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Chez Brigitte

Chez Brigitte has been closed for almost a month now, but it's still a bit of a shock to realize it's no longer open.  This tiny restaurant was perfectly emblematic of quirky and lovable New York neighborhoods. The corner of Greenwich and Seventh Avenue is now nearly all for rent--the florist Spruce has moved to Eighth Avenue and the newstand is long gone.  One of the waiters at the still open Barbecue restaurant salvaged Chez Brigitte's chalkboard (with its specials still written on it) from the trash. 

Cupcakes Take a Holiday

We have been worried about Big Booty.  It seems that lately they aren't open in the morning.  Aren't bakeries all about the morning?  And then today--all day--they were closed.  When I asked if they were closed for good--the man inside said, "No, we're just taking a vacation.  We'll be back on July 17th."

Hope so.  23rd Street between 7th and 8th already has too many For Rent signs on it.

Does the Presence of Starbucks Increase or Decrease Property Values?

Seventh Avenue and 23rd Street is now home to a brand new great big Starbucks, not to be confused with the Starbucks on Eighth and 23rd or the one on Sixth and 23rd or...you get the idea.

Cheyenne Diner to Close After 68 Years

According to Gothamist, the diner will close its doors for good on Sunday.  A nine-story apartment building is slated to go up on the site. The Cheyenne joins a growing list of shuttered diners.  (Photo: Wallyg)

Florent Closing?

Here's some horrifying news.  Eater.com is reporting that Florent will be closing sooner rather than later.  We had heard that the restaurant's lease was up for renewal this year. 

"Certain retail real estate brokers working on behalf of Florent's landlord, the Gottleib Family (who own a great deal of the West Village and the Meatpacking District), are quietly shopping the Florent space at 69 Gansevoort Street. More than one restaurant owner has been contacted with the offer: ground floor, second floor, backyard and roof garden, for between $150 and $300 a square foot. (Sidebar: there's a roof garden and second floor?)

The timing of a closure is still unclear, even to Florent owner Florent Morellet, who we reached by phone today. He says, "I can't tell you [when we'll close]. Nobody will know until the fat lady sings, as we say. I'll fight with the last bone in my body."

Ben & Jerry's Leaves the Hood

Larry Persons reports on the closing of the 23rd Street Ben & Jerry's location.

Corporate Chain to Replace Bright Food Shop

Blogger Crazy Fingers brings us the sad news that the national Mexican food chain, qdoba, will be opening soon at 8th Avenue and 21st.  The opening will mark the chain's third New York City location.

Patisserie Des Ambassades

This is the second location of this French Senegalese restaurant, the other one is uptown on 2200 Fredrick Douglass Boulevard.  The casual ambiance has a lot to do with its set-up, because the restaurant shares its entryway with another space.  On this particular night, there was a craft fair in the room next door.  If you were so inclined, you could slip away between courses to peruse tables of scarves and handmade jewelry.  It might even be a good idea to take advantage of the free wine and cheese because Ambassades doesn't offer alcohol on their menu.  This is an eclectic addition to the neighborhood in a space that has seen a lot of restaurant turnover.

The food, while not overly complex, offers rich, full and spicy flavors. The fish patties (similar to empanadas) have a peppery flavor and the pastry is fairly light.  If you order this appetizer, be prepared to share it with at lease three other people as the portion was huge.  The ginger juice was a  pleasant surprise.  It was a lot like drinking the crystallized candy-but not as sweet-and it stayed just on the right side of a tantalizingly slow burn on the way down.

The exotic seafood stew arrives in a scooped out half pineapple. Shrimp, mussels and squid all swim together in a base of sweet and sour soy sauce with just a hint of fire. The chicken kabobs were also very well prepared.  Served on a bed of caramelized onions, they came with crispy thin fries and a small green salad.  The peanut stew was really more like a legume ragout.  Served in a tomato base, it had fava beans, carrots and broccoli with a rich spicy taste.  If you go-and you should-make sure to order the plantains.  They are light and sweet and not soaked in oil like they so often are. 

There are several--very tempting--fancy confections available for dessert, but it might be impossible to fit them in.  Instead, they linger in memory and beckon you back for another visit.  Another odd thing about this restaurant:  our waitress tacked on an 18% gratuity for a party of three.  That's not always a good deal for the server, because it caps the upside tip potential.  But maybe that's a Senegalese custom?

Patisserie Des Ambassades-161 W. 22nd Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues. 212-255-5101 Open for Breakfast Lunch and Dinner.

Antique Cafe--Manners are a Thing of the Past

This restaurant has two locations in Chelsea--one on 27th Street across the street from FIT, and the one discussed here, on 26th Street by Broadway.  The Antique Cafe is a very cozy little place--it has kind of a slightly cluttered but romantic air.  They play a lot of charming retro music like Bing Crosby and Mel Torme.  The food is fairly  good and often excellent but the service is uneven.

The roasted free-range chicken came with a crispy skin and while moist, it got a lot of flavor mileage from a rich brown gravy.  It was served with what they described as potato spinach brulee, but it might have been a more successful side dish if it was allowed to be the latke it really wanted to be. The better of the two entrees was the pan seared salmon. Cooked to perfection, it had a rich flavor and a slightly flaky texture. It sat atop a delightfully creamy risotto and several asparagus spears.

Our waiter was absolutely fine until we ordered dessert.  It's possible he had had a long day.  But as he picked up the platter with the carrot cake, it slipped out of his hands and it nearly crashed into a large bed of ice, but he caught it before it slipped off.  The carrot cake was good, but came with that slathering of thick cream cheese frosting that you always have to leave on the plate unless you look forward to having a triple bypass someday.  The pineapple upside cake, delivered without any server mishaps, was was better.  It had had a nice glazed top and a tasty light cake.   We had ordered coffee as well and when the waiter brought our check we weren't quite ready to leave.  When we asked for a refill, he said "I just dumped the coffee out," and indicated it was closing time. Just like that.  Call me crazy, but don't waiters ask if you want more coffee before delivering the check?  There were still other customers, ones who had been seated before we arrived, so we were a little surprised at the push out the door.   So, if you go, get there early and don't expect to have more than one cup of coffee.

 

Hanukah Light Show by Great Small Works

Great Small Works is getting into the holiday spirit with shadow puppet plays some (non) traditional music and, best of all, food.  They're performing three shows (and two of them are free).  In addition to Jenny Romain, Stephen Kaplin and Sam Wilson of GSM, Jennifer Miller, mornography, David Felix Sutcliffe, Frank London and his Klezmer Brass Allstars, Michael Winograd's Infection, DJ Joro-Boro, Maracatu New York and Adrienne Cooper will also appear.  Great Small Works' show will be the same, but the music will be different at each performance.

The Electric Menorah Vodka/Latke Party:
Tuesday December 4th at the Sirovich Center
331 E. 12th Street (btw 1st & 2nd Ave)
$12/$8 in advance (includes food and one drink)
212.889.6800

Pump up the Pageantry: Festival of Fire
Saturday, December 8--two free shows
Upper West Side Jewish Community Center in Manhattan
334 West Amsterdam Avenue at 76th St.

2:30 pm performance for families with an after show workshop in making shadow puppets

8:00 pm performance, come at 7 to see Adrienne Cooper and Michael Winograd's Infection and Hanukah refreshments.

Call 646-505-5708 for reservations and information.  So what's not love?