What do you get when you combine beer, nose-to-tail butchery and bikes? The Cannibal in Murray Hill. In fact, restaurateur Christian Pappanicholas named this new, butcher shop-cum-bar after a famous bicycle dubbed "The Cannibal" because he and his chef, Michael Berardino, are both avid cyclists.  To call it a bar is misleading because the menu's as ambitious as the beer selection, thus the nightly crowds of carnivores dropping in for porchetta spiced pork rinds, a pig's head Cuban, or veal tartare.

Pappanicholas got his start butchering at a very young age.  "Being Greek, we roasted whole pigs, goats and lambs. We, by this I mean my crazy Greek uncles and father, slaughtered them in the garage, sometimes butchered them, sometimes left them whole. It taught me about the different parts of the animals and how they cooked them differently," he explains.  Fast forward to the present where he currently owns to successful, meat-centric restaurants.  Come spring, he'll launch outdoor beer events in The Cannibal's garden where they'll show the French bike races and serve French beer with charcuterie.

Single/Married/Divorced?
Married to a beautiful woman.   

What did you want to be when you grew up?
A professional tennis player.  I'm still trying to be!  

What was your first job in food and what did you learn?  
I was a bus boy and prep cook at my father's restaurant.  I learned that bussing tables during brunch puts lots of money in your pocket for video games at the arcade.  But really, it taught me the value of work and kept me out of too much trouble.    

How did you become passionate about nose-to-tail food? What about Belgian beer?
Being Greek, we roasted whole pigs, goats and lambs. We, by this I mean my crazy Greek uncles and father, slaughtered them in the garage, sometimes butchered them, sometimes left them whole. It taught me about the different parts of the animals and how they cooked them differently.  Wrapping all of the organs in the small intestine and roasting it over the spit, it was my first look at great product utilization. The Belgian beer came later. My friend and roommate from college, Matt Flamant, is Belgian.  He and his entire family are crazy passionate people about their culture and their beer. It became very infectious.   

Whom do you consider your industry mentors?
[Restaurateur] Jason Denton, he was the only guy in this industry I knew I had to work for.   

So what inspired you to open The Cannibal?
The Cannibal started out of necessity.  Resto needed a butcher room where we could break down all of the whole animals we get in every week.  When I found out the space was becoming available, I grabbed it thinking we will open a butcher shop.  From there, as always, the ideas began flowing and I thought we could have a beer and butcher shop.  The name was a funny thing, as [Chef] Michael Berardino and I are both avid cyclists so when I said we can name it after the Merckx brand bicycle "The Cannibal," it seemed sort of perfect.   

What's the most difficult part about opening a restaurant?
Staffing.  

What are some advantages and disadvantages with opening a spin-off restaurant next door to the original restaurant? How do you keep Resto relevant and exciting when The Cannibal is getting so much attention now?   
The advantages are as the team grows and economies of scale are realized.  We try to stay relevant by always pushing, perfecting, creating and trying to make it nice.  In addition, my team is really amazing and they push me to be better.   

What do you look for when hiring a chef? How did you and The Cannibal Chef Michael Berardino meet? 
Eric Kleinman, the chef at Inoteca, introduced us back in 2008.  We talked about cycling right away and did some riding.  We always spoke about working on a project together; I thought it would be Italian since he is a crazy Italianophile.  He, Bobby (our chef at Resto) and I spent two weeks traveling in Southern Italy in 2010.  We went to see [legendary butcher] Dario Cecchini and I think that's when the butcher idea became really interesting to all of us.  When we finalized the idea he and I were talking a lot about it, and he was very excited to be part of the project.   

Describe your ideal meal at The Cannibal.   
I would come in after a ride up to Nyack, NY, sit in the back yard and drink Petrus Aged Pale Ale from 2009.   Then I'd have peanuts from the Men's Methodist Church of North Carolina - I love peanuts - a little country ham, blood sausage, kielbasa, merguez, rabbit terrain and Cote De Boeuf with escarole salad, because a man needs his greens.

And what beers would you drink with that meal? Though we know that may be difficult to choose, with the hundreds of selections available.  
 Other than the Petrus, I would have some two year old Orval I have stashed, Liefmans Gouldenband, and some De Struise Pannepot Reserve.

Where do you guys source most of your meat?
Bev Eggleston and Eco Friendly Farms, Four Story Hill, Ragsdale Family Farm and Pat Lafrieda of course.   

Do you ever have your on-premise beer master, Cory Bonfiglio, collaborate with Michael on the menu or vice versa?   
Absolutely.  When if comes to picking beers, wines, spirits, and food, it is very much a collaborative effort here.

