1) Union Square : Flo Fab reports that the Baked by Melissa storefront on 14th Street between 5th and 6th has opened: “It features her tender half-dollar size cakes topped with bright flavorful icing. There are now nine flavors, expanded from seven; some, like cinnamon, mint chocolate chip and peanut butter cup, have fillings, too.” Status : Certified Open; 7 East 14th Street, 212-255-5526 .
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Thursday Opening Report: Okeanos, Pump, Baked By Melissa, and More Certified Open
In the new decade, The Atlantic thinks that the cocktail movement will continue focus on ingredients, not so much technique . That said, the biggest shifts from haute to mainstream will involve the following: cocktail and food pairing, Monk-made liqueurs , vermouths, orange-flavored liqueur, and naturally, fancy ice cubes. [The Atlantic via Eater National ]
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The Future Of Mixology: In the new decade, The Atlantic…
Got a note from Jim Friley in response to this story yesterday: “I noticed in your article yesterday that Big John's Alabama BBQ was listed in the 'Saddest Restaurant Closures.' There is a bright side to that: Big John's family is relocated temporarily (hopefully to be a new location) in South Tampa on Dale Mabry Highway, a little south of Bay to Bay, across from the Howard Johnson's. They are operating under the name of BJ's Alabama BBQ…same family, same great BBQ, same great atmosphere…We in south Tampa are hoping and praying that this location will remain open when the site on 40th Street is resurrected.”
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Big John’s Alabama BBQ open in temporary spot
Over the last year or so neighborhood paper The Villager , with the help of the nostalgia blogs, has been chronicling the sad story of Ray’s Candy Store on 7th and Avenue A. First came reports that owner Ray Alvarez was sick and that business was slow. Then Muslim fundamentalists were shaking him down for free coffee and he had a hernia.
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Sad Cases: Sad Ray’s Candy Store Saga May End in Chains and Padlocks
With the National Geographic Explorers Camp, the Fairmont Scottsdale has created a veritable paradise on earth for kids. Imagine: navigating with a GPS to discover desert creatures on a scavenger hunt, going on a photo safari, fishing on the resort’s lagoon with aquatic ecologist Zeb Hogan, making rockets with NASA engineer Kobie Boykins… The camp offers a plethora of fun, discovery-based activities for children aged 5-12
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Top Kid-Friendly Hotels: Fairmont Scottsdale Offers National Geographic Explorers Camp
This is The Gatekeepers, in which Eater roams the city meeting the fine ladies and gentlemen that stand between you and some of your favorite impossible-to-get tables. [ Krieger , 1/6/10] Less than two months ago, hungry Midtowners got what they’d been craving with East Side Social Club : a sleek, sexy 40’s throwback eatery for those who don’t want to deal want to deal with typical midtown restaurant politics (we’re looking at you, Monkey Bar). Literally a family affair, the new bar/restaurant is run by Macao and Employees Only owner Billy Gilroy, his brother Jim, son Devon, and daughter Grace
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The Gatekeepers: East Side Social Club’s Jim and Grace Gilroy
Portsmouth, New Hampshire may not be on most folks’ radar as a great spot to visit. But this revitalized old port town just North of Massachusetts and South of Maine on I-95 is cute, retro and hip all at the same time. It’s a great spot to explore on a day trip during a New England stay. And if you go, you have to have yourself a beer. New England is home to all kinds of great micro-breweries. It’s known for them. And if you fancy a meal with your quaff, you’ll be very happy once you step inside the Portsmouth Brewery
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Portsmouth Brewery – Portsmouth, New Hampshire
It’s the nearest things we have to a toy museum in the city, and even if it does look blatantly sponsored, how can you resist revisiting your childhood with these adorable characters? This photo by Flickr user 'Another Ashia…' is used under cc licence It’s the first Playmobil exhibition in France (yippee!), 35 years after the brand was started (and since then 2.2 billion little non-biodegradeable blokes have been made. Wow!).
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Playmobil exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs until 9th May 2010
This easy and quick Italian recipe will solve your dinner dilemma! Here are the ingredients for this superb focaccia: 500g flour; 25 g yeast;1 teaspoon sugar; 1 glass of warm water; lard, creamy cheese ( emmentaler, fontina and tilist would be perfect!) Directions: mix yeast and two tablespoon of warm water and then add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Next sift the flour and gradually add the warm water.
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Italian recipes: focaccia with cheese and lard
One of the first impression I got from Philly’s dining scene (not the cheesesteak, I didn’t have any) is that establishments from Iron Chef Jose Garces dominates the city. Philly’s downtown isn’t that big but it got touches from Iron chefs all over (Iron Chef Morimoto also has one restaurant down the block). Chifa serves tapas that’s a fusion of Cantonese and Peruvian (Chifa is supposed to be “eating” in Chinese, but shouldn’t it be Chifan or Sigfan if it’s Cantonese?)
