Le Cirque is a Family Affair and There's a New Book To Prove It

[photo: digest ny] sirio maccioni gets a laugh out of danny meyer at le cirque's book launch partyA Table at Le Cirque: Stories and Recipes from New York's Most Legendary Restaurant, authored by Sirio Maccioni and Pamela Fiori (above), is the first ever cookbook about Le Cirque. Published today by Rizzoli, the book showcases the restaurant's nearly 40 year history with New York City via recipes, stories, and candid pictures of Maccioni family members fraternizing with the likes of movie stars, musicians, and presidents. The restaurant hosted a book launch party last night and Digest NY was lucky enough to attend.

Brothers Marco and Mauro Maccioni were shaking hands with the room while Marco's wife sang and provided a soundtrack to the celebration with the support of her band. Danny Meyer showed up. Terrance Brennan was there. So too were Alain Allegretti, Marc Murphy, Jefferey Zakarian, Michael Lomonaco, and Florence Fabricant.

The future of Le Cirque has recently become a topic of much concern after the restaurant received a negative one-star review from Pete Wells. Shortly after the review, Mr. Maccioni was looking for a new chef. In addition to the pending chef shuffle at Le Cirque, the Maccioni family is readying to open Sirio Ristorante November 1st at 795 Fifth Avenue between 60th and 61st. Sirio Ristorante is taking reservations, Le Cirque is taking resumes. 

It's a busy, stressful time for the Maccioni family, but their talent as gracious hosts trumped all concerns last night at the launch party. A Table at Le Cirque solidifies the restaurant's contribution to New York's restaurant and fine dining scene. When Le Cirque opened in 1974 it took a French lean, largely due to the fact that certain ingredients essential to Italian restaurants were unavailable at the time. The French flair is simply a whisper of the operation, and while the new book reveals 38 years of Le Cirque's history, a night amongst the Maccioni's revealed a family tradition shared by generations.

Carmellini's NoHo Super Bistro Gets a Name: Lafayette

One of the most anticipated openings to come in the remaining months of 2012 is Andrew Carmellini's French project in the former Chinatown Brasserie space.  Carmellini took over the 380 Lafayette Street address on the corner of Great Jones and Lafayette in June this year.  As the pieces fall into place, Vogue brings us news that the restaurant will be called Lafayette. 

Damon Wise, formerly of Craft and currently at Monkey Bar, was recently welcomed to the team and named chef de cuisine (#CDC).  Other members of that team are Luke Ostrom and Josh Pickard, Carmellini's partners in The Dutch, Locanda Verde, and the newly opened The Library in the Public Theater Building up the street from Lafayette. 

Carmellini and Wise will work together to create food inspired by the south of France.  "The menu at Lafayette is Carmellini’s homage to the rustic fare of the southeast and southwest of France (niçoise ravioli with pistou and chèvre and slow-cooked lamb with burnt orange and olives) as Carmellini notes of his emphasis on regional cuisine: “it's the spirit of French cooking.”" 

The Lafayette experience wil be helped by an in-house bakery, a zinc-hooded rotisserie, blue-leather banquets, a private dining room, and a (probably really awesome) wine cellar.  Opening in December.

Our Five Favorite Things Overheard at the NYCWFF

The New York City Wine and Food Festival wreaked havoc on Gotham City over the weekend for the fifth year running.  Droves of people showed up for the Food Network sponsored event, which brings culinary icons, television chefs, winemakers, spirits producers, and personalities together for four days under one roof.  There's no shortage in any category.  We were there on Friday.  It all started at the Welcome Center at 15th and 10th.  Here are a few pictures along with the five best things we overheard:

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Eat the Week; Oct 8th - 12th

Welcome back to "Eat the Week;" a compiled list of our posts from the week.  We'll publish this post every Saturday and top it with a picture for you.  That up there is the entrance to The NoMad on Broadway.  Here's what we ate this week:

