A(nother) new wine bar in the mix

Walking down 9th Avenue the other day, I noticed that one of the under-construction storefronts between 45th and 46th Streets had come to life:

Wine bar!

Welcome to Hell's Kitchen, La Carafe wine bar! The space, previously Fragolino, is tiny, but the menu is pretty extensive and it definitely LOOKS like a wine bar inside. As a lover of wine, I'm all for it-- the more, the merrier!

La Carafe, 653 Ninth Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets, no phone that I can track down

Welcome Donna Bell's!

A new bake shop has stealthily popped up right near the entrance to the 50th Street C/E subway stop on the corner of 49th and 8th: Donna Bell's. It's a Southern bakery with offerings ranging from cupcakes and cakes to scones, breakfast items, and even sandwiches and other savories. I popped my head in during their soft opening and was told everything is homemade; the goodies looked tasty and charming in a, well, homemade way. I'll stop in soon to sample the wares...

Well hello there!

Donna Bell's
301 W. 49th Street at 8th Avenue
212-582-8463

Medi Wine Bar: Finally!

Finally, the moment I've been waiting for (literally) for several months: Medi Wine Bar is open on Ninth Avenue between 53rd and 54th Streets! This place has been under construction for months, if not over a year, and I'm always eager for another wine bar to grace the neighborhood, so I've been waiting with bated breath. Well, consider my breath bated no longer, for she is open, friends! A quick glance at the menu in front reveals a lengthy list of Italian-ish wines by the glass and a typical wine-bar-esque menu of small plates and other bites. Can't wait to try it out...

Pretty storefront

Medi Wine Bar
811 Ninth Avenue, between 53rd and 54th Streets
212-586-1201

Goodbye, Bossa Nova; Hello, Flavor

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed Bossa Nova Brazil restaurant on Ninth Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets had closed and there was work going on in the space. I've been out of town for a week, but I walked by this afternoon and voila, we have a new player in the game. Behold, Flavor:

Swank

There was no menu up, but from a cursory glance, it looks like a martini bar (the martini glass motif, maybe?). A Google search yielded nothing; note to bar owners: naming your bar "flavor" doesn't exactly make it highly searchable. Regardless, she's definitely open for business. We'll see what comes of it.

Hell's Kitchen reinvents itself: Plywood and Openings!

Lots of goings-on on Tenth and Ninth Avenues these days! First, an opening:

Burgers, shakes, and smoothies

Blue 9 Burger is open, and as of Sunday they were giving out a "Free welcome meal." No freakin' clue what that means or how long it will last, but fans of purported In-n-Out style burgers should head to Ninth between 52nd and 53rd and investigate.

And for fans of various forms of non-American food, two bits of plywood to report:

On Tenth Avenue between 48th and 49th, Casa Havana is staking its claim, promising to bring "Best Cuban Sandwiches" to the area. Props on the creative window papering as well.

Ready-made case poking through the window

Best? We'll see about that...

On Ninth Avenue between 51st and 52nd, right smack next to Hummus Kitchen, there's a Noodle Bar a-coming. Details are scant on this puppy, but interest is high...

That tiny little orange sign foretells noodles

Should be an interesting September!

Asian street food market is open...

A new presence on Ninth Avenue between 48th and 49th has emerged, and it's an interesting one. Not just your typical Hell's Kitchen Thai, this is Bai Cha, a "South East Asian Street Food & Market." Hmm. Check out the facade and the menu below... looks like a whole lot of satay.

"Grand Opening"

Satay, comin' your way

Goings-on on Restaurant Row

There's some exciting (and semi-exciting) plywood and opening action happening on Restaurant Row in Hell's Kitchen (W. 46th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Almost right next door to each other, we have the following:

A new location of the Village Pourhouse! Um, yay? I think this replaced the Joshua Tree location here.

Coming soon: Bud Light! In bottles!

And more importantly... Grand Szechuan is in soft opening mode. Below, the hours-- if you're a Chinese food fan, get your (pork) buns over there, stat.

Pretty sleek

Get going!

OMG!!!!!

This just in: NYC Icy is back! Now, if you're a longtime reader of this blog, you may recall that when NYC Icy opened its Hell's Kitchen outpost just down the street from me, I became its biggest fan. I singlehandedly tried to keep the store open, but alas, it closed in 2008, leaving me broken and begging for some of that sweet, icy goodness. Well, for six months only, the Ice is back-- this time in the form of a pop-up shop at 100 Avenue A, between 6th and 7th Streets, for only six months. Oh good lord. IcyHounds, engage.

Curious.

