Manhattan: Chinatown Archives
EaterWire: Rockets' Red Glare Etc. Edition
CHINATOWN—From a tipster, a little holiday weekend DOH action: "FYI: on my way to work I discovered that Chinatown dim sum mainstay, Chatham Square Restaurant, doors were locked and marked by the dreaded Department of Health yellow sticker. I quietly weep my way to work without my daily pork bun fix." [Eater Inbox]
MADISON SQUARE PARK ENVIRONS—The vultures have been circling for Sapa for a little while now, and earlier today we heard word on the street that the place might be doneski. Not so, assures Sapa's Brian Matzkow: "We're closed just for the long weekend. We reopen Monday. Heading to the beach now. Have a great weekend." [EaterWire]
And with that sentiment, and the timeless reminder from an Eater commenter that "2000 samurai swords hanging on the ceiling ain't free," we also bid you adieu for the duration. Back here, same time, same channel, in a post-fireworks haze early Monday morning.
Opening Report Coda: Red Egg Finally Open!
Chinatown: Red Egg, the semi-hyped up Chinese-Peruvian place set to open at 202 Centre Street at the end of April, ran into a little trouble with the DOB and had their debut postponed indefinitely. Well apparently the landlord got everything back in order as the place is officially open. The owner emails with the happy news: "I am happy to announce that Red Egg is now officially open. Red Egg...will be serving dim sum throughout the day along with a menu that is comprised of exceptionally fine Chinese cuisine with a sprinkling of Peruvian dishes. The restaurant will be offering lunch and dinner service everyday from 10am in the morning through 11pm in the evening." Status: Certified Open. 202 Centre Street, Chinatown; 212-966-1123.
· Red Egg Can't Catch a Break [~E~]
Week in Reviews: Bar Q, Bar Milano, Momo' Ko, and So Much More!
Kalina, 4/9/08
Franktastic is taking the week off to devote two full pages and over 3,300 words to the closing of MePa institution Florent (more on this later). Let's turn our attention then to what the other critics are reviewing, starting off with Bar Q. Anita Lo's Asian BBQ joint earns some ink from both The Cuozz and Sietsema today. The former loves the place every time he visits except one, the time Lo is out of the kitchen:
"When the kitchen's clicking, Bar Q's mildly exotic, midpriced menu delights...I'll never understand why chefs launching ambitious restaurants think they can afford not to be there every day when a place is brand-new...On Lo's off night, seafood stew with kimchee lost the punch it had on other visits...Other choices were similarly anemic..."And what say the Sietsema? He loves some things (the spareribs), is disappointed by others (the shortribs) and sums it up thusly:
"The popularity of American-style barbecue spots seems to be spawning all sorts Franken-cues. If Bar Q is the last big-ticket 'Asian barbecue' we'll be seeing this season, I'll be surprised. Certainly, it won't be the worst."Not being the worst probably wasn't the rave Lo was hoping for. [NYP; Village Voice]
The Brooklyn Flea, Momo' Ko, The Elsewhere, and More.>>
EaterWire AM Edition: Mei Lai Wah to Rise from the Dead??
CHINATOWN— Oh boy. Take a gander at the sign currently in the window at the recently deceased Mei Lai Wah. It may be too soon to celebrate, but pork bun fans across the city and a particularly bereaved Eric Asimov have reason to hope that they will be dining at their favorite Chinatown greasy spoon once again. We're wondering if perhaps it was Asimov's eulogy for the place, or his connections, that brought in a miracle donor. Or it could be that the Mai Lai Wah crew just got their act together and resolved the issues with the DOH. Either way, there's good news coming out of Chinatown this morning.
· The Shutter: Mei Lai Wah Shuttered for Good [~E~]
· DOH Chronicles: Mei Lai Wah Shuttered [~E~]
The Shutter: Mei Lai Wah Shuttered for Good
Chinatown: Local residents worried that the DOH closure of Mei Lai Wah last week would be the final nail in the coffin, and alas, it was. Looks like they couldn't get things up to snuff and, according to the above sign Chinatown's greasiest, porkiest, and most rabidly followed breakfast spot is now done for good. A neighbor writes in: "Too sad for words, that place was 50% of the reason I moved here."
