Manhattan: Upper West Side/Columbus Circle Archives
The Plywood Report: Sonia Rose, AQ Kafe, Village Pourhouse, and More!
1) Lower East Side: Bowery Boogie brings word that Gary Thompson's Sonia Rose is getting closer to opening on Orchard St. According to the menu in the window the preview prix fixe will be $20.08: "This newest neighborhood eatery was actually a Murray Hill mainstay in the nineties before shuttering, and will reportedly re-open for business by summer's end...Owned by chef Gary Thompson, we can most likely expect extreme prices that cater to uptowners and bridge-and-tunnel folk alike." [PLYWOOD]
2) Columbus Circle: According to Zagat Buzz, Marcus Sameulsson's newest New York Project AQ Cafe is getting closer to opening, but with a new name: "...the windows are papered with photos and names of Scandinavian goodies. Interestingly, the sign outside spells the restaurant’s name as “Kafé” (rather than original's “cafe”), and the otherwise similar menu presents one glaring omission: the popular Nordic Cuban sandwich." [PLYWOOD]
Morningside Heights and FiDi, ahead.>>
The Plywood Report: Ella, Apotheke, Veselka, Fatty Crab and More!!
1) East Village: As reported earlier in the week, East Village staple Veselka will be expanding one storefront to the East on 9th Street. Here's a shot of what will be there new space. [PLYWOOD]
2) LES LEV: The PR behind the new project in the old Julep space, writes in with an update: "Attached is the first look at Carlton Varney's build out of Ella. This September owners Josh Boyd, Darren Rubell and Jordan Boyd (owners of Plan B and Gallery Bar) launch what they call the LEV's (Lower East Village) first piano bar and cocktail lounge....Varney designed the late Joan Crawford's homes and dedicates the space to her." [PLYWOOD]
EaterWire: Monkey Bar Sold, Dallas BBQ DOH'd, Cake Man Raven Robbed, and More!
MIDTOWN— Cutlets brings the news that the ill-fated Monkey Bar has been sold by its owners the Glazier Group. There's no word yet on who they've sold it to or what the new owners will do with the restaurant, but we can't say we're all that surprised at the move. Place was always a ghost town. [Cutlets]
UPPER WEST SIDE— A recent DOH'ing on west 72nd Street, and it's a non-shocker: Dallas BBQ. According to their signage, there is an issue of broken pipes, but we've all heard that one before. [EaterWire]
FORT GREENE— Some bad Crimewatch news from Cake Man Raven, courtesy of the police blotter: "First, disgruntled employees charged the famous Fulton Street baker owed them $500,000 in unpaid wages, then hoodlums burglarized his shop overnight on July 27....The thief had taken $250, a flat screen television and the home theater system, all of which were there when the bakery closed at 10:30 pm." [BP]
Free food alert.>>The Shutter: 17 Year-Old Cafe Mozart and 20 Year-old Coco Pazzo Meet Their Ends
1) Upper West Side: An alarmed reader informed us today that the website is down and the phone is disconnected for Lincoln Center staple Cafe Mozart. A spot check confirms: the space is closed and gutted, and from a sign in the window, it looks like the place was seized by the landlord. Theater-goers, it's time to start looking for a new post-opera snack spot. [Shutter Inbox]
2) Upper East Side: On the Bruniblog, Pete Wells is reporting that the 20 year-old Coco Pazzo is shuttering as well. According to the owner Pino Luongo, the landlord won't renew his lease and is hoping for a retailer to move in: "He goes to court tomorrow morning to find out just when he will have to move out. 'Sometimes they give you a week or two, and sometimes they decide that you have to be out of there at once,' he said." [Diner's Journal]
The Shutter: Pennyfeathers, Leonardo Da Vinci, Tea Lounge, Brick Oven Gallery, and More
1) West Village: A tipster has the news on Pennyfeathers: "Walked by pennyfeathers in the west village and they seem to have closed down. not that it will be particularly missed, since it was always empty." And a correspondent confirms: "A grumpy guy inside confirmed that the restaurant was closed and that they would be selling off their equipment in the coming months." [Shutter Inbox]
2) Upper East Side: A reader writes in to report on an unfortunate shutter of an oft-empty Italian joint on the UES: "I was walking on Second Ave today and saw another 'shutter'. Leonardo Da Vinci, on second ave and 83 or 82nd st. It says "closed for renovations" but we all know what that means. I live in the neighborhood and never saw the place busy." [Shutter Inbox]
3) Upper West Side: And another reader wonders about the UWS's Pizzabolla: "Just walked by a favorite Italian place on Amsterdam and 92nd today---PIZZABOLLA, and it looks like it's closed. No tables or chairs inside, but the awning is still up and the bar/counter is still there. I really enjoyed their food. does anyone know what happened to them?" Any intel? Send it in. [Shutter Inbox]
Park Slope and Williamsburg shutters ahead.>>ShackWatch: Shake Shack's New Design Explained
After some new Shake Shack UWS plywood was revealed yesterday, there was some chatter in the comments and elsewhere that the creators were ripping off the Midwest burger joint Steak 'n' Shake. Some said it was stealing, others said it was an homage. The designer of the restaurant's "identity" at Pentagram writes in today to say everyone's got it wrong:
