Now that the Taim Mobile truck is up and running and slinging falafel, it's ventured over to the Bedford area of Williamsburg, right by well established Middle Eastern spot Oasis. The restaurant owner is none too pleased: "It’s not just falafel — hamburgers, coffee, ice cream, tacos, maybe they could just stay in the park...It’s not fair for us. We pay a lot of rent and they don’t." [NYP]
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Listen up, y'all; Brother Jimmy's BBQ, the fauvist and festive BBQ cavern near Union Square, is hosting a 'Southern Appreciation Night' fundraiser for tornado relief tomorrow (Wednesday) night. 100% of the proceeds will benefit tornado disaster relief. Admission is free, but everyone is encouraged to put $20 down for a bracelet that gets you one hour of free draft beer and a $3 beer and liquor special all night. [ more › ]
· YIkes, Rehearsal Dinners are Getting Big [CH]
· Where to Get Authentic Colombian? Jackson Heights [Yelp]
· A Week in NY: Degustation, Yasuda, Morini [eG]
· Which, if Any, Trucks Are Worth the Wait [ML]
· Sushi for Eight Ladies on a Friday in Chelsea [Yelp]
Welcome back to another installment of Ethnic Eating Adventures, in which we travel across this fine city in search of unknown pleasures from lands far, far away. Today, inspired by the recent arrival of the sun, we're feeling a little tropical, so for this week's Adventure we present Taste Good Malaysian Cuisine. [ more › ]
*Scroll down for the complete list of 2011 James Beard Foundation Award winners*
J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press:
Small plates have earned Jose Andres one of the food world's biggest honors.
The man credited with popularizing tapas – the Spanish custom of dining on small, shared plates – was named the nation's most outstanding chef Monday during the James Beard Foundation's annual awards ceremony, the so-called Oscars of the culinary crowd.
Andres has been praised for a string of successful restaurants around the country – most notably Jaleo and minibar by Jose Andres in Washington, D.C. – which challenged the conventional thinking that anything but heaping portions would leave American diners unsatisfied.
Recently, Andres – who grew up outside Barcelona and moved to the U.S. 21 years ago after training with famed Spanish chef Ferran Adria – has become known almost as much for his politics as for what he puts on the plate. He has spoken often – and even lobbied friends in Congress – on issues including school lunch standards, childhood obesity, hunger, subsidies for agribusiness and food marketing.
'Food is the most powerful thing we have in our hands. Not only chefs, but everyone in the food community. The right use of food can end hunger,' Andres said Monday after accepting his award. 'We have the responsibility to make sure that not only our great nation, but the world will always be better using food in the right way.'
The James Beard awards honor those who follow in the footsteps of Beard, considered the dean of American cooking when he died in 1985. The awards ceremony was held in New York, where the Beard Foundation is based. Monday's ceremony honored chefs and restaurants; a similar event on Friday was held for book and other media awards.
Last year's top chef was 'Top Chef' judge Tom Colicchio. This year, Andres beat out Gary Danko of Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco; Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles;Paul Kahan of Blackbird in Chicago; and Charles Phan of The Slanted Door in San Francisco.
The foundation's award for outstanding restaurant went to Danny Meyer's Eleven Madison Park in New York. It is known for its tasting-style menu that lists dishes only by key ingredient and encourages diners to work with the chef to create individualized meals. The restaurant's pastry chef, Angela Pinkerton, got the foundation's honor for most outstanding pastry chef.
'I am so proud of what this team has done ... to have really created a four-star restaurant for the future,' Meyer said Monday. 'A new kind of four-star restaurant.'
Last year, the organization named the restaurant's executive chef, Daniel Humm, the city's top chef. The restaurant has earned a total of five Beard awards.
Best new restaurant went to Jean-Georges Vongerichten's ABC Kitchen in New York, which focuses on local, organic and seasonal foods. Rising star chef of the year went to Gabriel Rucker of Le Pigeon in Portland, Ore., a nod to that city's increasingly robust food scene.
The outstanding service award went to New York's Per Se, owned by the much-lauded Thomas Keller. Outstanding restaurateur went to Richard Melman, whose Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises in Chicago is behind more than 30 restaurants, including that city's Tru restaurant.
During Friday's event, the foundation gave a nod to the power of social media in the food world when it awarded its first humor writing honors to the fictitious online character Ruth Bourdain, an anonymously written mash-up of culinary icons Ruth Reichl and Anthony Bourdain.
Ruth Bourdain became a profanely funny sensation mostly via Twitter, where he (or she?) would joust with and poke fun at the culinary elite. And the anonymity of the character's creator endured despite receiving a major award; no one stepped forward to accept the award.