Up in AV's neighborhood this past weekend, I noticed something curious: a new Thai restaurant. Now, in a city with more Thai joints than Starbucks, that in itself is not notable. However, this new establishment caught my eye because of its name, Tiny Thai, and logo, a big stylized T. Curiously, there used to be a Tiny Thai right near me in Hell's Kitchen, a place that slowly and unclearly morphed into Tai Thai, AV's and my preferred local Thai restaurant. This was obviously the very same Tiny Thai, and a glimpse at the takeout menu confirmed that the menu was very similar to the Tai Thai restaurant (which has recently been revamped slightly). I'm itching to know what the deal is here-- are they owned by the same people? Is it a chain? Why did the HK Tiny Thai become Tai Thai? What is the DEAL, yo?

Same, same, same

Anyway, I'm a bit out on Thai food for the moment since getting food poisoning after a recent dinner at a Thai restaurant, but as soon as I feel I can stomach the sight of peanut sauce once again, rest assured we will check out the new Tiny Thai and report back fully.

A curious (and chocolatey) sight on Saturday night...

Last Saturday evening, AV and I were wandering east from Chelsea on 20th street when something curious caught my eye:

A welcoming sight...

Having gone to college in Cambridge, MA, I'm very familiar with Burdick's-- it was the local chocolate shop, known equally for its incredibly decadent almost-bitter hot chocolate, delicious pastries, and tiny handmade chocolate mice. Could this be the same Burdick's? A quick trip inside and a few questions to the shopkeeper later, the verdict was: Yes! Apparently they opened only a couple of weeks ago and are slowly rolling out their full line of pastries. They plan to have wines available in addition to shelves and shelves of incredible chocolate. Too bad AV and I were on our way to dinner, otherwise we would have stuffed our faces with chocolate in all its forms. Rest assured, we will be back.

L.A. Burdick
5 East 20th Street, between 5th Avenue and Broadway
212-796-0143

Billy's Bakery Tribeca opening this Saturday!

At long last, Billy's Bakery's second store, at 75 Franklin Street in Tribeca, will be opening this Saturday! Stop by for a Grand Opening celebration of epic proportions. Highlights include: a free small coffee with purchase (from opening until 11AM); free cupcake card with purchase all day; and more free samples than you can shake a stick at. But really, you won't want to shake a stick at these free samples-- we'll be sampling everything from our product line, so if you've ever wondered how our peach pie or chocolate icebox cake tastes but didn't want to commit to a full slice, now's your chance.

We'll also be holding a contest to choose the next Billy's Bakery bestselling product. If you have an idea for a sweet treat you've always wanted to see at Billy's, enter your idea for a chance to see your creation in sale at Billy's for a full week in July. If you win, you'll also get a sweet Billy's Bakery t-shirt and a dozen cupcakes, of course...but really, it's all about the glory. So, so much glory.

Once again, it's this Saturday, June 20, at Billy's Bakery Tribeca (75 Franklin Street, between Broadway and Church). See you there!

It's official: The new Billy's is coming!

For all those downtowners who love their Billy's baked goods... a new Billy's is opening in Tribeca, at 75 Franklin Street, this spring!

http://eater.com/archives/2009/03/eaterwire_191.php

Openings: Hummus Kitchen

Walking home after doing some shopping on Saturday, I noticed a new presence in the neighborhood: Hummus Kitchen. Located on 9th avenue near 51st street, it's a tiny, rustically-decorated restaurant that seemed to be about half full early in the evening. I examined the menu, which was short but sweet-- a listing of Mediterranean offerings, including hummus (of course) and various salads and soups and other goodies. Everything was very reasonably priced. As I stood there gaping at the menu, a woman came running out of the restaurant crying, "Can I offer you free hummus?" I was momentarily flustered-- did she mean right now? Was she going to give me a container of hummus? Or did I have to go in and sit and eat?-- but then she thrust a coupon into my hands and explained that it was valid until January. Phew. Apparently Hummus Kitchen opened on Friday night, which made it all the more impressive that there were several people inside at 5PM on day two. Either way, I'll definitely be back to check it out... the menu did look really good, and who can argue with free hummus?

The bearer of free hummus on the left... if you stop by, you may be granted a coupon as well!

Five Napkin Burger watch!

I've decided that Five Napkin Burger, a new burger joint that's coming in on the block of 9th avenue between 44th and 45th streets, is going to be one of those restaurants that I feel invested in. This makes no sense, of course, because I don't even eat burgers. In any case, it's been plywooded for a long time, but as of yesterday, the signs are up, and a peek inside reveals a large number of chairs. I'd give it a few weeks till opening, perhaps?

Lunch, dinner and late night... that's promising

It's "An American Bar & Grill." Sure, cool.

A peek inside-- looks like a bar at the back; diner-style tiles on the walls

And lots and lots of chairs.

You'll definitely hear more once this place opens...