Photo borrowed from Impose Magazine

There are so many concerts you wish you could attend, but so many factors always getting in the way. For instance, how will you afford the Wayfarers your hipster self must have after dropping a couple g's on a Miley Cyrus ticket? How will you shake that feeling of self-loathing following your patronage of a Madonna show? And, how will you teleport yourself to LA to crash the party for the launch of The Street Kings DVD to see Brooklyn native and Wu-Tang Clan member, Raekwon the Chef, perform tomorrow, Wednesday, August 6th?

Alas, the former two predicaments are unsolvable--at least by me--but the latter problem is easily remedied. If you don't catch the first live Webcast by Complex Video of the show tomorrow at 11pm, PST (yes, that's 2am EST), you can catch it on their website following the event.

For ideas on events you can actually physically attend in New York, check out our Weekly Go List.

Ever since Eater reported several weeks ago that Subway at 400 East 14th Street (at 1st Avenue) closed, we've been keeping an eye on the site's construction. The renovations are definitely underway on a spacious new bar and restaurant--or so we assume, per a window work permit that covers, "new layout for existing store on the first floor to accommodate a new eating and drinking establishment" ...

Continue reading "Inside 400 East 14th Street's New Bar & Resto (or Fancy Deli?)" on our booze blog, Imbible

Zak Pelaccio has been an unstoppable force ever since he emerged on NY's dining radar in 2003. After initial praise at Williamsburg's Chickenbone Cafe, he has since wielded his whisk at 5 Ninth and Fatty Crab, and has scored consulting gigs at 230 Fifth, Borough Food & Drink and most recently Chop Suey. The city's busiest chef was kind enough to chat with us  about his ubiquitousness, what he's up to next and who else in the culinary field has cool hair.

KS: How does consulting for a restaurant differ from being the in-house chef?

Chef Zak Pelaccio: Another word for "consulting" is "advising." Perhaps that adds a bit more clarity to the role. I offer advice to an operator as to dishes they may want to serve, recipes, etc. However, it is at the operator's discretion to accept that advice or not.

KS: What are some of the rewards of being a consultant instead of the in-house chef?

ZP: For me, the opportunity to consult came about during a point in my life where my personal life required greater immediate attention than anything else. Consulting/advising afforded me the ability to maintain a steady income while not being responsible for day-to-day operations and therefore spend some necessary time with my son through what was a difficult couple of years.

KS: What is your response to critics (i.e., Eater) who feel that you collaborate too much?

We've just received word of a chef shuffle at Geisha, the Upper East Side fusion spot (and Gossip Girl shooting location). Out is four-year vet Michael Vernon, who's "off to pursue seafood," according to the release. Taking his place as executive chef is Richard Lee, who has been with the restaurant since 2003. Some dishes to look forward to on Lee's spring menu: a Kumamoto oyster shot with honeydew water, melon relish and fresh grated wasabi; pan-roasted filet of striped bass with sunchokes and osetra caviar butter; and boneless rack of lamb with ginger braised red cabbage and fingerling potatoes.

(Photo by Alessandra Rotondi)

Restaurant craze du jour: Labeling "LaFrieda burgers." This week alone, I noticed wholesaler Pat LaFrieda's patties highlighted on menus at Seymour Burton, Cooper's Tavern and Steak Frites. Though LaFrieda has been anonymously providing premier beef for years at spots including the Spotted Pig and Shake Shack, this blip of burger branding has been spurred on, no doubt, by recent props from the likes of Men's Vogue, Grub Street and all the hoopla about the beef becoming available for consumers at Market Table. Or maybe that creepy chicken on LaFrieda's Washington Street building has some sort of subliminal, hypnotic power? Must..ask...for...beef...by...wholesaler...name....

Scores of lovers will be swarming V-Day favorite One if by Land, Two if by Sea on Thursday, and if they could stop staring deeply into each other's eyes for a minute, they might notice something different is afoot in the romantic carriage house. The food has notably improved, thanks to new exec chef Craig Hopson, late of Picholine, who has not only transformed dinner dishes, but added delectable bar bites like these seductive frogs legs hailed by our friends at Grub Street. Today on Chef Talk, Hopson weighs in on kitchen ghosts, which dishes compete with all those fireplaces and chandeliers, and which chef he'd like to take down in a duel.

KS: How did you put your own stamp on the legendary beef wellington?

Chef Craig Hopson: I'm making it more consistent. I've been through many butchers to get the cut and quality right, and by trying many recipes to get the mushroom duxelles how it should be. I am also garnishing it seasonally--right now it is with roasted baby vegetables.

KS: Which dish of yours do you feel is destined to become the next "beef wellington."

CH: The Gruyere gnocchi with wild burgundy snails. It gets great comments for its strong, assertive flavor, and it's rich but not heavy. People like it because it's offbeat and exotic.