On Monday, the Beard Foundation also named its top regional chefs around the country: Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Great Lakes region); Michael Solomonov of Zahav in Philadelphia (Mid-Atlantic); Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery in Minneapolis (Midwest); Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune (New York City); Tony Maws of Craigie On Main in Cambridge, Mass. (Northeast); Andy Ricker of Pok Pok in Portland, Ore. (Northwest); Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco (Pacific); Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon in New Orleans (South); Andrea Reusing of Lantern in Chapel Hill, N.C. (Southeast); and Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam in Las Vegas and Tyson Cole of Uchi in Austin, Texas (Southwest).
The organization's Lifetime Achievement award went to Kevin Zraly, wine educator and author of 'Windows on the World Complete Wine Course.'
The 2011 chef and restaurant James Beard Foundation Award Winners (winners in bold):
To see the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award winners in books, broadcast and journalism, click here.
RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
Aaron London, Ubuntu, Napa, CA
Thomas McNaughton, flour + water, San Francisco
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland, OR
Christina Tosi, Momofuku Milk Bar, NYC
Sue Zemanick, Gautreau's, New Orleans
OUTSTANDING WINE AND SPIRITS PROFESSIONAL
Sam Calagione, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, DE
Merry Edwards, Merry Edwards Winery, Sebastopol, CA
Paul Grieco, Hearth and Terroir, NYC
Rajat Parr, Mina Group, San Francisco
Julian Van Winkle III, Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, Louisville, KY
OUTSTANDING WINE SERVICE
A16, San Francisco, Shelley Lindgren
Blackberry Farm, Walland, TN, Andy Chabot
Frasca Food and Wine, Boulder, CO, Bobby Stuckey
The Modern, NYC, Belinda Chang
Picasso at Bellagio, Las Vegas, Robert Smith
BEST CHEF: GREAT LAKES
Michael Carlson, Schwa, Chicago
Curtis Duffy, Avenues at the Peninsula, Chicago
Bruce Sherman, North Pond, Chicago
Paul Virant, Vie, Western Springs, IL
Alex Young, Zingerman's Roadhouse, Ann Arbor, MI
BEST CHEF: MID-ATLANTIC
Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve, Alexandria, VA
Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.
Peter Pastan, Obelisk, Washington, D.C.
Maricel Presilla, Cucharamama, Hoboken, NJ
Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
BEST CHEF: MIDWEST
Justin Aprahamian, Sanford, Milwaukee
Isaac Becker, 112 Eatery, Minneapolis
Colby Garrelts, Bluestem, Kansas City, MO
Tory Miller, L'Etoile, Madison, WI
Lenny Russo, Heartland, St. Paul, MN
BEST CHEF: NEW YORK CITY
Michael Anthony, Gramercy Tavern
April Bloomfield, The Spotted Pig
Wylie Dufresne, wd~50
Gabrielle Hamilton, Prune
Michael White, Marea
BEST CHEF: NORTHEAST
Tim Cushman, o ya, Boston
Krista Kern Desjarlais, Bresca, Portland, ME
Gerry Hayden, The North Fork Table & Inn, Southold, NY
Matt Jennings, La Laiterie, Providence
Tony Maws, Craigie On Main, Cambridge, MA
Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, Waterbury, VT
BEST CHEF: PACIFIC
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
Daniel Patterson, COI, San Francisco
Richard Reddington, Redd, Yountville, CA
Michael Tusk, Quince, San Francisco
BEST CHEF: NORTHWEST
Matt Dillon, Sitka & Spruce, Seattle
Christopher Israel, Grüner, Portland, OR
Andy Ricker, Pok Pok, Portland, OR
Ethan Stowell, Staple & Fancy, Mercantile, Seattle
Cathy Whims, Nostrana, Portland, OR
BEST CHEF: SOUTH
Zach Bell, Café Boulud, Palm Beach, FL
John Harris, Lilette, New Orleans
Chris Hastings, Hot and Hot Fish Club, Birmingham, AL
Tory McPhail, Commander's Palace, New Orleans
Stephen Stryjewski, Cochon, New Orleans
BEST CHEF: SOUTHEAST
Hugh Acheson, Five and Ten, Athens, GA
Craig Deihl, Cypress, Charleston, SC
John Fleer, Canyon Kitchen at Lonesome Valley, Cashiers, NC
Linton Hopkins, Restaurant Eugene, Atlanta
Edward Lee, 610 Magnolia, Louisville, KY
Andrea Reusing, Lantern, Chapel Hill, NC
BEST CHEF: SOUTHWEST
Bruce Auden, Biga on the Banks, San Antonio
Bryan Caswell, Reef, Houston
Saipin Chutima, Lotus of Siam, Las Vegas
Tyson Cole, Uchi, Austin, TX*
Ryan Hardy, Montagna at the Little Nell, Aspen, CO
OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT DESIGN
Design Firm: Aidlin Darling Design
Designers: Joshua Aidlin, Roslyn Cole, and David Darling
Project: Bar Agricole, San Francisco
Design Firm: Bestor Architecture
Designers: Barbara Bestor, John Colter, and Cathy Johnson
Project: Pitfire Pizza, Los Angeles
Design Firm: Natoma Architects Inc.
