Past Bites From the Blog
Friday, August 23, 2013
The Weekly Roundup: Rude People, Good Food, and the Airing of NYC Restaurant Grievances
+FOODS OF NY TOURS NEWS+
- Foods of NY Tours Blog, Shopkeepers Secrets #14: PUBLIC : Meet Kimberly, Special Events Manager at PUBLIC on our Nolita/ Noho Tour! Kimberly has been with PUBLIC nine of the ten years since they opened. She is the lady you call to book a special event.
+NYC NEWS+
- Christine Quinn and the Health Department reach deal to lower fines for restaurants : Restaurants will get a $10 million break on costly city inspection fines under a deal struck by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and the Health Department. Under the deal, fines — which currently can reach $2,000 — will fall to the $200 minimum for 60% of violations.
- Bill would make grocers charge for bags : A bill was unveiled Tuesday to require city grocers to charge 10 cents for each paper or plastic bag they give customers, drawing immediate opposition from some in the business community. The bill expected to be introduced in the City Council this week is supported by environmental groups that want to reduce the 100,000 tons of plastic bags that the city sends to landfills each year.
- NY has rudest people but best food : A survey of 1,600 Americans found that New York state had the rudest and most arrogant people in the country but the best food. Respondents also lauded California and Louisiana for their cuisine, while rating the people of Georgia and Minnesota the nicest. Massachusetts was considered to have the weirdest accent.
+INDUSTRY NEWS+
- Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill to Close at the End of the Month : Bobby Flay will shutter his flagship restaurant Mesa Grill at the end of the month. Mesa Grill has been open for 22 years, which is an impressive run for any restaurant. Right now, Flay is hard at work on his new Noho project, Gato, which will serve a mix of Mediterranean and Spanish dishes
- Decibel Levels in New York's Hottest Restaurants : Critics, bloggers, and Eater readers frequently complain about noise levels in New York restaurants these days. Adam Platt wrote about the "Great Noise Boom" last month, and before that Robert Sietsema offered his own take on the noise problem. With this issue in mind, Eater set out to collect hard data on some of the worst offenders. Here, now, are peak decibel levels recorded at 19 of the city's hottest restaurants in order of loud to loudest.
- The Airing of Grievances : Eater asked some of New York's best food writers to anonymously share their gripes and frustrations about the restaurant scene these days. What follows is a list of complaints, with no names or affiliations attached.
+NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS+
GREENWICH VILLAGE
- Potatopia, set to open in the Village, just the latest eatery to focus on one item : Once consigned to side status, the lowly spud is being billed as the main course at Potatopia — set to open in Greenwich Village this week, and just the latest in a trend of hotspots focusing on a single food item. The tater temple will offer thousands of possible combinations of potato, toppings and sauces.
CENTRAL VILLAGE/SOHO
- Cronut Creator Dominique Ansel Lands a Cookbook Deal : New York City pastry chef Dominique Ansel has landed a cookbook deal with Simon & Schuster. Ansel is widely known as the inventor of the Cronut, the mania-inducing croissant-doughnut hybrid that has inspired countless imitators (including the grocery chain Food Emporium).
- Folk concert to be held for Coens' 'Llewyn Davis' : The Coen brothers and T Bone Burnett will celebrate the folk music of their 1960s Greenwich Village comic drama "Inside Llewyn Davis" with a concert in New York. The filmmakers announced Monday that they will host a concert Sept. 29 at New York's Town Hall. Performing will be Joan Baez, Marcus Mumford, Patti Smith, Jack White, Colin Meloy and others.
CHELSEA MARKET/ MEATPACKING
- Malt n Mash Opens in Meatpacking : Malt n Mash, a pop-up restaurant that will be open through the rest of the year, opened this week on Gansevoort St. The chef, Nahid Ahmed, has worked under Gray Kunz, as well as at The French Laundry, The Fat Duck and El Bulli. His second in command, Arjuna Bull, comes to Malt n Mash from Pearl & Ash. The menu is split into four categories: raw, shared, sea and land. With Pearl & Ash’s Arjuna Bull as his sous, Ahmed dishes out whimsical creations like oysters with kalamansi orange and mango “snow”; sweetbreads with popcorn and ramps; peanut-butter-chipotle foie gras; and short ribs with tamarind soy and scallion ash. Cocktails include the West Side Special (vodka, St. Germain, mint, cucumber and lime) and the Casino Royale (gin, maraschino, orange and lemon juices, and a prosecco float). The red-accented restaurant are trimmed with mosaic floors and exposed brick walls.
