New York City : Day One

Day One: Le Caprice

BuzzEditor — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:33:00 GMT

Even before it opens its doors to the public tonight, the New York outpost of London’s Le Caprice has hosted an impossibly chic crowd. It didn’t hurt that Anna Wintour did all the inviting the first night, and that proprietor Richard Caring also happens to own London’s Ivy (along with Annabel’s, Harry’s Bar and Mark’s Club). Some of the notables to get a sneak peek during five days of invite-only previews: Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Anthony, Martha Stewart, Alan Cumming, Christian Louboutin, Cynthia Rowley, Princess Firyal and Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Glenda Bailey.

The Food: International brasserie fare

The Design: An elegant black-and-white deco room studded with ’60s-era David Bailey photos of Jean Shrimpton

Sample Dishes: Salmon fish cake with buttered spinach and sorrel sauce ($20); char-grilled veal chop with sautéed chanterelles and pea shoots ($38); Thai baked sea bass with fragrant rice ($29)

Sample Dessert: Fig tart with orange ripple ice cream ($9); baked chocolate pudding soufflé ($10)

Sample Drinks: Classic cocktails and wine

The Crowd: Men draped in cashmere scarves and many women named Fiona

The Tunes: Live piano music

The Deets: 2 E. 61st St. in The Pierre hotel; 212-940-8195

– Beth Landman

Day One: Casa Lever

BuzzEditor — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:55:00 GMT

Casa Lever

Photo: Whitney Cox

Casa Lever, a trendy, Milanese-focused restaurant from the gents behind Sant Ambroeus, opened in the former Lever House last night, and here's everything you need to know about its big debut.

The Food: Manhattan Italian via Milano

The Design: Moderno Midtown, with a cool collection of Warhols on the wall, a classy glass and marble bar, comfortable group nooks with wine rack partitions and contempo chandeliers

Sample Dishes: Seared scallops with black truffle and shaved white asparagus ($18); paccheri pasta with red snapper ragout, cherry tomato and baby artichoke ($26); traditional baked veal Milanese ($44)

Sample Dessert: Hazelnut sponge, hazelnut wafer, gianduia ($10)

Photo: Whitney Cox

Sample Drinks: Brandy Smash (brandy, mint sprigs and homemade simple syrup, $12); Positano Breeze (Strega, Cointreau, orange and cranberry juice, $12)

The Crowd: Expense-account types (or those who used to have them) with jackets but no ties; Madison Avenue shopper spillover; models who'd look comfortable on Milano runways; high-profile neighbors like Julian Niccolini

The Tunes: Jazzy, from bossa nova to Jamiroquai

After-work Attraction: A bar menu featuring mini-burgers ($14), veal and mozzarella meatballs ($8), and potato, prosciutto and mozzarella croquettes ($8)

The Deets: 390 Park Avenue; 212-888-2700

– Kathleen Squires

Day One: Yerba Buena Perry

BuzzEditor — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:48:00 GMT

Yerba Buena Perry

Photo: Hernan F. Rodriguez

Latin kitchen Yerba Buena didn’t feel it was right to keep the fiesta limited to the East Village, so chef Julian Medina and partner Chris Gilman opened a second location across town. It’s not an exact clone of the original, however: Yerba Buena Perry has its own signature dishes and drinks, plus a larger list of ceviche.

The Food: Progressive Pan-Latin fare, with influences from Peru, Cuba, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Spain.

The Design: Lime-green walls; a white marble bar, with an ebony-colored arch dominating the bar back. Wainscoting adds a touch of class, while the black-and-white tiled floors bring a tango parlor to mind. Bromeliads and palms add a touch of the tropics.

Sample Dishes: Ropa vieja of tamarind-glazed duck confit ($26); manchego cheese croquettes ($10); tuna belly taquitos with avocado and habanero salsa ($10); and a collection of innovative fries, made with watermelon, avocado and hearts of palm ($5).

Sample Dessert: Dulce de leche crêpe with spiced pumpkin seeds and pistachio ice cream ($9).

Sample Drinks: A smoky Mezcal Maid, with Scorpion mezcal, cucumber, lime and yerba buena ($12); the fiery El Chupacabra, with Herradura blanco, cucumber, Cholula hot sauce, salt and lime ($12).

The Crowd: Latin-loving locals starved for some sazon.

The Tunes: Classic Cuban to contemporary Spanish-language pop.

Eco Extra: The restaurant makes a concerted effort to be green by using organic meats and produce, sustainable seafood and metal stirring straws instead of plastic ones.

The Deets: 1 Perry St.; 212-620-0808.

– Kathleen Squires

Day One: Permanent Brunch

BuzzEditor — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:13:00 GMT

Permanent Brunch

Photo: Kathleen Squires

Thanks to restaurateur Lesly Bernard, brunch is no longer just for the morning after. At his new East Villager, Permanent Brunch, it’s all breakfast all the time. Last night was the official roll-out, and we were there.

The Food: What was once considered morning fare: eggs, bacon and pancakes, from chef Meg Grace (The Modern, Café 2).

The Design: The narrow space is outfitted with subway tiles, featuring sepia-toned photos of the actual subway, handmade by Bernard himself. Finding the restaurant’s name cleverly hidden in the tiles is a fun way to while away the wait.

Sample Dishes: An artisanal bacon bar, where $3 buys two to three “rashers” like Hungarian smoked Kolozsvari bacon made in Illinois. Baked eggs ($15) with braised short rib ragu and duck fingerling potatoes.

Sample Dessert: The daily doughnut ($6), flavored with the likes of chamomile.

