DOH to Grade Restaurants | Take Over Tavern on the Green

	February 2, 2009
Endangered City Now Accepting Proposals for the Future ‘Tavern on the Green’ First the Ciprianis are ejected from the Rainbow Room, and now the operators of Tavern on the Green may have to give up their $36 million Central Park operation. As noted earlier, the lease is up, and per a press release, the city is currently accepting proposals from potential tenants. Read More » Neighborhood Watch The Case of the Light Cannoli The blogger Sheepshead Bites is accusing Cuccio’s bakery, open in Brighton Beach since 1936, of deliberately selling half-filled cannoli. The confronted baker “acted like a thief caught red-handed,” writes Bites. Read More » For The Fridge Stumptown Now Available in Frozen Form, Too Not to be outdone by the General Greene’s Counter Culture coffee ice cream, Marlow & Daughters is selling ice cream made from Stumptown espresso, at $9 for a pint. Truth is, our batch didn’t taste all that different from, say, Häagen-Dazs’s coffee ice cream... Read More » Openings Gramercy’s Pizza Pub Promises Pizza and a Pint for $5 The owners of Murray Hill café Push are hoping to reopen by the end of the week as the Pizza Pub. The motto, “A pint, a pie, a slice and a shot,” evokes an Alligator-style operation, and a manager confirms that there will be specials along the lines of a slice and pint for $5 (there will also be a pie-and-pitcher combo). Read More » Reopenings Market Diner Scores Booze to Go With Those Disco Fries While the Cheyenne is still sitting empty in Midtown West, there’s activity at another diner around the corner. The recently reopened sixties gem, the Market Diner, scored its liquor license last week. On tap: Stella, Carlsberg, Blue Moon, and Sam Adams. Read More » In the Magazine Platt Finds Enthusiasm at Shang; Mussels Return to NY Menus In the magazine this week, Adam Platt finds it “refreshing to see the arrival of an experienced and talented chef who’s not afraid to reach for the stars,” and gives Susur Lee’s Shang two stars. Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld notice that mussels are served all over town, as everything from pizza toppings to potpie fillings. The Robs also consult their chef Rolodex to see what toques think of Governor David Paterson’s proposed obesity tax. (Spoiler: They’re not crazy about it.) Read More » Health Concerns Payard, Insieme, and Sarabeth’s Would Be Publicly Shamed by New DOH Postings The Times reports that while the Department of Health is having its budget and staff cut, it hopes to hire 45 restaurant inspectors (to the tune of $4.8 million) in order to implement a new program in which restaurants will be forced to display hygiene scores. This is not good news for... Read More » Mediavore Kyle Bailey in at Allen & Delancey; Nobu Settles With Waiters • Kyle Bailey, formerly of Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Cru, will be replacing Neil Ferguson at Allen & Delancey. [Diner's Journal/NYT] • Nobu has reached a $2.5 million settlement with former waiters who allege that they were stiffed on tips. [NYP] • Did Gossip Girl cast members walk out on a $500 tab at Brother Jimmy's on Thursday? [NYP] • Another day, another tax problem for the Ciprianis: This time, the state Department of Taxation and Finance issued the restaurant group with a warrant for over $900K in unpaid taxes from 2005 and 2006. [NYP] • Plans for a Fulton Street outpost of Amy Ruth's have fallen through. No word yet on what will go into the former T.G.I. Friday's space. [Crain's] • Canada-themed meatpacking-district spot the Inn LW12 is no more. [Zagat Buzz] • Councilmember David Yassky has introduced a bill to legalize beekeeping — and its delicious counterpart, local honey — in the city. [Serious Eats New York] • Nizza is the latest restaurant to go gluten-free, offering celiac-safe French and Italian fare. [Gluten-Free NYC] Reopenings Holland Bar Still Closed, Despite Paper of Record's Assertion It’s good news that, according to two separate articles in the Times, landlords are giving retailers breaks on rent even as operating costs remain high and certain restaurants continue to be pushed out of Manhattan — or are at risk of closing altogether. Read More »