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 »

Cabrito's steak huarache

Of note if you work between Park and Sixth Avenues and 23rd and 28th Streets: The folks behind the Fatty Crab/Cabrito pop-up kiosk in Madison Square Park just dropped word that they’ll be taking delivery orders for the next two weeks. The number to call is 646-355-6376. Check out the full menu, plus today’s specials, after the jump. Read more »

Momosexuals take note: Momo midtown has been named Ma Pêche. [Eater]

The libel lawsuit against The Billionaire’s Vinegar writer Benjamin Wallace has been settled. [Diners' Journal]

The Limelight will become a three-story shopping mall. That’s one way to exorcise Michael Alig. [Gothamist]

Sam Sifton took up the reigns as chief dining critic at The New York Times today and the blogs are already hotly debating his debut review. The twofer for Daniel Boulud’s DBGB begins gamely with a quote from a Ramone’s song: “Hey, Ho! Let’s Go!” Just the sort of vaguely fringy arrival you’d expect from a writer who came up in the ranks of alt weekly, the New York Press. But with a new critic comes plenty of backlash, and already the well-wishes and dissent alike are flying all over the interwebs. We combed the comments on posts such as Sifton’s “Diners’ Journal” entry, Eater’s week in review and Grub Street’s review of the review to compile this rather unscientific pie chart of Sam Sifton’s approval rating—as of 12:30 pm today. Do enjoy.

Photos: Jeffrey Gurwin

We’ve just alighted from the NYCWFF Burger Bash, heavy of step and greasy of finger. It was Spike Mendelsohn, ladies and gentlemen, who took home the win for his burger—topped with horseradish, bacon and blue cheese, and served with a toasted-marshmallow shake. It’s the second bash the Top Chef alum has taken, and though it wasn’t our favorite burger, it was certainly a more just conclusion than last year’s victor: Katie Lee’s patty melt. Lee reprised her populist sandwich last night. And it still sucked.

Read more »

Hang with Michael Cirino, center, on Saturday.

The NYCWFF is just days away, people. For those of you still scrambling to score access to the hottest events, let us throw you a line.

Our ticket sweepstakes is still happening, but we’ve just secured an additional two-spot to A Locally Sourced Evening. The Saturday night affair will be presented at Norwood by Michael Cirino and his traveling supper club, A Razor, a Shiny Knife.  Per the usual ARASK approach, guests can stop by any time after 2:30pm to help prepare the six-course meal (or your lazy ass can just show up at 7:30 to eat).

The evening’s conceit: Read more »