Manhattan: Greenwich Village Archives
The Shutter: Pio Maya, 5th Avenue Pizzeria, East Ocean
1) Greenwich Village: This 8th Street shutter news from the inbox: "Seems Pio Maya on eighth is gone. I walked by it last night to see the gate down. And then i noticed the 'store for rent' sign above. we can probably thank buchbinder and warren and their absurd rent increases for this one. The owner (A Batali sous chef) was always so nice. It's a loss to the street if it is gone." [Shutter Inbox]
2) Midtown East: Midtown Lunch brings word of a shuttered Chinese joint: "I walked by East Ocean, a little steam table Chinese place on 55th btw. Lex+3rd which has closed...That upper corner of Midtown East really is a dead zone." [Midtown Lunch]
Fifth Avenue Pizzeria, next.>>
Who Goes There?: Rocco Restaurant
This is the latest edition of Who Goes There? a new regular feature in which Lost City's Brooks of Sheffield cracks the doors on mysteriously enduring Gotham restaurants—unsung, curious neighborhood mainstays with the dusty, forgotten, determined look—to learn secrets of longevity and find out, who goes there.
Krieger, 6/26/08
It hard to believe Mario Batali once worked in the kitchen of Rocco Restaurant, the quiet Italian eatery on Thompson Street which typifies the bygone sleepier aspects of Village life. There's no flash about the old tile floor or tin ceilings, both holdovers from when Rocco Stanziano opened the place in 1922. The wooden shelves behind the small bar have warped and sagged with age. And the traditional Italian food isn't exactly exciting, or even particularly flavorful. (It's hard for me to understand, or forgive, bland bruschetta.)
The regulars and the mafia, ahead.>>Week in Reviews: One Star Each For Gottino & Terroir
The Bruni files a two-fer this week in honor of the Times annual Drinks Issue, awarding Jody Williams' Gottino and the Marco Canora/Paul Grieco project Terroir one star each. He thinks these wine bars are so good they shouldn't even be called 'wine bars':
"With stool seating, a focus on small plates under $10 and lengthy selections of wines by the glass, Terroir and Gottino are better described as wine bars, though that term, too, doesn’t fit, because the best of the food rises so far above the gussied-up sandwiches and glorified snacks with which wine bars once made do.Strangely enough, Bruni spends little of his word count on the libations. However he makes a point to say that while the food is decent, you'll never have the comforts of a real 'restaurant': "...space is tight, the mood is agitated, reservations aren’t accepted and you could easily wind up standing and waiting 45 minutes for the privilege of straddling a stool." [NYT]Terroir and Gottino exemplify a wine-bar evolution so thorough that nomenclature can’t keep up. And they reflect the increasing degree to which distinguished cooking pops up in the unconventional, informal settings that many food lovers often prefer...to force the question, are Terroir and Gottino restaurants in wine-bar drag?"
Scarpetta, Ago, and the Elsewhere, up next.>>
Plywood Relocation Edition: Zinc Bar Moving Over to Baggot Inn Space
Last month, The Baggot Inn closed its doors after twelve years as a favorite for stand up, live music, and cheap beers. It may please some of the regulars to know that the new tenants will be keeping the music tradition alive. Zinc Bar, a sliver of a live jazz venue on Houston and LaGuardia, will close in three weeks and reopen in the two story West 3rd Street space. No word yet as to the reason behind the move or who may take over the original Zinc, but we're guessing they're just glad to finally get out of that basement.
· Teary Shutter Signage: Teary Shutter Signage: The Baggot Inn [~E~]
The Shutter: Yolato, Costa Del Sol, Rainbow Cafe
This has been an incredibly shuttery week with the closings of The Tasting Room, Le Figaro Cafe, Chez Brigitte, and Hopscotch/Alt Cafe. And yet, there are more. When it rains...
1) Greenwich Village: An amusing photo of a surpisingly shuttered Yolato in Greenwich Village. Says the tipster: "Walked by Yolato at 2:30pm and it wasn't boarded up but it was 'mattressed' up which seemed sort of odd. Isn't it easier to find brown paper than old mattresses?...didn't the owner say how well it was doing on Cutlets recently?" A corespondent stopped in a few hours later and while the mattresses were gone, the shutter was confirmed. But don't worry, a Yolato Express is probably coming to a deli near you any day now. [Shutter Inbox]
2) Midtown West: As noted in Brooks of Sheffield's Who Goes There column today, old timer Costa Del Sol is shuttered: "Costa del Sol wasn't a landmark or particularly old, but I liked it's shabby appearance and refusal to spruce up with the new 'Clinton.'" [Lost City]
Week in Reviews: Onespot for Elettaria
Krieger, 3/2/08
Mr. Frank Bruni weighs in on Akhtar Nawab and Noel Cruz's East 8th Street experiment Elettaria and gives it the old onespot. It's cute, it's darling, and the food is somtimes good. But the design just does not work for the Brunz.
"Elettaria doesn’t work as well practically as it does visually. A lack of any real division between the dining room and an open kitchen means that you have to step into the kitchen and sometimes even squeeze past a cook to descend to those restroomsAnd of course the Bruni never misses a chance to have a little fun: "...when every second restaurant calls itself 'market-driven,' Elettaria describes itself as “spice-driven.” (I’m waiting for the restaurant that’s driven by Morgan Freeman.)" [NYT]...The ostensibly individual tables bisecting the dining room are essentially one way-too-long communal table, which makes for odd traffic patterns.