Designer: Stanley Saitowitz
Project: Toast, Novato, CA
OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT GRAPHICS
For the best restaurant graphics executed
in North America since January 1, 2008
Design Firm: Katie Barcelona
Designer: Katie Barcelona
Project: L'Artusi, NYC
Design Firm: Love and War
Designer: Katie Tully
Project: The National Bar & Dining Rooms, NYC
Design Firm: JNL Graphic Design
Designers: Donald Madia and Jason Pickleman
Project: The Publican, Chicago
OUTSTANDING SERVICE
Canlis, Seattle
Emeril's, New Orleans
La Grenouille, NYC
Per Se, NYC
Topolobampo, Chicago
OUTSTANDING PASTRY CHEF
Joanne Chang, Flour Bakery + Café, Boston
Patrick Fahy, Blackbird, Chicago
Dahlia Narvaez, Osteria Mozza, Los Angeles
Angela Pinkerton, Eleven Madison Park, NYC
Mindy Segal, Mindy's HotChocolate Restaurant and Dessert Bar, Chicago
BEST NEW RESTAURANT
ABC Kitchen, NYC
Benu, San Francisco
Girl & the Goat, Chicago
Menton, Boston
Torrisi Italian Specialties, NYC
OUTSTANDING RESTAURATEUR
Bruce Bromberg and Eric Bromberg
Tom Douglas
Pat Kuleto
Richard Melman
Phil Suarez
OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT
Blue Hill, NYC
Boulevard, San Francisco
Eleven Madison Park, NYC
Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL
Vetri, Philadelphia
OUTSTANDING CHEF
José Andrés, minibar by José Andrés, Washington, D.C.
Gary Danko, Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago
Charles Phan, The Slanted Door, San Francisco
To see the 2011 James Beard Foundation Award winners in books, broadcast and journalism, click here.
* Tie -- the eighth in James Beard Award history
116 Macdougal recently held coed party spot Alibi, but from 1958 to 1971, the subterranean space housed the legendary Gaslight Café, a coffee shop and “basket house” (meaning performers passed the money basket around) that hosted everything from readings by Kerouac and Ginsberg to early performances by Springsteen and Dylan (the latter recorded Live at the Gaslight 1962 there). After a gut renovation, the space has now been reborn as 116. Besides bringing back the original stone walls and ceiling beams, owner Thomas Sullivan (an indie movie and theater producer who also owns Bar 13 and once operated Bowery spot Mannahatta) is hoping to bring back the venue’s identity as a performance spot.
Sullivan, who is partnering with his Bar 13 manager Mehmet Erkaya as well as with actor Larry Blum, wants this to be a scrappier version of Joe’s Pub. Though the stage isn’t quite large enough to hold a full band, it’ll accommodate poets; folk, jazz, and rock combos; and even stand-up comics (Bill Cosby once performed at the Gaslight). Like Minetta Tavern across the street, there’s a doorman on duty, and after a booker is hired there’ll be ticketed events as well, but Sullivan wants his place to be a “neighborhood bar for the creative class” above all, and to that end there’s a two-for-one happy hour from 2 p.m. till 8 p.m. (116 Bar is open till 4 a.m. daily).
Cocktails are by Balthazar barkeep Alex Clark, a Sasha Petraske alum. He’s his drink list.
Signature Cocktail $13
Gaslight
House Infused Chipotle Pepper Tequila, Prunier Liqueur d'Orange, Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice, Honey SyrupClassics $12
Sidecar
VSOP Cognac, Cointreau, Freshly Squeezed Lemon JuiceManhattan
Templeton Rye, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Angostura bittersMartinez
Ransom Old Tom Gin, Dolin Sweet Vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Orange bittersDaiquiri
Flor de Cana 4yr Rum, Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice, Simple Syrup. Add fresh fruit for $2Old Fashioned
Templeton Rye, Sugar Cube, Angostura bittersSeasonal $12
Tom Collins
Millers Westbourne Strength Gin, Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Club SodaStrawberry Caipirinha
Leblon Cachaca, Fresh Strawberries, Muddled Lime, Simple SyrupMai Tai
Smith & Cross Jamaican Rum, Flor de Cana 4yr Rum, Clement Creole Shrubb Liqueur, Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice, Orgeat SyrupMojito
Flor de Cana 4yr Rum or Millers Westbourne Strength Gin, Muddled Fresh Mint, Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Club SodaBahar
Reyka Vodka, Muddled Cucumber & Fresh Mint, Freshly Squeezed Lemon juice, Simple Syrup
116, 116 MacDougal St., nr. Minetta Ln.; 212-254-9996
Read more posts by Daniel Maurer
Filed Under: slideshow, 116, balthazar, gaslight cafe, larry blum, mehmet erkaya, minetta tavern, openings, sasha petraske, thomas sullivan
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