A well-known coffee company is returning to its roots in New York City.
This December, Chock full o'Nuts will open its first full-service restaurant since the chain shuttered its last restaurant in 1990, company officials tell Crain's New York Business.
The 2,800-square-foot restaurant will open less than a block from the Flatiron Building in Manhattan and serve up old favorites from its last bout decades ago in the restaurant arena, Crain's said.
A British restaurant is in hot water after one of their employees reportedly referred to a toddler as a "little f----r" on the check.
Craig and Kimberley Cartin received the receipt at Cactus Joe's, a new Mexican restaurant in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England on Aug. 30, the Daily Mail reports. Their 2-year-old, Molly, had been restless during the meal.
Listed among miscellaneous extras such as medium spice was "thankyoulittell f----r."
Tennessee restaurateurs are fighting a new law that threatens to enshrine a tradition they believe is best left in the Old Wild West.
Unless a judge grants a last-minute injunction, Tennessee residents with the proper permits will be able to carry their concealed, loaded firearms into restaurants serving alcohol starting this coming Tuesday. That makes Tennessee the first state in the nation to expressly allow folks to tuck their guns into hidden holsters and sidle up to the bar.
Attorney David Randolph Smith, who's representing 10 citizens opposing the law, says in what some might consider an understatement, "the problem with having guns where alcohol is served is that fights and breaches of the peace are known to occur."
Or, as Nashville songster Travis Tritt put it more lyrically in one of his biggest hits: "Each time I drink, I start to think I'm 10-feet tall and bulletproof."
Wednesday's episode of the New York City public radio show Soundcheck examined the cacophonous issue of music in restaurants -- which is certainly not a local issue.
Open kitchens and lively bar scenes increasingly come with a soundtrack, but what's music to one diner's ears is cause for another's indigestion. Restaurateurs argue that music plays a crucial role in defining an eatery's image: A shared plate of oysters is that much more romantic when accompanied by Nina Simone's velvet vocal stylings, while a late-night hamburger date might be enhanced by the moral motif of Kelly Clarkson's "I Do Not Hook Up."
But when does a restaurant's choice of tunes cross that delicate line between agreeable background noise and ear-bleeding annoyance? Is a little music always preferable to dead silence (punctuated only by the sounds of chewing and murmured conversation)? Does a restaurant's choice of music influence your decision to eat there? Or is it less the choice than the decibel level that shapes your experience? And, most importantly, who do you want to provide the soundtrack for that late-night burger?
Mamma mia! This morning's pasta pic has us stuck in noodle-craving mode. Comforting, hearty Italian eats never get old for us Slashfoodies, so we put together a list of our unforgettable, lick-the-plate clean faves from red-sauce trattorias to fancy-pancy eateries.
As with our sandwich post and followup (in which you continue to comment, nominating your beloved sub shops) we want your vote. What'd we miss? Which chicken parm or scallopine di vitelo should we be booking plane tickets to feast upon? Hit us up in the comments, and in a few days we'll post a master list of Slashfoodies' favorites.
Savelli's, Knoxville, Tenn. Blink and you'll drive right past the hole-in-the-wall where Mama Savelli's Chicken Surprise, bursting with artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy lemon sauce, will take up permanent residence in your best food memories bank. We really amore the BYOB policy. -- Gretchen Roberts Vetri, Philadelphia, Pa. Marc Vetri's cozy 40-seater has its share of naysayers, but with impeccable service and amazing food in a warm, intimate setting there's no better spot to celebrate a special occasion. -- Mike Pomranz Franny's, Brooklyn, N.Y. Known for its thin-crusted tomato, mozzarella and sausage pizza, this petite Brooklyn joint also whips up silky pastas with natural local ingredients like spinach and farm fresh eggs. -- Max Shrem Augustino's, Hoboken, N.J. Double-thick sautéed pork chops topped with hot and sweet peppers cause jaws to hit tables. We didn't come up for air until our plates were spotless. -- Sarah Christine (aka The Hungry Bride) Convivio, New York, N.Y. A well-crafted love letter to Southern Italy that is refined without being fussy with dishes like expertly charred octopus and malloreddus -- a weird, wonderful marriage of sea urchin, crab and gnocchi. -- Rebecca Flint Marx
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.
