Eat: Eater Inside Archives

Eater Inside: South Gate

[Krieger, 2/24/08]

This pretty little thing you see here is South Gate, the first restaurant to go in the Jumeirah Essex House since the Big D (er, Alain Ducasse) pulled the plug on his operation in the building last year. This new spot, cheffed by Eleven Madison Park's Kerry Heffernan, opened to early swooning reviews, and like most other major operations opening in early '08 the wine is a big focus, a bar menu makes an appearance, and the ubiquitous pork belly can be had glazed or braised. However, the early menu is keeping most entrees under the $40 mark, a surprise for a restaurant in the very upscale and pricey Essex House.

But let's move away from the food and just bask in her good looks for a moment. What you see above is a floor-to-ceiling glass case filled with the restaurant's 2,000 bottles of wine. And below you get a little communal table action, a fractured mirror installation, leather upholstered table tops, and ample windows offering views of the park. The SG is circa six weeks out from getting any big reviews, but based on the design cred (Tony Chi), the chef's pedigree, and the prominence of the place, it'll start with a deuce.

Communal Bar and More of the Dining Room up next.>>

Eater Inside: Sakae Sushi

Femia, 2/18/08

To end a week heavy on the Eater Insides, take a gander at this Freaky Friday edition, featuring Sakae Sushi, the month-old satellite of the Singapore kaitan sushi chain. Sakae isn't the first of its conveyor belt ilk to open in the city, but early buzz and reports of a 97 ft belt stirred up the initial interest. Sad stories on Yelp tell of sushi lovers casing the joint day after day waiting for it to open.

But, now that the gears are turning, what are we seeing here? Two conveyor belts move around the room to the kitchen, every table has a computer with an interactive menu and a green tea tap, and plates are color coded according to price. It all adds up to a kitschy, futuristic Midtown-appropriate space where if desired one could have little to no contact with actual humans. Luckily, its Chrysler building location pretty much guarantees an early steady flow of lunch business.

Further reading here and here.

Eater Inside: Commerce

Krieger, 2/19/08

Expectations in the neighborhood are running high for Commerce, the newest restaurant to open at 50 Commerce Street, in the old West Village carriage house that was once occupied by a speakeasy, Grange Hall, and Blue Mill Tavern. The new owners Tony Zazula and chef Harold Moore had the whole place restored to bring back the vibe of the Grange Hall, and while opinions vary as to how successful they've been, serious work money went into the tiling, murals, and overall design. See also, the layered intricacy of the ceiling.

Now, early reports from around the opening two weeks ago skew negative, but complaints seems to weigh heavy on the service (easy to fix), not the design or menu (less easy to fix). The early buzz notwithstanding, Commerce will work if the house can learn how to coddle locals. At present, other than the service issues, lighting is at times severe and the menu really doesn't have an escape plan dish (say, a burger). Plus, see photos, there's a tale of two restaurants happening here—is it a Montrachet-like stage for Moore (above) or a neighborhood canteen (two below)? Hard to say; but she's got the history and looks to sustain, so let's see what the kids can do.

Continue reading "Eater Inside: Commerce"

Eater Inside: Bridge Urban Winery

Kalina, 2/17/08

What you see here is Bridge Urban Winery and Tasting Room, a satellite retail space and restaurant by the people of Bridge Vineyards out on Long Island. This place—located right by the Williamsburg Bridge in the vicinity of Diner, Marlowe & Sons, and Lugers—was certified open just over two weeks ago, but they began serving food on Sunday. It's flying under the radar as of now, but the South Williamsburg folks will probably catch on any day now.

Let's get to the specs. There are basically three things to know about this place: 1) they serve New York only wines by the taste and flight, 2) they sell their own wines by the door, and 3) plans for on site winemaking and a "barrel program" (where customers take part in the process) are in the works. According to the the proprietors Greg Sandor and Paul Wegimont, Bridge is starting off small with the food and now have crostinis, meats and cheeses, and paninis, but plan to expand to a dinner menu soon. Further reading here and in the Times.

Eater Inside: Bar Tano

Krieger, 2/16/07

A spinoff by the creators of Park Slope mainstay Bar Toto, Bar Tano opened two weeks ago in the neighborhood-that-could, Gowanus. The block it's on is still a bit rough and tumble, but the way this neighborhood has been changing, it won't be that way for long. The pressed tin ceilings and zinc bar are meant to give the place a "turn of the century vibe" much like what's going on over at Bar Toto, but the menu here is lighter, focusing on Italian small plates. Further reading here and here .

Eater Inside: Merkato 55

[Kalina, 02/06/08]

This here is Merkato 55, Marcus Samuelsson's much hyped, somewhat delayed homage to Africa. It finally opens tomorrow. The most recent, and with any luck the last, giant themed venture to open in MePa, this baby has two floors with 150 seats, a rum bar, a "kidogo," or small plates, bar, a communal dining area downstairs, and a formal dining room upstairs. The interior was designed by Dutch architect Menno Schmitz, and "African" decor accents include giant silk screened portraits (below), hanging basket lamps, and a whole helluva lot of yellow and brown.