· DOH Chronicles: Mei Lai Wah Shuttered [~E~]
EaterWire: Red Egg Can't Catch a Break
CHINATOWN— Red Egg, the new Chinese-Peruvian spot set to soft open for lunch at 202 Centre Street yesterday, is delaying its debut indefinitely. The news is a big disappointment for them sure, but it's also the second case today of bad landlord versus sympathetic restaurant owner. Red Egg's Darren Wan, who already gained community approval for his liquor license, explains:
"I wanted to let you know that this past Monday, I was prepared to start my soft opening (lunch service only) but had to postpone it indefinitely because the Building Owner/Landlord was careless and did not follow up on a building violation they received. Therefore, on Monday morning, the Department of Buildings (NY) came by and issued a ‘Vacate Order’ on the entire building. Obviously, I am very disappointed but hope the Building Owner can resolve this matter expeditiously so that I can begin serving the public."All you lovers of Latin-influenced dim-sum will have to make alternate lunch plans. We hear Little Owl's open.
· First Word: Red Egg Green Lit [~E~]
· Plywood: Red Egg [~E~]
DOH Chronicles: Mei Lai Wah Shuttered
A tipster sends in the above pic and the following note about Chinatown breakfast staple Mei Lai Wah: "I live 50 feet from mei lai wah. tonight i was walking my dog and saw the most horrible sight one can behold. yes, mei lai wah's windows were decorated not with delectable sesame rice balls, but two of those fluorescent DOH stickers, dated April 14...my mother is addicted to those rice balls. what am i to tell her on mother's day when she's expecting a FedEx package of 'em in Chicago?...damn the DOH, damn them to hell!" A Yelp thread posted two days ago echoes the sentiment, and posters worry that this might be the end for Mei Lai Wah. NB: The restaurant was recently listed as having one of the best breakfasts in America by Details magazine, however a major part of the charm was the dinginess (and the char siu bao).
· DOH Chronicles: Sparky's Missing Permit [~E~]
· DOH Chronicles: Fino Shuttered [~E~]
First Word: Red Egg, LeDen Green Lit; Sohotel Must Wait
Welcome to First Word, wherein Eater and its correspondents sit for hours at steamy community board meetings to bring back the first word of new establishments and what they're up to. Your reports from the field always encouraged to tips@eater.com.
Lesson from last night's Community Board 2 Business Committee Meeting: Come prepared, or prepare for delay. Here are the highlights:
1) The committee passed a motion in support of a liquor license for a new Chinatown restaurant—Red Egg at 202 Centre Street. The owner touted it as "not your typical Chinese restaurant in Chinatown," featuring Chinese comfort food, dim sum, and, as the owner's Chinese mother lived in Peru, a Latin influence. The presentation to the committee included a scale model of the restaurant design, detailed copies of the floor plan, and a well-prepared explaination that wowed the committee. Even so committee members pushed the owner with seemingly inconsequential questions:
Board member: What hours will you serve dim sum?Red Egg hopes to open at the end of this month if possible, but their license still has to pass at the full board meeting before going to the SLA.
Owner: All day.
Board member: No, what hours?
Owner: All Day.
Board member: Until closing at 11 pm? Because to me, day is daylight and night is night so if you say all day, I think dim sum ends at 5.
LeDen and Sohotel's motions, next.>>
Week in Reviews: Chop Suey One Starred, Platt Gives Four to Ko
Bruni reviews the Renaissance Marriott's Chop Suey this week to see what consultants Zak Pelaccio and Will Goldfarb dreamed up for the menu. He spends the majority of his word count bashing the food, but according to Frankeriffic, the view of glorious Times Square alone merits one star:
"But we’d be sitting in a room that was New York all the way, its glass walls pressed up against the signature glow of Times Square....We’d be dazzled, at least by the scenery. And by the cooking? Well, our reaction might fall more along the lines of puzzlement, because Chop Suey, which mingles Korean and other Asian traditions, is an uneven mash of inspiration and clumsiness.And of course the Bruni doesn't pass on the chance to make a dig at the famous chef consultants: "The erratic results underscore the question of just how engaged such consultants get: of whether, once they’ve lofted a few ideas and cashed their paychecks, they feel any real pride of ownership or bother to follow through. I have my doubts." [NYT]...But sometimes food isn’t the primary consideration in deciding where to eat, and some restaurants have persuasive charms beyond the perimeter of the plate. Chop Suey is all about setting, a second-floor perch in the Renaissance Hotel that juts like a ship’s prow into a bold, brash sea of light."