- Chelsea Market owner bids for stake in B'klyn site : Jamestown Properties, which has turned around a number of industrial properties across the country, teams up with two partners to bid for the 16-building, 6 million-square-foot Industry City complex on the Sunset Park waterfront.
- Masaharu Morimoto’s Tribeca Canvas Is Closing : Masaharu Morimoto is closing his restaurant Tribeca Canvas less than a year after it opened to tepid reviews, and he will reopen it next month with new partners and a revamped menu.
NOLITA
- Unaffordability Map Identifies Fast Gentrifying Neighborhoods…Such As Nolita! : We already knew that the topography of New York real estate is changing—formerly unhip neighborhoods have become hip, resulting in skyrocketing rent, and already pricey neighborhoods have become pricier still. But which neighborhoods are gentrifying the fastest?
CHINATOWN
- Ramen To The Rescue: How Instant Noodles Fight Global Hunger : the most successful industrial food ever produced flies far under the radar. And it has finally been outed by three anthropologists in a fascinating new book The Noodle Narratives, which analyzes the precipitous rise — or "brilliant career," as the authors say — of instant ramen, from its birth in postwar Japan to its sales of just over 100 billion servings worldwide in 2012.
- Seized Guns Offer Look at Pipeline From South : The guns often arrived by Chinatown bus, packed into patterned bags and destined for sale in a Brooklyn rap studio or in the backs of cars on the Lower East Side. Many had been stolen by criminals in the South, and would probably have been bought by other criminals, but instead they ended up stretched across a pair of long blue banquet tables in Police Headquarters on Monday, evidence of what officials said was the largest gun seizure in New York City history.
Labels: Weekly Round-Up
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Shopkeepers Secrets #14: PUBLIC
Meet Kimberly
, Special Events Manager at PUBLIC
on our Nolita/ Noho Tour
!
Kimberly has been with PUBLIC nine of the ten years since they opened. She is the lady you call to book a special event. We are LOVING a recent wedding they hosted that was featured in Martha Stewart Magazine! Check it out!
MUST EAT ITEM: Kimberly's favorite dish on the brunch menu is the coconut pancakes, they are light and airy and delicious. Add a side of bacon to make the meal complete.
For dinner, Kimberly would recommend every guest try the grilled kangaroo. People are often apprehensive when they see it on the menu but it is amazing! If not done right, kangaroo can be a bit "gamey" but their's is tender and delicious. It is featured on the starter menu so it is a small portion but just enough. I tried it and would absolutely recommend it to anyone and I will definitely order it again in the future!
WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW: For a special night out, Kimberly would treat herself to the Sunday Supper , which PUBLIC has been hosting for the last six years. Sunday Supper is sort of PUBLIC's version of "Iron Chef." Each of the five chefs come in on Sunday morning, see what ingredients are on hand and he or she will create a course for the evening that is not on the regular dinner menu. The entire five course meal is created the same day including appropriate wine tastings for each course. T he crowd favorite will be added as a special for the week. The event allows for awesome creativity and friendly competition among the chefs. It is only $50 for the five course meal, which is the same price as when they first started offering it and Kimberly says they will never change the price. Definitely a hidden gem!
Kimberly has been with PUBLIC nine of the ten years since they opened. She is the lady you call to book a special event. We are LOVING a recent wedding they hosted that was featured in Martha Stewart Magazine! Check it out!
MUST EAT ITEM: Kimberly's favorite dish on the brunch menu is the coconut pancakes, they are light and airy and delicious. Add a side of bacon to make the meal complete.
|
|---|
| Coconut pancakes with fresh ricotta, mango salad and ginger-lime syrup |
For dinner, Kimberly would recommend every guest try the grilled kangaroo. People are often apprehensive when they see it on the menu but it is amazing! If not done right, kangaroo can be a bit "gamey" but their's is tender and delicious. It is featured on the starter menu so it is a small portion but just enough. I tried it and would absolutely recommend it to anyone and I will definitely order it again in the future!