KS: The restaurant was once the residence of Aaron Burr, and it is said that his ghost haunts the spot. Have you seen any ghostly activity in the kitchen?

CH: Yes, stuff goes missing all of the time. I made a batch of brioche once and let it rest overnight in the walk-in. The next day it was nowhere to be found, and everybody looked. But the day after that it reappeared.

KS: Aaron Burr famously killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. If you had to challenge another chef to a duel, who would it be?

CH: Escoffier, because he's already dead, so it would be an easy fight. Plus, having his ghost in the kitchen would push out our resident ghost of Burr.

After a long, touted run in Atlanta, chef Sotohiro Kosugi packed up his knives and came to the Village this past summer. Winner of Food and Wine's  Best New Chef of 1997, Kosugi's Japanese cuisine is now wowing New Yorkers so much that Frank Bruni even gave Soto a shout-out as one of the 10 best new restaurants of 2007. Here, in part one of a recent interview with Kosugi, the sushi sensei spouts his views on everything from his favorite brand of knives to the mercury/tuna scare via a recent email chat.

KS: What is your preferred brand of sushi knives?

Chef Sotohiro Kosugi: I use seven different knives everyday for different tasks. Besides my Kyocera ceramic knife (for fruit) I use Sukenari brand. It's a high carbon steel knife handmade at a small factory in Yatsuo, Japan. My entire family--my grandfather, father, brother and two uncles, all sushi chefs--use this brand so it is a family tradition. Many of my knives have been with me since I started cooking in 1981. When I go back home to Japan, I visit the factory and bring in my knives for minor adjustments and major overhauls. This is the reason I am able to use these knives for such a long time--large factories don't provide this service. 

KS: What is your take on the recent New York Times story on high mercury levels in tuna?

SK: I feel sad that many journalists often use partial facts in order to get readers' attention. I would ask the writer of that story to please also study the benefits in tuna as well, like the benefits of selenium and DHA, for example. The Japanese have known about tuna's mercury content for a long time, but we also know about the benefits of other nutrition in tuna. If people are very concerned about mercury levels my conclusion is always the same: Eat with balance. Balance of meals is the key to a healthy life.

Anyone who has visited the three incarnations of Shopsin's, or seen the documentary "I Like Killing Flies," knows that lovably eccentric restaurateur Kenny Shopsin serves up a side of hilarious, often insightful wisdom along with specialties like "slutty pancakes." Yesterday was no exception.

Kenny: "Celebrity Rehab? What's that?"
Patron: "It's a reality TV show about washed-up addict 'celebrities' trying to get clean."
Kenny: "So they're all junkies?"
Patron: "And alcoholics."
Kenny: "What people like you and I had the good sense not to become."
Patron: "Exactly."
Kenny: "You know, I went through my drug phase, but I was able to live life, hold a job, and get through it like a normal person. Then I moved on. But it was a lot of fun. I'm seriously considering getting back on drugs someday."

(Click menu to see larger version)

Romantic, rustic Bellavitae made a name for itself through its excellent sourcing; the owners, after all, are top importers of quality olive oil, vinegar, salumi, pasta, cheese--anything yummy and Italian. Their latest import: Raffaele Ronca, an extraordinarily talented chef adding homespun amore to the menu.

Some past favorites--like the "fried little meatballs"--are still available. But Ronca's wowing additions include grilled Calabrian Colavolpe figs (pre-ordered a year in advance) wrapped in pancetta, and roasted cauliflower with pignoli nuts and black currants. And go on Wednesday (when cheese delivery comes in) to enjoy the quick-to-sell-out ricotta balls, delicately flash-fried until "dorato"--just golden.

Born in Naples, and bred as a butcher from boyhood, Ronca is exceptionally adept at deboning an entire Cornish hen. The roasted bird emerges juicy, aromatic and extremely knife-friendly. "I'm constantly on the phone with my mother in Italy," he says, crediting her with helping him tweak recipes like a soulful paccheri pasta with beef ragu, and fresh puntarelle with green olive oil and a touch of anchovy.

Written on the menu at Bellavitae: "The secret to great Italian cooking is a well-stocked pantry." It doesn't hurt to have a chef with a direct line to the old country, too.

In the tradition of college radio bands that explode into the mainstream, Allen & Delancey feels familiar yet edgy, stylized yet accessible. The restaurant's soundtrack has the same intrigue. Was that the Strokes? Or Harlem Shakes? Listen closely.

On the iPod: Jan 22, 2008, 10-11pm

David Vandervelde: "Jacket"
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah: "Over and Over Again"
Arcade Fire: "Intervention"
Animal Collective: "Unsolved Mysteries"
Regina Spektor: "Fidelity"