A month ago, when news that a 79 year-old classic burger restaurant in Toledo – the last in town of a defunct chain called White Tower – was being sold for $1 (on condition the buyer moves it off the property where it sits), a reader of A Hamburger Today seized the opportunity to play matchmaker with a NY restaurateur. “Danny Meyer? Paging Danny Meyer?!” wrote the commenter. Indeed. Controversial logo design aside, Meyer's......

Team Danny Meyer has partnered up with Aramark to bring some serious food to the new Citi Field. When it opens next season, Mets fans will have both Shake Shack and Blue Smoke on the premises along with a taqueria and a Belgian fry stand to be called Pop Fries. The stadium's Sterling Club will also receive the Meyer treatment, with the Union Square Hospitality Group handling all of the dining options there. According to......

In a clever ploy to undermine the city’s controversial proposal to lease out the 78-year-old Union Square Pavilion as a year-round restaurant, a group of activists sent a fake press release Monday that claimed to be from the Union Square Partnership Business Improvement District (BID). The release announced the BID’s decision to drop its push for “privatization of the famous park after overwhelming feedback from citizens across New York City.” (NewsBlaze still has the release......

Brooklynites may no longer have to haul across the bridge and wait in endless lines for burgers, dogs, and concretes at the Shake Shack. Or at least they won't have to cross the bridge -- the Daily News reports that Danny Meyer will be opening a Shack outpost in Brooklyn, and it's going mobile. Unlike the Upper West Side outpost planned to open later this year, which will be a brick-and-mortar affair, Brooklyn will be......

A State Supreme Court judge has issued a “preliminary injunction” prohibiting the city from turning the 78-year-old Pavilion in Union Square park into a restaurant. Last week the court ruled that the $21 million overhaul to the north end of the park could proceed while a lawsuit brought by community groups moves forward, but temporary stalled work on the Pavilion. Opponents object to what they see as the privatization of park space and insist the......

UPDATE: NY1's first report yesterday on the Union Square Pavilion lawsuit has been corrected. It turns out that, contrary to the initial news, the injunction stopping work on the park’s 78-year-old Pavilion is still in effect. While parts of the planned renovation to the north end of the park can now proceed, including construction of the expanded playground, the judge has also temporarily stopped the city from cutting down any trees while a lawsuit brought......

A state judge has issued a temporary restraining order to stop the city’s $21 million overhaul of the north end of Union Square Park, which would install a new restaurant in the historic Pavilion, redesign two playgrounds and repave asphalt where the Greenmarket had been operating. A coalition of community groups and parks advocates who brought the lawsuit say the city needs to get approval from the state legislature before privatizing part of the park,......

Today the Times’s chief food critic Frank Bruni revisits WD-50 (pictured) and elevates the Lower East Side avant-garde restaurant to three stars (a 2003 Times review by another critic had awarded it two). Chef Wylie Dufresne has made WD-50 a destination with his experimental, transgressive menu, and Bruni concedes that in the past “too many of his creations were gratuitously perverse… many visitors understandably feel that what they’ve experienced isn’t so much a meal as......

The holy Shake Shack in Madison Square Park, adored for its succulent burgers, righteous shakes and hellish lines, will soon expand into multiple locations. Owner Danny Meyer has signed a lease for a branch at 366 Columbus Avenue (at 77th Street), the former home of New Orleans import Jacques-Imo's. The new location will be entirely indoors, enabling delicate Upper Wide Siders to do their time on line out of the elements. And two Shake Shack......

No one knows for sure what’s to become of the future Union Square pavilion, but a strong contender for the space – formerly occupied by the shabby Luna Park – is a new restaurant helmed by Danny Meyer, who opened the Union Square Café in ’85 and whose Shake Shack in Madison Square Park is an object of obsession. Construction begins on a new pavilion this winter, but some insiders are betting Meyer wins the......

