Bethesda Terrace in Central Park. (getty)

Prepare the juice cleanse: at the Central Park Conservancy’s annual “Taste of Summer,” dozens of fancy food tables amount to a cavalcade of calories. Gourmet grub is provided by the 21 Club, Armani Ristorante, La Esquina, PJ Clarke’s, Sirio Ristorante, Swifty’s and Tulsi, to name a few. Those with fat wallets and hungry tummies who buy tables get to pig out at The Taste Café, which is hosted by Crown Group Hospitality, the powers behind hot spots Crown, The Lion and Bill’s Food & Drink. Event chairs include Jay Mandelbaum, Gillian Miniter, John Paulson and Norman Selby. To burn off the non-beach-worthy body blubber you just packed on, dance to DJ Alexandra Richards.
Bethesda Terrace, Central Park, (212) 310-6600, 7-11pm, individual tickets $400, tables from $10,000.

(Flickr)

In a move that’s leaving many Brooklyn-based foodies with whiplash, Dressler, the beloved South Williamsburg eatery, announced today that it would be closing its doors immediately.

Their website has been emptied of content except for a statement that reads, “With much regret, an agreement could not be reached for a lease renewal. To all of our talented staff and to our customers, our friends, thank you for your loyal support… We close the doors to one of NYC’s most beautiful dining rooms with mixed emotions.”

The seven-year old restaurant was known for its classic, somewhat pricey fare, a mix of burgers and upscale dishes like Peconic Bay scallops, pan seared striped bass, monkfish osso buco and Long Island duck breast. It garnered a two-star review from New York Times food critic Frank Bruni in 2006, when the Williamsburg foodie scene was still little more than a twinkle in a hipster’s eye.

“I was smitten by the dashing setting, a nexus of old-fashioned elegance and contemporary whimsy,” Mr. Bruni wrote. “With a zinc bar up front, a mosaic tile floor and big mirrors along one wall, Dressler has some of the vibe and shadings of a brasserie. But it also has mesmerizing metalwork […] that gives the dark room a romantic, seductively spooky charge.”

Eater noted that “things at Dressler didn’t seem quite right on recent visits, with meals there having been marred by poor service and lackluster food. Still, the place was real destination dining in the area for a long time, and the shutter is a big shock to the South Burg.”

Dressler’s legacy in Williamsburg lives on with the Devlin Metro Group-owned Dumont and Dumont Burger.

“My first customer, here in Korea, still comes to the show,” Ms. Park told me after her show. Of course, she also presents her line in New York. But for her, it is very important to show in her hometown as well.

Song Zio, divides his time between Seoul and a residence in Paris, where he shows his premium men’s line. “Seoul Fashion Week is more for presentation than for the media and press,” Mr. Zio explained over lunch just a block from his Seoul atelier. For his menswear designs, he is inspired by the art of Francis Bacon, movies and books, as well as his own paintings. “I enjoy very classic artists,” he told us. “My next season will be Manet, Manet, Manet!”

After the shows, editors, stylists and buyers took their private cars out and about to enjoy the best that Seoul has to offer. While Seoul is a modern, efficient mega-city, finding the most post and fun places there can still be a bit of an errand. To save you some trouble on your trip to Seoul, NYO has curated a list of some of our favorite spots.

Lavish Lodging

Conrad Seoul 23-1 Yeouido-dong Yeongdeungpo-gu

Located in Seoul’s financial district in Yeouido, the brand new, five-star, 38-story Conrad Seoul boasts 434 contemporary and elegant rooms, phenomenal service and stunning views of the Han River and Seoul’s sprawling skyline. But it’s not the high-tech rooms, fine Korean cuisine or its proximity to the adjacent IFC Seoul luxury shopping mall that makes the hotel so spectacular. Instead, it’s the less obvious perks that pamper and please: The hotel’s state-of-the-art, Wellness Zone fitness club, pool and Conrad Spa on the eighth and ninth floors or 37 Grill and Bar restaurant and the Executive Lounge on the 37th floor, which features stunning 360-degree views of the city.

Other fantastic lodging options: Grand Hyatt Seoul, Banyan Tree Club & Spa, Park Hyatt Seoul

“I love the nightlife...”

