the weekend buzz

“Special Early Edition: Neroni, Happy-as-a-Clam-Hour, Holiday Tables, James Beard Party”

Hello and Welcome to this week’s Early Edition of the Strong (weekend) Buzz! Neroni, Happy-as-a-Clam-Hour, Holiday Tables, James Beard Party.

Bravo for Foodies: Don't Forget to Check Out My Weekly Blog on Bravotv.com! This week, Dining on the Bayou.

Jason Neroni at 10 Downing
I am bringing the Weekend Buzz to you one day early this week to put to rest rumors about whether Jason Neroni will be the new chef at 10 Downing Street, the Chez Panisse-inspired restaurant owned by 5 Ninth partners Joel Michel and Vincent Seufert and Stephane Dorian (Le Zoo and Waterloo). The answer is—drum roll please—yes. Jason will be behind the stoves at 10 Downing, and with consulting chef Katy Sparks, he will create a collaborative, market-driven menu that will draw upon the goods at the Union Square, and Sixth Avenue farmer’s markets.

The restaurant, which will open in a few months, is being designed by Meyer Davis (Boqueria) with French doors that open to a 30-seat sidewalk café, 70 seats of stained-wood banquettes with distressed leather cushions and sweetheart chairs, and a marble-topped food bar with an open view of chefs assembling salads and cheese plates. (I’ve included some renderings of the space so you can get an idea of what it will look like.)

Renderings by Corvin Mattie

I’m fairly fired up about this restaurant. It’s very rare to see this sort of marriage of talent in the kitchen. and I am really looking forward to the results.

And now, your (early) Strong Weekend Buzz!

Friday: Happy-as-a-Clam Hour at The Black Pearl, 37 West 26th Street, 212-532-9900
If you (a) are a fan of raw bar or (b) for some reason have a wad of singles in your pocket and don’t know what to do with them, I have your Friday evening plan—the Happy-as-a-Clam Hour at Black Pearl. Their special raw bar menu runs from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and includes dollar Blue Point Oysters, Cherrystones and Littlenecks, and special prices on beers and wines. As the owners say, you can put the isthmus back in Christmas.

Saturday: The Food Maven's Holiday Table with Arthur Schwartz, Central Library, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Dr. S. Stevan Dweck Center for Contemporary Culture.

If you listen to Food Talk on WOR, you undoubtedly know (and miss) former host and cookbook author, Arthur Schwartz. (Current host Michael Colameco is great and had me on his show last week, actually.) Anyway, this Saturday you can bring back old times with a visit to Brooklyn’s Central Library where he’ll be talking about the culinary traditions of Chanukah along with those of southern Italian Christmas and New Year's Eve. If you’ve never had the pleasure of hearing Arthur speak, he’s not only a treasure chest of culinary information, he’s hilarious. (For 30 years, he was a newspaper food editor and restaurant critic in New York City, and for 13 years he was the host of "Food Talk" on WOR in New York City.) Aside from his charm and culinary intellect, you’ll find that the people (read: characters) who come out to see him are worth the price of admission alone. In this case, there’s no admission so it’s a win-win. Arthur speaks on holiday tradition on Saturday, December 8th at 4 PM. Questions or inquiries call 718-230-2100.

Sunday: The James Beard Foundation Greens Holiday Party, The James Beard House, 167 West 12th Street (between Sixth and Seventh Avenues).
You can gear up for the holidays on Sunday and practice high level cocktail party skills like intelligent small talk, balancing a glass of champagne and a plate of hors d’oeurves, escaping someone you don’t want to see, and other holiday survivor essentials at The Sixth Annual James Beard Foundation Greens Holiday Party, held from 6-8:30 p.m. at The James Beard House. The soiree features food from some of the city's most exciting young chefs— Matthew Lang of Fette Sau, Ratha Chau of Kampuchea, Polo Dobkin of Dressler, Julian Medina of Toloache, Shanna Pacifico of Back Forty, and Emily Isaac of Trois Pommes Patissserie—along with cocktails from master mixologist, Junior Merino, of The Liquid Chef, Inc. and Cocktail Times. Tickets are $75 for James Beard Foundation members and $100 for the general public. Reservations can be made by calling 212-627-2308 or 1-800-36-BEARD.

Have a great week and weekend, everyone and until Monday, READ IT AND EAT!

 

Posted: December 4, 2007

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