restaurant

Helio Castroneves Takes A Turn As A Chef

Filed under: Dining, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

Race car drivers often do a variety of things to promote a race but handsome racer and Dancing with the Stars Helio Castroneves can now add sous chef to his resume. This week saw him cooking with chef Stephan Pyles of Stephan Pyles Restaurant in Dallas as part of his promotion for the upcoming Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6. Wearing a chef's coat, Castroneves cooked up several meals and was served a chocolate cake in honor of his recent birthday. Castroneves is feeling good after a jury acquitted him on six counts of tax evasion and hung on the conspiracy charge.

Stephan Pyles serves food that he terms New Millenium Southwestern Cuisine, a fusion repertoire that mixes Tex-Mex cuisine with touches of other global flavors. His restaurant includes a tapas-ceviche bar and dinner entrees include housemade boar sausage and pickled peaches, beef tenderloin with sweet potato chilaquiles and pineapple mole, spit-roasted chicken Paneer-Peruvian potato salad and young coconut Madras curry, and seared red snapper with aji-creamed corn and crab ceviche.

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Tags: dallas, helio castroneves, HelioCastroneves, restaurant, stephan pyles, StephanPyles

Dining Out Tops List of Budget Cutbacks

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Bad news for the restaurant world, eating out has topped the list of a survey of what people are willing to give up during a recession. The survey, conducted by New York marketing firm GfK Custom Research last fall found that 82 percent of those surveyed could easily forgo restaurant time as their first cutback in a difficult economy. Forbes reports that the National Restaurant Association in Washington, D.C., predicts that Americans will spend $566 billion eating out in 2009 which is a small 2.5 percent increase over 2008. The good news for those still interested in dining is that the deals abound. All across the restaurant spectrum, from casual dining to some of the best restaurants in the U.S., discounts and special offers provide an incentive to let someone else do the cooking.

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Tags: dining, economy, recession, restaurant

Harbour Sets Sail In NYC

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Want a taste of the sea without ever leaving land? Harbour, a restaurant located on 290 Hudson Street in West Soho in New York City opened today. The restaurant is being run by restaurateur Richard Schaeffer, former chairman of NYMEX Holdings, Inc., and Michelin star chef Joe Isidori. The 80-seat restaurant has a nautical look that isn't lobster traps and buoys, instead the dining room looks like the interior of a luxury yacht with porthole windows and gleaming wood.

As you might expect, the menu is heavy on the seafood with items like ceviche, mussels, butter clams and Artic char. Eater reveals that the set lunch is $25 and a set four-course dinner is $45. During the first month of service, 10% of proceeds from select seafood dishes will be donated to Monterey Bay Aquarium, Chefs Collaborative, and Blue Ocean Institute.

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Tags: harbour, new york, NewYork, restaurant, seafood, soho

The Plaza Hotel's Oak Room Relaunches March 18th

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Events

World renowned restaurant The Oak Room at New York City's Plaza Hotel is reopening March 18th with a brand new chef, Eric Hara (right).

The legendary Oak Room has an all new menu planned, featuring classic and modern American cuisine at "prices that are appropriate for today's economy." Entrees will run from just $22 - $35.

Eric Hara was most recently executive chef of David Burke Townhouse and Fishtail.

The Oak Room and adjacent Oak Bar have been redesigned by architect Annabelle Selldorf, bringing contemporary flourishes to the historic space which first opened in 1907. Be sure and visit the new Oak Room next time you are in New York!

Tags: eric hara, EricHara, new york, new york city, NewYork, ny, nyc, oak room, OakRoom, plaza, plaza hotel, PlazaHotel, restaurant, restaurants

Gordon Ramsay Selling Out of Versailles

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Last week we learned that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay had sold his restaurants in West Hollywood and Prague, now the Telegraph says that Ramsay is set to sell his restaurant in France. Like the West Hollywood restaurant, Gordon Ramsay au Trianon opened just last year with the usual Ramsay mixture of fanfare and braggadocio. Ramsay promised the French he would bring the best of British cuisine to their country.

The ten-table restaurant, which earned two Michelin stars, will be owned by the Trianon Palace Hotel in Versailles. As with the West Hollywood restaurant, Ramsay's name stays on the door and he will still be participating in menu development and other creative decisions. There have been many rumors about the potential fragility of the financial state of affairs at Gordon Ramsay Holdings, Ramsay's company. Perhaps these sales will help Ramsay's empire gain firmer footing.

