Results tagged: Merkato 55

I just logged in to Gmail and was surprised to see an ad for Merkato 55, the Meatpacking District African restaurant that parted ways with Marcus Samuelsson this past summer, show up at the top of the page.

The ad reads: "African Restaurant in Meat Packing Private Party, Private Venue." A click on the link brings up the Merkato 55 web site, which shows four miniature photos of the restaurant along with the address, phone number and email addresses for reservations, private parties and general info.

Conspicuously missing is any useful information about the restaurant or its food or a link to their OpenTable listing. Also missing are photos of the private dining rooms, information on how many guests they can accommodate and the name of an actual person to contact to discuss booking. Seems to me like a surprising way for a restaurant to promote their services in a down market.

RECENTLY OPENED
Eighty One
Olana (soft open)
Pata Negra

OPENING SOON
Ciaobella
Sheridan Square - Gary Robbins (formerly of The Biltmore Room & The Russian Tea Room) new project
Bar Milano - Jason Denton's new project
Terroir - A new wine bar from Paul Grieco and Marco Canora

THIS WEEK'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS
NY Times: Frank Bruni gives 3 of 4 stars to newcomer Dovetail, "[Chef John Fraser] and his pastry chef, Vera Tong, come at their cooking with intellect and wit, but they seldom get too cerebral, too cute. Leaving quotation marks out of the titles of dishes, they leave it to you to make certain connections."
 
Peter Meehan checks out Gazala Place which serves Druse cuisine (a regional middle eastern cuisine).

NY Mag: Adam Platt gives 1 of 5 stars to Bar Boulud, "Daniel has a genius for imbuing earthy farmhouse recipes with his own light, gourmet touch, but at this early date, the entrées at Bar Boulud could come from any number of semi-reputable bistros around town."

Bloomberg: Ryan Sutton reviews weeks old Madaleine Mae and Merkato 55 and likes both.

The New York Sun: Paul Adams visits the new east village "Tosc-Mex" (Tuscan-Mexican), Matilda and for the most part likes it.

The New York Daily News: RG gives  2 of 4 stars to Bar Boulud. Agreeing with Platt that the charcuterie is very enjoyable, she refers to executive chef Danian Sansonetti's food as "undistinguished."

BLOGS AND NEWSLETTERS
Gothamist: Joe DiStefano goes to Soba Totto.
Eater goes inside Commerce.

READING LIST
Very Short List brings this book to our attention via their daily emails: "The Warmest Room in the House." A non-fiction book looking at the history "of the American diet in the 20th century. But he also includes the evolution of kitchen technology, architecture, design."

EVENTS AROUND TOWN
Next week:
StreetWise Partners presents Taste of Success, a food and wine tasting event. Funds raised from the event help StreetWise Partners fulfill their mission of building mentoring relationships between low-income individuals and volunteer business professionals to develop workplace skills and employment networks as the bridge to a successful career. Participating restaurants include Beppe, Essex, I Tre Merli, Sigiri, Cowgirl, Avra Estiatorio and Mercadito.

Visit the StreetWise Partners web site to purchase tickets.

Looking ahead:
Tuesday, March 4th Michael Ruhlman hosts an offal tasting with guest chef and blogger Chris Cosentino of Incanto at the Astor Center. ($250/ticket)

AND FURTHERMORE...
Greatest press release of last week was from PR rep Linda Funk of boutique firm, Food Insight located in Urbandale, IA. From the release, we learn that the "Nationally Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer Buys Tenessee "Cannabis Cave" To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities." I almost dismissed the release but was intrigued by  the "Cannabis Cave." It's too good not to read for yourself, so borrowing a page from our friend Madame Snack,  here's the release in its entirety:

Nationally Known Wisconsin Cheese Marketer Buys Tennessee " Cannabis Cave " To Create Agri-Tourism Opportunities

Fermo Jaeckle is well-known in the dairy industry as a co-founder of the Monroe, Wisconsin-based Roth Käse USA, which has gained fame and many awards for its artisan cheeses.  So it's not surprising that some people were taken aback recently when Jaeckle purchased a Tennessee cave that was at the center of an infamous marijuana growing operation.

The cave, located 40 miles from Nashville, made headlines in 2005 after a Drug Enforcement Task Force researched and built a case over a five year period of time prior to moving in to shut down the illicit pot growing operation. It turns out that, concealed under a million dollar vacation home, was the entrance to an ancient, natural cave, housing a massive marijuana farm, with high-tech lighting and climate-control systems to nurture over 1,000 hydroponically grown pot plants.  Besides a massive growing room, parts of which are 20 ft. high, the cave was also outfitted with offices, a kitchen, bedrooms and restrooms.  The Drug Enforcement authorities say the owners of the cannabis cave had made millions of dollars selling the pot over several years.