"I designed the new Shake Shack identity and the original existing identity. The permanent signage on the exterior of the new Shake Shack will appear as the original logo, familiar from the Madison Square Park location. The new retail identity will be used in the interior for items like menu boards, cups, paper and packaging, but not on the architecture. The sign in your shot is temporary--it's just a piece of paper."Not an homage to Steak n Shake",>>
EaterWire: Picholine Turns 15, the Great Tofu Challenge, and a USHG Benefit
CENTRAL PARK WEST— Picholine is celebrating their 15th anniversary by giving away $50 gift certificates on their website. Another measure they're taking to celebrate: launching Terrance Brennan's personal site. All the Brennan you could ever want. [EaterWire]
NOHO— Yesterday afternoon House Foods Tofu held a publicity stunt/contest involving Wylie Dufresne, Erik Battes (Perry St.), Edward Higgins (Insieme), and Akinobu Suzuki (Sakagura) at Astor Center. Wylie's Miso Soup with Instant Tofu Noodles and "Warm Tofu Custard with Caramelized Banana and Granola Sleeves" beat out the other dishes for the $5,000 grand prize. [EaterWire]
EAST HAMPTON— Danny Meyer's Hudson Yards Catering is organizing a number of Union Square Hospitality Group chefs to come together and cook for Cuisine & Wine @ Ross, a fundraiser for Ross Lower School Café. Tickets run $1,000, but Daniel Humm, Michael Anthony, and Gabriel Kreuther will all be in attendance. [EaterWire]
Plywood Update: Shack Signage Revealed
Upper West Side: On Monday, we took a peek inside the new Shake Shack at 77th and Columbus, and today a tipster sends the latest from the exterior. A black and white Shake Shack sign is being installed above the door this very moment (bottom right corner reads 'What's Shakin'?'). But stay calm kids. Remember the latest opening projection we have is October 1.
· Plywood Special: UWS Shake Shack Getting Closer [~E~]
Plywood Special: UWS Shake Shack Getting Closer
Upper West Side: The latest shot from the new Shake Shack space on 77th and Columbus. Note the beginnings of a menu are pasted to the wall, and things are moving along. If only it were October 1 already.
· Plywood Special: Shake Shack's UWS Branch? [~E~]
Eaters' Journal 7/3/08: Odeon, Bubby's, Dovetail, Festival Mexicano
Kalina, 12/26/07
Odeon: Wednesday, while around the corner Cutty, Platt, RG, Lee Schrager all dined at Forge under the watchful eye of Baum middle-ranker Jen Russo, I'm pretty sure the better move was to sit outside at Odeon. Chicken was serviceable to good, goat cheese salad wasn't bad, gazpacho missed completely, cavatelli got a gentleman's C. But the all-in of competent food, local Tribeca crowd, and a good pour gets the package to an A. —BL
Bubby's: Eater's love/hate relationship with Bubby's has been well documented, but we must give the Tribeca standby props for a special lunchtime innovation earlier this week: piping-hot gazpacho. Bravo. —LS
EaterWire: Ryan Skeen at General Greene, Benoit Discontinues Breakfast, Rain Closes and More!!
FORT GREENE— Friday's rumors that Ryan Skeen was out at Resto have now been confirmed. According to press materials for the restaurant he will be the consulting chef for General Greene, a Fort Greene endeavor officially opening tomorrow. The spot is owned by Skeen's friend Nick Morgenstern: "Nick helped him out when he was opening Resto and he is now taking his turn helping Nick out. He is in fact no longer with Resto but is ONLY consulting on The General Greene. His plan is to take the summer off and then focus on new opportunities." [EaterWire]
MEATPACKING DISTRICT— DBTH reports that nightlife hounds Kyky and Unik have opened Bijoux a club and lounge underneath Merkato 55. Urban Daddy has the full reveal: "Inside, you'll find a low-ceilinged, mood-lit paradise, complete with a custom-carved ceiling, black-and-gold posters of one owner's wife in the nude and a fog-covered well in the center, in case the journey left you parched. Then again, there's bottle service for that, and a leather banquette in an appropriately shadowy corner that you'll want to seek out with your date later in the evening." [DBTH; UD]
Benoit & Rain, coming up next.>>The Plywood Report: Boqueria, Fro-Yo, Lansky's, and News from Le Madeleine's Space
1) Soho: According to a tipster, work has begun on the new Boqueria, moving into the old Kin Khao space on 171 Spring St. They already got liquor license approval from the community board, so barring any red tape from the city, they should be good to go once renovations are complete. [PLYWOOD]
2) Midtown West: Contrary to reports that the landlord was going to tear down the old Le Madeleine space on West 43rd, it looks like it's going to reopen as Le Petits Un Deux Trois. The tipster who sends in a shot of the new awning is still none too happy with the landlord: "A liquor license request is posted on the window for a Blague Corp. Thank God, the rumors about it being torn down are untrue...The landlord (Mark Scharfman, google this winner sometime) argued in court when he evicted Le Madeleine that he was going to exercise his right to tear the building down. Le Madeleine still had 12 years left on their lease. Somebody was lying." [PLYWOOD]
What's the deal with Lanskys? Up next.>>Back to top
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