Cheongdam-dong and Gangnam-gu

For many New York voyageurs to Seoul, it might be difficult to find a satisfactory place to imbibe and play. Many Koreans will point you in the direction to Itaewon, a hip section of Seoul in the middle of Yongsan-gu, on the northern part of the Hangang River. While there is a splendid Comme des Garçons boutique nearby, NYO found more fabulousness in the Gangnam-gu district. It’s the place where K-Pop and couture collide! Cheongdam-dong is where trendy visitors to Seoul can find massive outposts of the world’s prevailing luxury brands. And to think, forty years ago, it was mostly tame farmlands. The ultramodern architecture at boutiques such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Vera Wang, Lotte Department Store and Salvatore Ferragamo almost outshines the fashions. In 2008, Carla Sozzani’s wondrous multi-brand destination 10 Corso Como opened a Kris Ruhs-designed version (79 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, 10corsocomo.com). The glistening boutique carries a hand-selected, quirky array of superior brands and has a café that is perfect for taking a pause from rummaging at Dior and Fendi. In 2012, design temple INFINI opened and is a must-experience store for interior design aficionados. It’s brimming with a world-class selection of B&B Italia, styled in an interesting, non-Western way (6-15, 79 Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, infini.co.kr/home).

When the night sky lights up with dazzling high-rises, the clubs of Gangnam, come to life. It’s not as epic as say Tokyo, Shanghai or Hong Kong, but there are a handful of phenomenal choices. It’s all about the weekend in Seoul, where mega-clubs fill up from 1a.m. until 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. NYO suggests starting with dinner by sampling Sun-hee Kim’s traditional plates at Gae Hwa Oak (661-18 Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, www.gaewhaok.com); then take cocktails—30 floors up—at COEX Intercontinental Sky Lounge; before ending the night with a 3a.m. fit of dancing at LOUND, Club Mass or Answer.

Other fantastic Cheongdam-dong options: Goraebul Restaurant, Jung Sik Dang Restaurant and Daily Projects boutique

Cultural Cravings  

Jongno-gu and Samcheong-dong

Unlike Tokyo or Paris, the modern scapes of Seoul overpower its historical past. Yet arts, culture and history remain vibrant and play a vital role in the capital. Jongno-gu district is the ground zero of most of the city’s museums and sightseeing. If you have the opportunity to experience only one cultural site, make it the beautiful Gyeongbokgung Palace (22, Sajik-ro 9-gil, Jongno-gu). For only a few dollars, you can browse the premises of one of Seoul’s five palaces and witness reenactments of historical royal ceremonies. Constructed in 1395 during the Joseon Dynasty, Gyeongbokgung, which means “Palace Greatly Blessed by Heaven,” it is surrounded by the fast-paced city, but set in a backdrop of Mount Bugaksan and Mount Namsan. Having been razed several times and destroyed and left to ruin following the occupation of the Japanese—over many centuries—the palace’s many halls and royal quarters, gardens and grounds have been restored to their original state, with dramatic Korean decorations, paintings and wallpapers. Next, explore the marvelous National Museum of Korea, which attracts some three million visitors a year and is the country’s premier collection of international art, antiquities and historic objects. When NYO dropped in at the museum there was—of all things—an American art exhibit, and it blew us away. Who else to tell the story of 300 years of American art but a country 7,000 miles away from America. It was a fascinating show. Afterwards, we explored Samcheong-dong’s top-notch art galleries, casual gift shops and concept restaurants.

Other fantastic Jongno-gu options: Leeum-Samsung Museum of Art, Changdeokgung Palace and Kukje Gallery

Thousands of cicadas have been spotted in Staten Island over the last few days, sending residents into a Twitter frenzy. Dozens of photos, videos and tweets have been posted chronicling the invasion of the insects.

Brood II or the "East Coast Brood" returns every 17 years to mate and drive humans crazy with their incessant chirping. They are able to hatch when the earth is above 64degrees Fahrenheit and after this past weeks heat wave and humidity, it's no wonder the sightings are beginning.

