Peter Luger Gets ‘Saveur’ Steakhouse Pick

Saveur magazine’s saveur.com July 2007 issue includes the piece “Our 7 Favorite Steak Houses”,” which include:

1. Bern’s Steak House, Tampa
2. Craftsteak, Las Vegas and New York
3. Five O’Clock Steakhouse, Milwaukee
4. Gene and Georgetti, Chicago
5. Gorat’s Steak House, Omaha
6. Pacific Dining Car, Los Angeles
7. Peter Luger, Brooklyn, New York

The mag also garners steak grilling tips from Mario Navarro, a Mexico native who has been chef at Chicago’s Gene and Georgetti’s for more than 30 years.

Locals Get ‘Forbes Traveler’ Best Hotel Dining Mentions
Forbes Traveler forbestraveler.com recently asked asking a panel of food and travel experts for their take on the top hotel dining in the country. The top 15 chosen include: The Peabody Memphis and its upscale restaurant, Chez Philippe; Four Seasons Hotel and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon restaurant in New York City; Jean Georges, Trump International Hotel and Tower, New York; Gordon Ramsay, The London hotel in New York; The Carlyle Restaurant, The Carlyle Hotel in New York; Cathe St. Regis Hotel and Ame restaurant in San Francisco; Michael Mina, Westin St. Francis in San Francisco; Cortez in the Hotel Adagio, San Francisco; Studio Restaurant, Montage, Laguna Beach; the Beverly Wilshire and Cut restaurant in Los Angeles; The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Va.; The Wynn Las Vegas; Citronelle, Latham Hotel in Washington, DC.; Azul at Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami.

IN THE NEWS: Eater.com reports, “Kitchen 22, Charlie Palmer‘s fairly institutionalized Park South bargain spot, where once dinner was priced at $22, is closed for good as of May 31 … The Times nytimes.com reports on the trend of families and restaurauters rebelling against high-fat children’s menus and sites chef Tony Miller of Columbus, Ohio’s Latitude 41 restaurant at the Renaissance Columbus, whose kids offerings features grilled organic chicken teriyaki and seared fileted fish instead of fried foods … Frank Bruni awards one star (good) to the venerable (since 1888) Katz’s Delicatessen (205 East Houston St.), which is rumored to be on the sales block … Peter Meehan visits Lucky Eight (5204 Eighth Ave., Sunset Park, Brooklyn) … From the Times‘ Kim Severson, “We are, each and every one of us, standing together on the threshold of National Surimi Seafood Month. June is also the month to celebrate papayas, iced tea, frozen yogurt, candy, soul food, steakhouses and applesauce cake. And whether you eat turkeys or simply admire them, prepare to party. June is Turkey Lovers’ Month, too. At least 175 days a year are set aside in recognition of some form of food or drink. This puts a lot of pressure on the average eater …” The Times details the scheduled June 4 reopening of Monkey Bar in the Élysée Hotel (60 East 54th Street) as well as the recent openings of the Spanish eatery Rayuela (752 10th Ave), Shinn Estate Farmhouse (2000 Oregon Road, Mattituck, N.Y.), “Tar Beach” (66 Park Ave). …

New York magazine’s Adam Platt gives two stars in his review of original Craft chef Marco Canora‘s new Italian restaurant Insieme (777 Seventh Ave.), while Gael Greene visits Provence (38 MacDougal St.). … The mag previews new restaurants Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (97 Commercial St., Greenpoint, Brooklyn), the Cajun-Creole-inspired Lola (15 Watts St.), the bistro Le Barricou (533 Grand St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn) and Trois Pommes Patisserie (260 Fifth Ave., Park Slope, Brooklyn). nymag.com … Southern Foodways Alliance www.southernfoodways.com previews Union Square Hospitality Group’s 5th Annual Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, June 9-10, from 10 am-6 pm in and around Madison Square Park. … Andrea Strong’s The Strong Buzz blog thestrongbuzz.com visits the new bar PDT (113 St. Marks Place, enter through Crif Dogs) and also reviews Ed’s Lobster Bar (222 Lafayette St). … The Village Voice‘s Robert Sietsema reviews Manhattan tapas bar Boqueria (53 West 19th Street), while the Voice reports its blog the closing June 2 of 52-year-old butcher shop/deli Kurowycky Meat Products (124 First Avenue). villagevoice.com … The New Yorker newyorker.com reviews tapas bar Mercat (45 Bond St) and the Greek restaurant Anthos (36 W. 52nd St.). … LA-based blogger Franklinavenue.blogspot.com reviews Shake Shack (Madison Square Park). … Blogger and critic Pat Saperstein’s Eatingla.blogspot.com reviews Gaucho’s Village, the Brazilian “all you care to eat” place in Glendale, as well as The Redwood Bar & Grill (316 W. 2nd St.). She also revisits the Yuca’s changeover and talks to Craig Min, owner of Lamill Coffee, coming to Silver Lake Blvd. … The Daily News‘ Irene Sax reviews Fat Annie’s Truck Stop (131 W. 33rd St.). nydailynews.com … Newday‘s Joan Remenick reviews Swingbellys Beachside BBQ (909 W. Beech St., Long Beach). newsday.com … AM New York amny.com looks at the city’s barbecue joints, including Daisy May’s BBQ (623 Eleventh Ave.). … The New York Observer‘s Moira Hodgson awards three stars in her review of Insieme. observer.com … TimeOut New York also reviews Insieme, Island Restaurant & Lounge (35-15 36th St, Long Island City, Queens), and Birdies (149 First Ave). timeoutny.com …

