Don’t believe the hype. It’s a sequel. -Public Enemy
Hyped by many as the young Rick Bayless of the East Coast, Chef Alex Stupak left as pastry chef of wd-50 to open Empellon Taqueria in the West Village. A few years later, he opened to rave reviews of what many consider to be a Mexican crown jewel in the East Village. We’re talking about none other than Empellon Cocina, taco free edition. After numerous recommendations by friends, we finally caved and paid them a visit… Continue reading
Credit proprietor Jodi Richard for hand-picking Chef Matt Lightner for Atera, the former the Compose space at 77 Worth St in TriBeCa. Even more props for convincing him to come to NYC from Portland. This guy is the real deal, having worked at the highly revered Mugaritz, and it shows. When it comes to textures, temperature, and technique, the execution is practically flawless. None of the food is coerced or phony. Even their butter is intentional. The flavors? Well, read on…
“NETA=THE FRESH INGREDIENTS OF SUSHI”
With former alums from Bar Masa at the helm, Neta is sure to be a a crowd pleaser right? Don’t bet on it.
Join I8NYC as we embark upon our first Tasting Table at the TAP-NY Taiwanese Night Market. For those of you who haven’t eaten at our i8 Supper Club, you can be sure we will be serving up something tasty and putting our own twist on a classic dish. See ya’ll there and don’t forget to follow us @i8and8.
Expected attendance will be 400-600 guests!
Buy your tickets here before they sell out!!!!
Not drunk, but Brave is the word I would use to describe Yopparai, the new Izakaya in the former Sushi UO space. The layout has since changed to a more veracious ‘Tokyo vibe’, with more bar counter seating than table seats. At first glance, the ‘railroad-style’ ambiance felt warm and inviting. The owner, his wife and another staff member warmly greet us upon walking in. They inform us that they are sake sommeliers and were eager to help. In typical minimalist Japanese fashion, there is a coat cabinet under your bar seating to stow away your belongings.
It’s not often you find a restaurant group that excels at what they do. Let’s face it: fusion makes cuisine that much harder to pull off. From the same peeps that brought Greenwich Grill and Sushi Azabu spawns Ristorante Aglio. Where? On 277 Church Street. Yes, you read right. On a street riddled with misses [ahem, Stuzzicheria, Da Mikele, Kori, Matsugen (R.I.P.)], the odds are highly stacked against them. Primarily known for car traffic vs pedestrian traffic, you have to give people a reason to walk this street. How does Aglio rank?
Wouldn’t it be refreshing to know that there was something new and inviting in the Downtown Manhattan food scene? Well we’re glad you asked. We were invited to partake in a sampling of new offerings by the owners of Yorganic, a health conscious place that offers a new line of sandwiches. Not quite sure what the tomorrow will bring but it looks promising, especially for Corporate catering. Their future looks bright since the flavors are major and the tweaks needed are minor, which we’re positive they will make. They currently do take-out and delivery only at their 2 current Yorganic locations.
With a paucity of good and atypical lunch options, we were quite eager to check out how creative the Chefs here could get. We could tell that much thought was put into the menu and what we sampled was anything but typical. “My Belly’s Playlist” is quite a catchy name, even though the menu format in which we sampled many new menu items will simply be a la carte offerings to the general public.
After 1500+ check-ins in 2011, here is a compilation of Jeff’s most notable eats, both good and bad. Take note that the lists below are not necessarily new establishments, but ones we went to for the first time last year, aka newly visited. All price ranges were taken into consideration and the lists are sorted in alphabetical order for your viewing pleasure. We are hopeful that to avoid bad eats but we already kicked off 2012 with 5 misses in a row. Not promising but we are keeping our tongues brushed and fingers crossed. Here are the lists…
From Big Apple BBQ to Midtown Lunch 5th Anniversary Party to our i8 Supper Club, there is never a lull of delicious nosh in this Concrete Jungle. We’re hosting our i8 Supper Club (Breakfast for Dinner) tomorrow as well! Want to know more stuff to do? Read on…
Go check out our friends over @TastyPursuits. They know what they’re doing, cuz we said so! Check out our Tasty Pursuits Central Park Picnic Album from this past weekend!
Happy Summer everyone! I am happy to announce the launch of Treats by Tasty Pursuits, a free cooking demo that includes two quick and easy dishes, and an upcoming fundraiser to help natural disaster victims including the tsunami and earthquake victims in Japan. Continue reading
The Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic will benefit the Urban Zen Hope Help & Rebuild Haiti (HHRH)whose aim is galvanizing a community in response to Haiti’s immediate need to rebuild after the devastating earthquake in January 2010.
New Yorkers are welcome to come enjoy the event for free! This year, the majority of the playing field will be designated for members of the public, so there will be plenty of room for picnicking, drinking champagne and socializing. Bleachers will also be provided for watching the match. Merchandise tents will dot the event grounds and offer a variety of picnic essentials, including Veuve Clicquot items such as blankets, hats, polo shirts, umbrellas, sunglasses and more. Continue reading
Here they come! A much-awaited event of this season, “UMAIMONO GOURMET FAIR”.
In addition to the well-known popular shops, selected specialty food from different provinces of Japan will make their first appearance for this event. Continue reading
Ninth Avenue Food Festival
Check out the Grand Gourmet – Flavor of Midtown event being held in Grand Central on May 12 from 7 to 9:30 PM. This walk around will bring over 30 Midtown restaurants together, with spots like La Fonda del Sol and Tulsi on-hand with tastings. Tickets are $100, get more info here.
One of the better cooking schools with dinners, unlike that other one from FCI 
We’ve been here and left impressed, albeit an all vegetarian meal. Previously, we could only go without meat when it comes to falafel, pizza, or congee. That’s how good it was.
Three Opportunities to Savor the New Tastes of the Upper West Side… Continue reading
Thx to UrbanDaddy for this…
For the first time in its 20 year history, Chelsea Market Baskets opens its doors for a night in epicurean paradise.
A unique after hours excursion into the delectable universe of Chelsea Market’s original gourmet food shop. Tastings, cocktails, demonstrations and private tours provided by artisanal producers. Continue reading
Thx to ZagatBuzzNYC for this…
Coffee glazed bacon, anyone? We have one 1 open spot for Saturday’s i8 Supper Club. Here’s what’s also going on this week… Continue reading