While the invasion is expected to impact the entire East Coast, Staten Island is said to be hit hardest. John Cooley, a research scientist at the University of Connecticut, told the Wall Street Journal that if this year is anything like 1996, then Staten Island should expect to be overrun with bugs.

While most residents are strapping in, buying earplugs and trying to avoid the bugs, some are finding interesting uses for them. Apparently cicadas are high in protein and can add a nutty flavor to meals, making them suitable for eating and cooking. If this sounds appealing, there are plenty of recipes on how to turn the critters into dishes.

If not, sit tight and try to drown out the noise. Don't worry, this is something New Yorkers happen to be good at.

http://storify.com/alyssaberlin/cicada-invasion

His family had been forced to evacuate to the hotel, where he lived for eight years and spent time wandering, often finding himself in the kitchen. It was here, barricaded inside, that Chef Philippe fell in love with cooking, and the cuisine of Lebanon. After death threats and stray bullets became too intense, Mr. Massoud’s parents decided to send him to visit his relatives in Scarsdale, New York. It was only when he had arrived stateside that he was told he was never going back. “It was like coming from a land of chaos to the civilized world,” he says. He was enrolled in high school, and well on his way to becoming a normal American teenager, when one year into his high school experience, he was told that his father had been assassinated.

Philippe continued with his education, even carrying on the family tradition by entering the Hospitality program at Cornell. However, with disagreements on campus, steady news of the chaos surrounding his friends and family, and the loss of his family’s hotel (“my second father,” as he refers to it), he quickly finished up his degree at the Rochester Institute of Technology and left to seek his culinary fortune. He first struck out for New York, where several restaurants were offered to him, only to have the deals collapse one by one. Then he was off to Lebanon, where he trained under the country’s top chefs, most of them former employees of his father. He returned to America in 1999, and soon after opened up Neyla in Washington, D.C., where his signature version of Lebanese cuisine first took root. In 2006, he left Neyla and Washington to launch his full-scale attempt to bring high-fashion Lebanese food to the savvy New York public, resulting in the cult phenomenon Ilili, which is a phrase that is whispered in a woman’s ear, meaning “Tell me…” Thanks to word of mouth and Chef Massoud’s obsession with quality, Ilili has become a New York culinary hot spot.

NYO sat down with Chef Massoud over a smattering of mezza, the Middle Eastern equivalent of tapas, to gain a better understanding of the long road he has traveled to get to where he is, and where he sees the future leading.

Q: How would you describe your restaurant experience so far?

A: The restaurant world has taught me how strong a man’s body is. As a kid, I never got the dose of reality that I did after the first year of employment. It wasn’t until I opened a restaurant that I realized there was another level of energy. Restaurants are made for people crafted out of steel, and they’re not for the faint of heart. It’s perfection, 24/7. The seat you don’t sell today can’t be sold tomorrow, and your product must be reinvented daily. I will always hire a restaurateur to go into other industries, but I will not hire anyone from the outside to be a restaurateur. It takes a special breed.

Q: Tell me more about your childhood.

A: It was magical, adventurous, tragic and horrific, all at the same time. That was what living in Lebanon was all about when you were growing up in a conflict zone. There’s never really time to be a child; you’re an adult as soon as you can stand, in essence. When I compare my childhood with my colleagues’, I realize there is a child penned up in me, looking to have fun and just be a kid.

Q: What’s your favorite thing to make for your family?

A: I keep family meals simple. Perfectly roasted chicken, whole roasted fish with farm market vegetables; the simpler the better.

Q: What restaurants inspired Ilili?

A: None, it has been in my brain since 1989. It is a very personal story of perseverance, of the American dream. Take a guy out of a war zone, give him the opportunity to have a normal life, tell him that he has his rights and see what he can do. It comes from the line between survival and creativity.

Q: What is your favorite dish at Ilili?

A: Ugh, that’s a tough choice … The steak tartare.

Q: You’ve worked for many years as a restaurant consultant. Are there any keys to making a great restaurant?

A: First of all, there is no magical equation to a success. I’d say bring something missing to the market; if it’s already on the market, it better be the best goddamn thing out there! If you’re not opening to be the best, don’t open at all.

