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
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Lima’s Taste Peruvian Ceviche Recipe
Recipe by Nelida Godfrey This is a nice recipe for those hot summer days. Ceviche comes in many forms. As long as there’s seafood, citrus and heat from a pepper of your choice, you can make Ceviche. The denser the seafood, the longer the acid in the citrus takes to cook it. Nelly the chef/owner
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Yup Bacon Still Sells and Then Some!
By David A. Porat Chelsea Market Baskets over the last eighteen years has constantly evolved, and we pride ourselves on exciting new products to experience and taste. An interesting chapter in this is the story of our Bacon Peanuts or what we cheekily call CMB Goin’ Nuts. It started in September 2009,
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Years to Be a Chef—Minutes to Look Like One
By John Barrera We have an obsession with all things food. Whether cooked, written about, or photographed, as a society we can’t get enough. In this frenzied state of mind, who better than the media to exploit our obsession. The problem, though, is their pervasive marketing of everything food has diluted standards put
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Why Is Trader Joe’s So Crowded?
By George Capsis Consumer Reports, once again, voted family-owned Wegmans as the number one supermarket in America but West Villagers need not despair, Trader Joe’s came in third. Oddly CR gave Trader Joe’s a low rating for the quality of its produce, meats and baked goods—so how come number three? CR likes
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Shopping Trader Joe’s—a Game Plan
By Caroline Benveniste I shop at Trader Joe’s all the time. It’s the best place to get staples, but the real fun is discovering some of the more unusual offerings. Here are some guidelines that should help improve your shopping experience: Shop only at the Chelsea store. The UWS store is located on
