Results tagged “dinner”

Don’t feel so smug if you belong to that tiny percentage of Americans who earn $400,000 a year (or more); to astonishingly wealthy plutocrats like Mayor Bloomberg, you’re still just small potatoes. Asked about the manufactured Republican outcry over Barack Obama’s allegedly extravagant date night in New York, Bloomberg defended the First Couple’s getaway, telling reporters, “The president does not get paid that much. He is on a budget, too.” Well, from Bloomberg’s rarefied perch atop Mount Moneypiles, we probably all look like Dickensian waifs struggling to sell our hair to the wig maker for halfpence, but to the average American, Obama’s hardly “on a budget.” City Room breaks down Obama’s current income: $400,000 a year salary, a $50,000 expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account and a $19,000 entertainment budget. His total compensation package, $569,000 a year, is 11 times the median household income in the U.S., which is around $50,000. Of course, when you've got two private jets; homes in Bermuda, Florida, Colorado and London; and $16 billion in walking around money, you must wonder how poor souls like the President make do on half a million.

Sure, you probably know by now that the First Couple dined at locally-sourced Greenwich Village restaurant Blue Hill on Saturday night, but there are still lots of juicy details to pore over! Like the wine: a 2007 Hirsch Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, according to Eater. Besides the vino, the First Lady was also observed knocking back two martinis! (It's unclear if she had any of the Pinot.)

reBar: This spacious bar/restaurant isn't new, but the chef and the menu are, so it's worth a mention for those making dinner plans in somewhat dining-deprived DUMBO. Self-described hippie owner Jason Stevens, who quit his job trading mortgage-backed securities at Merrill Lynch just before the crash, opened reBar in December 2006 in an old tea warehouse dating back the later 19th century. With an elegantly weathered, post-industrial design by the same guy who did the Zipper Factory Theater (RIP), the place has become a favorite watering hole for the locals. ($2 pints from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.!)

Here's the latest installment in our ongoing quest to find a good, cheap meal that won't kill us or our budget.

Here's the latest installment in our ongoing quest to find a good, cheap meal that won't kill us or our budget.

Here's the latest installment in our ongoing quest to find a decent cheap meal that won't kill us or our budget.

    

Last night Robert Thurman's annual Tibet House benefit concert took to Carnegie Hall, featuring performances by Antibalas, The National (who performed two new, untitled songs), Vampire Weekend, Patti Smith, Steve Earle, Angelique Kidjo, Keb' Mo', Philip Glass, and his son Zack (whose performance served as an alternate answer to that age old question, how does one get to Carnegie Hall).

Ladies, if your husband is taking you to the Four Seasons on February 14th, you might want to consider staking out the restaurant on the 13th. Co-owner Julian Niccolini tells Gourmet that night is always just as busy as V-Day, because that's when high rollers bring in the other women for an adulterous dinner. The article is full of other V-Day dos and don'ts, such as please don't make your marriage proposal in a restaurant! At Gramercy Tavern, a woman once asked a man to marry her, and when he said no, she stood up, started cursing, and began throwing plates. A waiter tells Gourmet, "Clearly, he made the right choice." And if you must propose while dining, don't hide the ring in the food! An engagement ring embedded in a woman's crème brûlée was swallowed before her boyfriend could pop the question. "Our first hug was the Heimlich maneuver," he recalls.

          

Five of New York's secret supper clubs joined forces over the weekend for the epic Undergrounds Unite dinner party at a capacious, bi-level loft in the shadow of the Empire State Building. On Saturday night the place was packed with 165 gourmands who had found their way there in the rain by following a series of cryptic instructions—enter a bar on 35th Street, look for the man learning how to cook everything, ask him for a map.

     

Well, we now know why Tom Colicchio wasn't at the New York Taste event last night (as promised); he skipped the shindig to hang with fellow celeb chef Mario Batali at a private dinner at the Rockefeller Center rooftop garden. The event, put together by Absolut, was all about cooking with local ingredients grown on eco-friendly farms, and was hosted by chef Jim Denevan, who runs Outstanding in the Field, a "roving culinary adventure" that promotes the locavore lifestyle. Deborah Greig of East New York Farms in Brooklyn, and Michael Hurwitz, director of the GreenMarket, were also in the house.

18 days until the election and one day after their final debate, Barack Obama and John McCain traded zingers at the 63rd Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, held at The Waldorf-Astoria last night. (The Daily News says the event raised $2.5 million, which goes toward underprivileged children.)

   

Those retro TV dinners with the pre-formulated portions aren’t just for Eisenhower-era loners anymore; the factory-made frozen meals have been cleverly revived for big city sophisticates dining at the Regency Hotel's 540 Park restaurant. The first Swanson TV Brand Frozen Dinner sold for 98 cents in 1953; at the Regency it’s been brought up to date for $30.

The specialty beverage industry – particularly Smart Water – is now the recipient of a clever parody from Brooklyn designer/photographer Till Krautkramer, who’s rolled out an elaborate marketing campaign for a line of beverages called MeatWater. The website proudly declares that the drink uses “only the finest protein” for such “High Efficiency Survival Beverages” as Dirty Hot Dog, “an authentic taste of the Big Apple you can sip through a straw!” and Italian Sausage:

Mangia! You’ll feel like youse is at da famous San Gennaro festival in New Yawk’s Little Italy after drinkin’ dis. But widdout the annoying bridge-and-tunnel crowds askin’ “How much is doze zeppoles? Tree fuh a dollah? I’ll take tree.”

The coveted Momofuku Ko reservation has reached Craigslist (again), where all in-demand items are eventually available if you're willing to pay the price (which isn't always monetary). A gentleman named "Tom" seems to have found himself a "resi" for two at Ko this week, but is lacking both funds and friends in order to properly enjoy it.

I recently achieved what most have found impossible. I have a resi for two (2) at Ko this Weds. I am offering my one extra seat to anyone who wants to treat me to this most coveted dining celebration. You pay for the food, if we have fun I will pick up the tab for the booze.

Continue reading "Momofuku Ko "Resi" Hits Craigslist"

         

The Food Bank for New York City held their 5th Annual Can-Do Awards Dinner and fund raiser last night at Chelsea Piers. For the past 25 years, the Food Bank has worked to end hunger by giving low-income New Yorkers access to affordable and healthy food. Last night's dinner was hosted by classy actor Stanley Tucci and attended by celebrities like Michael Stipe, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mike D; musical performances were by Angela McCluskey, Jill Hennessey, Joseph Arthur and Mike Mills.

Easter, as you may know, is the holiday that often seems to celebrate the wonders of brunch, although rumor has it there's some religious thing involved as well. Whatever the holiday means to you, here are some Easter brunch (and dinner) options that sound particularly delectable.