Move over, Daniel Boulud: Your $32 foie gras burger seems like paupers' cuisine now that Old Homestead has announced its $81 Kobe burger. For roughly the price of a meal at Momofuku Ko, diners get 14 ounces of ground Japanese Kobe wagyu with 4 ounces of "barely seared sirloin medallion tucked inside." And, yes, in case you were waffling, the tater tots are included.

(Photo courtesy of Old Homestead Steakhouse)

The requester: A friend

The request: "It's my wife's birthday and I'm gathering friends for a pub crawl. I'm thinking West Village spots within stumbling distance from each other. Super casual. Jeans. Sh*tkickers. Fleece. One or two should have decent food for beer sponge purposes."

The suggestions: If you want to eat first, start at Dublin 6, where the food is quite good, especially the mini lobster clubs, pork empanadas, and beef and Guinness pie. Then walk a half block to the historical White Horse Tavern, where poet Dylan Thomas drank himself to death. Continue three blocks south to Bayard's Ale House, which has a great jukebox, but even better wings. Three blocks further south, hit Barrow's Pub to shoot a game of pool. Head east on Barrow to Barrow St. Ale House for more amusements if that's your fancy--pool, darts, video games. Try to get there early, though, as the crowd can get fratty later on.

Continue one block to a personal fave--the Blind Tiger Ale House, which has a fireplace, cozy atmosphere and a dizzying selection of fine brew. This is another good spot to eat--they serve cheese plates from neighbor Murray's, good chili and sandwiches. Walk a few blocks west to Lederhosen to get your oompah on with German beers and a nice selection of wurst. Then end the night  one block east at either Marie's Crisis (if you're in the mood to belt out showtunes) or Arthur's Tavern (to listen to jazz). Bottom's up!

With all due respect to Bob Geldof and the Boomtown Rats, I do like Mondays--at least as a night to eat out. Restaurants tend to be emptier as the rest of the city recovers from the weekend and there are some great deals to take advantage of around town. Here are two to kick the week off right on 3/31.

The "Greens"--the James Beard Foundation's foodies-under-40 set--will be hosting a seven-course dinner paired with sake at Asian tapas spot Kuma Inn. Know your gingo from your daigingo alongside bites like wasabi pork shumai and adobo duck with a soy, garlic and vinegar marinade. $70 for members; $85 for non-members. Advance reservations required: (212) 627-2308.

If you're on more of a budget, The East Village's sexy snack spot, the Bourgeois Pig, sells every bottle of wine on the list $60 and under for half price on Monday nights.

Photo courtesy of Bravo

So long Erik. Soggy corndogs do not make tasty block party food. And what was up with carting out a plate of slop to Rick Bayless and passing it off as tacos with a fine dining twist? Oh wait, that was the challenge ...

This week, we turn our attention to New York transplant Dale Talde, the sous chef at Buddakan who clocked time at Jean-Georges' Vong, along with Opera and Spring (where he worked with fellow castmates Stephanie Izard and Valerie Bolon) in his native Chicago. The cheftestant, who worried on last night's episode about sacrificing "elegance" in presentation at a neighborhood street party, notes that his strengths are in Modern Asian cuisine--Chinese, Japanese, Thai--everything but Filipino. "I cannot cook Filipino food to save my life," he said. Somehow we doubt it.

VM: In the first episode, at least how the clips painted you anyway, you're portrayed as a p-r-i-c-k. Is that fake or real?
"I'm Asian, not the tallest dude in the world and I look like I'm 12. In the kitchen, you have to have a presence about you or you're gonna get eaten alive. You're always running at 100 percent. You don't know when to stop. I have no off button."

VM: Yeah, chefs are pirates.
"I've gotten a lot better about my temper. I've learned to start to relax. You can't go around throwing plates. You'll give yourself a heart attack."

VM: How is the "Top Chef" environment different from your own kitchen?
"When it's your kitchen, it's a collaborative effort. The executive chef, the chef de cuisine, we're a unit. You really have to massage each other's egos here. You can't really say, 'Hey, ---hole, put those ducks in the oven."

VM: What flavors did you grow up with?
"I had home-cooked food everyday. My parents were always like, 'Why are you going to go out when we have food cooked here?' I love Filipino food ... kare-kare, oxtail ... but I'll leave it up to them. I just don't want to make it. I think it must be an Asian parent/child thing."