|
|---|
| Grilled kangaroo on a coriander falafel with lemon tahini sauce and green pepper relish |
On any given day, Kimberly goes for the ricotta cavatelli or a burger from The Daily
cocktail lounge next door,
one of PUBLIC's sister restaurants.
|
|---|
| Ricotta cavatelli with carrot Bolognese, Thai basil and cashew pesto |
|
|---|
| Burger at The Daily |
WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW: For a special night out, Kimberly would treat herself to the Sunday Supper , which PUBLIC has been hosting for the last six years. Sunday Supper is sort of PUBLIC's version of "Iron Chef." Each of the five chefs come in on Sunday morning, see what ingredients are on hand and he or she will create a course for the evening that is not on the regular dinner menu. The entire five course meal is created the same day including appropriate wine tastings for each course. T he crowd favorite will be added as a special for the week. The event allows for awesome creativity and friendly competition among the chefs. It is only $50 for the five course meal, which is the same price as when they first started offering it and Kimberly says they will never change the price. Definitely a hidden gem!
Labels: shopkeepers secrets
Friday, August 16, 2013
The Weekly Roundup: Bagel Bites on Bleecker, Ramen Burgers, The Narrow House Sells
+NYC NEWS+
- Tiny restaurants turn into small wonders : Honey, I shrunk the café! Across Manhattan, local food entrepreneurs, eager to open their own storefronts, are squeezing into tiny, shoebox-shaped retail properties less than 200 square feet in size. Traditionally, such nooks were reserved for jewelry or scarf sellers, or the occasional magazine and newspaper stand. Food operators, subject to stringent rules and regulations from the city's Department of Health, usually steered clear.
- U.S. Tennis Association puts a roof on it for US Open : USTA unveils designs for its transformed facilities in Flushing Meadows, Queens. The main attraction is a new roof for Arthur Ashe Stadium which will protect matches at the U.S. Open from the rain delays.
- Activity Gives Orchard Street New Bloom : Small businesses and larger developments are taking the place of garment stores. Once home to dozens of garment stores, the three-block stretch of Orchard Street between Grand and Division streets is seeing a flurry of deals spanning from small entrepreneurs renting storefronts to large-scale property sales and development.
+INDUSTRY NEWS+
- No Cheesecake for You! : Owner of Junior's Is Launching Enduro, Which Won't Feature a Longtime Favorite: On Friday, dinner service begins at his Enduro, a $6 million modern American grill in Manhattan's Midtown East neighborhood. Close observers will notice many differences between the sleek, modern space and Junior's upscale-diner vibe, but one stands out: There is no cheesecake on the menu.
- Ramen Burger’s Inventor Talks About the Food Craze Eclipsing the Cronut : A meat patty sandwiched between two fried ramen noodle buns, the ramen burger debuted in Brooklyn, last Saturday. Its inventor, Keizo Shimamoto, tells Marlow Stern the story of this succulent creation. “The juices from the patty soak into the ramen noodles and it resembles a ramen soup,” Shimamoto told The Daily Beast.
- Shake Shack to mix things up in Dumbo : A Brooklyn neighborhood already famous for its foodie queues is about to sprout a new one, with the planned opening next year of the popular burger and ice cream joint.
- Zagat NYC Salad Smackdown : Inspired by Sweetgreen, a new chain that just opened adjacent to the NoMad Hotel, we decided to get in line with the lettuce lovers and test out some leafy options for our midday meal in the West Village and beyond.
+NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS+
- Filling a Hole in New York's Bagel World on Bleecker Street : In the next few weeks, Bantam Bagels will open on Bleecker Street. They will sell mini bagel holes—similar in size to a Dunkin' Donuts Munchkin—with all kinds of fillings. "Our flavors span the gamut." There are dessert flavors and late night flavors; 15 varieties will be sold at a time. One is devoted specifically to Bleecker Street, made of pizza dough with a slice of pepperoni as well as mozzarella from Murray's Cheese and marinara from John's Pizza.
- A Former Apprentice of Jiro Ono Is Coming to the Village : A former apprentice of Jiro Ono (the subject of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi), will be the chef atSushi Nakazawa, an omakase restaurant opening soon in the West Village.
- New York City's Narrowest House Sells for $3.25 Million : Here’s the skinny on the city’s narrowest town house: It just sold for a fat $3.25 million. The historic, three-story home at 75 1/2 Bedford St. — near Sixth Avenue and Houston Street — weighs in at an underfed 990 square feet.