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Chifa (Philadelphia)
Mexico has become a favourite destination for George Clooney and Elisabetta Canalis , with the former Italian show girl snapped once again in bikini, this time together with George. It’s a bit weird seeing him with a beard, all of sudden reminding us of the age difference between the two, but they both look to be in fine form. The Clooney-Canalis saga is the hottest gossip from Italy this year, and we figure the speculation over whether Clooney will take his Italian girlfriend to the Oscars is nothing no-one who’s not called Sherlock couldn’t figure out
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New Year for George Clooney in Mexico: Elisabetta Canalis in bikini again
The Bangalore Wine Club crowned a year full of wine events with a glittering Christmas Gala on the Prince of Wales lawns at the Taj West End, Bangalore, in December, writes Ruma Singh . The lawns looked magical, lit up with fairy lights, Christmas wreaths, white damask and gold. Left: Bangalore Wine Club members enjoying the Christmas Gala
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Bangalore Wine Club brings in 2010 with SIWC award winning wine
C’est notre Musée du Jouet à nous, et même si cette exposition semble moitié sponsorisée, saluons l’opportunité de retourner à notre enfance avec ces petits bonhommes si reconnaissable… Cette photo de l'utilisateur Flickr JimmyMac210 est utilisée sous licence cc C’est la première exposition en France pour Playmobil , à l’occasion des 35 ans du personnage (2,2 milliards de fabriqués !). En plus des scènes géantes de cirque, chevaliers, pirates, Vikings, cow-boys, Indiens et animaux, l’exposition vous aidera à comprendre aussi l’évolution de ces jouets depuis 1974, l’histoire de leur conception, une rétrospective de la publicité de la marque… avec bien sûr un maximum d’ateliers pour divertir vos enfants et même des visites guidées pour adultes. Irrésistible ! Cette photo de l'utilisateur Flickr 'Another Ashia…' est utilisée sous licence cc L’exposition Playmobil a lieu au Musée des Arts Décoratifs ( ici ) jusqu’au 9 mai 2010.
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Exposition Il était une fois Playmobil au Musée des Arts Décoratifs jusqu’au 9 mai 2010
Like diamonds, the attraction of clear ice isn’t fully understood, but it does look good in a drink. As we discussed in the previous post , the problem with making clear ice is that water doesn’t willingly transform into flawless crystals cubes, it chooses instead to go mirror cracking ugly when frozen because of its non-conformist behaviour of expanding when it forms a solid. Since we’ve learned how water behaves when it turns to ice, we can adjust the physical environment to accommodate these variables, which should lead to crystal clear ice.
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Making Clear Ice – Part 2 of 3
Click the image above to view the full photogallery. MID-CITY — B+S announces that as of today, Doughboys 2.0 has soft opened . The restaurant served up free bites this afternoon and plans to offer more grub gratis tomorrow and Friday 11AM-2PM and 5-8PM with the official launch set for Monday
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Eaterwire: Doughboys Soft Opens, Inside Babycakes, SIV’s Most Memorable Meals, New OC Food Trucks
Vienna International Seafood & Teppanyaki Buffet @ United Square was the first buffet I had in Singapore. It was recommended by a colleague of mine, who mentioned their spread of seafood was worthy of the $38.80/adult. Among some notable seafoods available were the rare Spanner crab, slipper lobster, fresh oyster, crayfish, sashimi and abalone
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Vienna International Seafood & Teppanyaki Buffet @ United Square, Singapore
Today Damon Gambuto of A Hamburger Today pens an ode to Cube ’s burger providing nothing but praise: “My first encounter with the Cube Burger was topped with Quebec cheddar and arrived with Hollywood starlet appeal . The perfectly rounded bun, set against what can fairly be described as potato ribbons and a succulent round of heirloom tomato, was dead sexy…The first bite was the stuff of burger dreams
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On Burgers: Today Damon Gambuto of A Hamburger…
In honor of Nigella Lawson’s 50th birthday this weekend, those cheeky lads at the Daily Mail have dug up 50 nasty little tidbits that you probably didn’t know about the celeb chef. For those without the patience, here’s the shorthand: she washes her hair once a week, never looks in the mirror, loves slankets , once ate 20 pickled eggs in ten minutes for a bet, and while she doesn’t generally wear any underwear, she buys her lingerie from the same shop the Queen does
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TMI: In honor of Nigella Lawson’s 50th…
Black Sea on Fairfax. 1. Silver Lake: Grub Street reports that Spago alum Chris Hora is planning to open Hora Bohemian Bistro in the current SiLa Bistro space
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Plywood Report: Hora Bohemian Bistro Replacing SiLa Bistro, George Abou-Daoud Claims Black Sea, The Izaka-Ya Opening in Manhattan Beach, MORE
Somehow topping yesterday’s McNugget beatdown , today we have a sordid tale of a woman who went on a rampage because she didn’t like her burger at McDonald’s. When the restaurant refused to refund her money, the woman caused thousands of dollars worth of damage after throwing a bucket of water over the counter (pictured!) and toppling over a glass display case and three cash registers.
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Fast Food Freakouts: Somehow topping yesterday’s McNugget beatdown, today…