Today the Times’s Frank Bruni marvels at Manhattan’s new wave of high tone restaurant openings during a recession, and pins the trend not on entrepreneurial bravado but on the fact that it takes years to get a fancy eatery open, and most of these new places were envisioned in flusher economic times. It is true that in 2005, the top fifth of earners in Manhattan made 52 times what the lowest fifth make – $365,826......

This week in the Times, Bruni three-stars Le Cirque, bumping the restaurant's rating up from the two stars he awarded it in 2006. Executive chef Christophe Bellanca’s menu “nimbly straddles the line between predictable decadence… and creative flair,” he says. He also says that you’ll pay—a lot—for what you get, and that Le Cirque isn’t quite as reliable as other three star restaurants. In $25 and Under, ">Peter Meehan is at Soba Totto, where he......

The 21 Club opened on New Year’s Eve 1930 at 21 West 52nd Street as a speakeasy and restaurant. Legend has it that when powerful gossip columnist Walter Winchell was banned from the club, he ran an item wondering why the 21 Club had not yet been raided by Prohibition agents. (Winchell, of course, was the inspiration for the character of J.J. Hunsecker in The Sweet Smell of Success, which features several scenes at 21.)......

October 11: Restaurant Reviewing in New York City In light of Michelin's release this week, this panel discussion at Borders in the Time Warner Center, which happens to be the home of three-star Per Se, two-star Masa and one-star Cafe Gray, focuses on the reviewing scene in one of the best food cities in the world. Panelists include Jean-Luc Naret, director of the Michelin Guide; Jay Cheshes, former restaurant critic at Gourmet; and food-blogger/restaurant critic......

The Michelin Guide announced selections today for its third New York Edition, which officially goes on sale Wednesday. The new edition features 565 restaurants (and 54 Manhattan hotels.) Of the eateries, 42 were awarded stars ranging from one to three; a mere 3 restaurants merited the highest 3-star rating (Jean Georges, Le Bernardin and Per Se), while 6 others made the 2-star cut. But star-gazing aside, the guide comes in handy for diners on a......

In case you missed it yesterday, the Times Dining section contained an article detailing stories of the various drunken and debaucherous diners who have tied on a few too many at the city's high-end restaurants. That's right -- people don't just pass out and make an ass of themselves at Tortilla Flats these days, but they do so at the likes of Daniel, Bouley, Cru and even per se. The Times quotes Phoebe Damrosch, author......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a man was killed by a 6 Train at Manhattan's Bleecker St. station, a serious multi-vehicle accident on Grand Concourse and East 168th St. in the Bronx, and an evidence search followed a shooting on Beach Channel Dr. in Queens. The $250 nine course tasting menu at Per Se is the caloric equivalent of 4 and a half Big Macs, although we imagine infinitely more delicious. A prost-prandial stroll......

This week, Bruni visits Rosanjin in Tribeca for kaseiki, finds it "strange and sometimes wonderful" and awards the restaurant two stars. The meal of many small courses is supposed to provide spiritual uplift in its ceremony. For Bruni, "the glory is in the details," like the uni wrapped in a shiso leaf, then battered and fried. The later courses were letdowns, however, and sometimes the small courses left him hungry two hours later. Also in......

The indicators that the economy is doing well are on Wall Street, but there's another indicator: How much high-end restaurants are willing to charge diners for entrees. The NY Times takes up the $40 entree and what it has wrought and why:-There are rising rents, costs of interior design, costs of getting the very finest ingredients. - The $40 entree can also encourage people to order entrees in the mid-$30's. - It's easier to print......

New Yorkers may think we're the best in the world generally, but as far as restaurants of the world are concerned, we only made it to number eight. Thomas Keller's Per Se was the only New York restaurant to make the top ten of the world's 50 best restaurants, as named by Restaurant magazine, although his West Coast restaurant, French Laundry, came in at number four. Other New York eateries on the list include......

Do you like kudoz? Well today is your lucky day. We've got not one, but two sets of awards for the price of one. First, Food & Wine Magazine announced their 2006 Best New Chefs at an event last night, and the list featured two New Yorkers: Jonathan Benno of Per Se and David Chang, from Momofuku, who seems to be the underdog darling of the national food scene these days (and after eating his......

AOL has released their Cityguide for New York with a list of "The 2006 City's Best," some of which are a surprise and others which were not so surprising. Stone Park Cafe in Park Slope took Cityguide's top restaurant honor, beating out big names like Daniel, Le Bernardin, Per Se, and Masa. The Chef and co-owner of Stone Park told the Daily News, "We're very thrilled - winning these types of contests really attests to......

What is it about stars that gets people so worked up? New Yorkers went ballistic over the stars doled out by the Michelin Guide (the Spotted Pig?!?), and the addition of one extra star from the New York Times can make all the difference when you're trying to get a reservation. And now, New York Mag has jumped on the star bandwagon, with Adam Platt dishing out stars to his 101 favorite restaurants in the......

Ah, the end of the year. A time to look back and reflect on the things that have happend. Also, a time to get wasted. But that's neither here nor there (ok, it's a bit here, but it's ok to start drinking past noon, right?). We've already looked back at the year as we wrote it, but what about the year as you commented on it? Seems a reasonable enough request. So without further ado,......

New York Metro rounds up some restaurants where you can warm up in front of the fire when it gets cold and snowy outside, including Per Se (if you can snag a reservation), and Savoy (the cheeseburgers there are divine, by the way). We'd like to add a few to the mix, including the delightful and cozy Applewood in Park Slope (get the butter-poached lobster), the back room in the Art Bar (for drinks), and......

