Last Night at Hea

What VP debate? While you were huddled on your couch, wondering what Sarah Palin might say next to embarrass herself and her party, I was doing what every patriotic American should have been doing: Drinking. Also eating--delicious things like spicy tuna rolls, coconut soup, fried rice, duck and pork belly at East Village newcomer Hea (pronounced "he"), which serves Asian fusion cuisine (and cocktails) in an aesthetically pleasing environment. With low booths and small tables, the lounge-like lower level was ideal for the cocktail hour that preceded last night's press dinner--during which time I guzzled enough lychee martinis to stumble up the steps on my way to the second floor for dinner. Okay, so I missed the debate. But instead, I got a free dinner, a moderate hangover and the respect of everyone smart enough to recognize that free booze is more important than being informed.

More new and notable restaurants here.

For well-to-do foodies, fall is about more than just the leaves changing color in Central Park. It's about the shifting of seasonal menus, and nobody takes seasonal change more seriously than Park Avenue Autumn, which was previously Park Avenue Summer. The restaurant has been redesigned for a warm, natural look--at least until late November, when it will transform yet again, into Park Avenue Winter.

What's new on the menu? Acorn-fed Iberian ham with grilled cheese toast, Kentucky fried quail with pear slaw, crispy Arctic char with swiss chard in maple-soy brown butter, and filet mignon with Wellington strudel, chanterelles and creminis, among many other dishes. It's almost enough to make you glad summer is over ... almost.

Covering restaurants has been a pain the ass lately. First R&L opened for a glorious couple of days before closing down indefinitely, and then Kurve kept everyone guessing by constantly closing and reopening. Which brings me to Black Iron Burger Shop, the new upscale burger joint that had everyone from Shecky's to the NY Times droolin'. I kept calling and visiting after their supposed open date, but sadly got no response. But as of this week, the wait is finally over.

Right now the casual East Village spot is only open from 6pm-3am, but it will open for lunch at 11am starting Saturday. It has a casual, worn-in feeling, with bar stools, exposed brick walls and classic punk tunes on the radio. The burgers themselves were delicious and well-worth the very reasonable $7 price. The griddle created simple, misshapen burgers that let the natural flavor of the beef really shine--no fancy special sauces needed here.

What really impressed me was the beer selection, which ranges from Sixpoint Brownstone to Saratoga Lager, all priced at $5-$6. The waitress was friendly, if a little green, as is to be expected at a brand-new restaurant.

The best thing of all? It's open until 3am, meaning I can stumble across the street after playing skeeball all night at Ace Bar.

Tong Thai Brasserie has been in the works for quite a while over on East 13th Street, and as per the signage above, they'll officially open this Thursday. If only every new restaurant were thoughtful enough to provide all this info right in the window.

The space looks nice and the menu is interesting and quite affordable, with small plates (like fried squid, smoked chili soup and pencil spring rolls) ranging from $5 to $7, and larger plates (like blue swimmer crab fried rice) weighing in at $9 to $14.

Tong will also be delivering between 23rd Street and Bleecker Street, from 7th Avenue to 2nd Avenue. The restaurant will begin serving lunch daily sometime next month.

From the whipped cream bikini in Varsity Blues to George Costanza's sex-TV-pastrami combo on Seinfeld, sex and food have a long and storied relationship. So it's only natural that we combine them into one sultry roundup, appropriately titled "Gastrorgasms" (say it out loud, it's fun). We talked to Tristan Taormino (sex columnist for the Village Voice, pictured), Claire Cavanah (co-owner of NYC's coolest adult store Babeland), our favorite sex blogger College Callgirl and others about which New York restaurants have food that's even better than sex.

Our fave quote is from Audrey Ference (sex columnist for The L Magazine) on Wylie Dufresne's acclaimed Lower East Side restaurant: 

"For me, the place is wd~50. A meal there has everything you'd look for in a dude you'd want to bone: It's beautiful, creative, smart, interesting, and willing to take risks."