- 11 Great New Places to Get Ice Cream During the August Heat : Dolce “Sweetness in Life” Gelateria : The scene: This is the former L’Arte del Gelato space, rechristened by Salvatore Potestio, a former L’Arte del Gelato co-owner, who got the shop in an amicable split with his partner. Pedigree: Potestio is a native Sicilian; Sicilians love gelato so much they make brioche-bun sandwiches out of the stuff and eat them for breakfast. Don’t miss: Some tasty new texture-forward flavors, like Almond Bliss, Oreo, and Rocher, that would do Ben and Jerry proud.
- South of West Fourth Street: Tracking the ‘Ghosts of Bohemia’ : By turns raffish and intimate, boisterous and quaint, Greenwich Village below Washington Square Park and West Fourth Street has such a distinct local feel that it might best be described with one self-referential word: “Villagey.” And he meets friends around the corner at the 98-year-old Caffe Dante , across Macdougal Street from a row of neo-Federal-style town houses, landmarks whose facades are painted in candy-shop colors. Old World food shops still thrive on Bleecker west of Sixth: O. Ottomanelli & Sons meat market, Faicco’s Italian Specialties , Pasticceria Rocco.
- Morimoto Taking Over Japonais in Chicago, Sign of What's to Come in Vegas? : Here's an interesting twist in the Masaharu Morimoto empire. True, he's already announced his restaurant coming to the Mirage in 2014. And true it is taking over the Japonais space. Now comes word that Morimoto of Iron Chef fame is helming the kitchen of Japonais in Chicago and changing the name to Japonais by Morimoto. Could this be a sign for what's really to come at the Mirage?
- Peels's "Orange" cocktail is featured in NYT's T-Magazine this week : Peels features an Aperol Cocktail With a Tropical Twist.
- World Chefs: Silk Road journey of noodles, dumplings and family : Jen Lin-Liu, a U.S.-born resident of China, was taking a pasta-making course in Rome when she began wondering whether the tale of Marco Polo bringing noodles to Italy from China was actually true. Her curiosity led her along the Silk Road, the ancient trade route linking Asia and Europe, eating the different kinds of pasta she found and speaking candidly with women as they cooked together in kitchens along the way. Lin-Liu, who runs a Beijing cooking school and now lives in the Chinese city of Chengdu, spoke with Reuters about noodles, dumplings and her just-published book "On the Noodle Road".
Labels: Weekly Round-Up
Friday, August 9, 2013
The Weekly Round-Up: Lab-Grown Burgers, Fresh Fries, and Frank Bruni
+FOODS OF NY TOURS NEWS+
- Double-Barrelled Travel, Top 5 local bites with Foods of New York Tours : "Foods of New York Tour through Greenwich Village is one of the best things we’ve done in the USA so far." Big props to Raheem for his amazing tour!
- Adventures of a Middle-Aged Drama Queen, Foods of Ny Tours : "It had been an AMAZING three-hour tour of Greenwich Village...with some history, culture, trivia, food--and SURPRISES--thrown in." Three cheers for Susan for her excellent tour guide skills!
+NYC NEWS+
- Competition bubbles up for craft brewers in NY : By this time next year, the city could be home to as many as 20 craft breweries, up from the current 14 today. While craft-beer sales have been rising locally and nationally, some fear a beer bubble from the new arrivals. Others wonder how the smaller breweries might survive in one of the nation's most expensive real estate markets.
- Tavern on the Green gains financial backer : A Boston-based private-equity investor has emerged as the financial backer of the Central Park restaurant Tavern on the Green. Jack Le Roy of Summit Partners, who is no relation to the LeRoy family that had run Tavern on the Green for decades before its 2010 closure, plans to reopen the restaurant by the end of the year with Emerald Green, the Philadelphia firm that won the operating license from the city last year.
- Now Legal: 10 a.m. Brunch in NYC : For the first time in more than four decades this weekend, NYC restaurants legally opened sidewalk seating before noon for Sunday brunch. A city law dating from 1971 had forbidden sidewalk seating before midday, but some Brooklyn restaurants had recently fought the oft-ignored rule, prompting the City Council to move the Sunday opening time to 10 a.m.