The area Drug Task Force arrested the pot farmers and seized the property. The house burned down some time later, under mysterious circumstances. The house fire caused little damage to the complex 150 feet under it, however, and in December the Drug Task Force auctioned off the property with the unique cave improvements intact.

That's where Fermo Jaeckle came in.  He heard about the auction from his attorney, Rowland Lucid.  Because Fermo's brother Andre lives in Tennessee they decided it might be great property for legitimate agricultural use.

Jaeckle admits that he was surprised to hear that he had made the winning bid.  Now that he, his brother Andre, along with their cousins Ulrich and Felix Roth, and long time business associates, Steve McKeon and Nella DiManno own the property, they are eager to utilize the amazing improvements made to the cave by the previous owners, and are evaluating multiple options. While some high-tech scenarios are possible, other potential uses reflect time-honored agricultural practices.

Caves, with their constant temperature and absence of natural light, have long been used in food production such as aging wine and growing mushrooms.  And, in the industry closest to Jaeckle's heart, caves have traditionally been used to age cheese.  For example, the classic Gruyere cheese made by Roth Käse USA in Wisconsin is aged to perfection in temperature- and humidity-controlled curing cellars. For centuries this process was often best done in caves.

While Jaeckle and the other owners intend to form a partnership with Roth Käse to distribute products grown or processed at the Tennessee property, Roth Käse does not own the cave property and will not move any of its production to Tennessee .

The owners are exploring how they might work with local Tennessee agricultural concerns to create products for the marketplace at this property.  This approach reflects how Jaeckle and others worked with a team of skilled cheesmakers, managers and marketers to develop Roth Käse into a leading maker of authentic cheeses.  In addition, Roth Käse's Wisconsin plant has become a tourist destination, with a gift shop and self-guided tours through a specially constructed observation gallery in the cheese production facility.

Jaeckle and his partners see exciting possibilities for converting the notorious pot cave into an agricultural and agri-tourism facility. With the money they paid for the cave property going to support drug enforcement programs, and with the prospect of creating a productive agricultural enterprise, the owners are on their way to transforming this former enterprise for "potheads" into one for, ------ you guessed it.----- "Cheeseheads."

RECENTLY OPENED
Commerce
Islero
South Gate
Madaleine Mae
Bar Tano
Merkato 55
Gallo Nero

OPENING SOON
Tre Dici Steak
Sheridan Square
Mia Dona
Bar Milano
Terroir

THIS WEEK'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS

The New York Times
Frank Bruni re-reviews Le Cirque and decides to give back one of the stars he removed from his July 2006 review: "the quality of its French-Italian food has improved to the point where it sufficiently complements, and doesn't undercut, the rest of what makes this restaurant such an haute hoot."

Peter Meehan visits Soba Totto and likes it for groups and couples and advises, that
"couples should opt for the yakitori bar, where there's plenty of elbow room and the opportunity to watch the cooks tend to skewers."

New York Magazine
Adam Platt visits Dovetail and gives it 3 out of 5.
"Careful readers will note that this is the kind of prim, overstudied Greenmarket cooking that I spend a good deal of time ridiculing in this column. But like all high-quality chefs, Fraser has a knack for shuffling traditional, populist flavors together in ingenious ways and making them his own."

Bloomberg: Ryan Sutton goes to Adour
Time Out: Shorty's.32 gets 4 of 6 Stars  
The New York Daily News: RG conspicuously dines at Dovetail, "While the menu is streaked with imagination, it's refreshingly understated: Dishes aren't tagged with showy labels and they don't arrive with long-winded explanations."
The New York Sun: Paul Adams at El Quinto Pino and sort of likes it.
Village Voice: Sietsema hearts Nirvana

BLOGS AND NEWSLETTERS

Gothamist: Joe DiStefano goes to the just opened, Padre Figlio.
Ed Levine: Bar Boulud
The Insatiable Critic Gael Greene "likes" Adour

OF NOTE

Alan Richman is out at Bloomberg [Eater]

EVENTS AROUND TOWN

To do now:
Sunday February 10th, celebrate Chinese new year (year of the Rat) in Chinatown. Follow the parade or watch from the sidelines. Route usually starts on Mott St and flows through the neighborhood. (From 1-5pm). 

Looking ahead...
Save the date: Sunday April 13th, Citymeals on-wheels Spring gala hosted by Chef Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel. 100% of the proceeds to benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels.

AND FURTHERMORE...

Per Kosher-NY, the Krispy Kreme in Penn Station is certified Kosher.