In case you missed it, earlier this week, Rebecca Charles, owner of Pearl Oyster Bar, filed an intellectual property suit against former sous-chef Ed McFarland, alleging that he had stolen recipes and design ideas when he opened his new restaurant, Ed's Lobster Bar. Here's what has gone down since then. Ed held a press conference. Grub Street describes Ed's response: “I am deeply saddened to learn that Rebecca Charles has brought an action against me,”......

In case you need a warm up for the Big Apple BBQ Block Party this weekend, newest NYC 'cue joint Hill Country NYC is scheduled to open on Friday, June 8th. The product of a collaboration between Robbie Richter, the man behind BBQ-NYC (pictured above with his brisket) and partner Marc Glosserman, Hill Country NYC aims to give diners the experience of Texas Hill Country barbecue without ever leaving Manhattan. Off the Broiler gives a......

Maybe it was just the red carpet, but most of the people we spoke to seemed particularly excited about the new digs for the James Beard Foundation Awards, black-tie affair held last night at Avery Fisher Hall to honor some of the country's best chefs, restaurateurs, and culinary professionals. Susan Ungaro, the President of JBF, noted that originally, James Beard had moved to New York to become an opera singer, but had to earn......

A year ago, waiters at Chinatown restaurant Jing Fong accused management of taking tip money to pay dim sum cart ladies. Now, another restaurant's managers are under fire for taking tips from servers, but the restaurant is decidedly more upscale. Waiters at Telepan, which got a 25 for food in the most recent Zagat guide, tell NY1 that managers have been helping themselves to tips, which is illegal in NY State: Waiters can be paid......

We've been wondering about the new public toilets ever since they were previewed last year. When are they coming? And how fast will they get wrecked? The Daily Intelligencer now reports that there are some concerns about the public toilets from City Council members. Members were asked to nominated two sites for potential potties, but some aren't interested. Councilwoman Jessica Lappin who covers Midtown East and the Upper East Side, said, "There isn’t really an......

December 7: Alex Prud’homme at O&CO. Join Alex Prud’homme, Julia Child's grandnephew, as he recounts stories about Julia and reads from her memoir, My Life in France, which he co-authored. He will also be available to sign books, which might make a great present for someone on your holiday shopping list. O&CO. store, Grand Central Terminal, Graybar Passage--Lexington Ave & 42nd St. (212-973-1472), 6:00 pm, Free. December 8 - 17: Gingerbread Homes for Animals Pastry......

It happens every night - too many good possibilities for things. And tonight is no exception, with two book readings that make us wish for a cloning machine. The two readings are at downtown Barnes & Noble locations: Restaurateur Danny Meyer discussing his book, Setting the Table, at the Chelsea location while Michael Lewis will be reading from his book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game at Union Square. Meyer is known and beloved......

While not listed on the website, a small bird-shaped source tells us that the gigantic (website says 66k vs. 90k sq.ft. in reality) Whole Foods in the Avalon Christie on Houston & Bowery will open in April 2007, an almost 1 year delay. Same little birdie says that contrary to reports elsewhere, they will also get to build a Whole Foods wine store (maybe not liquor) to replace the one forced out of the Columbus......

That's a quick clean-up! Less then a week after word spread about the Shake Shack's abysmal Health Inspection report (140 points!) we got the following message from Danny Meyer, proprietor of said Shack: I am happy to announce that Shake Shack has passed its most recent health inspection today. The results are expected to be posted on the health department’s website on Wednesday. Reducing our score from 140 to 14 points in one week......

After its shocking Health Department Inspection (140 points - point levels between 0 and 27 are acceptable!) threw its burger-, hot dog- and concrete-loving constituency into a frenzy (Eater was especially distressed by the "Food worker does not wash hands thoroughly after visiting the toilet, coughing, sneezing, smoking, preparing raw foods or otherwise contaminating hands" violation; the Post got someone to admit, "It's in the park, they have good prices, and they don't use......

For expat Southerners in the city, good fried chicken is something of a holy grail. There are a few decent contenders—Mama's Food Shop and Maroons, for example. But too often Southern cuisine is treated dismissively, as slop only to be mass produced. Now at last, a chef with a fine sensibility is doing it right. Dirty Bird is a new takeout spot specializing in fried chicken, and the verdict is in: This is the......