Swallow, a Philadelphia BYOB, relaunched their menu today and their new offers are specifically designed to take the current economic downturn in mind. They've ditched their previous modern Italian menu and have replaced it with an entire menu of macaroni and cheese.
The menu allows you to design your own entree. You first pick small (base price $5) or large ($7) dish and then determine which two cheese you'd like. For an additional $2-3, you can choose three veggies, meats or herbs to mix into your mac and cheese. In addition the build your own menu, they have a selection of favorites that you can pick from if you're feeling overwhelmed by the number of choices.
This is the first time I've heard of a restaurant scrapping an entire menu in response to the economy. It could either be a brilliant move or a tragic misstep.
Minneapolis is my hometown. I'm currently visiting for the upcoming turkey day, and last night I dined at a very special restaurant which, year after year, wins "Best Restaurant" awards in local publications right and left.
What does "best restaurant" mean, really? There are so many variable traits a restaurant can have. Also, I have long been in love with Cafe Brenda, a gourmet vegetarian and seafood restaurant in Minneapolis' warehouse district. The mushroom pate is to die for. Or what about Ecopolitan's vegan fare, or the delightful lunch at French Meadow Bakery? What about Zelo? How couldLa Belle Vie be "better" than that?
Well, for one, the atmosphere is enchanting. You walk in, they sit you down, and a server approaches with menus and says "welcome to dinner." You relax. You settle in. You know you are in for a dining "experience."
Cafeteria is a restaurant in New York's fabulous Chelsea area. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Cafeteria caters not only to its trendy local neighborhood, but to the nearby Meatpacking District where people party till all hours, and to the rest of the night owls (and jet-lagged) in the city.
P-Diddy is reportedly a fan, and celebrity spottings are not uncommon. Most importantly, the food is great. Sometimes you need meatloaf (pictured) at 6am. And that can be hard to find.
According to manager Lori Kistner, the two must-try items on the menu are the Meatloaf and Mac and Cheese. They offer three Mac and Cheese varieties: Original, Gouda & Bacon, and Truffle Oil. And don't miss the desserts. Deep fried Oreos? Breakfast of champions!
See all three, as well as some other delicious-looking items and an interior shot in the gallery below. Cafeteria is located at 119 Seventh Avenue on the corner of 17th Street in Manhattan.
Ever seen the phrase "corkage fee" on a restaurant menu and wondered what it meant? Here's the 411: some restaurants let you BYOB, but they charge a small amount ($5-35) to cover the glasses, service, etc. While $20 might seem like a hefty fee for the server to spend 15 seconds pulling a cork, the corkage fee is really just a gentle reminder to you that your BYOB is cutting into their profit margin. Restaurants make a lot of money from drinks markups, including wine, and when you bring your own they aren't raking in the dough.
BYOB is a good dining strategy whether you're a connoisseur or a cheapskate. As a connoisseur, you can bring a special bottle the restaurant wouldn't possibly offer. As a cheapskate, you can save money by paying the corkage fee instead of exorbitant markups.
Just remember the rules of etiquette when you BYOB:
Call ahead and ask first so you don't show up with your $8 Merlot only to find out the corkage fee is three times that.
Don't bring wine that's on the restaurant's list. It's rude.
Offer your server/sommelier a taste. (He or she may say no, but it's the right thing to do.)
Don't stiff the server: factor the wine in when you calculate the tip.
On more nights than I'd like to admit, Scott and I succumb to the blue flicker of the television screen while eating dining. We park ourselves on the couch with our plates and watch Jeopardy or reruns of The Daily Show. But when we go out to eat, we avoid places with TVs, knowing that we get plenty of tube viewing time in at home.
However, CBS has recently opened a restaurant where the point is to watch television while you eat. Over the weekend, they opened a 15,000-square-foot restaurant that will serve upscale pub food and will prominently feature approximately 130 high-definition televisions. Included in that number are table-side flat-screens programmed with CBS content, so that you can choose from 60 years worth of CBS programming while you dine.