What advice would you give to someone who is thinking of opening their own restaurant?
Jump on in, the water's warm.   
  

Is there any cut of meat you won't eat?
No.

What has been your biggest mistake in the restaurant industry?
Too many to name.   

Where do you dine in your Flatiron neighborhood?
The Breslin, ABC Kitchen and Hill Country Chicken. My son and I are addicted to their chicken fingers.

What big plans are coming up for Resto? What about for The Cannibal?  
At the Cannibal we are looking forward to the Spring when we can begin a series of group rides and beer drinking events, we will be showing all of the major cycling races and even doing a pairing series, French race, French beer, French charcuterie, etc.  We really want to be the destination for all cyclists in NYC, like The Spoon in Nyack.   And at Resto, we are working on some new large format feast packages, which will involve breed and farm specific dinners.  Lastly we are hard at work planning our farm in Shokan.   We had a small plot of land last year where we grew our own vegetables; this year we will be bringing is some heavy hitters and expanding the plot in order to really up the ante.   

You're on your deathbed...Sex or dinner?  
Sex.

Resto
Address: 111 East 29th St. bet. Lexington and Park
Phone: 212-685-5585

The Cannibal
Address: 113 East 29th St. bet. Lexington and Park
Phone: 212-686-5480

Apparently, not all kitchen essentials are for cooking, Especially not in this day and age when cell phones have virtually replaced landlines and you can pull up a recipe on your ipad or iphone. That's why we love this practical, new kitchen tool, the Rosie Cell Phone holder (pictured right). 

This sleek, stainless steel holder fits onto any rail or shelf and is big enough to hold anything from a cell phone to a tried-and-true cordless phone.  There's prongs on the back to wrap loose cords to keep them out of harm's way and even holes in the bottom of the holder to put your cords through. Let's face it: The kitchen's a messy place and no one wants to lose a  phone to a pot that runneth over over an oil spill. And, because it's kitchen friendly, it's also dishwasher safe.  It's pretty hard to beat that.


Rosie Cell Phone Holder $39.95

I have to admit I was never a huge fan of West Village darling, Mas Farmhouse.  Don't get me wrong: The setting's great, undeniably cozy and romantic, but I was never bowled over by the food.  So when the owner and chef, Galen Zamarra, opened Mas (La Grillade), I didn't pay much attention.  That was a mistake.

Zamarra's newest venture sits on a no man's land stretch of Seventh Avenue South near Little Branch cocktail bar.  Step inside and you find yourself in a two-story dining room with an elegant glass facade and a second-story skylight. Really, the most distinguished thing about Mas (La Grillade) is not the decor, but the potent fragrance of all different woods burning over the grill.  It sets the tone for the menu, composed of simply grilled ingredients that run the gamut from lamb to romaine lettuce and even popcorn.  There are whole Portuguese sardines and perfectly grilled squid stuffed with bay leaves (which you remove before eating), which leave behind an intense flavor that make you see charred squid in a whole new light. I sampled hen of wood mushrooms and beautifully braised escarole.  Still, my favorite dish was an appetizer of wood-fired oysters dabbed with a lemon thyme-shallot butter.  They were big, briny Island Creek oysters, barely grilled, but just enough to imbue a subtle smokiness, which is tempered by the sweet, herbaceous butter.  Instead of an army of seasonings,  Zamarra relies on the wood, the smoke and the flame to flavor his ingredients and that makes all the difference here.  I'm already looking forward to what I'll find on the grill here come spring.

Mas (La Grillade)
Address: 28 Seventh Ave. South (at Leroy St.)
Phone: (212)225-1795
Website: www.maslagrillade.com

We're not suggesting you forgo your daily cup (or three) of coffee, but winter is the perfect time to add a warm libation to your list of go-to beverages. From the Hot Buttered Mezcal at Daniel Boulud's Bar Pleiades to Peels' outstanding "Ichabod's Old Fashioned," made with homemade pumpkin bitters & maple syrup, here's a few of the hottest winter cocktails this season... 

Peels Restaurant
Address: 235 Bowery New York, NY 10003
Phone: (646) 602-7015
Website: http://peelsnyc.com/
 Peels specializes in southern comfort foods, like fresh baked biscuits and gravy, but we're just as excited to discover a soothing hot cocktail to settle into after work hours.  The cocktail chefs here have come up with a terrific spiced apple cider, dubbed "The Switchel", composed of dark rum, apple cider, apple cider vinegar, ginger, and molasses.  If that's not your calling your name, they've also created "Ichabod's Old Fashioned", a unique riff on this classic, made with homemade pumpkin bitters, bourbon, rum, and maple syrup. 