Gothamist knows that the best restaurants in the city use the best ingredients they can find. But there are many chefs that go to extremes to find the best of the best. Chefs like Thomas Keller of Per Se fame develop relationships with local farmers, fisherman and wild mushroom cultivators in the maticulous pursuit of the best ingredients. Unfortuntely, most of these ingredients are not always available to the passionate home cook. That's why Gothamist......

Charlie Suisman over at Manhattan User's Guide broke the French omerta on the New York City restaurants Michelin guide and listed the restaurants receiving 1, 2 or 3 stars. Only thirty-nine restaurants were reviewed. Here's a quick analysis: - Parlez francais: Frenchmen/French-themed restaurants take three of the four 3-star slots (Alain Ducasse, Jean-Georges, Le Bernadin); the fourth is American-born Per Se (lucky for punch bowl owners) - Time Warner Center sweep: Per Se, Masa (2......

Maybe Rupert Murdoch should think about selling his place to one of NYC's celebrity chefs. According to Forbes Magazine, some of them are making some long green. On their list of the top 10 most influential chefs in America, we counted six who are doing business in NYC, and most of them (except poor Wylie!) are making a least a few million. Mario Batali $4m/year (Babbo, Lupa, and a many others) Lidia Bastianich $1.3m/year......

Per Se's Creamy Tapioca Pearls...

People are all in a fuss about the foie gras. Sure, some people love it, even celebrate it, but others aren't so enamoured of this gourmet delicacy. In fact, there is legislation in the works at the state Assembly which would ban foie gras production. New York Metro recently focused on the fight between duck-loving activists and duck liver lovers. Given all the hoopla about foie gras lately, we'd love to know your opinion on......

Bouchon by Thomas Keller (Artisan, 2004) While Thomas Keller's Per Serestaurant won this year's James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant, we know that most New Yorkers will never set foot there. The prices are rather steep, making it a once-in-a-lifetime sort of experience for those who do go at all. But Keller does have two cookbooks that give insight into his cooking technique, style, and inspiration. Gothamist decided to try our hand at one......

The James Beard Foundation seems to have gotten past the drama of the past year, and managed to announce its 2005 award winners. Local honorees include: - American Express Best Chef, New York City: Andrew Carmellini, Café Boulud - All-Clad Bakeware Outstanding Pastry Chef: Karen DeMasco, Craft - All-Clad Cookware Outstanding Chef: Mario Batali, Babbo - Ecolab Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional: Joseph Bastianich, Italian Wine Merchants - Illy Best New Restaurant: Per Se -......

The other night, Gothamist had the most decadent dream: in one night, we ate at Hearth, WD-50, Asiate, Public, Cru, Sumile and Per Se. We sipped wines from all over the world, and nibbled on delectable desserts from Spice Market. When we woke up the next morning, we realized that it wasn't a dream after all -- it was the StarChefs.com annual Rising Stars Revue, and Gothamist was there. This relatively small and intimate tasting......

April 23rd: Taste of Chinatown This neighborhood food festival showcases restaurants, bakeries, tea houses, and specialty shops throughout Chinatown. Wander through more than 50 tasting stations south of Canal on Mott, Bayard, Mulberry, Baxter, Pell, Doyers, and Mosco from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. Admission is free and tasting stations will only cost you $1.00 each. That's right -- $1.00. Hard to beat. For a map and more information, visit the Asian Women in Business site,......

Time Out New York's latest issue features its 2005 Eat Out Awards. Over 5,000 readers picked their favorites in twenty-five categories, some predictable (best signature dish: Nobu Matsuhisa's black miso cod from Nobu), best new restaurant: Per Se), others less so (best new fast food: Philly Slim's Cheesesteaks, best restaurant bathroom: Schiller's Liquor Bar), but our favorites are the Critic's picks awards, including: - Most addictive new snack: fried chickpeas at Tia Pol; - Best......

So many openings, so little time. It's a busy week in the Greenwich Village/Union Square neck of the woods, so foodies, if you don't live nearby, grab your metrocards -- it's time for a field trip. March 16th: Whole Foods comes to Union Square. We're curious to see how this impacts the Greenmarket, and Trader Joe's is reportedly coming to the area as well. Union Square is going to be one major (although somewhat pricey)......

There are times when you can't pass up an opportunity, even though you know it's not the smartest thing in the world for you to do. There are times when you take advantage of a situation that is in front of you and you deal with the consequences later. Saturday night was one of those times. Thanks to the magic of the blizzard, Gothamist had the chance to experience an evening at Per Se.......

Spotted Pig's Ricotta Gnudi...

A schizophrenic man jumped to his death in the Time Warner Center atrium at Columbus Circle yesterday. Glenn Moosnick climbed over the railing on the fourth floor, jumped over, and fell 50 feet in front of the Williams-Sonoma store. Some shoppers thought a bomb had gone off, while others were screaming for 911, as Moosnick was still alive, "He looked alive [afterward]. He wasn't screaming or anything." He later died at the hospital. Moosnick's sister......

Frank Bruni awarded four stars to Thomas Keller's Per Se in today's New York Times, noting that, although it certainly deserved the rating, It is not wondrous 100 percent of the time, and it can be maddening: at moments too intent on culinary adventure or too highfalutin in its presentation and descriptions of dishes, one of which came with a choice of four salts from three continents. To get a reservation may well require a......