Ryan Skeen, chef on the move. (Photo courtesy of the James Beard Foundation)

As of 2:30pm yesterday, chef Ryan Skeen was dismissed by his Allen & Delancey boss, Dick Friedberg. Skeen told the Feed that the method of termination was “via e-mail.” Cold. The Twitter world was already privy to Skeen’s dissatisfaction with his most recent job. It’s too bad, since TONY restaurant critic Jay Cheshes was duly impressed with Skeen’s evolution as a chef at that particular gig. He wrote in this fall’s Allen & Delancey review: “This rapidly maturing talent—his food here is far and away his most impressive to date—might soon put him in the ranks of the best cooks in New York.” Skeen will be talking to the Feed later today about what exactly went down, and his plans now that he’s free. Meanwhile, we fear not for the chef’s future—his career is just taking off. As for Allen & Delancey, well, where does the troubled restaurant go from here?

Correction: Ryan Skeen was dismissed this morning via e-mail, and was told that his tenure would officially be over today at 2:30pm.

The rhubarb dessert at Mas (farmhouse) (Photo: Roxana Marroquin)

Rhubarb is one of the early harbingers of spring, and restaurants are using it in many creative ways. In this week’s issue we examine four examples—from cocktails to savory slaws—at Mas, Park Avenue Spring, Minetta Tavern and Perilla.

In reviews, Jay Cheshes visits Smith’s, where he’s unsure that chef Doug Psaltis’s pleasant American comfort food “is quite good enough,” and awards it three out of six stars. TONY also visits the kaiseki restaurant Kajitsu, and finds its subdued Buddhist vegetarian cuisine memorable, giving it four stars. Meanwhile, the Fort Greene bar Brooklyn Public House comes across as a “starlet with beauty but no talent,” and earns three stars. Read more »

The chicken skewers at Mr. Jones

Jay Cheshes prefers the main dining room to the bar at La Fonda del Sol, but finds that “menu inconsistencies are, sadly, echoed in both rooms,” and gives it three out of six stars. [TONY]

TONY gives four out of six stars to East Village yakitori cocktail club Mr. Jones, which “is far more Japanese tapas than meat-on-a-stick.” [TONY]

“You’ll leave Beer Table convinced that your pennies were well spent,” we say in our latest bar review, bestowing the “brew enthusiast’s dream” with five out of six stars. [TONY]

Read more »

The catfish sandwich at Baoguette. (Photo by Roxana Marroquin)

Ah, we’re so predictable. Times get tough, and we turn to bread—stuffed with all kinds of deliciousness. We suppose it could be worse.… In this week’s issue, the cover story focuses on spring fashion and we ponder another trend of the moment: sandwiches. The throngs that descend with regularity on Baoguette and the new Manhattan Defonte’s may enjoy TONY’s picks of the best new pleasures on sliced bread (and arepas—Williamsburg’s Caracas sneaked in there too). Read more »

Matsugen's extra value meal (Photo: Roxana Marroquin)

Sure, we brought you the best of SOBE all weekend, but it isn’t all fun and games here at TONY: As always, we also have a new issue this week.

First, Jay Cheshes visits a number of restaurants offering recession-friendly menus, and after sampling them all, tells you which are the best deals. Read more »

Shredded chorizo topped with fried quail eggs at Txikito (Photo: Roxana Marroquin)

This week brings you the TONY Singles issue, with Eat Out delivering the latest on what to wrap your lips around. (Tsk tsk! We’re talking about food here!)

First, there are a number of newly opened restaurants to visit, including a French bistro in Harlem, the Gramercy outpost of a Red Hook sandwich shop and a Texan barbecue joint in Brooklyn. Two new bars have also opened this week: the Raines Law Room and Bar 108.

In reviews, Jay Cheshes visits Alexandra Raij’s Basque small-plates venture, Txikito, bestowing it with four stars. TONY also visits Kambi Ramen House, the sister location of Minca, and gives it three stars.

Topping it off, we reveal our love for the rosemary-lime cookies at Get Fresh Table and Market, and chef Brad Farmerie (Public, Double Crown) takes us to his ‘hood, Carroll Gardens (as well as Cobble Hill), and shows us where to shop and what to get (make sure to watch the online video version).

And don’t forget, every week we bring you handpicked food and bar events, often cheap and sometimes free.