Gallery: Restaurant Woes

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Tags: gordon ramsay, GordonRamsay, restaurant, versailles

Masa Drops Set Menu Price

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

We all define the term discount differently. At Masa, Manhattan's ultra-pricey temple of sushi, the cost of dining has dropped from $450 to $400 for the set menu. This may not seem significant but it may be the first time that the Michelin-starred restaurant at Time Warner Center has ever dropped prices. Masa's business manager Veda Nishikawa told Blomberg's Ryan Sutton that the recession had nothing to do with the price drop. A reduction in the cost of freight to fly in Masa's fresh fish daily inspired the restaurant to pass on its savings to the consumer. As oil prices drop the cost of global air shipping is reduced. Of course if Masa really wanted to impress diners they could roll the prices back to the $300 the set menu cost back in 2004 when the restaurant opened.

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Tags: fine dining, FineDining, manhattan, masa, restaurant, sushi

Table Fifity-Two: The President's Valentine's Day Dinner Destination

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Celebrity Shopping

barack and michelle obama on valentine's day

Like many other couples, the President and First Lady went out to dinner on Valentine's Day. The pair dined at a Chicago restaurant which is owned by Oprah's former personal chef, Art Smith. Table Fifty-Two specializes in high-end versions of classic southern food like shrimp and grits, crab cakes, pan-seared catfish, jambalaya with sides of macaroni and cheese and collard greens. According to the Chicago Tribune, Smith, who was Oprah Winfrey's chef for ten years, greeted the couple and whisked them away to a private dining room. The dinner destination apparently surprised some local foodies who were guessing that the Obamas might end up at Spiaggia for Italian food or at Topolobampo for Rick Bayless's Mexican/Southwestern fare.Table Fifity-Two is known for its generous portions, is Mrs. Obama toting home the leftovers in the picture above?

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Tags: art smith, ArtSmith, barack obama, BarackObama, chicago, michelle obama, MichelleObama, restaurant, table fifty-two, TableFifty-two

Is Gordon Ramsay's Restaurant Empire In Trouble?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Fiery chef Gordon Ramsay may have expanded too quickly for his own good. In addition to having books, television shows and appearances, Ramsay also has a global restaurant empire to manage. But The Mirror reports that bookings at his restaurants are down and some are saying he's been spending too much time in the spotlight and not enough in the kitchen. A former manager says that Ramsay's is too overextended to keep a close eye on his properties.

It has been claimed that a £10million loan to Gordon Ramsay Holdings is being called in by the troubled Royal Bank of Scotland and Ramsay may have to use some of his own money to prop up the company.

The Mirror called some of Ramsay's restaurants and found that you could book a same day table at them, a bad sign for considering Ramsay reservations were once some of the hardest tables to get. A spokesman for Gordon Ramsay Holdings says all is well and that customers can often get a table if they phone on the day because of last minute cancellations.

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Tags: food, gordon ramsay, GordonRamsay, restaurant

Wynn Encore Will Have Sinatra-Themed Restaurant

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Steve Wynn has announced two restaurants for his Encore hotel in Las Vegas. The first, called Sinatra, will be an homage to Frank Sinatra. The Italian restaurant will be decorated with Sinatra memorabilia including Sinatra's Academy Award for best supporting actor in "From Here to Eternity," and his Grammy awards loaned from his family. Paul Anka is contributing the gold record he won for writing the English lyrics for "My Way," one of Sinatra's most famous songs. Wynn says the restaurant won't be a museum. His other restaurant announcement is called Switch, which will feature transformations during dinner including changing walls and ceilings and the staff switching clothes. The Wynn Encore opens December 22.

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Tags: encore, frank sinatra, FrankSinatra, hotel, las vegas, restaurant, steve wynn, SteveWynn, wynn encore, WynnEncore

Celebrity Chef Runs Afoul Of Suppliers

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

One of London's top celebrity chefs has gone belly up leaving his suppliers scrambling for money. The Telegraph gives us the tale of Tom Aikens, shown at right with wife, Amber Nuttall. Aikens is one of London's handsome and temperamental Michelin starred chefs. His Chelsea restaurant, Tom Aikens, has won 22 awards since opening in 2003. But last week it was announced that the companies running the restaurants had been placed into administration and now a whole host of suppliers, reportedly 160 businesses, are waiting to get paid.

The Telegraph reports you can still book a table and Aikens and his chefs are still cooking. Tom's Kitchen and the Tom Aikens restaurant were acquired by TA Holdco Ltd, allowing Aikens and his business to continue. Some suppliers are continuing to supply the restaurant in the hopes they will be able to get at least some money out of the situation. Others are angry that the business continued to buy from them as it slid into trouble. Some suppliers have had to lay off workers as a result of the money loss. The status of Aikens's personal wealth is not known at this time.

