Bartending’s hairiest event took place on December 30 at the closing ceremony for the 2008 Papa Doble Beard-Off. Read the rest of this entry »

Happy New Year! In the spirit of new beginnings, TONY kicks 2009 off with a closer look at urban agriculture, a trend that has the potential to become an important part of New York’s food future.

Meanwhile, Jay Cheshes visits Bobo (two stars), and Freemans (four stars), two hipster hangs that have both seen recent chef changes. “If Freemans has the natural charisma stars are born with, Bobo in the West Village is the understudy trying to keep up,” he writes. TONY also drops by the Neapolitan pizza joint Motorino (four stars), in Williamsburg, and Serge Becker’s Café Select (two stars) in Soho. In bars, Jazz Age cocktail and piano lounge Ella (two stars) hits some sour notes. Read the rest of this entry »

Padma Lakshmi and a very familiar-looking St. Nick from last year's holiday episode.

Last night’s Top Chef took us into VH1 reality-show territory. There were celebrities, Christmas miracles and an intervention fit for a Rock of Love reunion special. Media mogul and orange-jumpsuit expert Martha Stewart judged the quickfire round, which had the chefs cooking holiday dishes using just one pot—much like the mulled toilet wine she used to make with her cellmate…hey-hooo! That’s a little jail humor. Read the rest of this entry »

A Razor, A Shiny Knife’s much talked-about Grant Achatz and Thomas Keller tribute dinner unfolded this weekend. The 20-course experiment (a “bargain” at $300) was inspired by the superchefs’ $1,500-a-head bacchanal at Per Se last month. (Later in the post, we check in with half of the evening’s inspiration—Grant Achatz himself—to get his take on the proceedings.) Sure, aping the works of two of the country’s most lauded toques requires a certain level of cockiness confidence. But ARASK’s attempt felt more deferential than presumptuous, particularly when presented by ringleader Mike Cirino, whose jocular trips over French menu descriptions were received warmly by this young, willing crowd. Read the rest of this entry »

Steven Shaw shows us how to do Chinese right at Szechuan Gourmet.

Hitting newsstands tomorrow but coming to you, oh faithful Feed readers, a tad early is all of the juicy goodness that you should rightfully expect from our holiday double issue—that’s right, two weeks of TONY in one magazine. Read the rest of this entry »

Damon Dyer of the Flatiron Lounge adds some spice to Averna appreciation night.

Even a sprinkling of rain couldn’t keep the thirsty cocktail crowd away from Louis 649 in the East Village for the Averna Appreciation Party. Averna, you ask? This old-school Sicilian liqueur dates back to 1868, with its secret recipe of herbs, roots, citrus rinds and a bit of caramel. It’s an amaro, though the bitterness is balanced with subtle sweetness; it’s fragrant and complex without being medicinal. While it’s traditionally sipped straight or on the rocks, the evening proved it’s a kicking ingredient for swanky swigs. Read the rest of this entry »

That stollen ain't stolen—it was a gift. (Suppress vomit.)

This afternoon at the Beard House was all about Alsatian Christmas, thanks to a crippling five-course meal from The Modern chef Gabriel Kreuther (who got big ups for his tarte flambée in our 100 Best issue). Though I missed the milling-about cocktail hour with some fabulous-sounding bites (said flambée, liverwurst toasts, and more), I did manage to storm the dining room in time for the ever-gracious Danny Meyer’s speech. “The bad economy is driven by fear,” he told us, “and the opposite of fear is hope. And hope is the root of hospitality.” Danny, how do ya do it? Read the rest of this entry »

One person's vision of heaven—or the (ri)1 launch party.

With a name guaranteed to raise an eyebrow, (ri)1, a new rye whiskey, made its New York City debut at The Eldridge earlier this week. Pronounced “rye one,” it’s a high-style take on an often overlooked spirit that has resisted a remake to date. Aged an average of 4.5 years in oak barrels, (ri)1 has a slightly sweeter profile than most and a tad less funk, making it “more accessible to a broader audience,” according to Allen Katz, the bearded rye maven extraordinaire. At 92 proof, it held its own when mixed in cocktails by the striking Katie Stipe of Clover Club renown. Read the rest of this entry »

As if our 100 best things we ate and drank this year issue didn’t give you a big enough list of cured meats to seek out, here’s one more to try. Murray’s Real Salami will give away free samples of a white-truffle salami made by Creminelli Fine Meats from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday, December 23. Sausage maker Cristiano Creminelli will personally distribute the tastes of this new product, which was made in five limited 100-pound batches, each flavored with 1.5 pounds of outragiously expensive white truffles. The sausage itself sells for $59.99 and comes packaged in its own wooden gift case. In this economy, we say grab your free luxury where you can get it.

Please sir, can I have some more?

Other restaurants may be scrambling to churn out the recession specials, but Jimmy’s No. 43 frontman Jimmy Carbone is doing one better: For those willing to lapse into a Dickensian affect, beer (including holiday brews like Saison Dupont “Les Bon Vieux”) is on the house while supplies last.

To wit, from Carbone’s “holiday poem”:

stop by and visit, with open hands;
show me your empty pockets,
do not be afraid to say
“more beer please, sir”
we will not disappoint any of you weary, hardworking souls.

Also, he expects a curtsy. Get to it, Twist.