The restaurant, called CBS Scene, has been opened in partnership with New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and is located in Foxborough, MA, adjacent to Gillette Stadium. Video about the new restaurant is after the jump (it starts playing as soon as you open the page).
The woman, an employee of a Tim Hortons coffee and donut chain in Toronto, gave a fussy toddler the tiny, 16-cent donut (called a "Timbit") to eat, and was promptly fired by her overzealous manager.
The woman said she would have paid for the donut, but the store was busy and she had to work.
As soon as Tim Hortons' corporate offices heard of the firing, they quickly issued a statement that the firing was a mistake (it was implied that the woman was re-hired).
Seriously, though: who would want to go back and work for that maniac? Whatever happened to the customer coming first?
Hopefully, the woman will be able to get away from the boss with the anger management issues, and get a better job. Like at the local IHOP.
Get ready to laugh: among Health magazine's top healthiest restaurants are - drum roll, please - Denny's, Bob Evans, and Romano's Macaroni Grill.
Hmm - the kings of maple syrup-drenched sausage and carb-heavy pasta dishes, respectively, are also the healthiest?
Granted, I don't go out to eat very often. But - are these places actually healthy? I find it hard to believe.
The magazine's other choices are equally as confusing: Olive Garden? Uno Chicago Grill? Last time I checked, phrases like "extra cheese" and "more breadsticks" were the norm at these haunts.
This month, Good Magazine - which donates its readers' subscriptions to the nonprofit org of their choice - let us all in on a little secret. Actually, several little secrets. They're called "speakeasy restaurants," a catchy term for underground eateries and "supper clubs" that aren't sanctioned by their city's health departments and are frequented only by a small, specific clientele who are privy to the information. This usually occurs virally, because even posting about them online increases the chance that the speakeasies will be closed down.
These "restaurants" are primarily run out of people's homes, and actually aren't all about the food. Instead, the point of going to one is the people you'll meet and the comfortable atmosphere you'll enjoy. In fact, from the sound things, the only clandestine quality about these top-secret eateries is exactly that: the fact that they're operated in the shadows and that they are choosy about their diners. And except for a few suspect experiments in molecular gastronomy here and there, the get togethers sound relatively tame, and feature mainly traditional, home-cooked meals.
Racing to get your taxes done and need a quick caffeine boost? Denny's Restaurants want you to know that they have come out with a new "Special Blend" of coffee, and will be offering free samples on Tax Day which is tomorrow, April 17th. If you are unable to make it on that specific date, they will also be offering free samples on April 21 & 22, and April 28 & 29 between 8am and 1pm.
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. 
Swallow, a Philadelphia BYOB, relaunched their menu today and their new offers are specifically designed to take the current economic downturn in mind. They've ditched their previous modern Italian menu and have replaced it with an entire menu of macaroni and cheese. 
Minneapolis is my hometown. I'm currently visiting for the upcoming turkey day, and last night I dined at a very special restaurant which, year after year, wins "Best Restaurant" awards in local publications right and left.
Cafeteria rocks.
Ever seen the phrase "corkage fee" on a restaurant menu and wondered what it meant? Here's the 411: some restaurants let you BYOB, but they charge a small amount ($5-35) to cover the glasses, service, etc. While $20 might seem like a hefty fee for the server to spend 15 seconds pulling a cork, the corkage fee is really just a gentle reminder to you that your BYOB is cutting into their profit margin. Restaurants make a lot of money from drinks markups, including wine, and when you bring your own they aren't raking in the dough.
The woman, an employee of a Tim Hortons coffee and donut chain in Toronto, gave a fussy toddler the tiny, 16-cent donut (called a "Timbit") to eat, and was promptly fired by her overzealous manager.
Get ready to laugh: among Health magazine's top healthiest restaurants are - drum roll, please - Denny's, Bob Evans, and Romano's Macaroni Grill. 
This month, Good Magazine - which donates its readers' subscriptions to the nonprofit org of their choice - let us all in on a little secret. Actually, several little secrets. They're called "speakeasy restaurants," a catchy term for underground eateries and "supper clubs" that aren't sanctioned by their city's health departments and are frequented only by a small, specific clientele who are privy to the information. This usually occurs virally, because even posting about them online increases the chance that the speakeasies will be closed down.
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