Financial District: Earl’s Court will take entries January 25 through February 5 for its Big Game Giveaway — $225 of catering for fifteen people delivered to any door in Manhattan on Super Bowl Sunday. Anyone in the Tri-State Area can win and pick up the feast, which includes sandwiches, sushi, salads, and sides from the downtown food court owned by Planet Hollywood founder Robert Earl. No purchase required, no entries accepted at the food court, and the winner will be notified by noon February 3. [Grub Street]
Long Island City: Studio Square’s sprawling outdoor space, the Garden, rocks out every Wednesday night with a new Open Mic Night from 7 to 11. Amateur performers are welcome, as well as those up for drink specials. Until 9 p.m., drinks are two-for-one, and the beer of the week flows in specials. This week: Spaten Oktoberfest. [Grub Street]
Lower East Side: Hotel Chantelle unveils its Mediterranean-kissed winter menu from Chef Jeff Kreisel. The new Mediterranean influence plus Kreisel’s French technique means a veritable adieu to the “hotel’s” former New American menu. [Grub Street]

Midtown: After a seventeen-day revamp, Molyvos reopens tonight with dinner service in its newly done digs — with all the blues, whites, and grays of coastal Greece. [Grub Street]
Fishing Shrimp food truck, the four-wheeled home of $7 fish-and-chip baskets, returned to midtown’s streets this week for lunch. According to Twitter, they’re at 61st and Madison Avenue today, and they’ll be back tomorrow, slinging more seafood. [Midtown Lunch]
Nolita: OpenHouse gallery’s indoor park exhibit Park Here plays host to a number of indoor-outdoor pop-up events starting January 24 with Tea by Tiffany, hosted by a wellness instructor who wants to bring tea back in a coffee-dominant society. The tea party’s four organic teas, sandwiches, petit fours, scones, and more are going for $25 a ticket. [Grub Street]
Upper East Side: Yemenite eatery Rectangles shuttered recently after the Health Department gave it failing marks in December, Bowery Boogie reports. Liquor license paperwork on the restaurant’s exterior indicates that pizza chain Numero 28 will replace the First Avenue outpost. [Bowery Boogie]
West Village: Tremont launches a new bar menu from Chef Tim Bando featuring bold items like baked goat cheese with spicy tomato sauce and piment d’espelette, or a Tremont burger with foie gras onions and aged Cheddar. Available all night Sunday through Wednesday 5:30 to 11 and Thursday through Saturday 5:30 to midnight. [Grub Street]

Filed Under: neighborhood watch,

• 0 Comments

He loves it.

It’s kind of fun (or funny) when chefs serve up the political soup. Earlier today, David Chang eloquently tweeted, “hate is such a strong word … i fucking hate newt gingrich” just as Tom Colicchio pondered, “Never understood why Perry can take credit for creating jobs as governor of Texas but blames Obama for jobs lost in every other state.” And now the West Side Rag says John Fraser may or may not have given $250 to pro-bike-riding dude running for UWS’s representative in the City Council, while Danny Meyer has opened his wallet much wider against his competitor. Let the games begin. [West Side Rag]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: chef chat, politics

• 0 Comments

Reichl.

What’s a week of eating like for Ruth Reichl? Oh, you know, a quick bite at Eleven Madison Park, blind caviar tastings, dinner in San Francisco with Alice Waters, and snagging one of those much-coveted LudoBites reservations in L.A. — the usual. We suggest you check out her entire, SF-centric Grub Street Diet when you get a sec. [Grub SF]

Read more posts by Alan Sytsma

Filed Under: the san francisco diet, gilt taste, ruth reichl, the grub street diet

• 0 Comments

There was so much weird food news this week! So much: Horrifying anti-cheese ads, Burger King home delivery, and Paula Deen’s diabetes drug endorsement — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg lettuce. For a look at the week’s other strange goings-on, check out the James Weird Awards, straight ahead.

