By David Porat George Capsis is even more at home now in his neighborhood with some classic Greek food almost around the corner and in the heart of the West Village. Brand new and looking quite put together, NISI Estiatorio opened in late October. I had the pleasure of dining there, by invitation, with George,
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Ristorante Rafele
Hi Mr. Capsis, Hope you are having a lovely holiday weekend. As I am reading the review by Ms. Caroline Benveniste of Ristorante Rafele, I would like to point out a few things that are untrue: 1. 900 Degrees, the pizza restaurant that folded prior to the opening of Ristorante Rafele, was not a “dump”
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Seventh Avenue South Intersects with Good-Value Food— Highlighting Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter
By David Porat Living in the neighborhood, I have found that many of the places up and down Seventh Avenue South have become fixtures, tourist destinations, or maybe places to avoid when looking for good food locally. They are also not known for value because of high rent due to their location in a high-traffic
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A Chef’s Restaurant—Günter Seeger
By David Porat Günter Seeger is new on Hudson Street with a very distinguished and somewhat mysterious façade. Its storefront piqued my curiosity on my way to High Street on Hudson, one of my current favorite places in the neighborhood. I entered the restaurant at about 6 pm on a Saturday before any guests arrived,
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IN AND OUT
This month saw a larger than usual spate of openings, with a sizeable contingent of healthy, local ingredient spots popping up across the Village. Chain store closings on Bleecker Street continue with Coach decamping overnight and taking with them their benches. Photos by Maggie Berkvist. Recently Opened The Butcher’s Daughter (581 Hudson St.): The second
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Charmed at Tapestry
By David Porat Suvir Saran owned a restaurant in New York called Devi on West 18th Street, not too far from where the Union Square Cafe used to be. I have fond memories of many meals there that were somewhat traditional Indian food but done in a very inspired way within a very ornate “ethnic”
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Sarah Jessica Rings the Bell
By George Capsis When nearly 200 graying West Villagers along with just about every local politician shows up—as they did on Sunday, March 13th to protest the closing of a small modestly priced supermarket, there has to be a deeper story. Many of these senior protesters are, I believe, trapped—living in too-small, rent stabilized apartments
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Losing Redeemable Location
Another negative consequence of the closing of Associated Supermarket is something most people would not think about—the needy people who rely on redeeming cans and bottles to supplement their meager income. I see these people— both men and women and usually nicely dressed—going through the litter baskets on the streets and also in front of
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Giving the Cure to Alienation
By George Capsis As I wrote in the April issue, the response of the new President and Chief Operating Officer of D’Agostino, Bob James, regarding the creation of a program to address the needs of West Village seniors (many living in rent stabilized or rent controlled apartments with only, after rent, the remains of a
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What Food Programs are Available to Seniors?
By Corey Johnson The epidemic of supermarket closures across New York City has raised new awareness of the difficulty many New Yorkers face in accessing affordable, healthy food. For the supermarkets that do remain, prices are rising. Among those hardest hit by these trends are our seniors. Every effort must be made to ensure that
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A ROYAL BIRTHDAY TREAT
On April 21st, members of the ‘special relationship’ also enjoyed a special celebration marking Queen Elizabeth‘s 90th birthday. West Village favorite, Li-Lac Chocolates, was chosen to be partners with the Market at Grand Central in offering, for $29 per set, souvenir mini boxes of chocolates, made in Scotland and containing blackcurrants from the Queen’s own garden, along with a commemorative
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Instagram Moments of My Travels
By David Porat I am reporting now from Guangzhou, my fourth stop on my quick round-the-world trek. This trip is part buying trip and part getting a little distance (some might say a good bit of distance) from being too inside my business. I enjoy eating so it is an excuse to find good food
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Buying the Farm for Your City Table
By David Porat Morten Sohlberg and Min Ye are entrepreneurs who own several diversified food businesses. The newest addition to their collection is Blenheim Restaurant. The restaurant is in the same location as the Smorgas Chef restaurant which still exists in other locations and is part of their family. The inspiration for the central west
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Noteworthy Storefronts in the Neighborhood
By David Porat Suprema Provisions Walking up Bleecker St. last week, I noticed an attractive storefront which had opened just that day. It looks like a lifestyle statement focusing on Mediterranean living and food. The front of the store is tastefully filled with specialty food, housewares and food-friendly books to take home. The back holds
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Chef Harold Moore to Introduce Two Yet-to-Open Restaurants at 14th Annual Taste of Greenwich House
By Joseph Salas Chef Harold Moore, former executive chef and owner of the West Village’s Commerce, will be the Featured Chef at the 14th Annual Taste of Greenwich House on Monday, March 14th. Taste is a premier culinary festival featuring samples of known favorites and off-menu specialties from Village staples and groundbreaking eateries from across
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Gourmet Garage: Our Hometown Grocer
By Barbara Chacour Interview with owners Andy Arons and Adam Hartman at their SoHo office, a 3rd floor walkup reminiscent of the old industrial SoHo—i.e., a small but neat warren of activity. The owners explained that while store rents are high, they keep overhead very lean. The business evolved out of a wholesale supplier to
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Restaurant Row
By Caroline Benveniste In his January 8th article in the Daily News, Michael Kaminer made the case that Greenwich Avenue between 6th and 7th avenues is the new restaurant row. Five restaurants are mentioned in the column, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. In all, there are 25 restaurants including three that
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Restaurants Focused on the Kitchen
By David Porat Eating out is not always about what the kitchen is up to — many larger restaurants are corporately developed to streamline the kitchen, focusing on the atmosphere or often the bar, where they more easily make money. Three new places are very much about the prowess and creativity of the kitchen, and
