Tom Brokaw dined last night with the restaurateur Danny Meyer at the CNN Grill, a watering hole of sorts right outside the convention gates where members of the media can be seen all week sheepishly eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner for free. CNN set the thing up over the weekend, outfitting with new signage, new paint, and twelve TVs what used to be (and will be again once the convention leaves town) the Eagle Street Bar & Grill. Overseeing operations in the kitchen is Michael Romanos, the star chef from Mr. Meyer's banner New York spot, the Union Square Cafe.  

"I had fried chicken and uh.  read more »

The Daily Transom had never experienced Jonas Brothers mania in its purest form until we journeyed to their concert at the Ross School in East Hampton on Saturday, August 9. The Jonas Brothers are a Disney-promoted band of three brothers from Wyckoff, New Jersey--youngest brother Nick, who is 15, used to date Miley Cyrus and is now dating Disney star Selena Gomez (to Ms. Cyrus's chagrin, it is claimed); they tour with another Disney star named Demi Lovato; they are cute, but they are also Evangelical Christians and wear Promise Rings, so parents do not have to worry that their famously tight pants mean they will be talking about scary things like Sex and Drugs.  read more »

Grub Street and Eater are reporting that soon-to-be displaced Central Park eatery San Domenico will be reopening in a much bigger, 350-seat space at 19 East 26th Street, right across from Madison Square Park -- Danny Meyer country.

"Right now Danny Meyer is king of the park. We plan to challenge him," as Mr. May told Eater.

The new restaurant will be called SD26.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer gets a lot of credit for spearheading the retail renaissance around Union Square Park.

Opening his perennially popular Union Square Cafe in 1985 helped set off a seismic shift in real estate surrounding the notoriously nicknamed “Needle Park.” The area once overrun with junkies is now infested with foodies, who can easily score a quick fix at any one of the many top-rated eateries, including six operated by Mr. Meyer, within a five-minute walk of the park.  read more »

Danny Meyer's hallowed outdoor dining destination Shake Shack reopened shortly after noon on Thursday -- the coldest frickin' day of the year.

A planned heating system (as earlier reported by Eater) was still under construction. Yet even windchill in the single digits couldn't hold back the Shack heads in Madison Square Park.  read more »

The results of the latest Zagat Survey of New York restaurants are in, with input from a record 34,678 diners, and respondents have issued a resounding mandate to the city’s Health Department: Stay the course!

Asked “Do you think the recent temporary shuttering of some NYC restaurants for health violations is…?” only 15 percent answered “[a]n overreaction,” while a whopping 65 percent said “[w]arranted.” (Another 20 percent were undecided.)

The overwhelming support for the continuing Health Department crackdown on the city’s food-service sector comes on the heels of last month’s New York Post report, which found that city health inspectors had flunked 25 percent of all 28,955 eateries they inspected during fiscal year 2007.

Other findings from the brand-spanking new Zagat 2008 New York City Restaurants guide:  read more »

It’s no walk in Madison Square Park but standing in line amid scattered peanut shells, decorative stacks of potato sacks, and Kmart-esque florescent lighting is good for a rainy day.

“Now D.C.’s got nuthin’ on us!” declared one of many proudly posted comment cards displayed inside the delightfully boastful suburban Washington, D.C.-founded burger chain’s first New York City location, which opened in July.  read more »