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Oak Room, Oak Bar finally reopen at The Plaza hotel
 Since the storied Plaza reopened its doors in March after a controversial 3-year renovation that made the legendary hotel part condo, its luxury services have been opening its doors one by one.
The Palm Court and Champagne Bar opened in mid-March, posh shops have been opening including Vertu (which makes diamond-encrusted cell phones,) the Caudalie Spa opened at The Plaza in October.
And now its the Oak Bar and Oak Room’s turn.
A hotel official told NewYorkology that both venues opened for business last week.
Fox even has a report that the bar’s already hosted the celebrity-filled after-party for an early screening of Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman upcoming turns in stage to-screen flick “Doubt.”
See Zagat.com for pictures inside the renovated Oak Room and the full menu at Eater.
Image source: The Plaza’s official website, operated by Fairmont.
November 20, 2008 9:43 AM Comments (0)
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Recession Restaurant Week deals start today
It’s not quite time for Winter Restaurant Week, but something like it.
 Today marks the start of OpenTable Appetite Stimulus Plan, which allows diners to get three-course $24 lunches or $35 dinners at some of New York City’s best restaurants including the 21 Club, Bar Boulud, Grayz, Perry Street, Bryant Park Grill, Kittichai, Mai House, Nougatine at Jean Georges, Tabla and Frankie & Johnnie’s Steakhouse.
The prices are per person and do not include drinks, tax or tip.
The deals run through Friday.
OpenTable.com is a free, highly reputable online booking site that lets you make meal reservations painlessly.
On that same theme, Crain’s has an unsettling story about restaurant recession specials that quotes one chef calling the business climate worse than after Sept. 11.
That certainly means closures to come.
In the meantime, Crain’s outlines several deals, including Park Avenue Bistro’s two-for-one meal deal on Mondays and Tuesdays starting next week.
Elsewhere, NYConvergence points to the launch of LunchTimeDeals, which has text coupons including 10 percent off at Johnny Utah’s and The Waterstone Grill or an $8.95 Three-Course Prix Fixe Winter Lunch Special at Focacceria.
Update: See New York mag’s excellent list of recession specials.
Earlier: Gray’s Papaya recession special rising to $4.45
November 17, 2008 10:31 AM Comments (0)
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The Chatwal debuts details for hotel at Lambs Club
 The Chatwal, the 88-room luxury hotel preparing to open in the former Lambs Club theater headquarters off Times Square, has launched its website and revealed high-end plans for its rooms - and a slight nod to its past.
The ground floor of the landmark Stanford White building will house a 90-seat restaurant in a club-like setting called The Lambs Club. Helmed by chef Geoffrey Zakarian, they’re aiming for “modern, New York cuisine with seasonal ingredients” and “handcrafted, prohibition era cocktails.”
The hotel itself, designed by Thierry Despont, aims for deco modernism with nickel trim, jewel-toned glass and plans of “elevating the classic travel trunk to objet d’art.” Rooms will feature 42-inch flat screen TV with DVD and on demand video, Internet, Bose stereo with CD and MP3 player connections, multi-line cordless phone, 400-thread count linens, down duvets and pillows, and private butler service upon request. On site spa services will be provided by Chopra Center & Spa.
The Chatwal hopes to open “late 2008,” according to the website. It’s located at 130 West 44th St., map.
Just a month ago, Chatwal Hotels opened Stay Hotel on 47th Street. Rooms there currently start around $199.
To learn the history of the Lambs Club, see Christopher Gray’s 1999 Streetscapes column for the New York Times.
Earlier: New NYC hotels: Vu, Cooper Sq., Ace, Wolf, Crosby St.
Hotel news: openings, deals, and avg room now $350
November 12, 2008 11:54 AM Comments (0)
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Getting to know Staten Island, one pizza slice at a time
NewYorkology contributor Anna Links boarded the Staten Island Ferry last weekend, headed for the press preview of SINY’s new pizza tour. Her report:
Larry Ambrosino knows what you think of Staten Island and he is not impressed.
Larry is a third generation Staten Islander and the executive director of SINY, an initiative dedicated to promoting his often overlooked borough. Beginning November 8 at 11 a.m., SINY will offer the Staten Island Pizza Tour to lure you beyond the ferry terminal.
