Chelsea: Neurologist turned chef Miguel Sanchez Romera has rolled out a new (and relatively more affordable) nine-course tasting menu at Romera for $185. [Grub Street]
Citywide: Starting at Betto, live a day in the life of a restaurant owner as Jason Denton tours you all over Williamsburg and the Lower East Side. Find details on pricing and stops on the tour here. [Grub Street]

East Village: The East Village Chili & Brews tour kicks off on Saturday, January 28, at Village Pourhouse, featuring stops at sideBAR, Little Town NYC, Bar None, and more. Tickets and info here. [Grub Street]
Flatiron: Ever wonder how extreme weather affects your appetite? Sign up for a class with CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider as Lidia Bastianich cooks at Eataly. Sign up here. [Grub Street]
Williamsburg: Issue Project Room is offering a free, but mysterious, dinner in Brooklyn with an emphasis on local foods and experimentation. RSVP … if you dare. [Gothamist]
Loreley Williamsburg will offer a German beer tasting event on Wednesday, January 25 at 7 p.m., accompanied by a three-course German dinner. Tickets are $29 and can be purchased here. [Grub Street]

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Think blanquettes for the banquettes set.

After Patrick Connolly departed in the fall, Bobo announced last week that there’s a new chef-partner in the townhouse: Cedric Tovar (Town), who has evidently been busy. On January 30, he’s debuting an all-new menu. Grub Street got our hands on the bill of fare, a short and sweet lineup of apps and entrées. There’s a crab-and-celery salad, steak tartare, crispy duck, and blanquette de veau — the sort of classy, classic fare you’d want to eat in Bobo’s classy, classic surroundings.

Menu [PDF]

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Filed Under: menu changes, bobo, cedric tovar

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Calliope it is.

Rumor had it that the people of Prune were taking over the Belcourt Space — and it’s sort of true. Diner’s Journal confirms that a restaurant called Calliope will (almost 100 percent) assume the space, with husband-wife chefs Eric Korsh — who is currently the executive chef at the Waverly Inn and will be leaving in a few months — and Ginevra Iverson, a former cook at Prune. They hope to open in the early spring. [Diner's Journal/NYT]

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Filed Under: openings, calliope, prune

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G’day, Pie Face.

Anyone who hasn’t recently attended a production of Sweeney Todd or Titus Andronicus can appreciate the appeal of a meat pie in all its portable, filling tastiness. Aussies in particular are boosters of this particular snack, so it’s no surprise that a new source, Pie Face, which opened today, hails from Down Under. The 24-hour carb dispensary specializes in savory pies (Thai chicken curry; beef and tomato; tandoori vegetable), but you can get sweet pies and coffee as well. Those who haven’t yet sullied their New Year’s resolutions can opt for mini-pies, and if you’ve already said to hell with it, there are sausage rolls too. In honor of the opening, the shop will give customers a free coffee or mini-pie all day Wednesday, beginning at midnight. A golden pie giveaway starts at the same time and runs for a week: Whoever finds the lucky golden token in their pie wins a trip for two to Australia, plus unlimited pie. Check out menus below.

Food Menu [PDF]
Coffee Menu [PDF]

Pie Face, 1691 Broadway, nr. 53rd St.; 212-­247-­9065

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Filed Under: openings, australian, coffee buzz, coffee wire, meat pies, midtown, pie, pie face

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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: Meat Specialists.

Blue Smoke (Menu)
212-447-7733
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:45 p.m.

BLT Steak (Menu)
212-752-7470
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:15 p.m.

Craft (Menu)
212-780-0880
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9:30 p.m.

DBGB Kitchen & Bar (Menu)
212-933-5300
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:45 p.m.

Manzo (Menu)
212-229-2180
Two for eight? No
Best available: 9 p.m.

Minetta Tavern (Menu)
212-475-3850
Two for eight? No
Best available: 10:30 p.m.

Peter Luger (Menu)
718-387-7400
Two for eight? No
Best available: Fully booked

Quality Meats (Menu)
212-371-7777
Two for eight? Yes

Seasonal Restaurant & Weinbar (Menu)
212-957-5550
Two for eight? No
Best available: 8:45 p.m.

STK (Menu)
646-624-2444
Two for eight? Yes

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May we interest you in some Steelhead salmon?