Q: How do you balance formal dining with the intimacy of Lebanese cuisine at Ilili?

A: I think, first of all, fine dining is actually eating mezza because if you look at the portions, you’re in essence eating small pieces. The only difference is a linear versus social mezza. The whole point is that it breaks the ice and brings out the community in a group, and that can work in a refined or a casual setting. The menu is vast enough that our guest can steer their meal towards a formal or a social affair, each table is like a mini restaurant, and they decide how they want their restaurant experience to go. I’ve had U.S. presidents dine here, and bachelorette parties that would be censored in any normal circumstances. It really is a restaurant for all occasions. 

Q: What are your thoughts on the Mediterranean diet that has been getting such good press these days, like the recent New York Times piece calling the Mediterranean diet the new hot health buff’s obsession?

A: I think calling it the Mediterranean diet is misleading because that sounds like it’s an exercise in doing things we don’t want to do. Eating the Mediterranean way should come naturally to us, like it does to the rest of the world. Different ingredients can supply the same culinary experience giving you a tenth of the daily fats. When you’re out drinking in the Mediterranean, they have nuts out and people always end up eating a handful while they’re out socializing. Tabbouleh will give you 300 percent of your vitamin C, 130 percent of vitamin A, 50 percent of your fiber and iron, so you’ve already fulfilled half of your needs for nutrition for the whole day. Add some meat and a vegetable, and your body is completely fueled. We’ve seen diets come and go and there’s already diet fatigue in the market, but it is proven eating a balanced diet will help. Your mood will improve, your sleep will be better, and the rest will follow.

Q: Will the Mediterranean diet elevate Lebanese cuisine to the level of Spanish, Chinese or Nordic cuisine?

A: I do believe that what we’re doing in regards to Mediterranean is the beginning of the journey. The cuisine has been dormant for quite some time, but it is a cuisine with an amazing level of fusion thanks to the Silk Road. We have 200 years of culture mixing with each other, which has created an amazing encyclopedia of food treasures yet to be reproduced. Should that interest remain, it will help Ilili further push their message. I’d say it’s a wind that’s blowing in our sail; if it’s a wind that will sustain has yet to be determined.

Q: You’re known for reintroducing Lebanese classics, as well as putting inventive new spins on the cuisine. How far can you take Lebanese before it loses authenticity?

A: You have to realize, the restaurant opened to say: Now that I am in a country that has peace and I don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to live or die tomorrow, how do I see my cuisine evolving? The same way it has evolved in France, in Japan, in Spain, there is no such thing as not being able to keep it Lebanese because that means we’ve stopped evolving. The cuisine is, in my opinion, a barely walking toddler, because there was a hijacking of the evolution of the arts within all the conflict. The only reason I’m getting a lot of credit these days is I was able to dream because I didn’t have to worry about a bomb falling on the head. If everyone had the same advantages I had, I’m sure these culinary arts would have progressed the way we try to do it at Ilili. Tradition is a foundation, and creation is an evolution. If I want to inject a Japanese technique into a Lebanese dish, that’s my creative right; that’s what being creative is all about.

Q: What do you say to people wary of Lebanese food?

A: Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back. The number one comment we hear is, “Oh, my! I did not know Lebanese could be this much fun!” Unfortunately, that’s because there are not enough of us doing what Ilili is doing on the market, and I’m hoping that will change over time.

Q: What is the future of Middle Eastern cuisine, and cuisine in the Middle East?

A: I think Middle Eastern cuisine is tied to the evolution of the region, and because of social media and the Internet, things are moving faster in a more fluid direction. However, we’re not anywhere near what the potential will be in five or 10 years. I believe it will be the next to cross the ethnic divide and make its way up to fine dining. As for the Middle East, I think the evolution of the cuisine in its own soil is tied into the security of the region. Aleppo, which is one of the most amazing culinary capitals of the world, is decimated, and a lot of history has been eradicated. The cuisine of the Middle East is in critical condition as long as the region suffers. However, on the artisanal level, there is a powerful movement for slow food and women showing their craft in pop-up restaurants. You have chefs taking pride in the fact that they work as chefs. It’s an uphill battle over there.