- Woolworth Building Gives Peeks at Its Historic Lobb y: For years, enjoyment of the detailed mosaic ceilings and intricately sculpted figures of the Woolworth Building's lobby has been restricted to its office workers and their guests. But now, 100 years after it opened, the public can view the lobby once again in small tour groups organized by the great-granddaughter of the building's architect, Cass Gilbert.
- Bloomberg gets serious about Seaport City : Just months before leaving office, the mayor has issued a request for proposals for a new effort to both shield lower Manhattan from storm waters and to create new economic opportunities.
+INDUSTRY NEWS+
- Shake Shack Serves Fresh-Cut Fries for the First Time Ever : After nine years in business, Shake Shack is finally making the switch from frozen crinkle-cut French fries to fresh-cut French fries.
- TripAdvisor ranks New York pizza as fourth best?!? Fuggedaboutit : The Big Apple's best pie makers - like Di Fara's, Totonno's and John's of Bleecker Street - apparently didn't stack up to the pizzas prepped in culinary destinations like San Diego, Las Vegas, and Boston, which represent the top three.
- A Lab-Grown Burger Gets a Taste Test : A hamburger made from cow muscle grown in a laboratory was fried, served and eaten in London on Monday in an odd demonstration of one view of the future of food.
+NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS+
- Frank Bruni Tweets Rafele : @FrankBruni, Aug 3rd "Terrific dinner last nite at under-the-radar Rafele in NYC's West Vill. Eggplant parmigiana, margherita pizza and ravioli in particular."
- A Peak Inside 9.5 Million Greenwich Townhouse : Joshua Gurwitz purchased this property at 23 Downing Street, pictured at center, in Greenwich Village in 2011 for $3.35 million.
- Marc Jacobs to Open a Dedicated Store for His New Beauty Line : Marc Jacobs is no stranger to switching around his Bleecker Street stores, but The Shophound recently noticed a pretty big move: the women's collection accessories store will soon become an outpost for the designer's inaugural beauty collection.
- Alan Richman: ZZ's, the Most Expensive 58 Minutes in New York Dining : ZZ's is incredible. It's a supremely stylish, delicious raw bar. But if it's going to cost $316 per hour—two can get a grand meal at a 4-star restaurant in New York for not much more—it has to upgrade the experience.
- Chelsea Market Openings : Chelsea Market, which débuted sixteen years ago, can feel like an open secret: the former Nabisco factory’s unassuming façade hides a cavernous, cobblestoned food court dense with tantalizing eateries and still growing.
- The Smile: Adrian Grenier’s “Perfect For” Picks for Birthdays : “Low key with an intimate atmosphere. This is a great spot to share good food with good friends.”
- Fried Dumpling Named Among Top 5 Fastest Dollar Dumpling Spots in Manhattan's Chinatown : I visited five restaurants last December, armed with a dollar in one hand and a timer in the other, to see who could deliver the tastiest fastest dumpling in a New York minute--and who puts the dump in dumpling.
Labels: Weekly Round-Up
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
FNYT Photo Contest -- Now on Facebook, Twitter, AND Instagram!
We at Foods of New York Tours are super excited to announce the launch of our NEW Instagram page!!! Clickto follow us. Sharing #foodporn is part of our job after all...
Since February 2010, we have hosted a monthly photo contest on our. Winners receive 2 free tickets for another tour. That's a lot of free tours!
Starting this month, we are now running photo contests on THREE different social media networks--which means guests have TRIPLE the ways to win. Each month, we will pick a different photo contest winner on, Twitter
, and .
Pick your favorite way to connect with Foods of New York Tours--or post photos on ALL THREE channels to increased your odds of winning.
Here are some tips: When you post a bunch of photos, we know you really want to win. And the real secret to winning? REMEMBER to upload your photos!
How do you enter? Connect with Foods of NYTours
Pick your favorite way to connect with Foods of New York Tours--or post photos on ALL THREE channels to increased your odds of winning.
Here are some tips: When you post a bunch of photos, we know you really want to win. And the real secret to winning? REMEMBER to upload your photos!
How do you enter? Connect with Foods of NYTours
- Twitter: Tweet us your photos @ FoodsofNewYork
- Instagram: Use the hashtag #foodsofnytours and post to us
Check out the slideshows below of the past 44 months of winners!