Liquor license firmly in hand, Danny Meyer’s North End Grill debuts for dinner service this evening. The menu’s not too different from what we already showed you for lunch, but there are some additions, including two-person entrées such as a whole turbot or chicken, or a 28-day-dry-aged strip loin. Even more exciting, dare we say, is the Scotch menu, a dedicated lineup of both affordable and splurge-worthy regional whiskies, not to mention Scotch-tails on the cocktail list (fear not, wine and other spirits are represented as well). New hours are 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. during the week, and weekends are dinner only (till 11 p.m.) until brunch launches. See the menus below.

Dinner Menu [PDF]
Scotch Menu [PDF]
Drinks Menu [PDF]

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Filed Under: menu changes, north end grill, scotch, what to eat

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Toby’s having problems.

The Kenmare Street offshoot of Toby’s Public House in Brooklyn, which is still under construction, has been hit by vandals opposed to any liquor license at the soon-to-open spot, says owner Christine Iu, who lives a block away. Iu gave a harrowing account to Community Board 2 about unidentified perps who had scrawled “no bars” on the sidewalk shed of her establishment (once home to the Village Tart) and had also splattered white latex paint across the main entrance.

“I reported this [last incident] to the police,” Iu told the board, which subsequently rejected her bid for a beer and wine license in a bloc vote that supported resolutions by its SLA committee. Iu also claimed that her British fiancé, who lives with her and their two young children, has been regularly accosted by folks in the neighborhood complaining about her intentions. “I’m concerned not just for myself, but for my kids, my future, my dog, and my fiancé,” she said. “It’s just not right. It must stop.”

Iu’s bid for a full liquor license was previously turned down by CB2 after angry protests from residents. She told Grub Street that she would consult with her lawyer before taking her case to the State Liquor Authority, but remains determined to open in a couple of weeks even though the atmosphere has been “intimidating and threatening. We’ll have good food, good service. And I’ll have my hand extended.”

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Filed Under: issues, crimes, toby’s public house, vandalism

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Hunger film finds Park City.

“People are no longer seeing the hungry as ‘the other.’ People in this country are realizing that they too could be one injury, or one mortgage payment, away from hunger.” —Lori Silverbush, Tom Colicchio’s wife, who co-directed and produced Finding North, which premiered at Sundance last night. [24 Frames/LAT]

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Filed Under: quote of the day, colicchio

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Unwanting groping is for youngins.

Silvano Marchetto of Da Silvano is still fighting loud and hard against the allegations that he groped a parking attendant’s privates because, as documented in court papers, he’s “a 65-year-old man with health problems, bad knees, and has even suffered a stroke.” [NYP]

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Filed Under: legal woes, da silvano

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He’s surfing for press.

Not sure whether it’s very bad or highly brilliant decision-making on his publicist’s part, but Sam Talbot is asking the media to blow him up/blog him up on the Internet. The best posts will win Sam-signed prizes and a coveted one-on-one interview. However, no gossip or personal digs are allowed. Someone should definitely ask him about diabetes! [EaterNY]

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Filed Under: chef chat, sam talbot

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Think: cardamom and quinoa.

Watch this hilarious riff on Portlandia called Brokelandia, in which every single bit of artisanal, farm-to-cliché ridiculousness you’ve ever heard (and we’ve ever written about) — from four colors of lentils to shaved sheep to Blue Bottle — is spewed at a Bed-Stuy café. [Brokelyn]

Brokelandia – Did You Eat It? from Brokelyn on Vimeo.

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The Smile’s Matt Kliegman, Carlos Quirarte, and chef Melia Marden — a.k.a. the coolest kids in the food biz — have discovered another atmospheric location from which to ply their healthy, tasty brand of “Manhattan-Mediterranean” cooking. This one’s on Howard Street in the former (and apparently misnamed) Chinese snack shop known as Lucky Bakery. Unlike the Smile proper, the emphasis is on takeout. “I’ve always felt that takeaway food in L.A. and London was way ahead of New York,” says Kliegman, and now he aims to put a stop to it. How will he do it? With delicata-squash salads, seared fennel with orange and parsley, rosemary-rubbed rotisserie chicken, and much more from Marden’s daily changing menu. Plus, Smile to Go has something London and L.A. do not: former M. Wells pastry chef Brenna White, who’s in charge of kale tarts, cinnamon buns, Cheddar-apple biscuits, and honey pies. Check out the grub in our slideshow, then go get some when the shop opens later this week.

Smile, 22 Howard St., nr. Crosby St.; no phone

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Filed Under: the smile, openings

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