When you can’t go home again.

Peter Khoury files a yearning piece in the Times about his quest to find a new roost in the year since Elaine’s shuttered. “Like dozens of other people, I am part of the Elaine’s diaspora,” he writes. Trying out other restaurants and bars has been “a sort of speed dating.” And he’s been getting around, dropping into Donahue’s, Campagnola, Nicola’s, Sardi’s, “a hideaway bar in Midtown that shuns publicity and has a great Côtes du Rhône,” and finally settling on Neary’s as a sort of replacement. But it’s not the same. “After one year in the post-Elaine’s world, I can say that for me there is still no place that makes up for the loss of Elaine’s, and there might never be.” [NYT]

Read more posts by Jenny Miller

Filed Under: the long good-bye, elaine’s

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Yesterday we offered a pair of passes for this weekend’s ExtraMooga to the commenter with the most debaucherous concertgoing experience. Some of you let us down (Hanson?!) and many of you did a lot of puking (keep it together, Grub readers). While getting hit in the face by a guitar during a Peelander-Z show impressed us, as did hiding out in a bathroom stall for hours to see Gunther, ultimately, kid_a’s tale of accidentally consuming not one but three LSD-laced grilled cheese sandwiches at an Allman Brothers concert captured the win. What can we say? We are a food blog. Congratulations, kid_a, we’ll be in touch. For the rest of you, ExtraMooga tickets are still available here.

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Filed Under: congrats, contests, extramooga, giveaways

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If you’re a sugarholic like me, your sweet tooth would totally appreciate this heavenly place called Chikalicious. I’v…

Dessert Club, ChikaLicious

204 E 10th st, New York

(212) 475-0929

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Safeway is in the process of cleaning up two aisles of shit-storm after a butcher was fired, rather than admired, for saving a pregnant woman from being kicked in the stomach — a backwards move that customers across the country are vociferously outraged by. Then, at Safeway’s annual shareholder meeting, senior vice-president and general counsel Robert Gordon made a stupid and offensive joke that equated Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi to “hogs,” and now he’s on the express line to demotion. [Slate]

Read more posts by Alyssa Shelasky

Filed Under: check-out line, grocery store, safeway

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In the four years since Liza Queen closed her idiosyncratic Greenpoint restaurant, the Queen’s Hideaway, nobody has quite managed to fill her quirky locavore shoes. She brings a similarly rootsy regional sensibility to Potlikker, now in soft-open mode for diner-style lunch, with a more ambitious preview dinner menu launching May 25 (both are being offered at a 25 percent discount), and the official opening slated for June 1. Named for the brothy remains of cooking collards or other sturdy greens, Potlikker is devoted to decidedly American fare, often with what the chef calls “rural and working class roots”: New England boiled dinner, say, a meatloaf sandwich on a Parker House roll, or St. Louis pork ribs with cornbread upside-down cake.

Although the menu doesn’t outwardly display any trace of the two years Queen recently spent living and cooking in Vietnam, the experience taught her that “the expectation of graciousness and quality can exist equally in the lowliest street stalls as well as the swankier restaurants.” Not that there’ll be any mistaking Potlikker’s dining room for a Saigon back alley. The colorful, feminine design breaks tradition with Brooklyn-salvage chic, and comes courtesy of her sister, Samantha Crasco, who outfitted the guest rooms at Tribeca’s Greenwich Hotel.

Potlikker, 338 Bedford Ave., nr. S. 3rd St., Williamsburg; 718-388-9808

Read more posts by Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

Filed Under: openings, liza queen, potlikker, slideshow, williamsburg

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Kaminsky, in the center of the “Brooklyn food explosion.”

Peter Kaminsky is a food writer whose job has taken its toll on his body. Between stints at our own New York Magazine and Food & Wine, Kaminsky “put on a good 30 pounds.” And, he adds, “my blood-sugar was high, I was borderline diabetic. My life insurance was rejected and I was told I had to lose weight, that I had to try.” Hence his newest book, Culinary Intelligence: The Art of Eating Healthy (and Really Well). “People have had their minds blown by food enough that it’s not simply the fireworks of the richest ingredients. I think people are a little more discerning and sophisticated, and take their pleasures in more zen ways.” So we signed Kaminsky up for this week’s New York Diet to put him to the test, to see if he could really eat healthy in a way that’s also delicious — that’s the whole point of his book, after all. Read on for tales of rooftop grilling, dinner with Danny Meyer, and a fishing trip gone awry thanks to Barack Obama.