Labels: in the 'hood
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Weekly Round-Up: Umami Burger, JT, and cell phones in the subway
+FOODS OF NY TOURS NEWS+
- The Daily Meal, "The Best of Chelsea Market" : In this video, Foods of NY Tours takes The Daily Meal on a tour of Chelsea Market. A big thanks for Darrel for his excellent presentation!
- Foods of NY Tours Blog, "Meet the Guide: Sephrah" : Heather sat down with Sephrah for our continuing "Meet the Guide" series. She will be interviewing all interested tour guides. Stay tuned!
+NYC NEWS+
- Another Bidder Moves to Upset Empire State Plan : Malkin Holdings reveals that a buyer wants to purchase second largest building in the proposed $5 billion real estate investment trust.
- Elevated park planned for Governors Island : Google's Eric Schmidt and wife give $15 million to help build hilly respite with 80-foot mounds offering big sweeping views of New York Harbor, skyline and Lady Liberty.
- New York Subway Stations to Get Wireless Coverage From Sprint : Sprint said it will offer mobile-phone coverage in all of New York City’s 277 subway stations, seeking to catch up to AT&T and T-Mobile. The third-biggest U.S. wireless carrier will have service in 36 stations in the Midtown and Chelsea neighborhoods by early next year.
+INDUSTRY NEWS+
- A French Dining Staple Is Losing Its Place at the Table : The French, it seems, are falling out of love. Not with free health care, or short workweeks, or long vacations in August. But with bread.
- F.D.A. Sets Standard for Foods Labeled Gluten Free : The federal government on Friday set a standard for gluten-free claims on food labels, a step that health officials said would help the three million Americans with celiac disease and bring uniformity to the $4 billion market for gluten-free products.
- Texas Hotel Fulfills Guest's Ridiculous Request : A great example of customer service in action.
+NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS+
- Umami Burger Opens in West Village : The first New York location of Adam Fleischman's LA-based chain is now open in Greenwich Village. Umami Burger specializes in burgers that are topped with umami-rich ingredients like sautéed mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and Parmesan crisps. And if you don't like umami, the restaurant also offers things like bacon and cheddar burgers, veggie burgers, and "Cali" burgers. Umami Burger has been mobbed since opening day.
- San Remo: Hanging a plaque where the Beat generation hung out : From 1925 to 1967, the San Remo bar and restaurant ran the length of the building at the northwest corner of Bleecker and MacDougal Sts. and was a hangout for the most creative Village folks of the day, a who’s who of the Beat generation. On Monday, a new plaque was unveiled on the MacDougal side, commemorating the venue’s significance to the Village and to its era.
- Jacques Torres Chocolate Closes Chelsea Market Location
- Not Just Sexy: An Exhibition on French Lingerie : Mysterious, luxurious, and culturally significant — that is the history of French underthings, or so an exhibition opening this Wednesday at the Chelsea Market aims to show. Backed by Promincor, the French association of lingerie, the show has been on tour in Paris, London, Shanghai, Dubai, and Berlin, and it is topping off its year abroad with a stop here in New York, ending August 6.
- Sietsema's Ode to Chelsea Market : Robert Siestema tackles Chelsea Market.
- Williamsburg Next In Line For a Chelsea Market Imitation : Chelsea Market isn't expanding to Williamsburg, but it seems to be the go-to comparison model for a couple of mall-esque projects, including those in Bushwick and Long Island City . The latest development to draw cues from the Market is South Williamsburg's "TheArtisan" at 109 South Fifth Street—which actually was designed by the same architect as Chelsea Market.
- Justin Timberlake Dances Through New York in 'Take Back the Night' : Justin Timberlake mixes dancing in the streets with a concert performance in his new video for "Take Back the Night." The song is the first single off Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 and harkens back to the days when nightlife ruled the city that never sleeps. In the video, Timberlake dances his way through New York, making stops in Chinatown and at Yankee Stadium, where he performs with a live band.
Labels: Weekly Round-Up
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Meet the Guide: Sephrah
Meet
Sephrah, tour guide on our Original Greenwich Village Tour
. Read on to learn
her tips for the ultimate New York experience and where to find the best New
York cheesecake.
How did you get started
with Foods of New York Tours?
