Jovial restaurateur Drew Nieporent stood outside of Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall on Monday evening, May 4, holding an umbrella in one hand and a smoldering stogie in the other.
A Cuban? Never! “You’re too young to remember, but Ken Aretsky almost went to prison for that!” Mr. Nieporent said, referring to the proprietor of Read More
Location: You’ve established this reputation as a pioneer—a neighborhood-changer—with Odeon in Tribeca, Pastis in meatpacking, Schiller’s on the Lower East Side, to name a few. Conversely, your newest ventures seem to be centered in some rather well-established parts of town. Has all the culinary frontier in downtown Manhattan been gobbled up?
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Down By The Hipster has posted a handy map of the bars, hotels, restaurants and clubs along the Bowery, presenting it as proof that the area is the future of Manhattan nightlife. "It’s where operators want to open," they write. The "pseudo-dives" of the Read More
Heatherette boys Richie Rich and Traver Rains may not be breaking up after all. [Fashion Week Daily]
After not being invited to Jenna Bush’s wedding over the weekend, Lauren Bush’s boyfriend, David Lauren (Raph’s son) decided that the best way to spend his weekend would be to flirt with Greenwich magazine staffer Jennifer Read More
As he did with Balthazar, Keith McNally has once again set a stage where the play is about eating and the actors are the diners. This time it’s not a Paris bistro, but a rustic trattoria somewhere in the hills of Italy. Morandi’s low, beamed ceiling is hung with wooden chandeliers topped with small brown Read More
Another Scene on the Scene:
Trattoria Strikes Pose in Chelsea
It was a freezing night, and the wind lashed across the icy terrace of the Maritime Hotel, where empty tables, bereft of chairs and striped umbrellas, made the scene as forlorn as a beach resort in winter. The cold was so intense that the Read More
Five Years Later,
Soho Brasserie Is Still Abuzz
Following Sept. 11 last year, Balthazar closed for three days. The staff joined the relief effort and cooked for the rescue workers, delivering food to Ground Zero. Business was slow for the next two months, as it was for all restaurants downtown, where many have since Read More
It’s strange how a distinctive smell can evoke strong memories of times long past. When our waiter handed us the menus at Zitoune, a new Moroccan restaurant in the center of the meatpacking district, I was immediately transported to the alleyways of the medina in Marrakesh. It was the same sharp odor that assails you Read More
The hostess, a young Oriental woman with a large spider tattooed on the back of her neck, was not pleased. I was nearly half an hour late for dinner. I had called, but instead of being thanked for my good manners, I had been informed–rather tartly–that tables at Fressen were held for no more than Read More
Balthazar
** 1/2
80 Spring Street, between Broadway and Crosby Street
965-1414
Dress: Chic
Noise level: High
Wine list: French, with good prices and selections from lesser-known regions
Credit cards: All major
Price range: Breakfast $3 to $6, lunch main courses $9 to $22, dinner $16 to $24
Hours: Daily 7:30 A.M. to 2 A.M., Read More