New York magazine’s Grub Street blog http://nymag.com/daily/food/ notes Chelsea’s Bright Food Shop, which has closed along with sister-restaurant Kitchen/Market due to high rents. … RestaurantGirl.com rounds up outdoor dining, including Falai (68 Clinton St., at Rivington St.) and interviews chef Seamus Mullen (Suba, Boqueria). … Blogger Off the Broiler offthebroiler.wordpress.com reviews Momofuku Ssäm Bar (207 2nd Ave). … NYCnosh.com reviews Nelson Blue (233-235 Front Street) and Perilla (9 Jones Street). … Blogger EdLevineEats.com reviews Spotted Pig (314 West 11th Street). … Twenty Bucks a Day twentyaday.com reviews Pho Cho Lon (Bik Bay Vietnamese Restaurant), 5604 8th Ave., Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Feeding Tree (892 Gerard Ave # 161, Bronx). … EatingInTranslation.com stops by Mi Mexico Lindo (2267 Second Ave.), Sandy Restaurant (2261 Second Ave.), Edward’s (136 West Broadway) and Stone Park Café (324 Fifth Ave.).

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com

Several Locals on Esquire’s Best Bars List

Esquire magazine’s second annual Best Bars of America list is out in the June 2007 issue. They include:

Lou’s Pub & Package, Birmingham, Ala.; J Lounge, Golden Gopher, The Edison, The Broadway Bar, La Cita, Bordello, Redwood, and Bar 107, Los Angeles; Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood, Calif.; The Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills; Beach Ball, Newport Beach, Calif.; Brennan’s Pub, Marina Del Ray, Calif.; Bourbon & Branch, The Owl Tree, Vesuvio, and Zeitgeist, San Francisco; The Sportsman, Sonora, Calif.; Cruise Room, and El Chapultepec, Denver; Jimbo’s, and Churchill’s Pub, Miami; The Clermont Lounge, Atlanta; Lewers Lounge at the Halekulani Hotel, and La Mariana Sailing Club, Honolulu; The California Clipper, The Red Lion Pub, Bungalow, The Matchbox, Hideout, and Chipp Inn, Chicago; The Red Key, and Nicky Blaine’s, Indianapolis; The Old Seelbach Bar, Louisville; The Chart Room, The Bar at Tujague’s, Fritzel’s European Jazz Pub, and Napoleon House, New Orleans; The Brewer’s Art, and Shamrock Inn, Baltimore; B-Side Lounge, Cambridge, Mass.; No. 9 Park, Boston; Doyle’s Cafe, Jamaica Plain, Mass.; The Bar at Seldom Blues, Detroit; Miller’s Bar, Dearborn, Mich.; Bulldog NE, and Nye’s Polonaise Room, Minneapolis; Half Time Rec, St. Paul; John D. McGurk’s, St. Louis; Any bar on the Strip, Double Down Saloon, and Petrossian Bar, Las Vegas; Bemelmans Bar in the Carlyle Hotel, Little Branch, The Bar at Keens Steakhouse, Minetta Tavern, Jimmy’s Corner, The Angel’s Share, The Brooklyn Inn, The Rose Bar at the Gramercy Park Hotel, Flatiron Lounge, The Saloon, San Domenico Restaurant, Spuyten Duyvil, 21 Club, Grassroots Tavern, Bill’s Gay 90s, Julius’, and Pegu Club, New York City; Freddy’s Bar & Backroom, Brooklyn; Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, Queens; Thomas Street Tavern, Charlotte, NC; Andyman’s Treehouse, Columbus, Ohio; The Library Bar & Grill, Norman, Okla.; Friendly Lounge, The Grey Lodge, and Southwark, Philadelphia; Dee’s Cafe, Pittsburgh; Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, and Robert’s Western World, Nashville; La Tuna, San Antonio; Donn’s Depot, Austin; The Inwood Lounge, Dallas; Shooting Star Saloon, Huntsville, Utah; Sambar, Zig Zag Cafe, and Fu Kun Wu, Seattle; Hawk ‘n’ Dove, and The Tune Inn, Washington, DC; Holler House, Milwaukee.

