new york city restaurants

Food Carts To Set Up Shop In Front Of Tavern On The Green

Filed under: Dining

Food carts are coming to one of New York City's most famous dining establishments. The Tavern on the Green in Central Park was shut down on New Year's Eve and the interior decor was sold off last Januaray. But the restaurant will be a food destination again when four food carts start selling upscale fare at the Tavern's outdoor terrace on October 15. Ladles of Love will serve soups and stews with a whole grain roll. Pera Mediterranean Brasserie will feature Turkish tacos. At Rickshaw Dumplings you can fill up on dumplings stuffed with pork and Chinese chive or chicken and Thai basil. For dessert head on over to the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream truck to enjoy high-end ice creams and pastries. The four vendors were selected from a pool of 15 applicants.

The carts will be located in the area that originally housed Tavern on the Green's Crystal Room. The restaurant was originally expected to reopen this year but the new manager, New York restaurateur Dean Poll, could not agree to terms with Local 6, the labor union representing Tavern's 400 former employees and so his contract with the parks department was terminated. At this point it's unclear whether or not the parks department plans to open up a new request for proposal for the site and start the whole process again. Until then however, the new food carts will turn Tavern on the Green back into a dining destination for this willing to dine alfresco.

Tags: central park west, food carts, food trucks, new york city restaurants, tavern on the green

Bufala Break: A Bite at Obika on Madison Avenue

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Toting shopping bags up and down Manhattan's Madison Avenue can become tiring. After wearing out your elbow signing credit card slips, you'll find yourself with a daunting appetite, and you'll want to take care of it without deviating from your upscale excursion. There aren't many dining options, and most will lead you to a side street where the fare is mundane at best -- it's Midtown, after all. You can keep your luxury momentum going without having to trot far from your fashion binge at Obika, a mozzarella bar on the corner of Madison Ave and E. 56th Street.

The setting may strike you as strange -- nobody would expect to find a chic establishment in the IBM building's public atrium. Well, you'll have to suspend disbelief for a moment, because the bufala that awaits you is worth it. Popular with the local business crowd because it's easy to get in and out while still indulging, managing partner Anthony tells me that he sees plenty of visitors to New York come through.

Gallery: Obika: Mozzarella Bar in Manhattan

Fresh bufala is flown in three times a week

Even without a chef, the creations are delicious

Tags: cheese, dining, food, madison ave, Madison Avenue, manhattan, mozzarella, MozzarellaCheese, new york, new york city, new york city restaurants, prosciutto

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Francois Payard Plans Bakery Opening

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Pastry Chef François Payard and Marlon Abela of Marlon Abela Restaurant Corporation have announced the opening of François Payard Bakery, a new casual eatery on West Houston Street in downtown New York City. The bakery will have seating for 20 and will serve both sweet and savory selections from Chef Payard's signature pastries, baked goods and chocolates, to a wide array of breads, sandwiches and salads for dining in or to-go options. Tempting treats include freshly baked croissants, pain au chocolat, beignets, sugar brioche and four different rolled cakes (Le Gateau Roulé) which include lemon cake with fresh raspberry pepin and dusted coconut; Valrhona chocolate mousse wtih chocolate sponge and chocolate lady finger meringues; devil's food cake (made with tofu) with thin layers of chocolate; and coconut cake. Traditional French pâtisserie selections include chocolate and vanilla éclairs, seasonal fruit tarts, and the "Tart Papa Payard" with puff pastry, crystallized sugar, pear, apple and dried fruit. Payard's signature selection of seasonal macarons will also be available, including a variety of deliciously whimsical macarons Americain which are inspired by classic American cookies and desserts. The space will have large windowed kitchens to watch the chefs in action. François Payard Bakery is the first of several collaborative projects from Chef Payard and MARC, whose portfolio also includes the A Voce restaurants in New York City. Opening is planned for the end of summer/early fall.

Tags: bakery, francois payard, macaroni and cheese, new york city bakery, new york city restaurants, pastry chefs

Where to Eat Now: James Beard Award Finalists Announced

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

Chefs, sharpen your knives, the food community is abuzz with news of the 2010 James Beard Award nominations, which were announced earlier this week. Aside from Michelin stars and positive restaurant reviews, these awards are the biggest recognition in the food world. Chosen by a non-profit made up of food and wine enthusiasts, the awards take a nationwide look at the dining scene pulling out the stars of today and tomorrow. What that means to you is: Make your reservations now -- especially at Robert DeNiro's latest New York restaurant, Locanda Verde (right) -- these places are about to get hotter.

Anyone can attend the black-tie Chef and Restaurant Awards which take place on May 3 at Lincoln Center in New York. Tickets are $450 for non-members and include the awards ceremony hosted by The Food Network's Alton Brown, Wolfgang Puck and PBS chef Lidia Bastianich (whose cookbook "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy" is up for a nomination). But the best part will be the gala reception afterward where guests can sample food by notable chefs from around the country who were chosen by a past Outstanding Chef winner.

And the nominees are ...

Tags: best new chefs, best new restaurants, BestNewChefs, BestNewRestaurants, Daniel Boulud, DanielBoulud, james beard, james beard awards, james beard foundation, james beard nominees, JamesBeardFoundation, JamesBeardNominees, new york city, new york city restaurants, NewYorkCity, NewYorkCityRestaurants

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Bid on a Piece of New York History, Tavern On The Green Auction Planned

by Carrie N. Culpepper (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Auctions

Famed Central Park restaurant Tavern on the Green, with its six elaborate dining rooms and 10 miles of white Christmas lights wrapping trees out front, will sadly twinkle no longer. The restaurant is closing its doors for good on Dec. 31, when its operating license expires. That New Year's Eve party will be one for the ages, but hopefully revelers won't be too destructive - the restaurant's ornate decorative objects are being auctioned off a few weeks later.

Tavern on the Green is a Central Park landmark dating back to 1934, when Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia opened it. In 1974 it was reopened after a $10 million renovation by the colorful LeRoy family, who still own it today. The LeRoys filed for bankruptcy after the city didn't renew their operating license.

Current manager, Jennifer Oz LeRoy, is named in honor of her showman grandfather, Mervyn LeRoy, who was a producer of The Wizard of Oz. Perhaps as a way to seal the restaurant in history, Jennifer, along with Kay LeRoy, have written a 300-page book about the restaurant's history, including recipes.

Guernsey's Auction House is handling the sale, which includes decorative items from the 25,000-square-foot restaurant. Previews take place Wednesday, Jan. 6 through Tuesday, Jan. 12, noon to 8 p.m. each day. The public auction is Jan. 13-14 with 1 p.m. afternoon sessions and 6 p.m. evening sessions each day. The auction will take place in the Tavern's Crystal Room at 67th Street and Central Park West.

Some of the items being auctioned include: