reviews

Looking for a hot new restaurant to go to for a birthday dinner, or a swanky downtown joint to grab dinner and drinks with friends? Search my reviews below, or email me if you can't find what you're looking for. Wanna get the low-down on the newest restaurants going up? Get the strong buzz. (Please note: You can freely link to my restaurant reviews, but republishing any part of them without written permission is expressly prohibited. For information and syndication details please email syndication@thestrongbuzz.com).

“The John Dory”
For those of you who might be under the assumption that The John Dory is just some sort of fish-centered iteration of The Spotted Pig, I’m here to tell you that you’re way off base. The John Dory may have come from the same pare ...
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Posted: December 11, 2008

“Joe Doe”
One of my favorite things about my “job” (if you can call eating for a living a “job”) is discovering little off-beat neighborhood restaurants, places like ...
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Posted: December 7, 2008

“Dinosaur Bar-be-Que”
The barbecue mavens in my circle have been salivating over Dinosaur BBQ since it opened in December of 2004, when it made the move down state from its original home in Syracuse. Being rather lazy (read: travelling to 131st Street for dinner was no ...
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Posted: November 30, 2008

“No. 7”
It’s rare to emerge from the dark cold depths of the subway and come face to face with a welcoming oasis like No. 7, a new restaurant in Fort Greene that is perched over the C train exit at Lafayette a ...
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Posted: November 23, 2008

“Apiary”
Bobby Flay must be one heck of a boss. Chef Neil Mancale worked for him for a record 16 years. When you translate that to kitchen years (it’s kind of like calculations in dog years) that translates to, oh, a lifetime. But Manacle, a former N ...
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Posted: November 14, 2008

“BarBao”
Though I’d love to go, I’ve never been to Vietnam. Friends who have been come home raving about the countryside, the architecture and the food (both street and restaurant food, too.) When I do make it over there, I know this much. I pl ...
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Posted: November 9, 2008

“Chestnut”
Many moons ago I was just starting out as a freelance food writer and trying desperately to get into the New York Times Dining Section. But as a relative neophyte (I was an associate food editor at Restaurant Business Magazine), getting into the Time ...
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Posted: November 2, 2008

“Double Crown ”
Opening restaurants is kind of like having children. Now, to be sure, I haven’t actually had any kids yet, so perhaps I am speaking out of turn. But I have friends with kids, and I have opened restaurants and I know from that experience, the ...
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Posted: October 26, 2008

“James”
I’ve enjoyed many performances at BAM, most recently Endgame with John Turturo, but a recent concert—a show called Ethel’s Truck Stop—left me perplexed and let down. Truck Stop was billed as a cross between music, theater a ...
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Posted: October 19, 2008

“Parlor Steakhouse”
I don’t know many people who don’t like steakhouses. Well, actually my brother and my brother-in-law (who are vegetarian and vegan, respectively) are two people who don’t, but for anyone who does not shun beef, what’s not t ...
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Posted: October 11, 2008