For $40, you’ll travel by mini-bus for slices at four of Staten Island’s finest pizzerias with several local attractions interspersed for the benefit of both your digestion and Staten Island edification.
Moreover, your money buys you a day trip to a New York you’ve probably never seen, except maybe on television.
The pizza is good.
However, the Staten Islanders themselves are the attraction. You may have some notions about them. Before you deliver another Staten Island joke though, visit them in their natural habitat. There’s a powerful community feeling to the restaurants and to the tour: a lot of handshakes and announcements of who went to school with whom and who used to coach whom in football. Since the tour functions to promote the hidden charms of Staten Island, the tour members on Saturday were treated as distinguished guests. It’s essentially public relations through pizza.
At each pizza stop, we were greeted by the owner of the establishment and ushered to a banquet room. Piping hot pizzas were swiftly delivered and devoured. Cheese pizza was the standard at Joe & Pat’s and Lee’s Tavern, (pictured, whole pie.)
At Jimmy Max we tried the Max Special margherita (pictured, slice at top) and DeNino’s gave us small slices of both cheese and margherita. Pitchers of soda were ordered up for the tables. Be aware there are distinct pizza factions. At DeNino’s, in fact, we met a patron who grew up in Brooklyn, lives in New Jersey and travels to Staten Island for his pizza.
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October 30, 2008 11:16 AM Comments (0)
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JetBlue officially moves to JFK's iconic Terminal 5
New York-based JetBlue this morning officially shifted its JFK operations into Terminal 5, the iconically winged Eero Saarinen-designed landmark built for TWA in 1962.
Terminal 5 is outfitted with 26 gates, 20 security lanes, free wi-fi, 22 restaurants and 25 shops, including Muji to Go, Borders, WFAN shop, XpresSpa, CNBC Newsstand, Ron Jon Surf Shop, Jamba Juice, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Dunkin’ Donuts and Deep Blue Sushi.
JetBlue’s Terminal 5 blog, Jetting Comes Home, is documenting the first day like crazy, including pictures of passengers from the Burbank flight collecting their luggage at 5:10 a.m.
A handful of JetBlue flights will continue to arrive at Terminal 4 — planes from Cancún, Puerto Plata, St. Maarten, Santiago and Santo Domingo — so passengers can clear U.S. Customs and Immigration there, according to the advisory on JetBlue’s website.
Image source: JetBlue’s Jetting Comes Home blog banner.
Earlier: JetBlue on track to reopen Terminal 5 at JFK in fall
JetBlue begins work on $875 mln terminal at JFK
JetBlue to revive historic TWA terminal at JFK
October 22, 2008 11:41 AM Comments (0)
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Calexico named NYC's best street food vendor for '08
 Cal-Mex street cart Calexico was named the best street food vendor in New York City’s 2008 Vendy awards, with the Treats Truck picking up the nod for best sweets.
The People’s Choice winner for the savory category was the Biryani Cart Midtown Lunch reports. (Sweets was stictly People’s Choice.)
See Serious Eats for full coverage and pictures of the Saturday cookoff.
Calexico, which is usually parked at the corner of Wooster and Prince Streets, has plans for its own brick-and-mortar restaurant. It plans to take over the old Schnack location near Red Hook Brooklyn. Calexico will be located at 122 Union St, map.
Image source: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
Earlier: Vendy Awards picks NYC’s four best dessert trucks
Best street-cart food finalists picked for Vendy Awards
October 20, 2008 7:23 AM Comments (0)
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Gray’s Papaya recession special rising to $4.45
 Unlike some politicians and economists, one new York City fast-food purveyor has never been afraid to use the “r” word. But now that their time has really come, Gray’s has some news that’s practically depressing.
Gray’s Papaya “recession special” of two hot dogs and a drink will soon rise to $4.45 from $3.50, according to the New York Times.
The deal was priced at $1.95 through most of the ’90s, the Times reports, but it rose to $2.45 in 2002, then $2.75, and finally to $3.50 in 2006. In 2006, signs in the window read: “Bummer!! We fight the good fight but our costs keep going up and we will soon be forced to raise our prices. Please don’t hate us!”
See Wikipedia for a list of Gray’s Papaya references in movies, music, TV and books, including “The Warriors,” William Gibson’s “Spook Country” and “Sex and the City.”
