DMANBURGER “Pop Art Bar and Restaurant”-opens

 

 

Ex-Piadina- now ex-Pop Art Bar and Restaurant, chef Salvatore Zapparata was a NO-SHOW at last night’s premiere opening event of Pop Art Bar and Restaurant on the Upper East Side, the evening was wrought with drama from the beginning, but somehow owner Nahid De Camillis pulled it off -cheffing the entire dinner herself lavishly decked out in a $5000.00 Oscar De La Renta couture gown. The restaurant looked stunning, with Mark Leialoha’s iconic rock images of Iggy Pop, Kurt Cobain and a never before published Michael Jackson peering down upon diners. The outdoor garden was low-lit and speckled in colorful floral arrangements, inside a offbeat artstic meets swanky uptown crowd moved around hobnobbing from table to table sipping Rosé, enjoying, and snapping pictures.  

 

The Special Opening Menu for the evening was as follows: 

 

Salads
Caprese bufula mozzarella tomato basil
Or
Arugula extra virgin oil and parmesan

 Appetizers
Warm seafood salad with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari and mesculin lettuce
Or
Chicken and potato salad with beets and prosciutto

 Entree
Duet of Sol Grey and lemon of sole, basmati rice and spinach
Or
Chicken Involtini-chicken rolled with prosciutto, celery, carrots served with potato, beets and tomato.
Or
Spaghetti with mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari

 Dessert
Mixed Berry Fruit Salad

 

 

“Check out my listing for Pop Art Bar in Metromix’s Hot Plates column on June 16”  http://newyork.metromix.com/restaurants/article/hot-plates/2011539/content

 

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DMANBURGER “Xi’an Famous Foods-Opens July 3rd”

Xi’an Famous Foods opens July 3rd-Named for the capital of the Shaanxi province in central China, this hole in the wall noodle den is branching out yet again, this time in kitschy St. Marks Place. Xi’an reached culinary noodle and burger stardom- with help perhaps, after Anthony Bourdain sung their praises on his show No Reservations “This place is unbelievable! This lamb burger hits me right in the pleasure zone, great in any language or culture” says Bourdain. Along with the Cumin Spiced Lamb Burger, Xi’an also serves up Liang Pi “Cold Skin” Noodles, Stewed Pork Burger, Lamb Pao Mo Soup, and various types of Hand-Pulled Noodles.

 

 

 

Xi’an Famous Foods

81 St. Marks Place

1st Avenue

NY, NY 10003

212. 786.2068

http://www.xianfoods.com/

DMANBURGER “DBGB Kitchen and Bar”

New York historic neighborhood, The Bowery has adapted to change and delivered many colorful stories throughout history, beginning in the 1600′s where the name was drawn from the Dutch word “bouwerij” for farm, to CBGB’s the city’s infamous den of punk rock and excess, to the restaurant suppliers peddling cookware on the sidewalks, and now today where sleek hotels and famed restaurants are cropping up it seems-every day. DBGB Kitchen and Bar- with the name a word play on the fore mentioned iconic muso haunt, is one of those spots that delivers a delicious and raucous sausage beer and burger experience. Daniel Boulud previously had a habit of establishing his niche in the culinary world with Uptown palatable institutions, Boulud now stylishly down markets his stable of eateries, with a glass, steel facade at the foot of a residential building in The Bowery. DBGB honors past culinarians with graffiti-like etchings and cookware memorabilia. The menu reflects his French roots, but focuses more on comfort and casual with an inventive element accented through exotic international flavors. Sausages, burgers and beer are the staples highlighting a banger pork fest with every kind of sausage imaginable, like the Toulouse [a pork, duck gizzard and garlic link served with cassoulet beans]; the Beaujolaise [a pork, mushroom, onion, bacon and red wine link with lentils du puy]; and the Tunisienne [a lamb and mint link with harissa, lemon braised spinach and chickpeas]. The burgers are equally inviting, with a trio of adorable names like The Yankee, The Piggie and The Frenchie which is stacked with a 6 oz. beef patty with confit pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote and Morbier cheese. 

