So far, the reviews have all mentioned that you cook out of a small kitchen here, but I really think you have one of the smallest kitchens in the city back there. It’s just rough. It’s just me and my cook during service. We don’t have room for a kitchen staff, really. I receive deliveries, prep the food, sometimes wash dishes during service. I also cook the food. more ›

If you follow along with this sort of thing, you'll know how earth shattering it is that outgoing Times dining critic Frank Bruni has bestowed three out of four precious stars on Keith McNally's casual-yet-elitist reboot of Minetta Tavern. That's a lot of stars for a place like this, especially considering Bruni's past ambivalence to the restaurateur, who famously accused Bruni of sexism after the critic gave his restaurant Morandi (which had a female chef) a tough review. Anyway, Bruni hearts McNally's Minetta, which he declares "the best steakhouse in the city." Meanwhile, the Post's Steve Cuozzo has some thoughts on Bruni's depature. (The take away's basically, Who cares, the Times is now a paper tiger.) more ›

Vutera: The sibling owners of Rose Live Music on Grand Street in Williamsburg have given quite the face-lift to their eponymous subterranean restaurant. The intimate urban-rustic haunt has been renamed Vutera, and the exposed brick walls and wooden beams are now bathed in a candlelit glow for your dining pleasure. New chef Molly Del Monte, the former sous chef at Little Giant, is introducing a Mediterranean menu with a local-and-seasonal angle, complemented by a wine list curated by manager Hugh Crickmore (Mas). Grub Street has photos and the full menu, which features such delicacies as parsnip gnocchi with beet-green pesto, braised lamb shank with red wine and creamy polenta, and an appetizer of Spanish-mackerel escabèche. An early review on Strong Buzz deems the place "immensely comforting. It’s the kind of place that beckons like a blazing hearth in an ice storm." 345 Grand Street, Williamsburg; (718) 599-0069 more ›