Respected chef Neil Ferguson, who opened the warmly-received Allen & Delancey just last fall, has abruptly quit, taking an offer to be the top chef at Soho House, a private club whose food we cannot vouch for because we only went there this one time to interview the Beastie Boys. But what's cool about Soho House is when you ask them for water, they give you an entire glass bottle of some exotic brand that is yours to keep. So you can see why Ferguson would be tempted. Eater obtained this email he sent to friends, in which he sticks his thumb in the eye of certain unprincipled scoundrels at Allen & Delancey: "I have strong principles and thoughts on how a restaurant should operate and conduct itself, at every level. Unfortunately those principles have been bought into question. I am leaving for both moral and personal reasons." more ›

This week in the Times, Bruni one-stars Sam Mason’s Tailor. Loves the design of the place, and—along with everyone else—the pork belly, the arctic char and the drinks. Overall? “[Mason’s] infatuation with his own imagination doesn’t leave room enough for a self-appraisal of the results… a duck-and-eel terrine in a chocolate consommé tastes like cat food splashed with Yoo-hoo.” Hee. In Dining Briefs, Bruni goes to Toloache. Calls the upscale Mexican restaurant a “welcome addition”... more ›