bpearis

A little non-food item here. If you sign up for SY's mailing list they send you a holiday card every year in the form of a Sushi Origami kit. 2005's was Eel: Last year was Fugu: This year it's, um, a fishing boat: Not the most exciting one for 2007, but still pretty cool.

In Bruni's defense... 15 East was barely -- barely -- open in 2006. Like second week of December. And Ssam didn't really become Ssam until the dinner menu started... which was when, January? (EDIT: Answered my own question by reading through the Ssam thread... September 2006... so I'll give you that one.) But technically, and that's all that matters to you lawyers, you are correct. But both feel like 2007 places to me.

You're son is quite the dancer, too! Saw him today, but didn't realize he was yours till now.

I was a big fan of Jewel Bako and spent many nights eating in front of Masato Shimizu and was very excited for 15 East's opening. I went on my birthday back in January. We did the full-blown omakase which included a bunch of appetizers, sashimi, sushi, etc. Highlights included toro from the jaw that was blowtorched first, two kinds of uni that were presented together in a little bowl of rice with a spoon, and a couple pieces of braised octopus that Shimizu was quite proud of. The last piece of sushi was his "signature eel" which he gives to you in a wide bowl and drizzles the sauce all over the place. His eel is second only to Yasuda, I think, but the presentation was a bit superfluous. Also, they have the best gari I have ever eaten. And the yuzu granita for desert was just right for the end of the meal. The only thing I didn't really care for was a shreded burdock root and scallion tempura -- fine but not much different than hashbrowns. And the music is standard Asian Chillout Mix stuff. The space is nice, and the sushi bar itself -- made from some kind of ancient wood they got from Africa somewhere -- is really lovely. The sushi was great, but for what you get, it is very expensive. And I don't need all the fuss. (Though I enjoyed it at Jewel Bako, mainly because I think Jack Lamb jas a sense of humor about it.) I'm not dissing, but next time I splurge, it will probably be at Yasuda.

I walked by on Wednesday and it was indeed closed.

In addition to opening Tailor, Sam is also going to be hosting a web-only cooking show called Dinner with the Band where he invites indie groups to his apartment where they help make food and then rock out. You can watch the trailer here. He is a busy guy!

If you said all their noodle dishes were bad, maybe that would be so. But you're comparing one specific dish (pad thai) to an entire group of dishes (pasta). Isn't it more like a Sicilian restaurant that is forced to put tagliatele bolognese on the menu from customers who demand it, and it's not very good because it's not what they do? I don't know what region Sripraphai is supposed to represent, but maybe it's not one that is known for awesome pad thai. Actually I don't think I've ever had pad thai anywhere that I've thought was very good. It seems like the thai equivalent to nondescript Chinese lo mein.

I love Pies n' Thighs, but I will agree that eating your food in the Rockstar Bar is less than ideal. It's really more of a warm months kind of place, when the "garden" is open. I remember asking co-owner Steve Steve in September what they were going to do when it got cold, and he kind of scratched his head and admitted they hadn't quite figured that out. But I think their biscuits and gravy are worth the depressing aspects of eating in the bar, as are any of the baked goods. They have this molasses cookie that is just out-of-this world, and those doughnuts are too. But it's better at dinner when you can get the chicken and pulled pork than at brunch.

I was there Saturday night around 12:30 and it was only about 1/3 full. Despite the popularity of the original, I don't think awareness of Saam has really set in. Enjoy while you can. That banh mi is something else; also enjoyed the apple/bacon/lichee gelee salad.

I can't imagine it will truly disrupt the normal flow of diners for longer than two weeks.

Eater reports that Bruni will be reviewing Spicy & Tasty in tomorrow's Dining Section. With no celebs, hotties, or pop music on the soundsystem, I guess he has no choice but to talk about the food. I would be worried the place will be overrun now, but I think the perceived long schlep to Flushing will keep most from checking it out. Not that the place is hurting for business.

As of about two weeks ago, the Lambs shut down JB Makimono and migrated the chefs over to the regular Jewel Bako. It has now basically turned into Makimono -- no reservations, lower price point, more of a focus on rolls, good but not as great like it used to be fish. JB's sushi chef of the last three years, Masato-san, has left and I haven't been able to find out if he's gone somewhere else. Hope your evening wasn't too disappointing. I've picked a new favorite place since JB's downgrading... Ushi Wakamaru on Houston.

The Momofuku menu actually says "We do not serve vegetarian-friendly items."

Never eaten a taco? Really? You must be rich. There are a lot of things wrong with Bittman's article (one of which is not telling people to buy hard shells, which aren't tacos in my book), but i'll quote Patalarga from the NY times message boards on the subject: That's just a start. But yes, if it gets people to try thighs over breasts... it's a good thing.

I like Mark Bittman in general, but his feature article on tacos this week was a joke. Horribly inaccurate.