New Gottino Video, Waffles in SoHo, Authentic Mexican in Williamsburg

// This Week on Savory Cities //

Gottino, Jody Williams' popular enoteca on Greenwich Avenue in the West Village, is as good a place as any you'll find in NYC to enjoy a nice glass of wine and small bites of crostini, charcuterie, cheese and more. New York Magazine, Time Out and The New York Times all seem to agree and have praised Gottino's casual atmosphere and creative menu.

Watch the Savory Cities Gottino video to hear Jody Williams talk about what to expect when you visit and who's allowed to sit in the charming back garden. 

// Recently Opened //

• PetalBelle - The owners of Lombardi's have opened this cozy spot specializing in traditional Belgian waffles.
• Lulu - A new SoHo spot serving contemporary European and American cuisine.
• La Superior - Inexpensive, authentic Mexican in Williamsburg.

// This Week's Restaurant Reviews //

• NY Times: Frank Bruni reviews Persimmon and gives it 1 of 4 stars. "Chef and owner, Youngsun Lee, is interested first and foremost in making his cooking -- which veers from daringly creative in one dish to steadfastly authentic in the next -- as accessible as possible. He wants to ease you into a meal that won't be all that familiar, even if you're versed in Korean cuisine."
• New York Magazine: Platt is off again. In his place, The Underground Gourmet visits The General Greene and calls it the "epitome of NBC (New Brooklyn Cuisine)."
• The New York Sun: Paul Adams reviews Forge restaurant in Tribeca.  This is the second review to rave about Larry Forgione's son adeptly taking the torch and running with it. "The food is solidly American -- American even to the point of pointedly poking fun at itself, as in an appetizer of chicken nuggets ($12). These could not be a farther cry from the lifeless, extruded, synthetic-tasting fast-food ones. You get three bite-size spheres of dark-meat, free-range chicken that tastes as rich as confit, breaded and fried and served with a smoky mayonnaise; it's a show-off dish, with tremendous flavor."

// Blogs, Newsletters...etc. //

• Harold McGee, New York Times contributor and author of On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, is answering reader questions over at Diner's Journal.
• GQ Forked Blog: It's a good one this week as Alan Richman visits two Japanese restaurants specializing in kaiten sushi, or sushi delivery via conveyor belt. First up Richman has positive notes on East Japanese Restaurant in Murray Hill. Up in Midtown he checks out Sakae Sushi, which opened in the spring. Richman has two negative experiences at Sakae, including an order of maguro sashimi that "came to the table frozen solid. It was like eating a tuna ice pop."
• Insatiable Critic: Gael Greene writes a short blurb about her visit to Convivio. Includes some positive and some negative comments.

// In Other News //

• Add another restaurant to Graydon Carter's budding hospitality empire. The Vanity Fair editor has purchased Monkey Bar from The Glazier Group, who has owned the restaurant since 1994 (per NYTimes). The restaurant served its last dinner on Aug 4th and is now closed for renovation.
• Restaurant Daniel is closed for renovations.
• Danube closed August 2nd and will reopen in 1-2 months as a French/Italian/Mediterranean restaurant.

// Upcoming Events //

Join the 'Crayfish Week' celebration at Aquavit from August 11th to the 17th. The Cafe is offering a prix-fixe menu for $48 as well as a la carte items like 1lb of crayfish plus boiled potatoes, garlic bread and cheese for $25.