The John Dory, Buttermilk Channel, Macao Trading Co.

// This Week on Savory Cities //

Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the Savory Cities team.

Just prior to bringing on the aforementioned "Savory," we took part in a food tour of Greenwich Village and SoHo to learn about some of NYC's classic food destinations.

// Recently Opened //

• The John Dory - The team behind the West Village juggernaut, The Spotted Pig, have opened up this fish-themed spot in the Meatpacking District. The daily changing menu features choice bivalves and fishes done up in the "British seafood" style.
• Buttermilk Channel - Neighborhood favorite Frankie's 457 has some competition in this new Carroll Gardens "American bistro," which features the cooking of Ryan Angulo, formerly of Stanton Social.
• Macao Trading Co. - Chef David Waltuck of Chanterelle has teamed up with the crew behind Employees Only to serve up delicacies inspired by the former Portuguese colony.
• Vinegar Hill House - Chef Jean Adamson, formerly of Freemans, and her husband, Sam Buffa, have opened up this cozy north DUMBO New American restaurant.

// This Week's Restaurant Reviews //

• NY Times: Bruni visits AvroKO's Double Crown and awards it two stars. "It doesn't take its pledged fusing too seriously or execute it too strenuously: while the menu indeed combines British and Asian traditions, it doesn't always insist on doing so in a single dish."
• NY Magazine: Platt awards Corton four stars. "The avalanche of seasonal ingredients appears to have tempered Liebrandt's flamboyance and focused his creativity. The showy pyrotechnics have disappeared, replaced by food that's technically complex without being exhibitionist, highly refined without being effete."
• Forked: Richman is at Center Cut, "where style and sustainability meet," and suffers through sub-par meat courses before being blown away by all things vegetal. "Those vegetables made us so happy that when we departed, only to find that the coat-check department had lost the leftover steak friends [sic] we were taking home for my companions' children, we could only sigh in relief that it wasn't spinach that had disappeared."
• NY Post: Cuozzo tells whiny restaurateurs suffering from poor reviews to "Take your beating, guys - and be quiet about it."
• NY Daily News: RG gives Mr Jones two of five stars for its "excellent traditional Japanese food," but finds the the place "more club than restaurant, more sex than food."

// On the Blogs //

• Gael Greene, who was unceremoniously dismissed from NY Magazine last week after 40 years of restaurant reviewing, chats with Cutlets about her exit.
• Eater stirs the pot by calling out a Gourmet writer for getting comped on the job. 
• "We're off cupcakes and back to donuts." - Jack Donaghy. Exhibit A: Flofab's Doughnuts of the Gods.
• The Huffington Post interviews Marco Canora of Hearth, Insieme and Terroir about culinary training, what he'd cook for Barack Obama and his favorite neighborhood brunch spot.
• For a hyper-detailed look at what's going on in food blog land, visit Alltop Food, our starting point for checking out what's being blogged about food-wise.

// Events Around Town //

• Murray's Cheese gets into the holiday spirit with its Holiday Cheers & Beers class on Wednesday, December 3rd from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Alan Jestice, owner of Blind Tiger Ale House, and Chris Munsey, Murray's wholesale cheese manager , will pair winter warmers with hearty full-bodied cheeses.Tickets are $65 each.

// In Other News //

• Craig Hopson, formerly of One If By Land, Two If By Sea has taken over the kitchen at Le Cirque. [NYT]
• Andrew Knowlton of Bon Appetit names his top 10 seafood restaurants. Among those making the grade are Lure Fishbar in NYC, Anchor and Hope in SF and L20 in Chicago.
  
• Traveling for the holidays this year? Food&Wine offers up a comprehensive guide to airport dining that shouldn't be missed.