Friday, May 11
Coffee, ground fresh, and some whole milk. The coffee is from Two for the Pot. John McGill has been selling good coffee since way before soul patches and pork-pie hats got hip again, probably since mid–Dizzy Gillespie. And some Granola that my wife, Melinda, buys at Pacific Green on Court Street. What kind? I ask. Izzy’s and Bob’s Red Mill mixed together. Topped it all off with whole roast almonds. Now we’re talking.

At lunch, I spoke at the Rudd Center at Yale. We had delivery from a local modern –Italian restaurant. It was a so-so sandwich of overly crispy prosciutto and overly vinegar-ed veggies. The white-bean-and-greens soup, though, was excellent, to my pleasant surprise. Not too salty, just right. This is rare in a takeout soup.

Dinner was Parish Hall in Williamsburg. Okay, I’m a sucker for the Band and Dylan on the soundtrack. New place, clean look, maximum farm-to-table. It rocks. We had small plates to start: Spring greens with panna cotta and shallot vinaigrette; a plate of Nancy Newsom’s ham with shaved asparagus and pickled haricots verts; fluke with turnips and turnip greens. Yes, turnips can be fresh and interesting, even captivating. The things I thought were pickled chickpeas turned out to be nasturtium capers. I was unaware of their existence. Then the entrée for the two of us: lamb sausage, loin, farro sausage, and nettle pesto. Finished with some killer cheeses.

Saturday, May 12
Coffee and milk. Defrosted some whole-grain raisin-walnut bread from Bien Cuit on Smith Street. How did I get the best bread baker in the world a block form my house? And how did the ground zero of the Brooklyn food explosion land in my neighborhood? I swear, if I can’t walk or bike to it, I pretty much don’t go.

Anyway, defrosted the heels of bread in the microwave (even stale bread gets moist again) then toasted. Two fried eggs — free-range, organic in a little butter. Eggs from the corner green grocer, Pacific Green. Fine and dandy. I wonder how the neighbors will take to my raising chickens in the back yard? I already know the answer but you can dream, can’t you?

After that I worked until I remembered I needed to eat. Finally opened the can of little baby eels in garlic and chile peppers that I bought last year at Despaña. Dipped some Wasa whole-grain crackers in the oil. Next time I won’t wait a year. Really great.

Bought the first strawberries of the year at the Greenmarket. They tasted recent. I’m excited. Not full blown, deep-dark-red-all-the-way-through yet, but my hope is it’s just the beginning.

For dinner, we grilled up on the roof with our neighbor Patsy Taylor, her son Spencer, and some twentysomething friends. Way hipper than moi. Grilled asparagus in olive oil and then seasoned with flaky salt. Spencer brought some grass-fed lamb chops from Duclos and Thompson, a Vermont farm. His buddy Mark brought some McClure’s pickle brine from Williamsburg. This worked well instead of the chimichurri that Patsy had intended to make earlier in the day, but Saturday being Saturday, somehow it never happened.

Also a few hanger steaks. Melinda made a salad of lettuce and arugula flowers. Didn’t know that arugula had flowers. Glad they do: delicious. Patsy brought a chocolate cake from Marquet on Court Street. Had a wee piece with the strawberries. It was rich and dark and a little went a long way in the flavor-per-calorie department.

Sunday, May 13
Standard breakfast. Whole-grain cereal, granola for crunch, almonds, dried cranberries, and the strawberries leftover from the night before.

Some figs and one slice of toasted whole-wheat rye from Bien Cuit (their miche is insanely great and crunchy-crusted beyond belief). On it, a shmear of Across the Pond cheese from Stinky: ripe and funky. “Across the Pond, “ I said to the counterperson as I bought it. “From England?” I asked, wanting to show I got the reference. “Nope, they are near a pond in Vermont.”