A real bunny boiler for Easter.

Tired of the same old Easter Egg hunt? Kind of hate the Easter Bunny? This holiday, depraved diners can finally find out if rabbits have anything in common with Jesus by visiting their favorite restaurants and watching for any signs of resurrection during digestion.

As DNA Info points out, three restaurants in the city will be offering Easter specials involving little fluffy cottontails, including Lincoln, Red Gravy and Gentleman Farmer. And that doesn't include all the gourmet chefs who already have rabbit on the menu. I Sodi, Zero Otto Nove, Maialino at Gramercy Park, SHO Shaun Hergatt, Marlow and Son's, Lucien, The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, Wallse ... all guaranteed to make sure your children are so scarred by images of a braised bunny that for the rest of their lives, the mere mention of "chocolate eggs" will have them reaching for their therapist's number.

Mr. Deen.

Turns out that James Deen has his finger in many pies—and not just in the gross sexual way that you were thinking.

The it-boy porn star, whose claims to fame include a hefty endowment and a co-starring role in The Canyons with Lindsay Lohan, is branching out yet again, with the release a new video food blog called "James Deen Loves Food."

The blog, which is featured on the porn site WoodRocket.com, is surprisingly safe for work, and features a fully-clothed Mr. Deen engaged in various quirky dining stunts, which include ordering everything on the Burger King Menu and making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. We just hope he washed his hands.

Don’t worry, this new venture doesn’t mean the habitually filthy Mr. Deen is cleaning up his act, and the blog itself has a sufficient dose of sheer creepiness to disqualify him from becoming the next mainstream foodie sensation. (Although, frankly, we aren’t ruling it out. Diners, Drive-ins and Dicks, anyone?)

You see, Mr. Deen is apparently obsessed with serial killers, and the blog features various allusions to some of his fave mass murderers, including segments in which he samples the death row meals of infamous inmates like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and Gary Leon Brown. Creeeeepy.

Let’s just hope that Mr. Deen’s interest is purely academic, because the porn industry simply won’t survive another scandal.

That being said, it’s hardly the weirdest thing on WoodRocket. The site bills itself as "the future of porn!" and features avant garde productions like the scientifically-probing “What fits down her throat?,” the literary “Topless Girls Reading Books,” along with something called “Spongeknob squarenuts XXX.” Something for everyone!

So yeah, lest the New York Times article failed to convince you—James Deen is NOT your average porn star. He’s just your average serial-killer-obsessed porn star turned Hollywood actor with a food blog. Are you getting all this?

Like most things in Men in Black, this restaurant does not exist.

If you ever watched a Men in Black, The Fisher King or that episode of Seinfeld, you may have a certain idea of how a Chinese restaurant in New York should look. Red walls? Big golden statues? A wall that's a fish tank? Well, of course, there's always Congee Village, but for the most part, New York's finest Asian eateries look nothing like their Hollywood counterparts, according to ScoutingNY.com.

The post really has a problem with tourists who specifically want to eat at a restaurant like the one from Men in Black:

But I really wish they’d realize that the reason they think New York is filled with MIB-style Chinese restaurants is not because of reality, but because of what they’ve seen in the movies and on TV. For a city that has nearly everything, there’s a LOT of alternatives to choose from, and I really hate having to fake the few things it doesn’t have just to do the same cliche over and over and over and over …

We've never encountered that exact complaint before from visiting friends or relatives, as they are usually more worried about other issues. "What's that sign mean, 'Grade Pending?'" or "These aren't real frog legs on the menu, right?" But then again, we don't run into a lot of people whose suspension of disbelief in films goes so far that it becomes a sort of guide to the real world. If you do happen to see one of these folks, kindly direct them to the nearest sound stage and tell them to enjoy the craft services.

While New Yorkers have created a lot of great holiday meal traditions--that whole "Chinese food on Christmas Eve" thing was totally ours--Thanksgiving has always been sort of a hodgepodge. If New York is a melting pot of culture, we might need a little more salt when it comes to figuring out how to take the Thanksgiving meal from home and transport it here.

Or we can just give up and order a turkey from Trader Joe's.

