Manhattan: Meatpacking District
Posted by Ed Levine, October 27, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Top: Bill's Bar and Burger; bottom, left to right: Shake Shack and RUB. [Photographs: Robyn Lee (Bill's Bar and Burger and Shake Shack) and Nick Solares (RUB)]
Right now, at this moment, it's raining burgers in this burg. And not just any kind of burgers: smashed burgers made from freshly ground, humanely raised beef.
Danny Meyer and company were the pioneers of this style of burger in New York with the now legendary Shake Shack, though the Shackers don't really smash their meat so much as press it down rather gently. In fact, it should be noted that burger lovers owe Meyer a smashing debt of gratitude for the lead role he and his crew have taken in treating the reasonably priced burger with respect and love—and elevating it to serious deliciousness with careful preparation, cheffy techniques, and quality ingredients. But enough about the Shack for now.
Restaurateur Steve Hanson has now stepped up to the (blue) plate with his newly opened smashed burger emporium Bill's Bar and Burger. And RUB's pitmaster Scott Smith and co-owner Andrew Fischel have snuck up on Meyer and Hanson with their burger, which is currently being served only on Monday nights.
A Hamburger Today and Serious Eats have been chronicling Shake Shack's serious deliciousness for years now. More recently in the past few weeks, my man Adam Kuban waxed enthusiastically about Bill's, Kenji Alt told us how to fake the funk of the Shake Shack burger with his amazing Fake Shack post and recipe, and I had a ridiculously fabulous urban burger at RUB.
So what's left, my burger-loving compadres? Why, it's obvious to me: It's the Serious Eats New York–AHT smashed-burger roundup, the ultimate throwdown. Is there one smashed burger in New York City that reigns supreme? Which of these juicy suckers should you pledge your burger-loving allegiance to? Which burger is worth your hard-earned money, your valuable time, and your true burger devotion?
We've got you covered, starting now.
Continue reading »
Posted by Joe DiStefano, October 22, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photos: Hideki Kato]
Jeffrey Chodorow's Tanuki Tavern recently replaced Ono in the Hotel Gansevoort. I was particularly jazzed to try it since the food at the "Japanese gastropub and sushi bar" is inspired by one of my favorite types of Japanese joints—the izakaya, or sake bar. Tanuki takes its name from the Japanese raccoon dog, but also refers to a mythical Japanese trickster figure that graces bars and restaurants in the form of a statue. It's typically depicted as a huge-testicled raccoon sporting a straw hat with a bottle of sake in one hand and a promissory note in the other.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, September 21, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Ed Levine, meet giant pretzel. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Nothing says Oktoberfest like a German guy running up to you with a giant pretzel.
That's what happened when Ed stopped by the Standard Hotel, where Kurt Gutenbrunner (of Wallse) is running the food program at the Standard Beer Garden. "You've got to try this!"
Sold at the Beer Garden and at Blaue Gans for $7 each, these behemoths fall somewhere between soft pretzel and fresh baguette—crusty on the outside, with a bready crumb, yeasty and salty and malty all at once. We couldn't think of a better bar snack. Just please don't try to finish one off yourself. No matter how many beers you've put back.
Standard Beer Garden
848 Washington Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-645-4646
www.standardhotels.com
Posted by Ed Levine, August 26, 2009 at 10:15 AM
By the time I read about the Standard Hotel promoting public sex in their promotional materials I had already had breakfast there twice. I guess that's one opportunity that's passed me by. But even without that particular sort of morning eye-opener, the morning meal at the Standard was much better than I thought it was going to be. First, the good news:
Our friendly, fresh-faced server touted the pancakes, and it turned out she knew what she was talking about. These pancakes are reasonably light, extremely tender, and had what I love in pancakes—a slighly crunchy exterior.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Solares, January 22, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Editor's note: Our man-in-burgers Nick Solares turns out to have a nose and a palate for things other than beef. He frequently eats out in serious, somewhat pricey restaurants, so we figured we'd let him out of his burger cage long enough to write the occasional restaurant review. Oh Nick, here's a brown-nosing tip for you: Next time, ask the Serious Eats overlord to go with you. —Ed Levine
The John Dory
85 10th Avenue (b/n West 15th and 16th Streets; map); 212-929-4948; thejohndory.com
Service: Formal and courteous but friendly
Setting: Tightly packed room, covered stem to stern with fish effigies, all under very blue lighting
Must haves: Oyster pan roast, John Dory for two, squid stuffed with chorizo, Jensen's temptation, treacle pudding
Cost: Appetizers range from $15 to $20, main courses $24 to $50, sides $8 to $10, Deserts $10 to $20
Grade: A-
Dining in The John Dory is not unlike eating in a fish tank, but not the enormous one dividing the bar from the small seating area in the back of the restaurant itself. That one is a majestic, spacious, naturally lit, and an almost stylish salt water tank stocked with coral and colorful, exotic fish. I am referring to one of those fish tanks that's long and tall but narrow in front-to-back depth and overstuffed with brightly colored decorations—effigies of sea life, kitsch bordering on tack, bathed in tinted light, in this case overwhelmingly blue bordering on turquoise in hue.