  

  

 

The spacious restaurant welcomes you with a modern, sleek eatery style bar and brings you under a dark wood floor to ceiling shelves cluttered with copper pots and pans previously owned by famous food icons. I sauntered through the entrance of the dining room, inquisitively glaring for my favorite chef’s cookware. The dining room is sectioned in comfortable booths, with an open kitchen and server area that is dramatically playing alongside every diner. First on the tasting list for me was the Tunsienne, dark red sausage curled around a mound of rich braised spinach, the sausage was spicy and complex, but definitely smaller than expected. When I saw a Anthony Bourdain re-run featuring DBGB- where him and Frank Bruni snarfed away at sausage after sausage, they just looked bigger and fatter-but I guess everything does on TV. The Beaujolaise that followed was much larger and heartier than the Tunisienne, the symphony of pork flavors delicately played with the lentils offering a sweet and rich after tone.  

 

 

 

 

 

After several tankards of ale, the talk and mood at our table was loud and impatient as we waited for the twenty-something actor/foodie to deliver our Frenchie. Served up neatly on a peppered perfectly formed bun was this precisely constructed specimen of burger masterdom. Sitting in the middle of a sea of white porcelain the burger was flanked by crunchy cornichons and a flute of crispy well done French Fries, the bite was an eye-roller display of happiness-the bun was expertly toasted, and the bitterness of the arugula sweetness of the tomato compote teamed with pungent flavor of the Morbier made for quite the memorable bite. Pork belly definitely played a lead role in the taste and texture of this juicy burger; its ribbons of melted fatness glistened and erupted in the mouth with every bite. Interestingly, I heard that originally the Frenchie was sans cheese when it was first invented? Kudos to Boulud, for including the excellent Morbier. As an haute burger goes the Frenchie one of the hautiest! -Boulud is quite the culinary genius and let’s not forget, a businessman. 

 

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DMANBURGER “BRGR”-Upper East Side

I remember the rise and fall of night club Moomba packed to the brim every night with hipsters and celebs that viciously had staff panning to their every need, wannabe’s constantly vying with doormen to get into this multi level hang out, no doubt where Leo DiCaprio toasted his millions earned from his movie Titanic-probably with several stiff potable Cosmo’s. These days past Moomba owner Chris Russell is tackling calmer and definitely greener ventures. His burger empire started with BRGR in Chelsea in 2006, now his second location has just opened doors away from another Upper East Side burger haunt, Flip Burger located in Bloomingdales. Russell’s vision of grass-fed beef burgers is housed in a stark modular shop, designed by famed architect Laszlo Kiss. Skittle-like colors and shapes are spotted like cushions along wall-side banquettes and white chairs, drop down red cotton spool shaped lamps, imitation grass foliage linoleum covers the floor and a cedar planked finish plasters the feature walls and side benches. Around the foyer are splashed colorful posters depicting BRGR’S “Why we serve grass beef” creed.

 

 

The counter service displays a paddock full of 100% Brandt grass-fed beef burgers with colorful names like “The Fresh Morning Burger” [with Thousand Island dressing and a fried egg $8.00] “The Down on the Farm” [with bacon and horseradish $8.70] and “The Blue Sky Burger” [with Roquefort, bacon and sweet onion marmalade $10.00]. If you don’t like BRGR’S combo’s you can mix and match your own, burgers are also available a la carte, with an array of tasty toppings that are featured with the labeled kinds-turkey and veggie burgers are available also. For the milkshake connoisseurs, BRGR features some milky delights such as Blueberry-Pomegranate, Black+White Strawberry and Vanilla. BRGR’S Fried accoutrements include Russet potato fries, Sweet potato fries and the Onion Hay which is like ribbons of fried onion matted together like one fried hay bail.