Either way, the whole Middle Eastern-fusion TexMex Chesapeake Vegan Thanksgiving thing isn't going to cut the cranberry sauce this year. Meditate on some of these New York-inspired (or -created, or whatever) dishes and think about how you ... well, how all of us could be putting a little more effort into this whole holiday instead of annually fleeing the city and going home to mommy.

Let's eat. (EPA)

Just before Hurricane Sandy hit, everyone was busy stocking up provisions to weather the maelstrom. Following the storm, there was a scramble to to find more to eat as stores were empty and restaurants closed. This is a city of gourmands, after all. For the city officials who were responsible for guiding the city through the disaster, this was no exception.

While we were compiling our oral history of Hurricane Sandy, Joe Lhota mentioned that even in the worst of the storm, he had managed to keep his daily dietary regimen intact. This got us wondering: what was everybody eating while they scrambled around getting the city ready and helping it recover? Here is what the protectors and providers of the city had on their plates and in their pockets.

Joe Lhota, chairman and CEO, MTA: Even in the middle of the storm, I had what I always have—an omelet with two sausage patties. It's what I eat every morning. Would that be a cheese omelet? Is there any other kind? I don't put shit in them. Who needs onions in the morning? It's all protein, no carbs for breakfast, and that's the only thing I eat until dinner time.

Ray Kelly, commissioner, NYPD: He eats two patties a day, huh? Jeeze! He eats that stuff? I'm trying to eat egg whites. I had those Dunkin' Donuts egg white things, the sandwiches. I've had several of those. But I won't have anymore for a while.

It's funny because you take food for granted. I'm out riding around, and a place is closed, lots of places to eat are closed down. When the subways are closed, the restaurants are closed because they can't get their workers in there. It's something that is driven home sort of dramatically when you drive down Columbus Avenue, you think, "Hey there's no flooding here." Yeah, but they can't get their workers to work. Food suddenly became much more of an issue.

Sal Cassano, commissioner, FDNY: I think I ate a granola bar for dinner the night of the storm, and that was it.

Janette Sadik-Khan, commissioner, NYC DOT: I’ve been eating a lot of granola bars, a lot of granola bars. And they serve peanut butter sandwiches at every relief station, so between the granola bars and peanut butter and jelly, that’s it. Fortunately I walk up and down the stairs at home and work, and when you’re out all day in the field, I hope it won’t be too damaging.

Josh Vlasto, communications director, Cuomo administration: I don't want to sound complain-y, but when you're on the road, we haven't been eating that much. On the days when you're doing four or five stops, you leave at 10 in the morning and your don't get back to the office till 4 in the morning. It's a lot of granola bars and bottled water that you pick up. But people have been ordering pizza. But nothing has been open. Lots of granola bars, lets put it that way. It's a lot of throwing granola bars into the jacket and munching along the way.

Joe Bruno, commissioner, NYC OEM: Well I didn't eat that much. I mean, we do feed people here, so I'm a big salad person. If I can get fish I'm very happy, but we didn't get much of that. Mainly salads, a little bit of rice and little bit of bread. But I'm a skinny guy. I don't eat that much. There was pizza. I don't eat that stuff, but some of them do, unfortunately.

Cas Holloway, deputy mayor for operations: I was at OEM, and my hurricane diet was coffee. And I had a trail mix that I had that I actually had brought. Store-bought? No, no, I made it, I make my own. I go to this place called Nut Box and I make my own mix, and I had it in a big jar, and I was eating it by the fistful. Will you share your secret recipe? Almonds, cashews and dried apricots, dried cherries. And a little bit of coconut flaked shavings. It’s quite good.

Howard Glaser, director of state operations, Cuomo administration: Coffee, Coke, bagels.

John Rhea, chairman, NYCHA: I had a couple boxes of Ritz crackers that I was running around with, a bunch of bottles of water, and I had some spaghetti that I made with a little sauce. That tasted just as good cold, but it was even better if it was room temperature.

Robert LiMandri, commissioner, DOB: I didn’t eat very much all week. I remember having chicken soup on Monday, and that was probably the last time I ate for two and a half days. I didn’t have an appetite, standing down there, watching that crane.