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MIMI’s
By Marc Levy Tucked away on Sullivan Street, this cozy Greenwich Village newcomer is an upbeat homage to traditional French cuisine. With MIMI, young owners Louis Levy, Evan and Daniel Bennett, and designer Camilla Deterre have meticulously crafted their vision of a convivial place that they and the neighborhood would love. The décor is sleek
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Update: Brooklyn Fare in the Archive
By Caroline Benveniste Far West Village residents should be excited that Brooklyn Fare is coming to the space in the Archive, at the intersection of Christopher and Greenwich, which used to house a D’Agostino’s. When the D’Agostino brothers launched their first store on the Upper East Side in the 1930’s, they had the revolutionary idea
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The Tipping Point
By John Barrera Two months ago Danny Meyer of Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) announced that by the end of 2016 all thirteen of his New York City based restaurants will eliminate the tipping portion of your dining experience from all their foodservice establishments. If you think this is not an issue—bring it up
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Japanese Deli + Grocery Dainobu
By Caroline Benveniste Formerly, Greenwich Village residents seeking Japanese groceries would travel to the East Village or Soho. But now on 6th Avenue between 12th and 13th is a small store with a bright orange flag announcing: “Japanese Deli + Grocery dainobu”. Unlike some of the other stores I have written about, this store
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Westviews: Breathtaking Response
Dear Mr. Capsis, I have been enjoying WestViews News for many years, and it is usually well written and edited. But in the last paragraph on page ten of the September issue, “I found the prices in Mrs. Green’s breathtaking,” is unclear. Do you mean breathtaking high or breathtaking low? I think I know what
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Brooklyn Grows in the Village
By David Porat Brooklyn Fare, a neighborhood food store from downtown Brooklyn, is replacing the D’Agostinos in the Archives Building at 666 Greenwich Street at Christopher. Curiously, Brooklyn is where people eat at home versus Manhattan where people dine out. In addition, within the food world, the Brooklyn label does have a good bit of
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Faicco’s Italian Specialties
By Caroline Benveniste Faicco’s on Bleecker is definitely worth a visit for, among other things, their divine sopressata which Eater critic Robert Sietsema says is “every bit as good as anything you can get in Italy, perhaps better.” The Faicco story begins in Italy and is a complicated one that goes back 115 years, involves
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A Paris Boulangerie in the Village
By David Porat Maison Kayser appeared and opened to the public on Oct 1 at the corner of Bleecker and Christopher, looking a bit like it has always been there. Where did it come from and what makes it different from other bakeries—that allows it to assume important and expensive real estate and prosper? Started
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A New Chef and a New Beginning
By David Porat Nighthawks on Christopher was previously reviewed and was in search of an identity, which has been found with a new Chef and a new angle for the menu. Mediterranean seafood, very fresh and prepared simply is something that is not overly available in the West Village similar to some mid-town restaurants. Thanks
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New Chef at Nighthawks
By George Capsis At 18, Fikret Uslu took a summer job washing dishes in a local restaurant in his native town in Turkey. When he overheard that the owner wanted to sell, he came home and asked his father to give him money to buy it. His father both pleased at his son’s self-confidence and
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Untitled With A Name
By John Barrera When I heard the restaurant at the new Whitney Museum was called “Untitled,” my first thought was that they must not have come up with a name that they’re happy with yet. I know how stressful restaurant openings can be, and thought the name wasn’t that important. These thoughts were fleeting and
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The New Chelsea Market Baskets
By Caroline Benveniste Walking through bustling Chelsea Market today it is hard to remember a time when it did not exist. In the early 1990’s, virtually the only restaurant in the Meatpacking District was Florent, and the High Line Park didn’t open until almost two decades later. The changes to the neighborhood began in 1993
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Mrs. Green’s Comes to Town
By John Barrera I find no pleasure in walking into a four-day-old restaurant or grocery store and trying to catch them on their heels as they try to figure out where the salt is. So, I was reluctant when George asked me to write about the prepared foods at the new Mrs. Green’s grocery store.
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Food is love
By John Barrera Have you ever cooked for someone and noticed the other person’s face? I can almost guarantee that person was smiling. How about a conversation with your mother telling her you’ll be coming to visit soon? Most times that conversation would include something about making your favorite meal or maybe visiting your
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Summer in the City: Not a Bad Place to Dine
By David Porat August in the city, with weather being cooperative, is a great time to enjoy restaurants that are not as easily available at other times of year. Between reservations that are generally easier to get and the very successful NYC and Co. promotion, Restaurant Week, you can enjoy good food, good value, and
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Raffetto’s—A Century Link to the Village’s Past
By Caroline Benveniste When you enter Raffetto’s, you might be greeted by the sound of the guillotine. Not just one swift thwack, but repeated chopping. In the back of the store the ninety-nine year old pasta cutting machine chops away, cutting to order four different widths of pasta, from linguine to wide fettuccine. The one
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Corrections
Sorry to say a quick read of the just arrived issue of WestView revealed two back-to-back errors, one worse than the other. Bruce Poli spells the capital of Latvia as Rega…but it is Riga. Turn the page and read the recipe for Ottomanelli’s Italian Meatballs. Where’s the meat? Read it about 10 times to see
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Lima’s Taste—Christopher East of Hudson
The Food is Fantastic! Since I called on my neighbors to assist Lima’s Taste and its owner Nelida Godfrey in her fight against the Monster Landlord, Steve Croman, by eating there, I had to go myself. What a joy! Understand, I went with my 11-year-old daughter, Jordyn, who is a demanding gourmet with a discerning