 

 

 

The counter staff took my order of a Blue Sky Burger, a Rainforest Burger [Gruyere, Avocado and Herb Mayo] and Russet Fries. Orders are sorted and delivered to your table which you mark with a number given by the counter staff, within minutes my burgers arrived bundle in brown paper and swarmed with French fries. The Blue Sky burger was sloppy and dripping in grease while purging with globules of creamy Roquefort, the taste was a rich oniony flavor both predictable and expected with these ingredients- the 100% grass-fed beef was overpowered by the Roquefort and the bun dissipated when handled. In contrast the Rainforest Burger, with dollops of herb mayo, bright green avocado and nutty yellow Gruyere oozing over the patty was a much better choice. French fries were coarsely cut but lack zing and crispiness. My first time BRGR experience was satisfactory, if I had to choose between them and Flip Burger-The Bloomingdales burger spot would get the edge.

 

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DMANBURGER “Tiella” Opens July 12th

Mario Coppola and Chef Giuseppe Castellano of Gran Gusto [Cambridge Massachusetts] open Tiella on July 12th .Tiella’s railroad shaped space -so far, features rustic brick walls, dark wood modern decor and sleek drop  down lighting. In the kitchen is the smallest New York State approved brick oven, which will be firing up various baked Tiella dishes at a toasty 800 degrees.Get your baking and pastry
certification with mfa degree..The concept of Tiella was born after a raucous night at Brooklyn’s Rosewater restaurant, where Napoli natives and long time amici’s, Coppola and Castellano, were enjoying dinner-when one, jokingly said to the other -“why don’t you stick it in your Tiella!” Right at that moment the pair decided to devote an entire restaurant to a unique cast iron Neapolitan style pan by the same name.  

 

The “Tiella” pan was traditionally used by the poor of Naples, to fry, bake, grill and deep fry a dish, which was named after the pan itself. A selection of Tiellas will be featured- more likely as appetizers. “Giuseppe has about 10 Tiellas, we don’t know yet which ones we will use on the menu.” remarks Coppola. Some possible choices for Tiellas that appear are the “Fruilano”-with Tallegio and Speck; the “Proscuitto”-with Foie gras and Prosciutto and the “Pescatore”-with Mussels, clams and Mozzarella.

 

Tiella will also focus on many pastas, most of them homemade, such as a Spaghetti alla Chitarra with Clams and Zucchini and a Fettuccine Intergrale [Whole Wheat] with calamarelli and morel mushrooms. Again, with uncertainty of which dishes Castellano will choose to feature, Coppola says, “Poi per Secondi” -then switching back to English-“For main course, we could have something like a Branzino di Ceci [chick-pea cream sauce] or an Agnello [Rack of Lamb] marinated with fresh herbs and roasted in the “Tiella”pan with sautéed spinach.”      

 

Tiella will be open July 12th for Lunch from 12pm-3pm and Dinner from 5pm-11pm 6 days a week, they will also feature a selection of lesser known Italian wine varietals, such as Negra Amaro, Primitivo and Magliaco.       

  

 

Tiella

1109 1st Avenue

NY, NY 10065

x 61st

Ph:212.588.0100

Fx: 212.588.0102

 

http://www.tiellanyc.com/

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DMANBURGER “Tall Grass Burger”

Keeping up with the ongoing burger craze in New York, Tall Grass burger shone its light on the burger addled scene recently in the East Village. Owner Kevin Huynh is no stranger to the restaurant business, having run several Quantum Leap outlets in the city. Yes… That’s right! I said Quantum Leap–the city’s well-known den of vegetarian fodder. Huynh traitorously switched to the dark side of the trade, by slinging out various carnivore favored sandwiches including 6 grass-fed burgers, a turkey burger and flame-grilled chicken versions. Tall Grass Burger is a modern, clean and simple burger shop, complete with friendly staffs that are clearly learning the ropes in the burger world. With counter service and a help-yourself condiment station, Tall Grass serves up colorful names to label their beefy delights. I asked one the staffers, “What should I order? ” After initially a blank face expression, I got the nod to go with the signature Tall Grass, which was generously stacked with crispy onion rings, sliced avocado, cheddar cheese and fiery horseradish mustard.

