"openings" news and stories

By Alex Van Buren with reporting by Sarah De Heer

Elaborate eats -- despite the recession -- continue to make cameos nationwide, often in the strangest of places.

At Citi Field, Gotham's new Mets stadium, culinary stars Danny Meyer (Blue Smoke; Eleven Madison; Tabla), Dave Pasternack (Esca) and Drew Nieporent (Nobu; Tribeca Grill) will hawk their wares alongside the hot-dog vendors and pint-pourers.

It's quite a change from the scene at that beloved old warhorse, Shea Stadium, and an unusual step for what one 24-year-old lifelong fan calls "the blue-collar team in a city where the Yankees are kings." Is he looking forward to it? "Well, my dad is all in a huff -- 'Whatever happened to peanuts and crackerjacks?' -- but uh, I think it's gonna be cool."

The famously tasty Shake Shack burger has that effect on city denizens. Slashfood dropped by a press event to sample it and the rest of the grub.

Get a first taste and see photos after the jump.

Frank Sinatra was a man who loved to dine. Indeed, he was many a restaurants' favorite patron, from the neighborhood pizzeria to more upscale spots. Additionally, his picture hangs in hundreds, probably thousands of places he never even set foot in because Sinatra means Italian food.

The ultimate in Frank-revering restaurants has opened in the new Encore casino in Las Vegas, where Sinatra (Well, what would you call it?) is the first restaurant fully sanctioned by Ol' Blue Eyes' family. So sanctioned that it's bursting with enough memorabilia to stock a museum; not only photos, but gold records, Grammys and Frank's Best Supporting Actor award for From Here to Eternity grace the dining room, which puts a glossy, post-modern spin on Sinatra's signature Palm Beach style.

Heading up the kitchen is executive chef Theo Schoenegger (formerly of LA's Patina) whose Italian cuisine eschews red sauce and Mama Dolly's pasta for dishes possessed of a more minimalist elegance with a few simple, fresh ingredients applied to maximum effect. Order up a chairman-approved cocktail and toast the good life.

The point of fast-food franchises is instant familiarity--every outlet serving the same food under the same sign in essentially the same building. But McDonald's has been messing with that paradigm, opening new restaurants that are hard to recognize as the home of Ronald and the Big Mac. Viva McDonald's recently opened on the Las Vegas Strip, tearing down a 25-year-old golden arches to rebuild a slick new restaurant. The arch is still there--at least one, anyway--stretched as a marquee above a row of 20-foot wide video screens. Inside, there's something of the Quonset hut design of a Chipotle, along with even more screens, all broadcasting McDonald's own in-house TV channel. You can even get a latte and use wi-fi!

Not enough change for you? How about the McDonald's with no branding at all, not even the name. In Tokyo, the fast-food megalith has opened several small restaurants named, simply, Quarter Pounder. There's not an arch in sight--the black-and-red decor looks more like a bar or nightclub and even the wrappers are redesigned, streamlined and logo-free. However, don't get your hopes up about a chic new shame-based No-I-Am-Not-a-McDonald's: The stores are open as part of a promotion for the quarter pounder, which was not previously available in Japan.

In a press conference this morning, Tim Zagat announced The Vintage Dinner Series, a gathering New York City's finest Chefs that will create menus inspired by 19th century banquets. Many of the dishes the chef's will be serving have mostly disappeared from the restaurant and even the home scene over the past hundred years. Recreating period-appropriate ambiance and meals will create an unforgettable dining experience.

Chefs from restaurants such as Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Chanterelle, Del Posto, Gramercy Tavern, Le Bernardin, Per Se and many more are very excited to be taking part in such a historic dining event. Tim Zagat says: "This is the greatest group of chefs since Escoffier ate home alone!" These prix fixe dinners will be priced on par with each restaurant's standard menu, but will include drinks, tax and tip. Each restaurant will also donate a portion of the evening's proceeds to a charity of their choice.

Interested? Don't hesitate to make reservations immediately! Seating is extremely limited and expected to sell out possibly by the end of the day. For a complete list of restaurants, menus and charities, please go to ZagatPresents.com.

Tiki has long been a beloved sub-genre of American culture, revered by those who love retro, irony, carved wooden heads, eccentric glassware and powerful, fruity drinks. All these things come together at the tiki hourse of worship: The tiki bar. Yet tiki bars are few and far between, with many having been torn down or stripped of their grandeur--only a few beloved relics like San Francisco's Tonga Room, Los Angeles' Tiki Ti and Tuscon's Kon Tiki remain.

But there's a new tiki in a town that rides its own undercurrent of retro and irony. Las Vegas now hosts the planet's only 24-hour tiki bar: Frankie's Tiki Room, which offically opens today, December 4.

Frankie's is a lovingly crafted example of authentic tiki style, with woven palm thatching, carved wooden chairs and blowfish lamps, along with one-of-a-kind art and design by tiki titan Bosko and space-age bachelor pad painter Shag, among others.

But, of course, no tiki bar is a true tiki bar without an extensive selection of fruity, sugary, unexpectedly powerful drinks. The menu at Frankie's Tiki Hut goes all out, offering classic rum-and-pineapple tropical beverages like the Mai Tai and the Zombie made with original Don the Beachcomber recipes. There is also an abundance of specially-created cocktails like the Mojito-esque Bearded Clam, the clover-and-hazelnut spiced Jonas Grumby and the Bombora Blast, which combines 151-proof rum with guava-flavored energy drink. The menu categorizes drinks, with a rating of two to five skulls indicating strength, from pleasant libation to lethal concotion. Given the deceptively sweet nature of tiki drinks, it's a big help.