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Tags: chef, london, restaurant, tom aikens, TomAikens

'Bottle Keep' Means No More Wine by the Glass

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

How many times have you passed on a glass of wine because the kind you wanted was only sold by the bottle? The Japanese have a good thing going called "bottle keep" that takes care of that problem by allowing customers to drink what they want out of a bottle of wine and save the rest for later. The restaurant puts the customers name on the bottle and keeps it in the back until their next visit.

What an awesome way to make the most of a bottle of wine (not to mention impressing friends and family with the VIP treatment!). Obviously this idea isn't reserved only for the Japanese so now I'm be on the hunt for a restaurant that offers this service (or something like it) in my area.

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Tags: bottle, bottle keep, BottleKeep, bottles, dining, japan, japanese, restaurant, restaurants, tradition

Tom Colicchio's Tuesday Dinners

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

New Yorkers and those visiting the city might want to leave their Tuesdays free for a unique dining opportunity. "Top Chef" star and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio is opening a new small restaurant inside the private dining room of his Craft restaurant at 47 E. 19th St. His TOM: Tuesday Dinner will open on October 14 and will seat just 32 and be open only every other Tuesday. The important part is that Colicchio himself will do the cooking in the open kitchen. He has said that he is doing this for fun and to get himself back in the kitchen. Like many other celebrity chefs he has found himself busy overseeing his chain of restaurants, putting out books and doing a variety of personal appearances. He has cleared his schedule for a year to make sure he will be there to cook. The tasting menu will start at $150 and go as high as $250 per person for a seven to eight course meal. You can call for reservations at 212-400-6495.

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Tags: craft, new york, NewYork, restaurant, tom colicchio, TomColicchio

Fine French Restaurant Up For Foreclosure

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

We've seen the foreclosure market hit a wide variety of homes, now it's set to take out a one-time four-star restaurant in New Jersey. The Ryland Inn in Readington, New Jersey is famous for French cuisine and has been called one of the best restaurants in New Jersey. Unfortunately a renovation project gone bad, a downturn in the economy and other problems led financial trouble that caused the restaurant to be closed for the past year. Chef and owner Craig Shelton owes $3.9 million in loans to Valley National Bank. The inn and property which is assessed at $2.8 million is slated to be sold by the Hunterdon County Sheriff's office on June 25th unless a buyer comes forward before then. The foreclosure pertains to the real estate including the 200-year-old farmhouse but not the contents or the liquor license but some potential buyers are hoping to work out a deal and reopen the restaurant. The restaurant was opened around 1935 and been the site of many weddings and events including a fundraiser attended by President Ronald Reagan.

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Tags: foreclosure, new jersey, restaurant, ryland inn

There's a $5,000 Burger in Las Vegas

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The Fleur de Lys restaurant in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay may serve French cuisine but that hasn't stopped them from adapting their own version of an American classic: the hamburger. Called the "Fleurburger 5000" it's no Plain Jane either, featuring a juicy Kobe beef patty topped with a rich truffle sauce and served on a brioche truffle bun. And this burger comes with its own beverage, a bottle of 1990 Chateau Petrus, that is served in Ichendorf Brunello stemware that you get to keep.

It sounds (and looks) delicious -- as well it should for the whopping price tag of $5000. And if you do decide to indulge no worries about bragging rights: you can bring a friend (they get a free burger when you order yours) and you'll also get a certificate in the mail (along with your keepsake glass) so you'll have both a witness and paper proof.

Gallery: Fleur de Lys at Mandalay Bay

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Tags: burger, dining, fleur de lys, fleurburger, FleurDeLys, hamburger, most expensive, MostExpensive, restaurant, restaurants

Tavern on the Green To Open West Coast Restaurant

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

One of New York's most famous restaurants, Tavern on the Green, is now getting a new branch all the way across the country. Tavern on the Green will be opening a massive 40,000-square-foot restaurant at San Francisco's Metreon. The restaurant will be on the the top floor, with an outdoor terrace overlooking Yerba Buena Gardens. The restaurant will have the same luxurious style that makes Tavern on the Green a popular tourist destination in New York with chandeliers, murals and art.

The new Tavern on the Green will focus on catering and special events. Brian Young, the former chef de cuisine of the three-star Michelin restaurant Le Bernardin and executive chef at Citarella the Restaurant, has been hired as executive chef. The restaurant is expected to open during summer 2009 and will focus on contemporary American with an emphasis on local ingredients and wine selections. The restaurant is closely identified with New York and with more formal fine dining than casual California is often used to, it will be interesting to see how they adapt the concept to the West Coast crowd.

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Tags: new york, restaurant, san francisco, tavern on the green, TavernOnTheGreen

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