 

 

  I found out about the Tall Grass Burger from The NYC Food Guy, which he reported on, and he was then featured on Eater . He stated that, “Tall Grass Burger was doing a buy one-get one 50% off deal”. I snatched up the chance to take advantage of this thrifty opportunity, and get burgered East Village style. Tall Grass has a small dining room with counter tables and perched window seats, where I gazed overlooking the yellow chariots whizzing by on a balmy New York afternoon. I was treated to an array of fried potatoes, which was overzealously forced upon me, by one of Huynh’s staffers. As I waited for my “Classic and Tall Grass” burgers I tasted the fries which were speckled with little crystals of garlic that burst onto the buds with every bite-which unfortunately was over powering.

 

 

 

 

The burgers arrived, and I was impressed with freshness of the pickles, onion, and fronds of lettuce splashed on the paper lined baskets that were the vehicle for my burger tasting. An oozing of horseradish mustard cascaded down the side of the soft bun, which had been griddle pressed to perfection from the top, leaving a toasted char on the roof of the sandwich. The scent of toasted sesame instantly hit the nose, followed by a juicy but season less patty. For the Tall Grass burger, the flavor was accented by excellent horseradish mustard which was the highlight- the burger meat itself lacked depth and finished in my mouth as a nonchalant memory. I’m sure a less than fanatic burger adventurer would find some solace and satisfaction in this deli mimicked nosh, but for me- Tall Grass was a “short order”.

 

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DMANBURGER “Stand Burger”

Recently I visited the much blogged and written about Stand burger. In its conceptual phase it was expressed by a who’s who of food aficionados that such criminalist burger atrocities had occurred there. A penchant for the dramatic and skeptical, I was interested to see what sparked such auspicious burger educators to voice their dissatisfaction. Interestingly Stand Burger was created by noodle king Jonathan Morr , famous for APT and Republic  who then in 2007 started to think burgers. Stand has a modern open feel with some communal bench seating and a spacious dining room, perfect for a large crowd. I sat at the bar which was teaming with youngsters and college types. ESPN was showing on all TV’s and people were drinking like fish for 3.00pm in the afternoon, which made for a raucous bar scene. I found out there was a relatively new burger on the menu, the BOLD Burger, a gigantic twin patty goliath of Pat La Frieda beef stacked on a brioche bun with apple wood smoked bacon, sautéed onions, American and cheddar cheese, pickle, tomato, chipotle sauce and fried egg.

 

   

 

The menu has an array of beefy pleasures, burgers for every palette are featured here such as  the Stand Burger noted as the “best burger in Manhattan at any price” with onion marmalade; Mushroom Beef Burger, Buffalo Blue Cheeseburger,Veggie Burger with quinoa, mushroom, zucchini and parmesan and the Hamburger with shredded lettuce onion marmalade and green peppercorn sauce. Other favorites on the menu include a Burger Salad, Shrimp Po’Boy, Crabbie Pattie Sandwich, fries and Onion rings-which are blogged about as the best in the city!

 

 

I went with the Hamburger, BOLD Burger, and the much hyped about Toasted Marshmallow Shake. The Hamburger arrived first; it was plump and piled with shredded lettuce and green peppercorn sauce oozing out the sides. I thought the green peppercorn sauce brought an interesting element to the burger, tasting like steak au poivre more than a burger. In the distance I could see the BOLD Burger coming from the kitchen; it was like a tower of beef and pork levitating across the room. All I could see was this thing of structured beef beauty coming at me, it was daunting but at the same time exciting. I picked it up to take my first bite, struggling to handle its bulkiness. I opened wide, but just grazed the outside of the beast, the taste was succulent and juicy for the first 2 or 3 bites but then fell apart in my hands ending up like a meatloaf on my plate. I finished what I could of the burger, but it lost its juiciness and its flavor and ended up in torn mangled pieces on my plate. The Toasted Marshmallow shake with honey lavender chocolate, peanut butter cap, mint cookies and cream; however was one of the best things I have ever tasted ! It didn’t have any Bourbon in it, but it was a good $7.00 milkshake. In a burger addled town I found Stand to be disappointing, however the overall atmosphere and the staff were very friendly and invitingly appealing.

 

 

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