free samples at Costco feel a little too lowbrow, here’s a guide to eating at New York’s best department stores, including everywhere from the Cellar Bar at Macy’s to Sarabeth’s at Lord & Taylor. The lobster club sandwich at Fred’s at Barneys New York gets big love, as does BG Restaurant on the seventh floor of Bergdorf (only to be trumped by Goodman’s, in the lower level of the store). Because if you’re gonna live, LIVE. [NYT]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: spending, barneys, bergdorf

• 0 Comments

It’s fine dining in New York, but away from New York. It’s farm to table dining with a location in Manhattan and the…

Blue Hill

75 Washington Pl, New York

(212) 539-1776

• 0 Comments

Normal or not normal?

Sandra Lee and Governor Cuomo are back in Lake Placid for the holidays, with food-centric sightings at everyday joints, including the Blue Moon Cafe, T.F. Finnigan Great Adirondack Steak & Seafood, and Price Chopper. Unlike for many politicians, deliberate actions to humanize themselves are easy as pie (with store-bought crust) for this duo. [Adirondack Daily Enterprise]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: holiday spirit, price chopper, sandra lee

• 0 Comments

It certainly won’t make you feel worse.

For no other reason than the fact that we like him and love Bloodies, Grub Street asked Robert Newton, chef and co-owner of Seersucker in Carroll Gardens, for his best Bloody Mary recipe. He gave Grub three options, all of which are offered anytime at the restaurant, and especially at their 2nd Annual New Year’s Day Southern Brunch this Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Classic Bloody Mary
“This is made with our own housemade mix Long Island potato vodka, and it’s seasoned with a mix of spices and served with a housemade pickle garnish, in a glass rimmed with a mixture of our signature Seersucker Spice and salt.”

Bloody Crawdad
“This one really packs a punch — it’s our classic bloody kicked up with shrimp stock and a pickled crawfish.”

The Whiskey Mary
“For those who really need a little hair of the dog, since it’s mixed with Glen Thunder corn whiskey, which is made from a mash of at least 80 percent corn, giving this drink a toasty, caramelized twist.”

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: morning after, bloody mary, seersucker

• 0 Comments

If you can’t look like her, you can at least set a table like her.

Channeling Padma this holiday weekend? She’s listed some helpful entertaining tips like waiting till the last minute to dress the salad, serving buffet style, and considering a tapas and cocktail menu. Also, never pour Champagne until necessary. But you might need some here. [Padma Lakshmi]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: entertaining, padma

• 0 Comments

Amen for the crudo at Anella.

Fork in the Road says an astonishing dish has to be “beautiful to look at, innovative within its canon, and perfectly executed. It has to surprise as well as satisfy.” In other words, a lot of spicy, daring, hard-to-pronounce plates of food (plus a piece of balsamic pie). The most mind-blowing? Braised Whole Fish Filet With Soy Bean Sprouts in Roasted Chili Spiced Broth at Land of Plenty, a newcomer on the Upper East Side. [Fork in the Road/VV]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: astonishment, lists

• 0 Comments

• Like whiskey? So does the world. Here’s a look at what’s going on with your favorite bottles everywhere from India to the Netherlands. [Guardian UK]

• The Drunkest Cities of the Year list is out, and sadly, or awesomely, one of us at Grub Street was born and raised in city No. 2. (Hence, the tpyos?) [Eater]

• Jamie Oliver is in hot water for creating what some are calling a “heart attack meatball sandwich.” Hope all his haters have a bite. [Daily Mail UK]

• Just as your hangover is wearing off this Sunday, you’re in for another migraine: the highly anticipated Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off, is starting at 9 p.m. EST. [NYP]

• E.V. Grieve takes a photographic look back at the last year in the East Village, including the Ihop invasion, and the departures of Mars Bar and Nevada Smith’s. [EV Grieve]

Filed Under: mediavore,

• 0 Comments

Casa Galicia in Astoria is far closer (spiritually, at least) to Spain than I expected. It features the classic…

Casa Galicia

3709 31st Ave., New York

(718) 932-1114

• 0 Comments

Wine, great food, and a wonderful environment. Terrior is a great choice for dates, or just to kick back and enjoy…

Terroir

413 E 12th St, New York

(646) 602-1300

• 0 Comments