Full Refund for ExtraMooga Ticket Holders

photo by craig cavalloSome of the most significant complaints from the Great Googa Mooga festival held over the weekend in Prospect Park were those from the ExtraMooga ticket holders. The $250 ticket price offered separate entrances to the event, backstage mingling with musicians and food celebs, and all inclusive food, wine, beer, and cocktails. Unfortunately, many complained that the food offerings and value of the ticket came nowhere near the price of the ticket.

In response to the outcry of angry ExtraMoogaers, Superfly, the organizers of the event (also of Tennessee's Bonnaroo), are providing a refund to all ExtraMooga ticket holders. 

"We are offering a 100% refund to anyone who attended ExtraMooga: the full ticket price, credit card fees—everything, our intentions were to do something great. We were definitely ambitious. But we also wanted to do something top notch. We did not deliver on the promise we made for the ExtraMooga, and that’s why we’re going to make it right.”

If you splurged on the ExtraMooga ticket and want a refund, follow these instructions.

Mission Accomplished

Bowien n' co. courtesy of the TimesDanny Bowien catches the Andy Ricker wave and is the next west coast import to bring Asian cuisine to New Yorkers.  He landed at 154 Orchard Street (@ Rivington) and opened a branch of his wildly popular, San Francisco based Mission Chinese Food to the public last night.  Lunch service will start tomorrow at 1130 and the restaurant will be open six days a week, they're closed Wednesdays.

Tables will likely be tough to snag in the tiny space, but reservations can be made for the 12 seats available at the bar.  Nothing on the menu is more than $13 and beers are $5.  On top of the cheap prices, Bowien is donating 75 cents from every dish Mission sells to the Food Bank for New York City.  Once they get their liquor license, another 75 cents from every cocktail goes to the Food Bank as well.

Pete Wells Loves Le Bernardin, and the Yankees

revamped dining room at le bernardinLast year, towards the end of summer, Le Bernardin shut down for a month to get an overhaul from a team of architects and designers from Bentel & Bentel.  The restaurant reopened in mid September, and today, Pete Wells files a four-star review on his recent experience at the restaurant Eric Ripert has been the executive chef at for 18 years.

"People sometimes ask him (Ripert) if he gets tired of cooking fish. Clearly these people have never eaten at Le Bernardin. No other restaurant in the city makes the simple cooking of fish (and the fish at Le Bernardin is cooked simply, when it is cooked at all) seem so ripe with opportunities for excitement."

"Like nearly all the savory dishes, this one depends upon the kitchen’s expert sauciers, especially Vincent Robinson, who has been on the job since 1985. Standing over his stockpots, Mr. Robinson has the control of Mariano Rivera on the mound. (Get well soon, Mr. Rivera.)" 

You can almost taste the dishes as Wells points out combinations of flavors put together by Mr. Robinson, "When he blends bergamot with grapefruit and other citrus for lobster, or jalapeño with lime for fluke sashimi, the nip of acidity will touch down precisely on this spot of your tongue, and nowhere else."

Wells is happy to join the ranks of Times critics that have placed Le Bernardin at its most acclaimed, four stars.  "Why wait to say it: today I fall in line, happily, with my predecessors."

Great Googally Moogally

photo by craig cavallo

The Great Googa Mooga took place in Prospect Park over the weekend and the event drew over 30,000 people. If you got there early enough (before noon) you had about 25 minutes to hit as many of the 75 stands as possible before the lines grew to 60 deep and stayed that way for the rest of the day.

A "Googa Moula" tent was set up to provide a cashless card system, where a value was placed on a card that you could then use at the wine and/or beer pavillions. Sounds like a great idea, but the system malfunctioned before noon (people were let in at 11:30am), so people were issued red tickets at a $1/ticket rate that you could then exchange for booze.

Most food vendors ran out of food around 4pm. Do or Dine sold through 800 of their foie gras donuts in just over 3 hours. As stands slowly began to run out of product, lines at neighboring vendors began to swell and waits grew to upwards of an hour.

Eater has an interview with co-founder Rick Farman that sheds some light on the incredible fest as the founders plan to smooth things out and make a return next year.  "Hopefully we'll be able to make it up to the people that had a bad experience. We look forward to making it a better event, and we are the kind of organization that's good at adapting."

When asked if they will be doing the event again Farman said, "We have every intention of doing it next year."

More Alfresco Options with the New Gramercy Terrace

The Gramercy Terrace reopened last Friday on top of the Gramercy Park Hotel, 17 stories above Lexington Ave between 21st and 22nd.  The newly refurbished kitchen is twice the size of the old one and is operated by Jeff Seizer.

Their website points out that, "Gramercy Terrace combines all the charm of London's private gentlemen's clubs and the Bohemian bustle of a Viennese coffee house."

"Striking a balance between after-hours chic and the classic style of private membership clubs, the Gramercy Terrace is nothing less than a country club in the city."

The terrace opens at a busy time for nearby rooftop destinations.  TROTN (The Roof of The Nomad) starts serving their $125 five-course tasting next month, Birreria has got the hinges on their retractable roof well greased and ready for summer, and Tavern 29 is serving craft beers and pub food on the roof of a three story brownstone at 47 East 29th Street.

A Sneak Peek at the Great Googa Mooga, Taking Over Prospect Park this Weekend

The Great Googa Mooga is finally here. Festivities kick off tomorrow morning at 11:15. A stroll through Prospect Park today reveals what looks as if Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory has gone savory.

Click to read more ...

Ben Benson's Meats Its Maker

Midtown's Ben Benson's has been doing meat and potatos at 123 West 52nd Street since 1982.  At a meeting held Wednesday, Mr. Benson announced with tears in his eyes that the restaurant will close on Father's Day, June 17th. 

The Paramount Group, who owns the building, refuses to renew the lease.

"Mr. Benson hasn't ruled out the possibility of another Ben Benson's, a proposition he gives a 50-50 chance. A couple of restaurateurs have already approached him about doing a joint venture."

It'll be a sad day for many.  One regular who got engaged at Benson's said, "For me it's like my kitchen and living room rolled in one."

Digestny Introduces Donde Dinner?

Welcome to Donde Dinner?, a new weekly feature where digestny does the work choosing your next dinner spot. 

In this new feature, digestny will pick a restaurant and post its address for you.  The catch is, the address is all the information we're giving you.  No name, no type of cuisine, and no googling allowed!  Price, quality, and accessibility are all being taken into concern, trendy dietary restrictions are not.  We promise not to have you waiting at the bar for two hours with $15 cocktails, and since we're not fancy folk, you never have to worry about a dress code.  Just hop on the train, or your feet, or your bike, and head to:

100 Mott Street