• When the NYPD finally broke up a noted Harlem drug ring last night after a fifteen-month investigation, they found 2.5 gallons of PCP stored in Hawaiian Punch bottles. Bonus points for recycling? [DNAinfo]

• In Los Angeles, a man was arrested for spiking his wife’s bowl of Rice Krispies with poison. The woman was luckily awake enough to notice her breakfast’s strange smell and taste before she ate too much of it. [HuffPo]

• Have you ever wanted to get your dog drunk? Well, you can’t, and you shouldn’t. It’s irresponsible. Thankfully, a pub in the U.K. has made it possible for man’s best friend to down a cold one by serving non-alcoholic, non-carbonated drinks made specifically for patrons’ pets. Also on the menu: Pup-approved bar snacks! [Metro UK]

• A former McDonald’s employee in Philadelphia recorded video on his cell phone of a mouse running wild inside a closed bag of Big Mac buns. He alleges that his manager told the employees to wipe off mouse droppings from the buns before serving them to customers. You know, as a courtesy. [HuffPo]

• A grandmother spending the afternoon at a Dearborn Chuck E. Cheese with her family asked the people at a table nearby to refrain from using bad language in front of the children. A man at the table took offense and started attacking the woman, punching her in the face and pulling her hair. Chuck E. Cheese serves beer to adults (who knew?), but authorities don’t think that played a role in the assault. [WJBK]

• A winery in Chile has released a Cabernet Sauvignon aged with a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite that was said to have crashed in the Atacama Desert 6,000 years ago. The vineyard’s owner says the meteorite gives the wine a “livelier taste,” but we say that’s what the aliens want us to think. [The Drinks Business via Eatocracy/CNN]

Read more posts by Laura Reineke

Filed Under: the james weird awards, chuck e. cheese, mcdonald’s, wine

• 0 Comments

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 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: French Accent

Adour Alain Ducasse (Menu)
212-710-2277
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:15 p.m.

Boulud Sud (Menu)
212-595-1313
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:30 p.m.

Bouley (Menu)
212-964-2525
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

Corton (Menu)
212-644-0202
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:45 p.m.

Daniel (Menu)
212-288-0033
Two for eight? No
Best available: None. Closed for a private event.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (Menu)
212-829-3844
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:30 p.m.

La Silhouette (Menu)
212-581-2400
Two for eight? Yes

Le Bernardin (Menu)
212-554-1515
Two for eight? No
Best available: 11 p.m.

Lyon Bouchon Moderne (Menu)
212-242-5966
Two for eight? Yes

Recette (Menu)
212-414-3000
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:45 p.m.

Filed Under: two tor eight

• 0 Comments

Ellabess spiffs itself up.

Epicurean Management’s Ellabess has sailed into the new year with a lot of ambition! They’ve brought in the one and only Joe Campanale to enhance the bar, added a perfectly Nolitafied brunch that starts next Sunday (the 29th), and finally had time to get the interior exactly where they wanted it. Now Ellabess can be her ella’best.

Brunch Menu [PDF]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: nolita, ellabess, epicurean management

• 0 Comments

Tonight at 7 p.m. the Haberdasher shuffles into town with burlesque performances, Chaplin and Fellini films, and cheekily named cocktails on the third floor of 5 Ninth. There’s a whole menu of Manhattans, including the Cockeyed Fedora (Cockeyed Fedora Rye, Carpano Antica, Fernet Branca) and the Man Hatin’ (coconut-infused bourbon, Dolin Dry, Velvet Falernum, Angostura, lime peel). The antiques-furnished space has a shabby-sceney look. Scope the full drinks menu below.

Cocktail Menu [PDF]

The Haberdasher, 5 Ninth Ave., third fl.; 212-929-9460

Read more posts by Jenny Miller

Filed Under: nightlife, 5 ninth, burlesque, cocktails, openings, slideshow, the haberdasher

• 0 Comments

Deen, last month in New York.

It’s been two days since Paula Deen confirmed the rumors that she’d been diagnosed with adult-onset diabetes, and the noise from her critics is growing. It seems like just about everyone has a problem with the way Deen has handled this situation. The consensus is that using a three-year-old diagnosis as a springboard for a diabetes-drug endorsement deal is a move that’s slimy at best, and malicious at worst. Even Ad Age says Deen’s “brand is suffering.” In response to the backlash, Deen announced yesterday on the Chew that she will donate an undisclosed percentage of her earnings to the American Diabetes Association. But that gesture doesn’t appear to have swayed public opinion all that much.

Dr. Marion Nestle takes umbrage with the fact that Deen isn’t acknowledging that improved diet and exercise routines are important steps in treating type 2 diabetes, or even preventing it in the first place. Nestle writes that “even a relatively small reversal of calorie balance can make symptoms of type 2 diabetes disappear and reduce or eliminate the need for drugs.”

Maverick Farms co-founder Tom Philpott notes that there are very real problems with the drug Deen is endorsing: “The FDA approved Victoza in January 2010, but it did so amid strong evidence of a link to thyroid cancer,” and in June of 2011 the group “issued a warning about the risks of thyroid cancer and pancreatitis associated with the diabetes drug liraglutide (Victoza).” Philpott adds that “some medical authorities” question whether diabetes drugs like Victoza offer any benefits at all. (Of course, any patients who actually let Paula Deen influence their medical decisions might have bigger problems than high blood glucose.)