VM: So you knew Stephanie and Valerie before the show?
"Yeah, Stephanie and I worked together for a year (in Chicago). Our chef de cuisine, Jeff, was a mentor. When Val stepped in (on the set of the show), it was a total shock, but that was cool."

VM: Why do you want to be the next Top Chef?
"I think it's the next progression in my career. I've got that swagger. I used to want to be an emcee when I was kid. I still have part of that rock star in me."

U.S. farmers once called huitalacoche "devil's corn." After looking at it, can you blame them? But the corn-attacking fungus is a delicacy in Mexico, where it is harvested and used in a variety of dishes. In celebration of its second anniversary, Crema's chef Julieta Ballesteros is creating a daily changing, three-course menu ($40) built around huitalacoche, which will add an earthy bite to dishes like chowder and risotto. The menu runs from March 31 through April 5, until 8pm daily. Hey, if Momofuku Ssam Bar can get away with serving moldy ham, this should be an easy sell.

(Photo courtesy of TheMexicanDentist.com)

How would you like your restaurant, madame? Well-done, done or just barely done? Seymour Burton, which replaces long-loved bistro Le Tableau, pretty much touts the fact that it is a work-in-progress, with decor that proudly shows its rough edges. But does the food pack the requisite punch to help our critic get over her reservations about wobbly chairs? Click through for the answer, plus read looks at Nizza, the new Magnolia Bakery on the Upper West Side, and more new and notable restaurants.

While the West Village awaits Anita Lo's Bar Q to blossom this spring, I bade farewell to winter at her flagship, Annisa, this past weekend. The 8-year-old eatery's Asian-accented cuisine still impresses. Here are the highlights of the soon-to-expire winter tasting menu:

Slow Cooked Egg with Parsnips in Truffle Broth: The waiter explained that this egg (which tasted freshly laid) is cooked for an hour at 148 degrees, giving the white a custardy texture and the yolk the consistency of "hot fudge."

Tuna With Three Mints: Pineapple mint accompanied a pile of spicy tartare; spearmint and fennel perked up slabs of tataki; and chocolate mint and cocoa nibs transformed the confit into something otherworldly.

Seared Foie Gras with Soup Dumplings and Jicama: Lo's signature dish, a true stand-out on the menu since day one. A rectangle of foie rests atop the plump dumpling, loaded with rich chicken, veal and pork stock; foie gras mousse; jicama and Asian spices. Sublime.

Filet of Cobia with Carrots, Cumin, Blood Orange and Cilantro: The cumin and blood orange combo really marked the fish, changing it from mild to wild.

Braised Shortrib with Cauliflower, Caperberries and Parmesan: A wonderfully rich preparation that made saying goodbye to winter cooking a bittersweet event.

We recently reported that a modest new bar and resto called Berry Bistro would be opening in the East 14th Street space formerly occupied by Twisted Burger. A walk-by circa 9:15pm last night confirmed that the new spot is open, though there wasn't a soul inside, save a hostess sitting behind the counter in back. ...

Continue reading "Berry Bistro Now Open" on our booze blog, Imbible

We recently posted about a food and drink-related opening at 400 East 14th Street. A particularly lovely commenter tipped us off to the fact that it was to be a Hot & Crusty, and a weekend walk-by confirms it ...

Continue reading "Hot & Crusty Comes to the East Village" on our booze blog, Imbible.

To say Michael Psilakis has a lot on his plate at the moment is an understatement. He mans the stoves at Michelin-starred Anthos; is in the midst of moving Upper West Sider Kefi and opening a restaurant with another concept in its place (though he's not giving details); and he's somehow finding the time to write a memoir/cookbook for Little Brown. We recently caught up with the refreshingly humble chef to discuss everything from what's on the menu at Mia Dona to whether his name will be on the awning at his next restaurant, a la his collaborator, Donatella Arpaia.

KS: The crispy rabbit at Mia Dona, which I'm calling "rabbit in a bucket," is finger lickin' great! What inspired that brainstorm?

Chef Michael Psilakis: We have an amazing, big bar at Mia Dona and I wanted to come up with some great bar snacks. Obviously wings fit into that category, but I wanted to take it to another level. I thought about working with rabbit instead of chicken, and we serve them with potato chips made from pickled potatoes and cucumber remoulade. It's a fun dish and it sells like crazy.

KS: I noticed pitchers of Pabst Blue Ribbon on the menu. Were you concerned about that being too lowbrow for the neighborhood?