The Modern is the latest star in the constellation of Danny Meyer's restaurant empire. Gothamist recently stopped by its more casual half, the Bar Room, after a visit to The Museum of Modern Art, which houses the restaurant. Chef Gabriel Kreuther's small-plate menu dazzles. It's divided into three sections: cold appetizers, hot appetizers, and half-sized entrees. Portions are generous and many dishes are laced with an unusual ingredient. Take for instance the tagliatelle with escargots,......

Public space that's privately sponsored? Bryant Park's current operating model is apparently the source of some neighborhood trouble, as some people are aghast that a public park has so many corporate events and charges fees for its use. The NY Times counts there was Olympus Fashion Week, there are summer movies sponsored by HBO, its wireless is sponsored by Google and its ice skating rink, The Pond, is sponsored by Citi, not to mention various......

Charlie Suisman over at Manhattan User's Guide broke the French omerta on the New York City restaurants Michelin guide and listed the restaurants receiving 1, 2 or 3 stars. Only thirty-nine restaurants were reviewed. Here's a quick analysis: - Parlez francais: Frenchmen/French-themed restaurants take three of the four 3-star slots (Alain Ducasse, Jean-Georges, Le Bernadin); the fourth is American-born Per Se (lucky for punch bowl owners) - Time Warner Center sweep: Per Se, Masa (2......

The big NY Times Dining feature is about how dining in the year 1985 shaped NYC's restaurant going experiences through today. Led by chefs and restaurateurs David Bouley, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent, and Alfred Portale, diners were treated to fine fare in sketchy neighborhoods, less pretension, smaller checks, lighter California cuisine, and the reliance on fresh, Greenmarket ingredients. An overall democratization of going out for a delicious meal (freed from the restraints......

It seems like the five boroughs have gone slap happy mad for smokin', spicy barbecue. Is all of it up to snuff? Gothamist thinks not. But goodness knows, the selection has increased more than two-fold within the past year or so. New hot spots include R.U.B., Spanky's BBQ, Smoked and Bone Lick Park, among others. And, then there are the BBQ standbys like Danny Meyer's Blue Smoke, Virgil's, Brother Jimmy's, Daisy May's, Pearson's and Dallas......

Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 160 New Recipes from New York's Favorite Restaurant, by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano (HarperCollins, 2001) Despite the unseasonably cold weather this far into spring, Gothamist knows that summer's just around the corner, and with summer comes summer wardrobes. Ack. So after indulging you with the likes of cheesecake and frozen hot chocolate, we've decided to switch gears this week and go for some lighter fare. But we don't......

The James Beard Foundation seems to have gotten past the drama of the past year, and managed to announce its 2005 award winners. Local honorees include: - American Express Best Chef, New York City: Andrew Carmellini, Café Boulud - All-Clad Bakeware Outstanding Pastry Chef: Karen DeMasco, Craft - All-Clad Cookware Outstanding Chef: Mario Batali, Babbo - Ecolab Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional: Joseph Bastianich, Italian Wine Merchants - Illy Best New Restaurant: Per Se -......

Today: Danny Meyer's Shake Shack re-opens. People are all in a tizzy about this place. We have to admit, we like the burgers at the Burger Joint more, but we haven't tried the famed dogs and custard yet. It's only open from 11-4 through April, but extended hours start May 1st. Madison Square Park, Southeast Corner. April 5: Take A Bite Out of the Big Apple. This event, featuring Marco Canora of Hearth, Ed Witt......

Last week, it was a two-star review of Eleven Madison Park. A few weeks before, the new restaurant at the new MoMA was appraised. And today, another Danny Meyer restaurant is in the news, but not for the food or decor: The bookkeeper at Gramercy Tavern was arrested for pocketing $250,000. Newsday reports that 26 year-old Sandrene Austin was charged with felonies - second degree grand larceny and falsifying business records. Austin was supposed to......