Here’s the thing: The Paula Deen that appears on TV has never been anything other than a caricature. Her whole Southern-grandma shtick is so cartoonishly over-the-top that it’s amazing anyone takes it seriously. (That she developed a recipe for deep-fried butter should be enough of an indication that she’s in on the joke.) More than anything, it’s impressive that she managed to parlay that character into a multi-million-dollar empire built on Krispy Kreme bread pudding and endorsement deals that are as cheesy as her recipe for ham-and-banana casserole.

Artist’s rendering of Paula Deen at home.Illustration: Andrei Kallaur, Jen Cotton

Why would anyone expect Deen to handle her diabetes diagnosis any differently? Of course this woman is going to endorse a quick-fix diabetes drug while making only passing reference to the fact that everyone should eat better and exercise more. This is obviously not a woman who has ever cared about her audience’s health; this is a woman who cares about fattening up her bank account.

Weighing in on Paula Deen [Atlantic]
Paula Deen Hawks a Dubious Diabetes Drug [Mother Jones]
Earlier: Paula Deen Confirms Diabetes Reports, Drug Advertising Deal
Related: Buttered Up: A Look at Paula Deen’s Financial Empire

Read more posts by Alan Sytsma

Filed Under: slippery issues, diabetes, paula deen

• 0 Comments

When commenter NBurger79 won our Notes From a Kitchen giveaway with his touching story of making his grandmother’s ricotta pie, at least one of you asked for the recipe. We were curious, too, so we checked in to see if he might be able to share it, and he was happy to oblige. Minnie Marsala’s Ricotta Pie has a graham-cracker crust and an airy ricotta-and-chocolate filling. See the recipe below.

Minnie Marsala’s Ricotta Pie

Crust

8 oz graham cracker crumbs, fine
2 oz brown sugar
1 oz white sugar
4 oz salted butter
3 oz all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine butter and sugars first, then honey.  Stir in rest, then refrigerate for 1 hr.  Fill pie pan and bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

Filling

1 1/2 lbs drained whole milk ricotta
4 oz shaved milk chocolate
1 oz white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolk
1 tsp cinnamon, plus extra to sprinkle on top

Combine ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, eggs and vanilla in a bowl until creamy.  Add shaved chocolate and stir gently.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Read more posts by Jenny Miller

Filed Under: what to cook, recipes, ricotta pie

• 0 Comments

A blow for spice heads.

A tipster tells Grub Street that Grand Sichuan on Ninth Avenue and 24th Street (the Grand Sichuan, to most people) was closed Tuesday by the Department of Health. Signage was posted on the windows indicating the closure, although there’s nothing mentioned on the DOH website. However, our call found that nobody is picking up, and an employee at another location of the chainlet indicated the Chelsea restaurant is “closed for a few days,” then hung up on us. A Yelp commenter posting Tuesday also confirmed the news. This is terrible tidings for spice fiends; here’s hoping they open back up soon.

Read more posts by Jenny Miller

Filed Under: temporary closures, chelsea, department of health, doh, grand sichuan

• 0 Comments

Nutty!

Forget all that “fuckin’ fresh” stuff in Japan: A brand of nuts called “Nuckin’ Futs” has been cleared by the Australian Trade Marks examiner, meaning it can go on sale across the country. There had been some concern that the name was far too corny a little too risqué for a national snack product, but according to Sky News, Nuckin’s trademark lawyer argued that “fuck” and “fucking” are part of the “universal discourse of the ordinary Australian.” Nuckin’ still can’t be marketed to kids, but some Aussies are fairly certain that this ruling will pave the way for a bunch of other fucking Australian products with somewhat dirty names. We bet David Chang, who just opened a Momofuku in Sydney, can probably think up a few good ideas. [Sky News Australia]

Read more posts by Alan Sytsma

Filed Under: fuck yeah, australia, nuckin’ futs

• 0 Comments

Member of the Boulud fan club.

Last month, the president ate at Gotham Bar and Grill, where the chef shared the menu with Grub Street. Today, Obama is heading to Daniel (one of his faves!) for something equally lavish, if perhaps more French. Avec Chef Boulud, Obama will meet Jewish leaders at the uptown restaurant, which is charging donors $15,000 per plate. Portions best be big! [NYDN]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: secret service, daniel, obama

• 0 Comments