The John Dory is the latest venture from The Spotted Pig owner and Michelin-starred chef April Bloomfield and her partner Ken Friedman. While the Spotted Pig is a gastro-pub with a casual mood, John Dory is more formal—they have a sommelier and when you go to the bathroom the waitstaff will fold your napkin for you. The menu aims higher as well, both in complexity and price. And while the Spotted Pig focused on burgers and pig parts, John Dory is a seafood restaurant.
Things get off to a good start once you sardine yourself into the dining room's cramped seating or preferably (for the view and lighting) when you find a seat at the bar or opposite the open galley, I mean kitchen.
The amuse is a pâté of arctic char which is smokey, savory, and fishy, served with crispy, slightly bitter parsnip chips. It's a delight and you will crave more than the thimble-sized portion. Don't miss the bread either, which comes from Del Posto next-door and is brimming with life, especially the nutty miniature whole grain baguettes. The appetizers are mostly excellent—a meaty half lobster ($15) perfectly poached just past translucence comes slathered in butter and herbs and accompanied by a tangy aioli.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, October 27, 2009 at 11:00 PM
Top: Bill's Bar and Burger; bottom, left to right: Shake Shack and RUB. [Photographs: Robyn Lee (Bill's Bar and Burger and Shake Shack) and Nick Solares (RUB)]
Right now, at this moment, it's raining burgers in this burg. And not just any kind of burgers: smashed burgers made from freshly ground, humanely raised beef.
Danny Meyer and company were the pioneers of this style of burger in New York with the now legendary Shake Shack, though the Shackers don't really smash their meat so much as press it down rather gently. In fact, it should be noted that burger lovers owe Meyer a smashing debt of gratitude for the lead role he and his crew have taken in treating the reasonably priced burger with respect and love—and elevating it to serious deliciousness with careful preparation, cheffy techniques, and quality ingredients. But enough about the Shack for now.
Restaurateur Steve Hanson has now stepped up to the (blue) plate with his newly opened smashed burger emporium Bill's Bar and Burger. And RUB's pitmaster Scott Smith and co-owner Andrew Fischel have snuck up on Meyer and Hanson with their burger, which is currently being served only on Monday nights.
A Hamburger Today and Serious Eats have been chronicling Shake Shack's serious deliciousness for years now. More recently in the past few weeks, my man Adam Kuban waxed enthusiastically about Bill's, Kenji Alt told us how to fake the funk of the Shake Shack burger with his amazing Fake Shack post and recipe, and I had a ridiculously fabulous urban burger at RUB.
So what's left, my burger-loving compadres? Why, it's obvious to me: It's the Serious Eats New York–AHT smashed-burger roundup, the ultimate throwdown. Is there one smashed burger in New York City that reigns supreme? Which of these juicy suckers should you pledge your burger-loving allegiance to? Which burger is worth your hard-earned money, your valuable time, and your true burger devotion?
We've got you covered, starting now.
Continue reading »
Posted by Joe DiStefano, October 22, 2009 at 12:00 PM
[Photos: Hideki Kato]
Jeffrey Chodorow's Tanuki Tavern recently replaced Ono in the Hotel Gansevoort. I was particularly jazzed to try it since the food at the "Japanese gastropub and sushi bar" is inspired by one of my favorite types of Japanese joints—the izakaya, or sake bar. Tanuki takes its name from the Japanese raccoon dog, but also refers to a mythical Japanese trickster figure that graces bars and restaurants in the form of a statue. It's typically depicted as a huge-testicled raccoon sporting a straw hat with a bottle of sake in one hand and a promissory note in the other.
