Gourmet Gossip: May 2016

In this great dining city of ours, barely a day passes without news of an exciting restaurant opening, a devastating closing, a shocking chef shuffle, or a groundbreaking, must-try dish.  That’s why we’re keeping you apprised of the industry’s most noteworthy bits and bites — from a collaborative collective of top East Village establishments, to another shot in the arm for New York’s flourishing Indian cuisine scene.

Broadly Woven Tapestry: NYC’s Indian food scene is really spicing up.  Not only did Babu Ji, Haldi, Indikitch, Inday and Indian Accent debut in just the past year (significantly enlivening long stagnant options, largely relegated to Murray Hill), but Suvir Suran — the Michelin-starred Top Chef Masters contestant, behind the city’s since shuttered, singularly upscale Indian spot, Devi — has returned to the West Village.  His just-opened Tapestry integrates his native flavors into a diverse swath of global cuisines (think Masala Fried Chicken and Mexican Sea Bass Ceviche with spices), made with ingredients sourced from his very own farm, located in upstate New York.

An Anti-Chain Gang: In an attempt to bring independently-run restaurants in the neighborhood together, in order to pool resources, share ideas and attract more business for all, Nate Adler of Huertas has helped found the Eastville Restaurant Collective, along with reps from Virginia’s, GG’s, Pouring Ribbons, The Eddy, Noreetuh, and Maiden Lane.  And along with other long-term goals like developing relationships with community groups and nonprofits, the group aims to assert the East Village as a weekday dining destination, rolling out events such as a recent “Latin Block Party” at Huertas, where each collective member served a different type of pintxos.

A Hit and a Miss: French restaurateur Claude Louzon has tapped frequent collaborator, Phillipe Starck, to help design Miss Paradis; a bi-level, health-focused, Nolita-based boite, which has apparently been in the works for the past five years.  Set to finally debut this July, the imposing space will feature a wraparound bar, communal tables and around 116 seats, as well as a Mediterranean-influenced menu from Nobu Tel Aviv alum, Adir Cohen, decadent mini-dessert tastings (or larger portions of fruit-forward sweets) and beer and wine-based drinks — although those are due to the restaurant’s proximity to a church, rather than for body conscious reasons.

No Tip Tap Out: While numerous restaurateurs were quick to jump on the gratuity-included bandwagon, just as many are finding that it’s much better in theory than in practice. Which is why Gabe Stulman recently retracted the policy at Fedora, after discovering that patrons were inclined to order less food and cheaper bottles of wine.  So rather than cut wages and hike costs even further in order to raise revenue, the hospitality guru has gone back to business as usual.  Although regulars will note that dishes are still a tad more expensive than they were last winter, to reflect the fact that Stulman’s decided to keep his cooks at their newer, higher pay grade.

Isa Bids Adieu: Taavo Somer’s indelibly idiosyncratic Williamsburg restaurant, Isa, was breeding ground for some of our most critically adored chefs — think Estela and Café Paradiso’s Ignacio Mattos, his sous chef, Jose Ramirez-Ruiz (now of Semilla) and pastry chef, Pam Yung (Semilla’s renowned bread and sweets guru).  But the eatery itself appeared to drift into obsolescence after its formative stars departed, and the quirk-factor was dialed down.  And now, after five years, the spot has officially shuttered; apparently there just wasn’t interest in yet another scruffy, wood-fired, burger-serving spot on the outskirts of Brooklyn.

The New York Times To-Go: Blue Apron. Plated. The Portable Chef. The Gray Lady?  Believe it or not, The New York Times has thrown its hat into the already crowded meal kit delivery game, teaming up with the startup company, Chef’d, to offer packages inspired by recipes from the NYT Cooking website.  For $19-39, consumers will receive pre-portioned ingredients shuttled straight to their door within 48 hours, for the ability to seamlessly recreate Melissa Clark’s Vietnamese Grilled Duck Salad or Kim Severson’s Southern Shrimp Scampi at home.