Results tagged “marcmeyer”

August 19: 8th Annual Blues & BBQ

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.

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Esca, calls chef Dave Pasternack a "fish whisperer" (um, OK Frank) and awards the restaurant three stars. "In an era when too many restaurants try to be everything to everyone," he says, "Esca has a specific agenda: show what the sea can yield." The restaurant was previously awarded two stars by William Grimes in 2000.

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.

There's plenty going on to celebrate the Lunar New year, but of course we're focused on the food. Explore Chinatown's site has a list of restaurants offering special feasts for the occasion, including Gothamist favorite Fuleen Seafood, and explains the different foods that are traditionally eaten as part of the celebration.

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 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.