...Elettaria is lovely but awkward, and its awkwardness undercuts Mr. Nawab’s impressively creative cooking. But then his cooking also undercuts itself, some dishes mirroring the setting: seductive in the abstract, less so in actuality."
Pans for Ago & Palm Court and the Elsewhere up next.>>
BruniBetting: Elettaria
Tomorrow, Frank Bruni reviews Elettaria, Akhtar Nawab's New American restaurant in Greenwich Village. Today, the Eater oddsmakers have set the action as follows:
Zero Stars: 5-1Elettaria has gotten some very high praise from the critics, from Danyelle Freeman's three stars to Alan Richman's online hummer. It's also got a one spot from Platt and a three of six from TONY, which is their version of a pan. So, we've got data points all over the map. Back in the day, circa 2005, this was a Frankie Two Stars lock—uptown-good food downtown in a snazzy dining room. In the current time, however, it is not even close to locked on the deuce and given size, chaos, service, and overall Ch'i of the place. End of the day call at Eater HQ is one star for Elettaria, noting plenty of high points, but an overall lack of two-plus sizzle.
One Star: 2-1 √√
Two Stars: 3-1
Three Stars: 8-1
Four Stars: 1,000-1
· Elettaria [NYT; after 8:00 PM]
√√ denotes the Eater bet.
Teary Shutter Signage: Greenwich Village Landmark Le Figaro Cafe
Greenwich Village: Jeremiah's Vanishing reported earlier today that Greenwich Village staple Le Figaro has closed, and the Eater spot check confirms. The place has already been emptied, and the teary shutter signage is posted on the door. Jeremiah chimes in with some intel and color from a local: "'I have it on very good authority [a resident in the building] that the building's owners have leased the back space (on MacDougal) to a bank (of course) and they're looking for a new restaurant in front.' This will be the second time in history Figaro has shuttered (1969-1975)."
· Cafe Le Figaro on Bleecker is closed [Jeremiah's Vanishing]
· The Shutter Notice: The Decline and Fall of The Tasting Room [~E~]
Teary Shutter Signage: The Baggot Inn
Greenwich Village: As reported in NYMag last week, downtown music venue and favorite of some of the city's top comedians, The Baggot Inn, closed over the weekend after 12 years in the neighborhood. As a tribute, a shot of the teary shutter signage currently hanging in their window.
· Teary Shutter Signage: Cafe 1980 [~E~]
First Word: CB2 vs. Boqueria, Scuderia Gallo at 10 Downing, Turks & Frogs, and More!
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.
Last night's raucous CB2 Business Committee Meeting was packed with noise-hating neighbors and a slew of restaurant owners begging to serve booze. Though the committee was tough, a few restaurant owners squeaked by, especially if they offered to abide by the committee's "suggested" 2 am closing time. All restaurants will still have to go before the full board later this month.
1) Boqueria got the green light for liquor in its second location, slated to open this fall at 171 Spring Street in the former Kin Khao space. A 12 am closing time pleased the committee, and a neighbor actually came to speak in favor of the restaurant because of its commitment to fix the exhaust system.
2) Thirty-three years in the neighborhood was not enough to save Da Silvano owner, Silvano Marchetto, from an intense grilling about his new place, Scuderia Gallo, opening across the street at 10 Downing. This spot will serve lighter fare, like paninis and salads, as well as breakfast. Though he claimed the building owner actually approached him about the restaurant because they knew he was such a good neighbor, multiple tenants of 10 Downing came to complain about noise. A woman from the Bleecker St. Residents Association claimed that more people want to complain about Da Silvano's noise but "are afraid of what might happen to them."
In the end, the restaurant agreed to close at 2 am, shut its windows at 11 pm on weekends, and nix an outdoor alley of tables, which was enough for the committee.
Turks and Frogs and an ugly turn for Vig Bar.>>Monday Opening Report: Scarpetta Tomorrow, Hundred Acres Next Weds, Curry-Ya Needs More Time
This is the Monday Opening Report, a regular feature that provides the precise status of venues. As per standard operating procedure around here, your contributions are so very welcome.
1) Greenwich Village: NYMag checks in on Hundred Acres, allegedly opening this week. Here’s the deets: “The menu will change often, featuring dishes like fried Ipswich-clam sandwiches, beef-tongue pastrami with potato salad, and New Orleans crawfish with grilled-ramp mayo and house-smoked bacon (pictured), with prices that top out at $22.” Status: Not Open. At the moment, estimated to open Wednesday the 21st. 38 Macdougal Street; 212-475-7500. [NYM]
2) Meatpacking: NYMag, along with Daily Candy, reports on the opening of Scott Conant’s new Italian resto Scarpetta and shares the following: “From the spaghetti with tomato and basil to the roasted capretto, it reads like a Scott Conant greatest-hits list. There’s even a nod to the late, great Bar Tonno in a tuna 'susci' appetizer. The skylit room, with its mahogany bar and white marble floor, has a rustic elegance, too.” Status: Not open. Opening tomorrow night. 355 W. 14th Street; 212-691-0555. [NYM; DC]
Curry-Ya, next>>The missing Washington Park dosa man was a great cause for concern and speculation over the last four months. But no worries Chowhounders: he's finally back. [NYM]
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