Upscale Wine Market Succumbs to Recession | 50 Henry Will Emerge From Its Shadowy Past

	January 2, 2009
Two for Eight Tables Available at Country and Eighty One; Stanton Social and Prune Fully Booked It's 4 p.m., and that means it's time to play Two for Eight. We just asked ten restaurants the best time they can squeeze a couple in for dinner; you need only make your chosen reservation. (As always, we make the calls but don't guarantee the results.) Today: Modern American. Read More » Openings 50 Henry Will Emerge From Its Shadowy Past, As a Wine Bar According to Brooklyn Heights Blog, 50 Henry Street will reopen as a breakfast-and-lunch spot (in late February) as well as a wine bar (by spring), to be jointly owned by the folks behind Cranberry’s and Henry’s End. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Paper lists the address’ old operator, Dan Kaufman (the “Busy Chef” manager accused of credit-card fraud), on its 2009 watch list: “This year, Kaufman’s trial will start — and his lawyer is saying that Kaufman is just a ‘patsy’ for shadowy Brooklyn Heights restaurant partner Alan Young, whose eateries fold like origami. This is going to be the trial of the century!” Well, not quite — but we’ll be happy... Read More » Oenofile Upscale Wine Market Succumbs to Recession Rich people drink just like us! Wine collectors are still buying wine, they're just buying crappier bottles for less money. The Times blog Economix examined trading patterns on the Live-ex 100 Fine Wine Index in London and learned that nearly twice as many bottles were traded in December 2008 as in December 2007. Wine collectors in a pinch are emptying their cellars, but so many bottles are on the market that prices (in dollars) have fallen 40 percent since September. Keep watching the auctions — you might be able to replace that Chateaux Le Box with a little something special in 2009's discount-wine market. Wine as an Economic Indicator Read More » Closings One Less Vegan: Jill’s of Cobble Hill Bites the Dust Shortly before the New Year, we heard that Jill’s of Cobble Hill would be closing this month. Eats describes the organic raw-food café as having “substantial delicious food” and “making converts out of even the most steadfast carnivores.” Apparently it didn’t make enough converts, because, indeed, the site now lists the venue as closed. (There was no answer when we called.) What’s more, this isn’t the only vegetarian eatery we’ll have to say good-bye to early this year. More on that later. Read More » Smokeasies DOH Confirms Increase in Late-Night Smoking Raids After noticing that Socialista, Beatrice Inn, and Goldbar were all cited for smoking violations on the same day, we asked the Department of Health whether the Beatrice had been ordered to close just like Socialista had, and whether there’s been a renewed crackdown on smoking in bars. We were told that yes, inspectors have been conducting more late-night smoking checks at restaurant and bars. Here’s the official word about the Beatrice Inn. Read More » Jacks of All Trades When Doormen Act: Wass and Armin in The Wrestler We knew Marquee doorman Wass Stevens had a bit part in Darren Aronofsky’s highly touted flick The Wrestler (he appears briefly in the trailer), but when we caught it over the holiday, we were surprised to see that Armin Amiri of Socialista also plays the role of Dr. Moayedizadeh, who tells Mickey Rourke he’s washed up. (Another New York Diet alum who makes an appearance: Ajay Naidu.) Obviously, Aronofsky is going to have no trouble getting into all the clubs. But seriously, guy — why no Fabrizio? Read More » Mediavore The Year in Preview; Too-Small Portions at Eleven Madison Park • The Brooklyn Paper's food-related predictions for 2009 include a chocolate feud between Jacques Torres Chocolate and Sunset Park upstart Tumbador Chocolate and big news from Saul Bolton of Smith Street's Saul. [Brooklyn Paper] • Frank Bruni's year-end grab bag of final thoughts includes the complaint that portions are too small at both Eleven Madison Park and Del Posto. [Diner's Journal/NYT] • Eisenberg's Sandwich Shop owner, Josh Konecky, didn't set out to save the restaurant, but is "just trying to hold on to a piece of old New York—I think that’s important to keep something old in New York." • Good news for budget-conscious consumers, bad news for dairy... Read More » Beef Smackdown: Tyler Florence, ‘Least Talented TV Chef,’ vs. Andrew Zimmern, ‘The Guy who Eats Dried Camel Cock’ In an apparent attempt to follow even more closely in the footsteps of Anthony Bourdain, Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods has used his blog to call out “the world’s least talented TV chef” Tyler Florence and his recent performance on Momma’s Boys: “Watching Florence wolf down the food, stare and ogle every ass that strolled by his cutting board and play the role of local TV stud was high comedy of the highest order.” Oh, but it gets better — Florence has responded via his Facebook page! Read More » Community Boards Dumbo Resident’s Plea: No Booze for Sandwiches Happy New Year, folks! It’s January, the month predicted to wreak havoc on the restaurant industry. So what does one concerned citizen do when a small-business owner fights the odds and attempts to bring a humble sandwich joint to his building, seeking a liquor license to buoy his ham-and-cheese creations? Well, they send the following letter to Grub Street and a few other blogs. Read More »