There’s no need to score a reservation at one of Daniel Boulud’s popular restaurants for a select group of well-heeled diners: They have brought the Michelin-starred chef to their doorstep. Boulud – whose vast empire spans from his French flagship Daniel to the recently opened Japanese speakeasy Joji – will launch his first private eatery, … Read more
A new cocktail lounge will feature its own in-house “Soprano” – as Michael Imperioli, the star of the famed mob show, launches an upscale speakeasy on the Upper West Side, Side DIsh has learned. Imperioli, best known for playing Tony Soprano’s troubled nephew Christopher Moltisanti — opened Scarlet, at 468 Amsterdam Ave., on Tuesday. The … Read more
On the day Israeli celebrity chef Eyal Shani won a coveted Michelin star for his West Village eatery Shmoné, he was near the Gaza border flipping steaks for IDF soldiers. Shani — who gained notoriety by charging $24 for a single tomato appetizer at his West Side restaurant HaSalon – shut down his 16 restaurants … Read more
Hello, robo-kitty! A cat-eared robot will roll out food orders at a Japanese restaurant in the Big Apple – the latest step in a charm offensive by restaurateurs trying to automate the dining experience, Side Dish has learned. The waiter-on-wheels is called BellaBot – a waist-high, feline-faced machine that can deliver food and drinks, and ferry … Read more
The Core Club is doubling down on the Big Apple boom in swanky member-only hideouts. The exclusive club — which counts designer Kenneth Cole, Mets owner Steve Cohen and rocker Patty Smyth among its mix of power players — will allow an additional 3,500 members, doubling its current roster, when it reopens its lavish doors … Read more
A familiar name in New York City’s restaurant scene is bringing a farm-to-table concept to the posh NoHo neighborhood in hopes of growing his family’s legacy. Max Chodorow, the 34-year-old son of famed restaurateur Jeffrey Chodorow, will open his first venture – a bistro-style boite named Jean’s – in the same Lafayette Street space that … Read more
Chef John DeLucie has turned up the heat at a new kitchen — with a different mindset and a changed perspective – nearly a decade after his restaurant empire went up in flames. DeLucie, who rose to fame at celeb magnet The Waverly Inn with partner Graydon Carter, has dug deep into his Southern Italian … Read more
Forget free rent. How about free food? A Manhattan landlord is is asking an admittedly steep $20,000 a month to rent a three-bedroom apartment in Midtown — but meanwhile dangling a $20,000 monthly food credit at the posh restaurant downstairs to entice a hungry tenant, Side Dish has learned. The fully renovated, 2,000-square-foot apartment at … Read more
The spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd lives – in a new whiskey called Hell House, named for the “nasty little shack” where “Free Bird,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and the band’s other rock classics were forged. The ramshackle cabin in Jacksonville, Fla., served as the home base for the band’s original members — Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, … Read more
Celebrated chef Kwame Onwuachi will join a star-studded roster chosen to serve hungry tennis fans at the US Open this summer, Side Dish can reveal exclusively. Onwuachi, the Long Island born, Bronx-raised Nigerian-American chef, wowed New Yorkers with his restaurant Tatiana when it launched at Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall last year — including my colleague … Read more
The City That Never Sleeps? Tell that to night owls starving for a bite to eat. Manhattan’s once thriving 24/7 eateries — where revelers spilling out of thumping clubs and after-hours hot spots would merge with an early-morning work crowd — are dwindling as staff shortages, rising real estate prices and soaring crime eat away … Read more
Some of the Big Apple’s top chefs are packing their knives and toques to open new restaurants in the Hamptons as the summer season unofficially kicks off this Memorial Day Weekend. Star chef Laurent Tourondel – who created the BLT Steak chain, although he is no longer involved in it, along with L’Amico, Skirt Steak and … Read more
Some of the Big Apple’s top chefs are packing their knives and toques to open new restaurants in the Hamptons as the summer season unofficially kicks off this Memorial Day Weekend. Star chef Laurent Tourondel – who created the BLT Steak chain, although he is no longer involved in it, along with L’Amico, Skirt Steak and … Read more
A new challenger in the Big Apple’s neverending pizza wars is not only making its own pies, breads and pastas — but also grinding up artisanal, “ancient” grains to make the flour that goes into them, Side Dish has learned. Heritage Restaurant & Pizza Bar near Bryant Park plans to use ancient grains milled at … Read more
Calling all busboys, dishwashers, line cooks and more, here’s your chance to dine at a Michelin-starred chef’s restaurants with VIP treatment — “at cost.” Chef John Fraser, who has won critical raves for past efforts at Dovetail and Nix, is offering restaurant workers a 70% discount on menu prices at his Big Apple restaurants as … Read more
A pair of college buddies from Italy have taken their love for a Mexican staple, the humble avocado, and grown it into a burgeoning restaurant empire in the Big Apple. Alessandro Biggi and Francesco Brachetti, who had never even tried the fruit (yes, fruit) when they met nearly two decades ago at a university in … Read more
How sweet it is! Beloved East Village fixture Ray’s Candy Store was spared from shutting its doors after its 89-year-old owner fell behind on his bills thanks to nearly $50,000 in donations from his sweet-toothed customers, Side Dish has learned. The store’s owner, Ray Alvarez, has been slinging egg creams and fried Oreos for 49 … Read more