Continue reading »
Posted by Carey Jones, September 21, 2009 at 5:00 PM
Ed Levine, meet giant pretzel. [Photograph: Robyn Lee]
Nothing says Oktoberfest like a German guy running up to you with a giant pretzel.
That's what happened when Ed stopped by the Standard Hotel, where Kurt Gutenbrunner (of Wallse) is running the food program at the Standard Beer Garden. "You've got to try this!"
Sold at the Beer Garden and at Blaue Gans for $7 each, these behemoths fall somewhere between soft pretzel and fresh baguette—crusty on the outside, with a bready crumb, yeasty and salty and malty all at once. We couldn't think of a better bar snack. Just please don't try to finish one off yourself. No matter how many beers you've put back.
Standard Beer Garden
848 Washington Street, New York NY 10014 (map)
212-645-4646
www.standardhotels.com
Posted by Ed Levine, August 26, 2009 at 10:15 AM
By the time I read about the Standard Hotel promoting public sex in their promotional materials I had already had breakfast there twice. I guess that's one opportunity that's passed me by. But even without that particular sort of morning eye-opener, the morning meal at the Standard was much better than I thought it was going to be. First, the good news:
Our friendly, fresh-faced server touted the pancakes, and it turned out she knew what she was talking about. These pancakes are reasonably light, extremely tender, and had what I love in pancakes—a slighly crunchy exterior.
Continue reading »
Posted by Nick Solares, January 22, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Editor's note: Our man-in-burgers Nick Solares turns out to have a nose and a palate for things other than beef. He frequently eats out in serious, somewhat pricey restaurants, so we figured we'd let him out of his burger cage long enough to write the occasional restaurant review. Oh Nick, here's a brown-nosing tip for you: Next time, ask the Serious Eats overlord to go with you. —Ed Levine
The John Dory
85 10th Avenue (b/n West 15th and 16th Streets; map); 212-929-4948; thejohndory.com
Service: Formal and courteous but friendly
Setting: Tightly packed room, covered stem to stern with fish effigies, all under very blue lighting
Must haves: Oyster pan roast, John Dory for two, squid stuffed with chorizo, Jensen's temptation, treacle pudding
Cost: Appetizers range from $15 to $20, main courses $24 to $50, sides $8 to $10, Deserts $10 to $20
Grade: A-
Dining in The John Dory is not unlike eating in a fish tank, but not the enormous one dividing the bar from the small seating area in the back of the restaurant itself. That one is a majestic, spacious, naturally lit, and an almost stylish salt water tank stocked with coral and colorful, exotic fish. I am referring to one of those fish tanks that's long and tall but narrow in front-to-back depth and overstuffed with brightly colored decorations—effigies of sea life, kitsch bordering on tack, bathed in tinted light, in this case overwhelmingly blue bordering on turquoise in hue.
The John Dory is the latest venture from The Spotted Pig owner and Michelin-starred chef April Bloomfield and her partner Ken Friedman. While the Spotted Pig is a gastro-pub with a casual mood, John Dory is more formal—they have a sommelier and when you go to the bathroom the waitstaff will fold your napkin for you. The menu aims higher as well, both in complexity and price. And while the Spotted Pig focused on burgers and pig parts, John Dory is a seafood restaurant.
Things get off to a good start once you sardine yourself into the dining room's cramped seating or preferably (for the view and lighting) when you find a seat at the bar or opposite the open galley, I mean kitchen.
The amuse is a pâté of arctic char which is smokey, savory, and fishy, served with crispy, slightly bitter parsnip chips. It's a delight and you will crave more than the thimble-sized portion. Don't miss the bread either, which comes from Del Posto next-door and is brimming with life, especially the nutty miniature whole grain baguettes. The appetizers are mostly excellent—a meaty half lobster ($15) perfectly poached just past translucence comes slathered in butter and herbs and accompanied by a tangy aioli.
Continue reading »
Posted by Kerry Saretsky, October 29, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Some enthusiastic children go to the circus to see trapeze artists fly through the air with the greatest of ease. Not me; I was meek, and the only thing that didn't terrify me was the elephants. Being the foodie that I was, I tended to bury myself in—or during especially frightening exploits, behind—a huge cone of cotton candy.