Sample Drinks: The Neptune Bloody ($10) with shrimp stock, Old Bay salt and pickled shrimp.

The Crowd: Families, casually fashioned neighborhooders, diverse comfort-seekers with breakfast smiles.

The Tunes: '80s crowd-pleasers like A-Ha’s “Take on Me” and Wang Chung’s “Everybody Have Fun Tonight.”

High-Tech Extras: In lieu of advance reservations, or a snaky line out the door, there's a unique seating system. After patrons type their info into a kiosk, the seating order is displayed on an HD “chalkboard.” If there’s a significant wait, the system will text your cell phone when a table opens up.

The Deets: 95 First Ave.; 212-533-3315.

– Kathleen Squires

Day One: Hotel Griffou

BuzzEditor — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:31:00 GMT

Hotel Griffou

Photo: Adrian Wilson

Located in a West Village townhouse that was once a 19th-century lodging stop for the likes of Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe, Hotel Griffou is the product of a dream team of restaurant vets from Pastis, Balthazar, Freemans and Waverly Inn. Last Wednesday saw the first night of reservations, and the Buzz was there to check out the scene.

The Food: Throwback American by Jason Michael Giordano (ex Spice Market).

The Design: Five distinct dining rooms, including the homey Salon, with its classic dishware and fireplace; the Studio Room, a boisterous Village atelier outfitted with long, wooden beerhall tables; the more subdued library, strewn with fur pelts; the leaf-laden Palm Terrace; and the cavernous wine vault, for private dining up to 14.

Sample Dishes: Duck a l’orange with baby beets ($27); classic steak Diane with whipped potatoes and haricot verts ($35).

Sample Dessert: baked Alaska for two, ($12).

Sample Drinks: Mexican Rose Cooler, tequila, agave nectar, fresh strawberries and cilantro ($14); the Iceberg, absinthe, yellow chartreuse, lime zest and crushed ice, ($14).

The Crowd: 30-something cocktail culties; townhouse locals; NYU grads; long-legged women in short summer dresses.

The Tunes: ’70s and ’80s-era chart-toppers, from Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” to Cyndi Lauper’s “Money Changes Everything.”

Cool Antiquity: During construction, partner Larry Poston unearthed an 1892 menu from the hotel, which provided a dish for the current menu, “Marie Griffou’s Sauteed Pork Cutlets.”

The Deets: 21 W. Ninth St., (646-448-4632).

– Kathleen Squires

Day One: Aureole

BuzzEditor — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:49:00 GMT

Monday night was the first official dinner service at Charlie Palmer’s much-anticipated, relocated and rejuvenated Aureole in 42nd Street’s Bank of America Tower. The new space is set up to serve a cross-section of patrons: the casual front bar room features an à la carte menu, while the more subdued back room sports tablecloths, a “jacket preferred” vibe and an $84 three-course prix fixe menu. You can get a tour of the space – and watch executive chef Christopher Lee prepare a pork chop dish – in the video above; meanwhile, here are some first-night impressions of this new addition to the Theater District dining scene:

The Food: Palmer’s signature “progressive American” fare, executed by Lee.

The Design: Glassy, classy, modern, with swirling, recessed chandeliers; a zinc bar; tables in an alfresco breezeway; and large windows looking out to 42nd Street.

Sample Dishes: Diver sea scallop sandwiched between thin-sliced brioche crisps, garnished with foie gras ($22 at bar, also available on the prix fixe menu); "Canadian lobster tail vs. Berkshire pork belly" with squash, porcini mushroom, gooseberries, Jura wine and almond emulsion (prix fixe).

Sample Dessert: Milk chocolate pudding pie with honeyed apricot, black and white sesame (prix fixe).

Sample Drinks: The Basil 24 (Beefeater 24 gin, sweet basil, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, $14). An astounding 15,000-bottle wine list with more than 100 selections under $100.

The Crowd: Post-work banker types; upscale tourist walk-ins; neighboring Condé-Nasters; theatergoers; regulars from Aureole’s former space on 61st Street.

The Tunes: Muted, Euro-style ambient in the bar room; even more subtle elegant jazz in the dining room.

Great Gimmick: The e-wine list, which lets oenophiles browse a tabletlike device to order.

Great Deal: All menus are 15% off until September 15.

The Deets: One Bryant Park (135 W. 42nd St.), 212-319-1660.

–Kathleen Squires

Day One: Standard Grill

BuzzEditor — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:38:00 GMT

Standard Grill

Photo: courtesy of the restaurant

Last night Standard Grill, the long-awaited appendage to the Meatpacking District’s Standard Hotel, opened to the public. Here’s a quick take on the scene:

The Food: retro-inspired American fare from Dan Silverman (ex Lever House).

Sample Dishes: Sunburst Farm rainbow trout, currant and pine nut relish ($16); “Million Dollar” whole roast chicken and fries for two ($32).

Sample Dessert: Cookies & Shake (double chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and peanut butter cookies with a chocolate malt milkshake).

Sample Drinks: Penny Drop (vodka, housemade ginger cordial, lime juice, ginger beer, fresh ginger, $10); Jackie 60 (mezcal, lime juice, agave nectar, smoked salt, $10).

The Crowd: stylish hotel guests; Highline gawkers; fashion-forward foodies

The Tunes: Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, “Wake Up Everybody”; The Creation, “Making Time”; Moody Men, “Shades of Joy”; Secret Machines, “What Used to Be French”; DJ Chaos, “We Love the Night”

The Deets: 846 Washington St., 212-645-4100