Ko, Ago, and the Elsewhere, one click away
Good News/Bad News: Broadway East
Broadway East, the three week-old high end vegetarian-friendly restaurant in Chinatown is, according to early reports, a godsend to downtown vegetarians. Place got a lot of buzz throughout its plywood phases due to its design features including a "living wall" of plants, its committment to composting, and some high profile chef changes. Now that the new chef is firmly in place and the restaurant is almost a month old, the regular characters from Yelp to Chowhound to Menupages have all chimed in. Vegetarians are pretty starved in this city for a high end restaurant catering mainly to them (the place serves some meat and fish for non veggies), so you can bet the majority of the reviews are positive. But there's always someone to ruin the party:
1) Good News: The reviewer from L Magazine doesn't just like the food, he loves it: "Over sake cocktails, fresh and healthy tasting, but not very alcoholic, we decided to split the Oyster Gratin ($12). Six flawlessly fresh oysters, dusted with smoked paprika crumbs...Mysore Thali ($19) was a mod-ayurvedic feast...Arrayed around a large glass plate, each beautifully presented component was intricately and authentically spiced...Sated and full of healthy vegetables and whole grains — not in the insulin coma that often follows one of these reviews — we decided to skip the ambitious, tempting dessert list and finish our pleasingly bitter Dogfishhead IPAs ($6) from a perfectly edited, international drink list. [The L Magazine]
2) Bad News: Yes most of the Chowhound reviews are raves. But not everyone is so enamored: "I had the coconut tempeh there tonight. There were some nice things about it, but I wouldn't go all the way to "amazing." The tempeh had an appealing flavor; it wasn't crispy enough for me, though. The whipped sweet potato was kind of gluey, as any whipped potato tends to be. Mash, or rice! Don't whip! But the spicy greens - just some braised bok choy with a couple of slices of hot pepper - were aces, and saved the dish from dying of sugar shock." [Chowhound]
Some bad mysore thali and an inventive wine list, next.>>Plywood Report: Co Pizzeria, Hot & Crusty, Five Napkin Burger and More!!
1) Chelsea: Co Pizzeria, the long awaited project from Sullivan St. bakery's Jim Lahey has plywood boards up, but the space looks a long way from being completed. We haven't heard much on the place since the announcement last summer, but hopefully things are still moving forward. [PLYWOOD]
2) Midtown West: A correspondent writes in: "The former Jezebel (690 9th Ave) space will apparently be 'Five napkin burger' and it is applying for a sidewalk permit but it's still pretty rough inside." This space has been in plywood stages for months, but this is a sure sign of progress. [PLYWOOD]
3) East Village: A tipster writes in with a shot of the new Hot & Crusty on east 14th St.: "For better or for worse, a hot & crusty opened on 14th and 1st. used to be a subway and GNC." Imbible spotted the place as well: "Though I generally don't support the chain-ization of the East Village, as a local, I must say that I'm not displeased to have a fancy deli in the 'hood. We've got tons of cafes and restaurants that are great for eating out, but there aren't many places that offer made-to-order takeout salads, bagels, etc." [POST-PLYWOOD]
Olive Vine Cafe, Brasserie Cognac, Al Diwan, Red Egg, and more next.>>The Gatekeepers: Kama Geary, Bacaro
Krieger, 3/23/08
Bacaro, The nearly five month-old Venetian small plates joint located where the Lower East Side meets Chinatown had hour-long waits when it opened and has hour-long waits to this day. It could be because of the wine selection, the Venetian bar snacks, the salumi room. But our hunch here is the popularity stems from the design. The bi-level space consists of a ground level dining room and a moody and cavernous (and crowded) subterranean space with exposed brick, salvaged wood, and all manner of beautiful people. Kama Geary is the hostess and manager that has to break it to you that you won't be eating for a couple hours. And she's the one you'll want to be nice to if you want that wait to move a little faster.
Kama Geary, Manager: We have 100 seats. My favorite seats are a table I call the snow table, and others have called it the mafia table as you can sit here and see everything that goes on in the downstairs bar area. Also the street light shines down over the table and if it snows it looks perfect like a movie set. When I'm with a group I love the table with the antique kelly green chandelier hangs. I also enjoy the bar upstairs, the room makes you feel glamorous even if your not feeling it. 8 PM on a Saturday night. What's the wait for a table? Usually two hours downstairs, one hour upstairs. Is there anything I can say to make my wait shorter? Unfortunately not, we love to be fair, but politeness helps.
Bi-Level, Small Plate, Moody/Romantic
136 Division St., Chinatown/LES; 212-941-5060
Open Tue-Sun 6pm-midnight
More with Kama, ahead.>>
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