With that, a couple of pickled okras that I bought from the farm stand outside Roberta’s. The acid cuts the ripeness of the cheese. I almost wrote “cuts the cheese” as food shorthand, but realized that would be indelicate.

Back on the roof for dinner. Super-big treat, my daughter Lucy and her boyfriend Max. Bought last of the local fiddleheads at Jim and Andy’s and had them sautéed in beurre blanc. From the Carroll Street Greenmarket (my favorite), the supernal Lani’s had baby arugula flowers, baby mache, even redder strawberries. The fishmonger had fresh flounder, with that telltale grey tinge of super-fresh. Dredged the fillets in cornmeal, greased a plancha on the gas grill, and cooked ‘em quickly. We ate on the roof at sunset.

Monday, May 14
Cereal again. More of the same. It’s fine.

Lucy on a break from a jury duty assignment, so lunch was at Yemen Café on Atlantic Avenue. Lots of families and ladies in leopard-print headscarves. Cute kids. Had the salad with their amazing dressing of green pepper, herbs, garlic, and vinegar; homemade flat bread, fresh from the oven; and salta, a vegetable-and-fenugreek stew. Laced it with a couple teaspoons of their freshly made green hot sauce. It’s my favorite place in the neighborhood. Whenever a famous chef is in town, I take them there and they are tickled. Sheila Lukins loved this place. Michel Richard, too. Sifton. Cathy Erway. Okay, enough with the names.

Showed up at a reception for Theater For A New Audience in my standard Neil Young wear: flannel shirt untucked, jeans, tee, sneakers. Guess I got a “writers pass” for underdressing. Please patronize this new theater. It will be a great addition to Brooklyn. We ran into Danny and Audrey Meyer there, so we ambled two blocks to Colonie on Atlantic. I ordered a few apps: fried artichokes, one big soft-shell crab, clam crostini, and calcotada, grilled leeks with romesco. Danny ordered a bottle of Frappato, which my daughter first turned me on to at Frankies. Alas, no Band on the soundtrack.

Tuesday, May 15
Had my “gone fishin’” sandwich: A BLT on whole wheat with a scrambled egg. But no fishing, even though the stripers are in season. Drove up the FDR and peeked to see what was happening at U Thant Island, that little speck beneath Roosevelt Island off the U.N. Usually it’s the one infallible fish-catching spot in the harbor, but oh my sweet lord … a police boat sitting right in the rip current where the fish hang. I was bummed, until I realized Obama was in town. Sending memo to bluefish at U Thant Island: POTUS leaving, please stay put.

Lunch was Wasa crackers, Cabot cloth-bound cheddar, and some cornichons.

Later, a cocktail party for my book at the International Culinary Center, thrown by my sister-in-arms, Dorothy Hamilton. Great charcuterie, and damn fine Champagne from … New Mexico?!

Afterwards, dinner with Dorothy, Andre Soltner, Jacques and Hasty Torres, daughter Lucy and Melinda. I’m in heaven. Andre is the man and Jacques is bonhomie personified. I had roast chicken because … well, why wouldn’t you? There was a lovely side dish of borolotti beans and greens, and Dorothy ordered up some Burgundies. I am a committed Burgundy slut. For dessert, I had half of a crème brûlée. It can be blah and average too often, but mine was great.

Wednesday, May 16
The morning was cereal and coffee.

I was flying, and lunch was a challenge. JetBlue says you can have your pick of all the wonderful restaurants in their terminal, but it’s all doughnuts and pizza and cheeseburgers. The healthiest thing I could find was two Kind bars, so I bought them and ate them, and then I got the fabulously inauthentic, but not carcinogenic, hummus and whole-grain crackers from JetBlue.

I landed in Seattle and went to Pike Place Market and had a half sandwich. I wanted spring salmon really bad, but someone told me to have the halibut, so I did. Grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato, hold the bun. The fish had lots of spice rub but no salt. Got the shaker and I was happy.

