Results tagged “fivepoints”

In his new book, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honeybee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, author Rowan Jacobsen describes the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) on beekeeping throughout the world. While the exact cause of CCD remains unknown, it clearly has the makings of a major agricultural crisis: Pollination is required in the life cycles for most every facet of our food supply. Among the nastier discoveries Jacobsen makes while telling the CCD story is that some industrial honeybees are forced to slurp down their share of high fructose corn syrup. Fall is also a DIY book; its appendices lay out resources for tyro beekeepers, including a breakdown of beneficial, bee-friendly “pollinator plants.”

Restaurateurs Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman took some time out of their hectic brunch schedule at Five Points to cook up some matzoh brei, a traditional Passover dish. They generally don't limit their matzoh brei eating to the Passover season. "We eat it all the time," says Vicki.

Frank Bruni, in the Diner's Journal, waxes poetic about the oysters at Wild Salmon and Aquagrill, and discusses the reasons why he often disobeys the "rule" that one is not supposed to eat oysters in months that don’t have an ‘r’ in them. We're with Frank on this one. We love oysters in the summer. The platter above was from a recent oyster happy our at P.J. Clarke's downtown. They were cheap, but didn't hold a candle to ones we've had at Aquagrill, Blue Ribbon or Pearl Oyster Bar.

Bruni visits the recently reopened Provence (now owned and run by Cookshop & Five Points’ Marc Meyer and Vicki Freeman), awards the restaurant one star. He likes the minimal changes they’ve made to the design; the food, not so much: “Provence’s is inconsistent and dull,” he says. He does like the wine and the cheese selection though.

">Bruni two-stars Belgian Resto. Loves the beers, the fries and mussels, and the hint of Asian seasonings in some dishes: "Resto's version of Belgium is neither clichéd nor isolationist," he says. It’s not great for your arteries, either, he points out, but sometimes it's worth the health risk.

There's been a flurry of activity on the openings front recently. Even if spring hasn't quite made it to town, these new spots are starting to bloom and shake off the winter blahs:

Join in the Italian tradition of the Feast of the Seven Fishes -- a seafood meal in observance of the La Viglia Di Natale, or the wait for the birth of Christ.

- NY Mag contemplates an NYC without trans-fats. So very sad.

It's soggy outside but it's cozy at the bookstores and bars this week. Tonight (6/16), Australian writer Peter Carey is reading from his latest book, Theft: A Love Story, at 192 Books at 7PM. Or, head down to the always cozy Half King tonight for the Spring 2006 edition of The Literary Review, where Lynne Tillman, Craig Mueller, and Cary Goldstein will be reading from their selections in the journal. It starts at 7PM and is free.

Gothamist has been sucked in to the History Channel's documentaries about the gangs of New York recently. Being history buffs, we want to learn more, but how do we do that without having to watch the Scorsese film again (which omitted a lot of facts)? With the Big Onion Walking Tours!

For such a long and storied crosstown street, it is odd that Bleecker Street on has only one subway stop. That stop on the 6 train will drop you square into NoHo, providing easy access to that neighborhood as well as the East Village and NoLita.

Cookshop's Cod with Chickpea Stew

All the buzz surrounding Cookshop, Chelsea's newly ordained bringer of farm fresh, local, and sustainable foods, had Gothamist anxious to get inside with our camera. Sure enough, we got a peak at the space before crowd started flowing in for dinner, catching a glimpse at the firewood beneath the oven, waiters filling miniature dishes with coarsely ground salt for the tables, and new flowers being placed in fresh water and crystal clear vases. Owned by the husband-wife team of Vicki Freeman and Marc Meyer -- the same brains behind Gothamist favorite and the downtown crowd-pleasing Five Points, Cookshop brings grass-fed meats, Montauk squid, and an abundance of seasonal fruits and veggies to your table, with a chalkboard on the northern wall offering a list of the restaurant's favorite farmers. A cozy bar up front is perfect for a glass of wine while you wait for a table; floor-to-ceiling glass easily lets you peer out on the neighborhood as passerby eagerly look in. Open a scant week and a half, Cookshop is still finding its rythym, but in the meantime Gothamist recommends picking up the phone and securing a reservation while you still can.

The New York Times reports that the newest addition to the Rosa Mexicano empire is scheduled to open this Saturday. Fingers crossed -- it's always good to have another location for our passionfruit margarita and fresh guacamole fix. Also open: Cookshop, from the folks who brought you Five Points, (yes, we know about all the damn hype); 156 Tenth Avenue (20th Street), (212) 924-4440. Also "Loft, a lounge and restaurant mixing Asian and Mediterranean, 505 Columbus Avenue (84th Street), (212) 362- 6440. Scarlatto, a Roman-style restaurant in the former Pierre au Tunnel space: 250 West 47th Street, (212) 730-4535." Florence adds that Black Pearl is opening in Park Slope at 833 Union Street: "[t]his is a new spot for seafood prepared by Frederico Duarte, who worked at Dos Caminos and Da Silvano." The name and early rumors make us think it's related to the East Village clam shack hidden in the back of Julep, but Dos Caminos and Da Silvano hardly make us think of lobster rolls.

The maroon awning outside Five Points Restaurant hides one of downtown's hidden gems -- an American-Mediterranean gastro-haven whose menu changes seasonally, according to what chef-owner Marc Meyer can find is freshest at the market. The fall menu offers fire-roasted Maine razor clams, wood oven roasted Montauk squid, and Hudson Valley Duck Breast, a testament to why it's good to eat local food. At brunch, Five Points features sweet treats of lemon-ricotta pancakes, dulce de leche french toast, and then eggs rancheros from the wood oven as a savory specialty. With a small, meditative brook running down the center of the restaurant, a space accentuated by an abundance of natural wood and natural light, Gothamist suggests sitting down with a glass of wine, some good bread, and a plate of fire-roasted clams, as a relaxing way to reap the fruits of fall.

- Cablevision's $600 million "proposal, Hudson Gardens, would be a largely residential community with 5,800 new apartments and a park. The plan includes moderate-income housing, a school, a library, a hotel, public toilets, theater equipment suppliers, a supermarket and a park -- all with glistening Hudson River views." [Newsday]

Curbed on Chelsea and the Meatpacking District and more on the gentrification of West Chelsea, just north of the Meatpacking District, or how an airlines' "cool" lower-cost business wanted to sponsor the Meatpacking District.

Randy Kim, NBA.com

Daniel Gregory

Famed Italian movie studio Cinecitta is profiled by the New York Times today, as it tries to make itself a compelling option for Hollywood's filmmakers. Directors like Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti made Cinecitta the place to be in the 50s and 60s, but up until recently had not been successful. Wes Anderson's next movie, The Life Aquatic, is filming there, and most famously, Gangs of New York, was filmed there which had Martin Scorsese and Dante Ferretti replicate the Five Points in Rome.