Café Orlin
Address: 41 Saint Marks Place New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) - 777-1447
Website: www.cafeorlin.com
Cafe Orlin's menu spans the map, but it's best known for its coffee creations and weekend brunch.  Instead of heading to a bar after work, you might consider heading to this low key, St Mark's spot for Cafe Orlin's Signature Hot Toddy.  We've had our share of spiked, mulled ciders, but what sets this one apart is the bitter-sweet addition of grand Marnier, black tea, spices, and fresh fruit. We're also fans of their "Cadillac Cider", composed of home-pressed apple cider with a splash of brandy and grand Marnier.

Alice's Tea Cup
Address: 102 West 73rd St # 1 New York, NY 10023
Phone: (212) 799-3006
Website: http://alicesteacup.com/
Think Alice In Wonderland meets British high tea: This whimsical tea parlor takes the pretense out of afternoon tea and beyond. In fact, one of our favorite meals is brunch with everything from cornmeal pancakes to apricot brandy tea-infused french toast. Nevermind the outstanding assortment of fresh baked goods, like classic, buttermilk biscuits and pumpkin-spiced scones.  And let's not neglect the drinks, which include a standout  "Hot Toddy," made with rooibos bourbon tea and cider, or the "Honey Cocoa," a blend of phoenix tea-infused hot chocolate with bourbon.

Union Square Café
Address:  21 E 16th St New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212)-625-2929
Website: unionsquarecafe.com 
After more than two decades, Danny Meyer's flagship continues to hold its own on the dining scene, which means it's still just as hard to get a reservation.  No matter. You can still roll up to the bar for a bite and a glass of wine, or even better, a cocktail.  Our favorite is "The Palmetto", a classic drink created back in the 1930's that's practically made for winter. This old school libation is a unique blend of Venezuelan dark rum, dry Vermouth, aged Sicilian Vermouth, and orange.

Bar Pleiades
Address: 20 E. 76th St, Manhattan, NY 10021
Phone: (212) 772-2600
Website: www.danielnyc.com  
If you want a Daniel Boulud-inspired nibble without the commitment of a long, pricey meal, Bar Pleiades is a terrific alternative.  Tucked inside the Surrey Hotel right next to Cafe Boulud, this elegant, Upper East Sider offers everything from beef sliders to tart flambé, but the biggest draw can be found on the cocktail menu.  There are several inspired drinks, including the Applejack Smash, composed of maple syrup, lemon and mint or hot buttered mescal with mole bitters, hot water & butter.

Community Food and Juice Restaurant
Address:  2983 Broadway New York, NY 10027
Phone: (212) 665-2800
Website: www.communityrestaurant.com 
This Morningside Heights restaurant prides itself on being a neighborhood joint -- part diner, part pub with everything from a biscuit sandwich and banana walnut pancakes at breakfast to roasted duck breast or homemade ravioli.  Where drinks are concerned, the menu features from scratch hot chocolate, warm cider with lemon, mint & honey.  For something that will take the edge off, try Community's  'hot buttered cider,' composed of organic apple cider, warm maple butter, cinnamon, and gold rum, or Irish coffee with whiskey.
 
The Dove Parlour
Address: 228 Thompson Street New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 254-1435
Website: hwww.thedoveparlour.com/  
This Greenwich Village bar has earned praise for its romantic setting and classic cocktails.  This season, The Dove Parlour is offering several wintry libations, includiing warm mulled red wine. Or you can also get cozy with their Honey Dove made with cognac, honey and organic soy milk or Spiced Peach Cobbler, a blend of peach vodka, honey and vanilla soy milk.

How many times have you stepped away from the stove for just a second only to hear that dreaded sizzle?  That's right, the pot boiled over again and now you have to clean up the mess. Whether it be boiling water for rice, pasta, potatoes or vegetables, it happens to the best chefs.  

Which is why we love this recent discovery - the Kuhon Rikon spill stop lids (pictured right).  Direct from Germany, these colorful silicone lids prevent your pot from boiling over by catching the bubbling liquid for you.  It's heat resistant up to 400 degrees as well as microwave and dishwasher safe.  Just place the flower-shaped lid on any pot with the flower facing up and your good to go.  Best of all, it acts like a vacuum, sealing in the flavor of any stock or sauce.  

Kuhon Spill Stop Lid $29.95