Santorini Grill, on Grand Street in Williamsburg, had a full week of their "pay what you feel" menu and it's been going pretty well so far. Though we've talked about the logistics already we decided to head over around dinner time yesterday. We talked to the owner, Paula Douralas, who said that so far, "no one's been abusing it" and that, "if it keeps going like this then I'm not stopping." more ›

We understand when restaurants like Serendipity III rolls expensive fare like that $1,000 sundae or that $69 hot dog—the free publicity is just too good to pass up. And at least they put stuff like gold flakes and truffles in there to make you feel like you are some getting bang for your giant stack of bucks. But we have no clue how to explain how a restaurant can, with a straight face, charge $135 for a bowl of soup for two. That's the same cost as the priciest prix fixe in the city! more ›

Kefi, the insanely popular Greek restaurant (photos) with the astonishingly sane prices, was closed yesterday by the Health Department. Chef Michael Psilakis—who has never been slapped with such a serious DOH penalty at his other hit restaurants, which include Anthos and Mia Dona—says the problem had to do with a paperwork oversight, not the usual "rat rodeo" situation that has shuttered other eateries in recent years. The Health Department confirms they closed Kefi after it failed its initial pre-permit inspection:

They were found operating without a permit and a Food Protection Course certificate holder present. Other factors that contributed to the closure included holding several food items at unsafe temperatures and having no hand washing sink in the food preparation area in the basement. In order to reopen, the operator of Kefi must apply for a permit, correct all conditions that led to violations, submit an affidavit of correction to the Health Department and schedule a re-opening inspection.

Note to fabulously good-looking, scrupulously healthy restaurant Rouge Tomate (pictured): the Times's Frank Bruni doesn't appreciate your good intentions. He opines, "In addition to a head chef with obvious talent, it employs a nutritionist, who makes certain that dishes have optimal ratios of meats to vegetables and fruits to nuts and don’t traffic recklessly in calories or the wrong fats...While about a quarter of the dishes are knockouts, at least as many are overly calculated and fastidious, suggesting there’s such a thing as too much balance. The same fruity, nutty, seedy notes pop up too often: during one meal I felt tyrannized by pomegranate, antioxidized to a fare-thee-well." more ›

Chef Michael Psilakis (friend of Gothamist) and partner Donatella Arpaia have finally opened the hotly anticipated, bigger location of Kefi, the Greek restaurant hailed by the Times in 2007 as "immensely appealing." The cozy original on 79th Street is regarded as one of the best deals in town, and the new location on Columbus Avenue, between 84th and 85th Streets, has miraculously not instituted a price hike. The $16.95 prix fixe is shockingly reasonable, especially considering the culinary talents of Psilakis, who has also won raves for Anthos and Mia Dona. more ›