IN THE NEWS: New York magazine’s blog Grub Street reports, “Katz’s Deli is about as close to a sacred space as we can think of. Forget landmark status; the place is a shrine, the soul of what remains of New York Jewish-American culture. So the rumors we have been hearing about its imminent purchase by condo developers are disturbing — and not any less so for being a little more persuasive than the ones we’ve heard in the past. Katz’s management denies the move, but ubiquitous restaurant Realtor Alex Picken tells us that he’s getting some specifics through the grapevine.” … The mag’s Adam Platt reviews two new sushi joints, 15 East and Rosanjin … Grub Street blog reports that the former Carroll Gardens restaurant Porchetta reopened May 11 as Carniceria, a Latin American steakhouse led by Novo and Calle Ocho chef Alex Garcia. newyorkmagazine.com

… The Times nytimes.com profiles David Chang of Momofuku Ssam Bar, winner of this year’s James Beard Foundation rising star award for best new chef, who’s thinking about opening an offshoot eatery in Vegas. … Frank Bruni awards two stars (very good) to the Greek restaurant Anthos, (36 West 52nd Street) … Peter Meehan reviews taco truck Super Tacos (Southwest corner of 96th Street and Broadway, Upper West Side) … The Times reports Pace picante sauce chief Christopher Goldsbury is giving $35 million to the Culinary Institute of America, a gift thought to be the largest single donation to culinary education. The school will use $7 million to expand its Center for Foods of the Americas in San Antonio and another $5 million to build a center dedicated to teaching Latin American cuisine at the institute’s main campus in Hyde Park, N.Y. The bulk of the donation, $23 million, will feed scholarships that will pay for students to attend the center’s 30-week program in San Antonio. The best of those students will be sent to the Culinary Institute’s main campus in New York to work toward a two- or four-year degree in a program specializing in foods from countries such as Mexico, Cuba, Argentina and Peru, the paper reports. … The Times story on the Bronx at night includes stops at Lickety Split, Caribbean Island Restaurant and Bar, Starving Artist Cafe & Gallery, and Sabrosura … The Daily News‘ Irene Sax reviews Middle Eastern eatery Sanaa (193 Atlantic Ave.) nydailynews.com … Newday reviews Quetzalcoatl
(296 Main St., Huntington) and details dining options on Jones Beach, including the new George Martin’s Coastal Grill (40 E. Park Ave. in Long Beach). newsday.com … The Observer gives two stars to Provence (38 MacDougall St.). observer.com …

Andrea Strong thestrongbuzz.com visits Tocqueville (located at One East 15th Street) and reports, “Matt Weingarten, who was most recently chef de cuisine at Savoy, is the new chef at Café St. Barts, the terrace-as-restaurant on Park Avenue located on the veranda of St. Bartholomew’s Church. The new owners of the space, Sodexho, will also be turning the interior restaurant, to be named Inside Park, into a dining destination come fall with Matt’s signature locally farmed ingredient-driven menu as the showcase.” … Brooklyn’s Betty Bakery is featured in the June Food & Wine magazine. foodandwine.com … Interesting reading from Atlanta Journal-Constitution food writer John Kessler on his recent trip to New York for the James Beard Foundation awards. He gives his take on dining at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon at the Four Seasons, Momofuku Ssäm Bar, and A Voce. www.ajc.com … The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that Hooters Inc., the founders of the original Hooters restaurant concept, and Hooters Management Corp. plan to switch to zero trans-fat frying oil in its 22 restaurants in Tampa Bay, Chicago and New York City … The Village Voice interviews noted chef, author and restaurateur Lidia Bastianich and reviews the pizza joint Il Brigante, 214 Front St., as well as blogs a review of Aurora Soho, (510 Broome Street). villagevoice.com … The New Yorker newyorker.com reviews Brown Cafe (61 Hester St.) … TimeOut New York timeoutny.com looks at underground supper clubs, including Grub (338 Flushing Ave), blurbs three new restaurants: Aurora (510 Broome St.), Hudson River Cafe (697 W 133rd St), and Kushi-Q (723 Third Ave.) and reviews Provence, Hibino (333 Henry St) and Central Kitchen (134 Seventh Ave S.) … The Indy-based Feed Me/Drink Me blog feedmedrinkme.blogspot.com visits New York, specifically Thomas Keller’s Per Se. … Blog Eater.com reports the May 18 death of Gonzo chef-proprietor Vincent Scotto… Blogger Offthebroiler.wordpress.com reviews The Little Pie Company.

Compiled by Pat Embry, WhereTheLocalsEat.com