Dinner was at Etta’s. Many oysters, mussels and romesco, and some fresh King salmon. I was with Maxime Bilet, the co-author of Modernist Cuisine, his good friend Katie, and Warren Etheredge. Seriously great food talk. Had a nice Washington State Sauvignon blanc. They tried to talk us into dessert but virtue prevailed. Jet lag helped.

Read more posts by Alan Sytsma

Filed Under: the grub street diet, bien cuit, colonie, parish hall, peter kaminsky, roberta’s, stinky bklyn, the new york diet, yemen cafe

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When we pulled up the menu for Vinnie’s , I was sold. Their menu is packed with unconventional, yet delicious sounding…

Vinnies Pizzeria

148 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn

(718) 782-7078

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Sparks is fancier. Art lines the walls. The carpets are clean and rich. They have table cloths. Sparks’ waiters don’t …

Sparks Steak House

210 E 46th St, New York

(212) 687-4855

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• To celebrate the formation of the New York City Brewers Guild, the nine New York founders will host a tasting evening of rare beers from each brewery. For $75, get unlimited pours, a commemorative tasting glass, and food from Eataly’s La Birreria and 508 GastroBrewery. [Edible Brooklyn]

• New lunch spot French Cafe Gourmand is (1) in FiDi, (2) not a chain or a branch of a chain, (3) run by real French people. Specials are chalked on a board outside, and sandwiches, pastries, soup, salads, and coffee drinks are among the offerings. [Midtown Lunch]

• A specialty foods company in California actually constructed a six-foot tower out of chocolate. [Curbed]

•Foodie pairings aren’t all about food — on June 2, attend a pairing of the film Strange Brew with Josh Bernstein’s Brewed Awakening as part of BBQ Films’ series of underground food-and-film nights. Tickets are $25, and gourmet doughnuts and small-batch Sam Adams will be on hand at ACME Studio in Williamsburg. [Grub Street]

•The 2nd Annual Cookies for Kids Cancer Bake Sale will set up outside the Flatiron Building between Broadway and Fifth Avenue from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ABC Kitchen and Maialino are among the New York establishments providing the eats. [Grub Street]

•Sit down to nine wines and four courses May 21 at 7 for L’Artusi’s Sparkling Dinner. Beverage Director Joe Campanale will lead the tasting paired with food from Chef Gabe Thompson. All-inclusive tickets are $125. [Grub Street]

•Orchard Street will become an urban backyard between Houston and Delancey on June 3 from noon to 5 p.m. for the Lower East Side BID’s DayLife Event. Bistro tables and astro turf will be the backdrop for the offerings of Lower East Side food vendors; plus, retailers, D.J.s, skateboarding, and ping pong round out the day. [Grub Street]

•Maslow 6 Wine Bar opens tomorrow in Tribeca (next door to Maslow 6 Wine Store), rolling out a small plates menu and 20 to 30 by-the-glass selections daily. Plus, try rare wines at the Freaky Fridays events and bring over any bottle from the shop next door for a $25 corkage fee. [Grub Street]

•NOIR, the new restaurant and lounge coming to Midtown, is set to open in two weeks and features a 10,000-square-foot bi-level space designed by Andres Escobar and a menu by Michelin-starred Jean-Yves Schillinger. [Grub Street]

Filed Under: leftovers, foodievents, openings

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Have fun like Gramps!

Forgive us for just now noticing, but today Cobble Hill Blog points our attention to the exciting-sounding shuffleboard bar opening soon in Gowanus. The 17,000-square-foot drinkery and sports center of sorts, dubbed the Royal Palms, is themed after Florida’s senior scene — and while that sounds hipster-y, it also sounds awesome. One word, people: Yahtzee. More as we hear it. [Cobble Hill Blog via Gothamist]

Read more posts by Jenny Miler

Filed Under: nightlife, bars, gowanus, old people, openings, shuffleboard

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Arriba Arriba is a post theatre hangout where you’re generally guaranteed a good time at an affordable price away from…

Arriba Arriba!

762 9th Ave, New York

(212) 489-0810

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Spicy wonton with pork and vegetables (12 pieces), $4.50. (8 pieces are $3.50). This is what you must order if you vis…

White Bear

13502 Roosevelt Ave No. 5, Flushing

(718) 961-2322

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