Picture credit: 2006 pre-recession Recession Special sign. Amy Langfield/NewYorkology
October 19, 2008 10:58 AM Comments (0)
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Shake Shack soft-opens behind natural history museum
 Burger-cult emporium Shake Shack has opened its second location, and A Hamburger Today has the Friday-night pictures to prove it.
However, the burger blog cautions:Apparently this was a friends and family thing, so there’s no guarantee that the new location is going to officially open early this weekend, as hinted at in this email from SS officialdom. The new Upper West Side location will be serving mostly the same menu as at the original location in Madison Square Park, but with additions including a new “concrete” dessert, the Natural History “Crunch-stellation” with vanilla custard, malt, Valrhorna chocolate crunchies, caramel and hot fudge.
Shake Shack’s new location is 366 Columbus at 77th Street, map.
Picture credit: Shake Shack behind the American Museum of Natural History, as seen earlier this week. Amy Langfield/NewYorkology
October 18, 2008 7:28 AM Comments (0)
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Grand Havana Room opens for $425 cigar dinner
 The members-only Grand Havana Room will open to the public on Wednesday night for a posh cigar dinner.
The price tag for the 2008 God of Fire Charity Dinner: $425.
That gets you not only entrance to the 39th-floor club at 666 Fifth Avenue, but a four-course meal, wine, a God of Fire lighter and three God of Fire cigars, Cigar Aficionado reports.
Image source: Grand Havana
Earlier: 2006 list of New York bars that legally allow smoking
October 14, 2008 8:49 AM Comments (0)
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New NYC hotels: Vu, Cooper Sq., Ace, Wolf, Crosby St.
There are a slew of hotels under construction in New York City. Here’s a look at several, including some preparing to open before the end of the year.
 The Kimpton-run Vu Hotel, which is billing itself as “the first upscale hotel in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen,” touts a “fall 2008” opening, but January 15 is the earliest date its online reservation system will let you book a room, (from $375.)
The former printing house has been remade by designer David Rockwell, architect Carlos Zapata and filled with the photography of Michael Palladino. Its roof-top lounge will have views of Times Square and the Hudson River, according to the hotel website.
As for dining, the 80-seat restaurant Print will be located on the ground floor, serving a seasonally-inspired locavore menu drawing inspiration from the South of France and the Southern Italy’s Mezzogiorno region.
On the 16th floor, Clear will serve breakfast and lunch, switching to cocktails and champagne by night. There’s seating for 66 inside and 177 outside. Oh, then there’s the semi-private cabanas as well.
Rooms at the Vu will come with wi-fi, WebTV, iHome Sound System, flat-screen HDTV cable with over 150 channels, including HBO, Showtime, on-demand movies and games with Nintendo 64, Frette linens, goose-down feather beds, L’Occitane bath products, and French-press coffee upon request.
Vu is located on 11th Avenue at 48th St., map.
Among other hotels under construction, the Trump SoHo condo-hotel aims to open its 399 rooms in spring 2009 with a Quattro restaurant, a 12,000-square-foot spa and outdoor pool deck with private cabanas.
Opening soonish, the Cooper Square Hotel will have soft opening rates of $275, according to HotelChatter.
The Hilton Garden Inn Tribeca hopes to open later this month, but isn’t yet accepting reservations.
The Ace Hotel is targeting an opening in “Winter O8/09” and will be taking reservations “pretty soon” according to the website. Ace Hotel will be located on 29th Street at Broadway.
Thompson’s Smyth Tribeca at 85 West Broadway is scheduled to open “winter 2008/09.”
Manhattan will also get a 60-room hotel at Madison and 27th called The Wolf, according to HotelChatter. It will get its own rooftop venue, the Rioja Lounge, serving food and drinks with views of the Empire State Building and the original Met Life Tower, according to Hotel & Motel Management.
The 167-room Hotel Ludlow, located at 180 Ludlow Street will open in the first quarter of 2009 and will be managed by Desires Hotels. Desires already runs the Mela near Times Square, and will run The Wolf at Madison Square Park, plus another hotel in the works for 2010: the all-suite Cassa Hotel & Residences in Midtown.
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October 9, 2008 10:21 AM Comments (0)
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