I
became friends with Todd [owner of Foods of New York Tours] back in 2002. Years later, when I was not working, I
remember he said tour guiding seemed like a good thing for me to do, so I
reached out to him, and he said “let’s see how it goes.” That was several years
ago.
What do you think
differentiates Foods of New York Tours from other tours?
The
involvement and passion of not only the founder, but also the people in front
of and behind the scenes. I don’t know of many other companies that operate the
way we do. It seems from the outside it is all very simple, but the amount of
work that goes into it is incredible, and it’s ongoing. Although our world
seems very autonomous, we have a connection with one another as guides that I
have never seen with any other company. When we run into each other, or go to
events together, there is a real comradery that I cherish.
What do you think is so
special about the businesses we work with?
The
shops and restaurants we work with and the people that we see on a regular
basis are
our tour. It enhances my
experience as a guide, and legitimizes what we’re doing, which is showing off
the wonderful things about this community and what it has to offer to people
from all over the world. When I see someone I know from one of the shops, it
feels like we’re not just friends but
we’re
co-workers. We have a very strong relationship. If that wasn’t there I can’t
imagine how we would be able to do what we’re doing.
What's something that
your tour guests might not know about you?
I’m
writing a book on happiness…it’s a parody. I’m giving myself 10 years to write
it. You can get advanced copies now…
I’ve
been skydiving Upstate New York. I feel like if you’ve been skydiving,
it’s a pass for everything else ever. Somebody offers you something creepy to
eat that you don’t want you just say, “you know, I’ve been skydiving.”
What is your favorite
NYC neighborhood?
It’s
changed over the years. When I lived near Stuyvesant Park that was my favorite
place to be, but since I moved to Brooklyn, the West Village is my favorite
neighborhood. It’s the most familiar to me even though it’s changed over the
years, and it has the most community feel for me. That’s what I find people are
surprised by most when they first come to New York, that there really are
neighborhoods. This one feels like my neighborhood.
Do you have a
“non-Manhattan” favorite neighborhood?
Of
course that would be where I live now in Brooklyn. I live in South Slope, which
is just past Park Slope. Since I moved there it’s become my
community. My husband works at several of the neighborhood
restaurants, so I know the people who work at the restaurants. As I’m walking
around with my kid, everyone says “hello.” And with Prospect Park so close I
can explore new places everyday.
What's one place that
everyone, New Yorker and tourist alike, has to go to?
I
can think of a few places I really like: Rock Center. Chinatown. I like a bike
ride all the way down the Lower East Side, along the water. There are some
fantastic bike paths there. Ok, number one place… walk over the Brooklyn Bridge!
That’s the ultimate New York experience. I’ve done it with people who’ve
visited from all over the country and I’m like “this is so great!” and you get
both views [Brooklyn and Manhattan].
Are you a savory person
or a sweet person?
I’m
a trained pastry chef, so I would automatically say I’m a sweet person. I don’t
cook savory food, but I enjoy savory food that’s cooked for me. I am a big
critic; I always order dessert because if it’s good, it’s great and if it’s not
good I’ll know right away. I don’t like overly sweet desserts and I still bake,
but not professionally.
Any sweets we should
check out in New York?
I
spent just under a year working as a cheesecake baker at the Oyster Bar Restaurant
in Grand Central Terminal. So I am a stern critic of cheesecakes. I used to
make 50 a day. I still eat cheesecake and I really like chocolate cheesecake. I
find it’s hard to track down a really good one, but I believe the Oyster Bar makes
the best. Aside from Rafele
cheesecake, which is TOTALLY different. Italian vs.
New York. Oyster Bar’s is absolute classic New York Cheesecake, the best you
can get.
What's a place that's
not on one of the tours that you're totally in love with?
Russ and Daughters
! It’s where my grandparents shopped and would bring food to every
member of our family when they would visit. Years ago, before tour guiding, I
had a friend from out of town visiting and my husband and I took him to Houston
Street. I stopped to tell him about Russ and Daughters and my connection to it.
One of the owners came out and talked to us, he said, “I’m sure I know your
grandparents.” It meant a lot to me. I also crave the food.
If people venture to
Russ and Daughters on their trip, what do they have to have?
First look at everything, because you will see things you
have not seen before if it’s not your culture. My favorite is baked salmon—not to
be confused with lox—with cream cheese
on a bagel. If you like, it you’ll love it. You won’t find better.
Labels: meet the guide