Samuelsson's got his pedigree and track record going for him here, so Merkato opens with the benefit of the doubt. But daddy's opening a huge restaurant straight into an economic shitshow and he's not even showing up for the opening (Aquavit Stockholm is more important). On the other hand, promoter/operators "Kyky and Unik" are also involved—as owners, per their own claims (but if having intel on opening schedule is any indicator of equity stake, they've got about .001% combined). If anyone can fill the place, maybe it's them. Maybe.

Want to see the formal dining room? >>

Eater Inside Gone Wild: 'Crosby' at Parisi

As reported yesterday, beloved sandwich joint Crosby Connection has reopened in a new permanent location--a sliver of the Parisi Bakery on Elizabeth Street. (NB: this is not the Parisi located on Mott St., which is still open and serving hefty sandwiches of its own.) Our correspondent gives her thoughts: "'Crosby' at Parisi - Crosby Connection's new location at Parisi Bakery on Elizabeth b/t Houston and Bleecker Sts. Open regularly, same delicious menu, location not as ideal as previous spot but hopefully their loyal patrons will walk the 4 blocks east. Note signage is dry-erase board. Nice."

Patience, we're about to go Inside. >>

Eater Inside Four-Pack: Dell'Anima, Kuta, Katja, Bistro Desaret

It's an Eater Inside Four-Pack. Breathe. Clockwise from top left: West Village newbie Ital, Dell'Anima; Kuta Satay House, a wild card if there ever was one at 65 Rivington Street; Cafe Katja, which has the Meehan/$25 and Under nod; and Bistro Desaret, a Midtown East steakhouse from the nice people at Bistro Le Steak.

Eater Inside: Hotel Delmano

We'll return to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow. For now, some Inside action to get you through.

Kalina, 1/19/08

This is Hotel Delmano, Williamsburg's first proper expensive and atmospheric cocktail bar, opened a couple weeks ago on North 9th and Berry. There has been very little buzz about this place (as in none), considering what it means for the neighborhood and for Brooklyn. It's one of the trio of serious cocktail bars (Hideaway and Weather Up, the others) that have opened in non-Manhattan practically over night, which is to say, this may be the moment that cocktail culture makes a jump to the other side of the East River.

The team behind Hotel Delmano are Union Pool owners Alyssa Abeta and Zeb Stewart and cocktail man Jeff Hansen (Diner, Pencil Factory). Eater correspondents were on the scene Friday night and the verdict is clear: place is a stunner. The ceiling fans, the old fixtures in the bathroom, the long marble bar and big leather banquettes--this is Brooklyn with the ante upped. And the drinks are on par with those at operations like Pegu Club and East Side Company Bar, both in taste and in the $12-14 price point. Finally, on the matter of its name. A hotel she isn't. There is a vague and long off plan to rent out the rooms above the bar, but at present the name is strictly for effect.

Go now: Friday the place was already pretty busy, and we're suspecting finding a seat will get harder as word gets out.

More of what looks a lot like Manhattan, up next. >>

Eater Inside: Seymour Burton

Kalina, 1/10/07.

The Eater editorial staff is somewhat split on just how successful East Village newbie Seymour Burton, in the former Le Tableau, can be. Those bullish on the place, taken by Seymour's quirky press materials (they sent photo stickers) and absurdist name, see modestly good things in its future. With Meehan's declaration of a burger here that occasionally flirts "with greatness," a very googleable name, and a nice communal table down the middle (above), what could go wrong? Just enough to keep this place from being anything more than any other neighborhood burger and steak frites entry, says the other side. Either way, owners Adam Cohn and Adam Kushner are giving it a go. The first has cooked with Jonathan Waxman at Washington Park and Barbuto and the latter has some design modest chops, having worked on En Brasserie, the now-Shuttered Meet and Tenement on the Lower East Side. This is their first restaurant as owner/operators, so we'll see how their contemporary American joint plays with the neighborhood.

Further reading in the Wire; and in $25 and Under.

Eater Inside: Bar Blanc

Kalina, 1/9/08

Bar Blanc is located at 142 West 10th Street, which is an address you may know from its previous incarnations, such as Merge, Marco, The Place on West 10th, or others that have hung a sign outside and tried to quell the demons of this cursed space. The team trying to do it this time is three Bouley alums, led by chef César Ramirez. Ramirez is a longtime apprentice of David Bouley, so you can be sure his technique and philosophy are quite proper. Early exit polls suggest very interesting, and a tad precious (ie. lettuce water), cuisine and a perfectly nice dining room. The price point—$14-18 apps; $28 pasta—is too high for this to be a neighborhood play, so they'll live or die by the Bruni. With a deuce, the curse of 142 West 10th could be lifted; without it, they've got 9-12 months.

Further reading on the opening.

Eater Inside: The Smith

Kalina, 1/10/08.

The Smith is off to an impressive start—this, a fact we can't help but acknowledge, despite our own issues with the restaurant. Reports on the American Bistro, from the restaurant team behind Jane and Neptune Room, are consistently good, with locals pointing especially to the accessible food and welcoming room. That it was formerly a Pizzera Uno has been all but forgotten.

Further reading in Good News/Bad News and on the menu. Plus at Thrillist and UrbanDaddy.

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