Touché, Ms. Ference, touché. Check out what all of our participants said about their favorite orgasmic meals here.

It was supposed to end on August 1, but apparently 130 of the original 230 restaurants participating in Restaurant Week are going to extend their prix-fixe deals until Labor Day. Why? Because people are poor now and are spending all of their money on cheap booze and bodega sandwiches. From the press release:

"The economy presents great challenges to restaurants, and the public's enthusiastic support of restaurant week is deeply appreciated,” said Tracy Nieporent, Myriad restaurant Group partner and NYC & Company Restaurant Committee Chairman.

Centro Vinoteca and Artisinal need your help! Give them your money or they will die and you'll have to subsist on Boar's Head instead of duck and foie gras rillettes!

The filet mignon at Club A Steakhouse--and if your steak gets lonely, try adding any three sides for $24

Some diners probably shed a tear when lauded midtown Italian spot Bruno Restaurant closed its doors last year, after nearly 30 years in business--among them, regular patrons like former mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Robert De Niro and John Gotti. But politicians, A-list actors and mobsters alike need weep no longer, because the man behind that much-loved haunt, Bruno Selimaj, has just opened Club A Steakhouse in its place.

A tipster tells us that after a comprehensive renovation, Club A officially opened for business last Monday in the three-story townhouse formerly occupied by Bruno's at 240 East 58th Street. The menu has been overhauled courtesy of Executive Chef Jean Christophe Villard--of Bobby Van's fame--but the emphasis is still on hospitality. Entertainment in the second floor bar and lounge will include live music (every Wednesday through Saturday), courtesy of in-house musical director and renowned pianist Daniel Nye. Other notable perks include a special late-night menu served until 2am and a wine cellar.

There's a lot of information provided on the Club A website, including the complete menu, but unfortunately for us, unless we're dining on someone else's dime, we'll be ordering the $7 one-pound baked potato, and imagining it's the $99 American Kobe Tomahawk ribeye.

In January, we got word of a new neighborhood cafe coming to 182 Avenue B at 11th Street, in the space formerly occupied by the Furniture Place. At the time, we were told that the owners expected to open "in February." Then in April, we reported that the cafe appeared to be on the verge of opening--there were flower-filled vases in the window, stacks of glasses behind the counter, all the equipment seemed to be in place, and to my knowledge, the place never even sought a liquor license, so they weren't waiting on that.  So for reasons I cannot explain, two more months passed without a bagel sold or cup of coffee poured.

But as of yesterday, De Nova cafe officially opened its doors, and today I took the opportunity to check it out. The menu is a bit strange for a place that looks and feels like a coffee shop. At the counter they offer the usual--pastries, bagels, coffee, various other drinks like raspberry iced tea. But the sit-down menu is a cross between random American pub-grub (like nachos) and small plates with a decidely Greek flavor (grape leaves served with yogurt salad; a feta cheese and olives small plate). There are also five or six different salads and several larger plates.

Whether or not the menu will work remains to be seen, but I will say that the prices can't be beat. My enormous iced coffee was just $1.50 (compared to $2.45 for a small at my usual place, just two blocks north), and the salads are all between $5 and $6.50. It's probably not a destination unto itself, but for the locals chances are it'll be a welcome addition to the 'hood.

After what seems like an unnecessarily long period of construction and preparation, the new Hot & Crusty at 14th and 1st, which we brought news of several months ago, is certified open as of today. Last night, in addition to a sign in the window that said "grand opening Friday," the display case was already stocked with various "fresh" baked goods in anticipation of today's opening.

If Weather.com can be trusted, there looks to be some seriously spring-like weather headed our way, with the end of the workweek topping out at close to 80 degrees. And since every place with even a square inch of outdoor seating is going to be a madhouse, why not start planning your 5:30pm seat-grab now? Check out our guide to the city's best outdoor dining, including everything from L'Impero to Lamb & Jaffy (above). Wherever you go to soak up the rays, be sure to call ahead to confirm that the sidewalk section/patio/back garden is actually open for business.