Adam Platt gives Roberta's offshoot Blanca three stars for New York Mag | A look at the unique red wine of Valle d'Aosta | The first two years of Karlsson's vintage vodka | Pete Wells awards Yunnan Kitchen and their "farmers' market approach" one star | Anthony Bourdain's new show on PBS, The Mind of a Chef, will profile David Chang for its first season | The Library, Andrew Carmellini's collaborative effort in the Public Theater Building, opened on Tuesday | The second location of Einat Admony's Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar opened Thursday on the corner of Spring and Mulberry | Brooklyn Central opened Wednesday night on 5th Avenue in Park Slope | Donde Dinner? 46-48 Bowery

Donde Dinner? 46-48 Bowery

Donde Dinner? wants to make your next dining experience an adventure.  So, we'll pick a restaurant and post its address for you every Friday.  The catch is, that's all the information you get.  No name, no type of cuisine, and no Googling!  Before we get to this week's Donde Dinner?, here's last week's address:

736 Franklin Ave = Chavelas

This weeks spot follows typical Donde Dinner? fashion.  Price, quality, and accessibility have all been taken into account.  You won't be waiting at the bar for two hours with $15 cocktails, and you don't have to worry about a dress code.  We're going back to Brooklyn this week.  Just hop on the train, or your feet, or your bike, and head to:

 46-48 Bowery (btwn Bayard and Canal)

A Look Around Brooklyn Central: Now Open in Park Slope

Brooklyn Central opened at 289 5th Ave in Park Slope Wednesday.  The new project from the guys behind Sottocasa on Atlantic Avenue is the first to open from our Brooklyln Edition of A Taste of Tastes to Come.  A simply decorated room, exposed brick, and wood tables make for a rustic setting to enjoy "Old World" and "New World" pizza creations.  For starters; cesar, kale, and arugula salads provide a few green options while meatballs and oven roasted octopus showcase the Italian lean.  For the Neapolitan-style pizzas, the Old World options are a bit more traditional, made with mozzarella di bufala imported from Campania in Italy.  New World pizzas are made with fresh mozzarella from Brooklyn.  The full menu is here.  We stopped in before service tonight and snapped a few pictures.

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The Nolita Location of Taim Opened Today

Einat Admony's passion for hospitality and Middle Eastern flavors was first introduced to the city in 2007, when she opened Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar in the West Village.  In spring of 2010, Admony opened Balaboosta on Mulberry Street and furthered her reputation as excellent chef and gracious host.  Tonight, Nolita gets its serving of falafel with the long-awaited opening of Taim at 45 Spring Street.

Taim Nolita had its soft opening for friends and family last night and officially opened to the public today at 10am.  The Nolita location has extended hours.  Taim on Waverly Place is open from 11am - 10pm daily, while the Nolita location on the corner of Spring and Mulberry is open from 10am - 11pm Sunday through Wednesday and 10am - 1am Thursday through Saturday.

Taim Falafel and Smoothie Bar | 45 Spring Street | 212.219.0600 | www

Andrew Carmellini's The Library is Open

The Library opened on the mezzanine level of Lafayette Street's Public Theater Tuesday night at 5:30.  It's the first to open from our Taste of Tastes to Come list and the new collaborative project from Andrew Carmellini, Luke Ostrom, and Joe's Pub proves to be a modern, jazzy, speak easy with the help of a World War II era jazz soundtrack and $14 cocktails from Tiffany Short.  Six draft beers are on offer at $6 each and a three act menu offers food under the direction of Carmellini.  Act I gives you options like pizza popcorn with Parmigiano ($5), Peekytoe crab rolls ($10 for 2), and French fries with malt vinegar mayo ($8).  Act II has roasted beets, grapefruit, goat cheese, and pistachio ($12), and a kale salad that might join the ranks of Battersby and Northern Spy Co. in the world of supreme kale salads.  The Library's version has Vermont Cheddar and Marcona almonds ($13).  Act III includes Joe's Burger with carmelized onions, bacon, and cheddar ($17), and Catskill Moutain Trout with lentils and butternut squash ($24).

Three sparkling options, four whites, and four reds make up the wine by the glass options.  The champagne heavy sparkling section and white wine in the form of Sancerre, viognier, riesling, and Chablis provide a thorough tour of France while the eleven reds on offer cover five different countries and range from $45 to $110.  See the full food and drink menu here.

The Library | 425 Lafayette Street | 212.539.8777 | 530pm - 2am nightly | www