This week Bruni visits Keith McNally's Morandi, which has been getting creamed by critics of late. He awards the restaurant one star, says "the food has been getting a worse rap than it deserves," but also that it's erratic. He doesn't love the desserts, but doesn't hate them; same goes for the wine list. Overall, McNally has "miscalculated with this restaurant," says Bruni, "which doesn't have enough atmospheric magic to distract you from the insane......

Bruni visits Nish (the former March) on the Upper East Side, awards the restaurant two stars. The restaurant is "March minus some of the manners and mannerisms," says Bruni, more casual and more accessible. While he likes most of the food, as well as the affordable wine, he finds that it "isn't so dazzling as to guarantee the kind of success that’s eluded [chef Wayne Nish] over the last few years." And the boys at......

Bruni re-reviews Eleven Madison Park and the Bar Room at the Modern, bumping each up a star to three. He raves about chef Daniel Humm, who took over the kitchen at Eleven Madison Park early last year. Finds the beef tenderloin with bordelaise sauce thickened with marrow "druggy." As for the Bar Room, it's "an unpretentious character study," he says. This week Eater once again does not put its mouth where its money is. Their......

Bruni one-stars Chinatown Brasserie; it's uneven, but he loves the dim sum. Especially the dumplings. "What's better than dumplings?" asks Frank. Gothamist has at times asked ourselves that same question. And Eater is back on the money this week, giving Chinatown Brasserie one-star odds at 3-1. Peter Meehan visits The Farm on Adderly in Brooklyn and likes what he sees (and tastes). "Simple dishes are the way to go," he says, and "for a place......

Bruni two-stars Degustation. The restaurant is the latest incarnation of Jewel Bako Robato, which had previously morphed into Grace's Kalbi Bar, and is a part of the Grace & Jack Lamb East Village empire. Creativity "courses through the concise lineup of dishes," says Bruni. Gasp, the Eater oddsmakers are off the mark! They predicted one star for Degustation, a rare slipup. Perhaps they were just doing it to mix things up: they admit "we may......

- The poster couple for cute East Village restaurants, Jack and Grace Lamb, brings us Degustation in the 16 seat spot next to Jewel Bako. The menu is small plate-style, with Spanish and French influences. 239 East Fifth Street, (212) 979-1012. [via NYT, Thrillist] - Mario Batali + NASCAR = Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style: The Essential Cookbook for Nascar Fans. The red states are now officially confused. - Bruni on restaurant recommendations to a friend......

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......

Between the accelerating AC bill, the boredom of August and the depression of knowing we don't summer anywhere, Gothamist has been more and more interested in revisiting the idea of cheap. Fish Bar is not what we'd technically call a dive (we're not afraid to let our feet touch the floor). It is an adorable and filled with kitsch: mermaids, tackle, shells, and buoys line the walls and compete with the Stoli for room on......

Like Gothamist Food, Greg Lippmann is often asked where to eat. Lippman is a securities trader who eats sushi up to six times a week (clearly, we're in the wrong line of work for that type of eating). In response to the requests, he created The Sushi Spreadsheet. In a handy Excel format, he ranks 91 of Manhattan's sushi spots, from Jewel Bako at the top, down through Teriyaki Boy at the bottom, and provides......

The Corner Table posts their current top five restaurants in NYC: 'inoteca, Jewel Bako, Le Bernadin, 5 Ninth, and NYC Icy We like this list. It's got variety in cuisine, price, and neighborhood. Nothing outside of Manhattan, however. Today is the perfect day for NYC Icy -- go grab one and stay cool. Gothamist really likes the lemon and the green apple, which are thoroughly refreshing, and great for those who are lactose intolerant. NYC......

New York magazine reports that East Village restaurateurs Jack and Grace Lamb's sweet Blue Goose Cafe will close, to make way for a "casual" version of Jewel Bako, called Jewel Bako Makimono. While a more casual version the delicious sushi restaurant is a good thing, Gothamist will miss the bright and welcoming Blue Goose, where we could duck in for a sweet treat (see our visit to the Blue Goose Cafe) as we wandered in......

Aha! Those pinched looks on the faces of sushi restaurant employees were not from Gothamist's poor pronunciation of "omakase" and demands for heating up sake that should remain cold - it would beacuse we didn't know how to dip our sushi. The Times gives some sushi eating pointers and emphasizes that sushi should not sit in the sauce, or else the sushi chefs might start crying on the inside. Gen Mizoguchi of Megu tells the......

Even though your sushi is fresh, perhaps flown in from Japan if you're hobnobbing it at some posh sushi or ceviche place, it's been frozen. The Times looks at the little-known government-stipulated (and widely accepted, though not really enforced) practice of freezing the raw fish you eat. The freezing helps kill parasites, which is always okay with Gothamist. Restaurants that use at least some frozen sushi: Nobu, Geisha, Jewel Bako, Sushi Yasuda, even Masa. One......

she loves ny breaks its sushi issue. Raw fish fanatics can get the scoop on "New and of Note," The Top Top," "Top Sashimi," "Top Dives," and "Who's Who Of Maki Rolls" plus the resy low-down. slny says "The Top Top" "however should be had on expense accounts only," Gothamist offers, "should be had on dates with sugar daddies or sugar mommies...or with real mommies and daddies." At any rate, Gothamist loves she loves ny...glslny.......

Gothamist headed to the Blue Goose Cafe on Second Avenue and 6th Street for an afternoon snack with T, who, not so coincidentally, was our companion when we frequented owners Jack and Grace Lamb's other East Village venture, the wonderful Jewel Bako. With pastries from Payard, Ceci Cela, and Sullivan Street Bakery, the Blue Goose is as close to a sure thing a simple cafe can be, but the Lambs have added their elegant......