Photos by Daniel Krieger

The Feed was on the scene for last night’s Bocuse d’Or/Top Chef viewing party at the Astor Center. Click through the slide show to see shots of Padma’s boobs Padma Lakshmi, Daniel Boulud, Tom Colicchio, Gavin Kaysen, Paul Liebrandt and more.

Last night the Feed commandeered a four-top for dinner at Danny Meyer’s latest, Maialino. In our experience, with the exception of Eleven Madison Park, the impact of a Meyer meal lies in its consistency and accessibility, rather than complex flavor pairings or boundary-pushing technique. Our meal here was certainly in step with those Union Square Hospitality Group hallmarks—an unimpeachable veal chop with glossy turnips was simple and straightforward; swordfish, presented under a web of wispy fennel fronds, offered a clear and subtle flavor profile. Read more »

The street cred cometh (Photo: Metromix)

We know you’re anxiously awaiting our Momo Midtown coverage (we have a scout en route right now), but here’s a little newsy morsel to tide you over. Michael Psilakis, who built his rep turning out highbrow Greek food (and, um, nachos), has partnered with Ketel One to do a late-night food concession in the Meatpacking District.

The menu, which will be available December 3 through 5 from midnight to 2am, will feature items like a lamb burger with roasted-red-pepper-and-feta sauce, and a chicken shish kebab with fennel and onion salad. It’s all free, along with gratis rides home during the two-hour window. The outfit will then head out to Chicago, where it will be greeted by Rick Bayless (he’ll do the menu in the Windy City) followed by Ilan Hall in L.A.

(Photo: Heami Lee)

Please direct your attention over to our stylish big sisters over in TONY’s shopping section.

They’ve gathered some of the finest flasks for debaucherous types of every stripe. We’re partial to the card deck–hooch holder hybrid—the better to combine our vices.

Esperanto does not negotiate with terrorists.

The Amelia Earhart effect

In celebration of its ten-year anniversary, East Village sleeper Esperanto is throwing a Brazilian-themed bash tomorrow night. Feijoada, a meaty stew, will be on the house, and caipirinhas are free from 8 to 10pm. Sounds like some forethought went into planning this sure-to-be-packed party, which is more than can be said of the invite. Above, find two versions of the document: We received the first on October 28; the second was sent earlier today. If you see something, say something?

Levy beneath his sign (Photo: Meghan Petersen)

Mike Levy gave me the all-too-rare opportunity to print the word fuck. In fact, it wasn’t easy to find a quote that didn’t include that particular expletive when I sat down to write a column about his relationship with Ben Benson’s—a steakhouse he had frequented weekly since the late 1980s—in January of last year. Levy had a sharp tongue and a throaty manner of speech that wouldn’t have been out of place at Stanwix Hall. We got along.

But a few days ago, a representative for the restaurant reached out to let me know that after a long battle with cancer, Levy had passed away; last night, there was a party at the steakhouse—a celebration that he stipulated in his will. Read more »

Okay, people. Either we vastly overestimated your Google skills, or the term barnyard made your eyes glaze over. Either way, yesterday’s Appetite City trivia question, “What barnyard animal served as table and chair during an infamous 1903 dinner in New York?,” produced a lot of strange answers (sheep? really?), but no correct ones. For what it’s worth, it was a horse.

So let’s give this another shot, shall we? To refresh your memory, you’re vying for a copy of William “Biff” Grimes’s Appetite City: A Culinary History of New York—a chronicle of NYC’s weird and wonderful dining past and the subject of this week’s feature story.

Here we go, folks: You may remember Grimes as the restaurant critic for The New York Times between 1999 and 2004. What does he do for the paper now?

Get your best guess to grimesbook@timeoutny.com posthaste, and bring a little Biff-steak to your bookshelf. Winners must be able to pick up their bounty from TONY HQ.

Tom Mylan was awfully tight-lipped around fall preview time. The hot sexy married butcher kept his mouth shut regarding the “food-dork megaplex” he’s working on with the folks behind the Brooklyn Kitchen. But there’s some movement o’er in the Borough of Kings. Harry Rosenblum checked in with the Feed to announce an opening date for the Brooklyn Kitchen Labs and the Meat Hook. D-day is November 11, but you can already order your Thanksgiving turkey at the Hook’s way-beta website, the-meathook.com.

While you’re there, sniff around Mylan’s blog. We can’t promise a shirtless butcher centerfold, but we can promise a recipe for 20 gallons of chili…which more or less inspires the same hike in body temp, no?

Related: Hot new culinary jobs: Butchers, baristas and bartenders

Fancy a sip?

TONY’s Eat Out section is looking for sharp and eager, panther-quick and smart-as-a-whip souls to intern with us posthaste. Demonstrated interest in food and drink a must; Web experience preferred.

Interested? Introduce yourself to Jordana Rothman (jrothman@ timeoutny.com). And throw in a résumé and three clips while you’re at it.

XO
Team Eat Out

The Feed was lucky enough to dine at The Breslin on Friday night, when the kitchen was under the stewardship of London’s great mammal whisperer, Fergus Henderson. We’ll begin with a note on the venue, which sat its very first customers that evening. It’s stunning—a far cry from The Spotted Pig’s tight, chaotic quarters or the shuttered John Dory and its frenzied fish theme. With its multiple levels, smartly constructed nooks and gorgeously aged patina, the Breslin evokes what we imagine an old Bowery Tavern might have been like. This is a comfortable place to dine. Read more »