So I waxed a bit nostalgic last Friday night when I exclaimed to my dinner companions at STK that cotton candy was on the dessert menu. Turns out the special flavor of the evening was grape—my favorite! Although $10 seemed like a lot for cotton candy, it was worth it for the gorgeous, enormous ice cooler full of fleecy violet spun sugar—the grapiest, softest cotton candy I've ever encountered—that went through an instant metamorphosis from solid to liquid sugar as soon as it hit my tongue. It was so perfect and refined that it made my childhood treats look like a bunch of circus freaks.
Has anyone else tried the other flavors?
STK
26 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014 (b/n Washington Street and Greenwich Street; map)
646-624-2444
stkhouse.com
Posted by Zach Brooks, June 27, 2008 at 6:00 PM
You've read the New York Times goodbye, and the mammoth New York Magazine piece. Reality has sunken in, and the tears have finally stopped flowing. Now there's only one thing left to do: eat your last meal at Florent, before it closes on Sunday. We read the news on Eater that landlord Joanne Lucas plans to re-open her father's R&L Restaurant on Tuesday, the original occupant whose sign still adorns the top of the storied bistro. And word is very little will change food wise, but considering that we always loved Florent more for the man than the food, we find little consolation in the news. If you feel the same way we do, you may want to stop by the restaurant this weekend and have your last meal with the man. 69 Gansevoort St., New York NY 10014 (nr. Washington St.; map); 212-989-5779
Posted by Sarah Wolf, June 4, 2008 at 11:45 AM
From New York Times Video comes this wonderful animated short by animator Gary Leib about the history of Manhattan's Meatpacking District, the first in a series of animations about the history of New York. It's a pretty wild piece, revealing that before the district became the restaurant hot spot it is today, the Chrysler building needed to chow down on lots of raw beef and poop out the neighborhood (which was then immediately invaded by tranny hookers.) Leib, happy with his lack of editorial restraint, writes: "I'm hard at work on the second installment, Wall Street Gothic, and feeling emboldened by how much freedom they gave me on the first animation."
Posted by Ed Levine, June 3, 2008 at 11:00 PM
Dining room and bar of Scarpetta. Photographs by Robyn Lee
Scarpetta
355 West 14th Street, New York NY 10014; (Ninth Avenue; map); 212-691-0555; scarpettanyc.com
Must-Haves: Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil, Polenta, Short Ribs, Capretto
What You'll Spend: $75 for two courses, a cocktail, tax, and tip
Grade: A-
If you follow the bouncing chefs in New York these days, you know that Scott Conant left Alto and L'Impero a year ago to pursue other interests. I've been following Conant's career for ten years now, ever since he cooked at Chianti, where what he calls his modern take on rustic Italian food was first fully realized. After that Conant cooked at City Eatery in 2000, L'Impero in 2002, Bar Tonno in 2004, and Alto in 2005. Got all that? Quiz to follow at the end of the review.
Now Conant has, for the first time, become a chef-restaurateur with the Meatpacking District's Scarpetta, which turns out to be a warm, inviting space with a a modern baseball stadium touch—a retractable roof. The food at Scarpetta is not a radical departure for Conant. In fact, you can call it Conant's Greatest Hits, with a few new tracks thrown in for good measure. Conant's food has always been honest, soulful, and mercifully devoid of gimmickry, and I wanted to see if it could withstand a retractable roof.
The space, formerly Gin Lane, consists of a front bar room with a few tables, and an airy, expansive, back room, where, if you go in good weather, you might see the retractable roof in action.
Continue reading »
Posted by Ed Levine, May 3, 2006 at 7:27 AM
It was a week of memorable bites:
The prosciutto balls at Joe's Superette on Smith Street in Carroll Gardens. There's still very little else on the shelves in the store, but those creamy, tangy, peppery, crunchy prosciutto balls rock. And the best thing: They're 50 cents each. I buy 'em by the dozen. Photo courtesy of iheartbacon
The Kobe Beef appetizer at Morimoto. It's one of the first preparations of Kobe Beef that makes me understand what all the fuss it about, and why it may actually be worth the money. At Morimoto it's carpaccio thin and every little slice is decadently rich, meaty and fatty at the same time. I also have to say that this was the first time I ate in the main dining room at Morimoto, and it was a lot of fun: fun to look at, fun to eat in, and fun to be able to actually talk to my tablemates without screaming. They have these great fiiberglass sheets between the tables that really do soundproof the place.
The cayenne cheese sticks at Murray's Cheese Shop. I have had a ton of cheese sticks in my time, but the Murray's cheesesticks were buttery, tangy and had just the right amount of kick to them.
Continue reading »
