Talde Starts Brunch this Weekend

The Talde Trio has announced they're starting brunch service.  You can get Dale Talde's Dim Sum Brunch menu starting this weekend from 11am - 3pm.  Sausage, egg, and cheese fried rice, Korean chicken wings and waffles, and everything bagel spring rolls can be washed down with watermelon margarita's and a "very excellent bellini #1."  Check out the tasty little spring rolls, with smoked salmon and cream cheese, being made in the video.

Eighteen is Seventeen Too Many for Alison Eighteen

Alison Eighteen is the restaurant that Alison Price Becker opened in January, ending her decade long hiatus from the industry.  The first half of Pete Wells' one-star review is devoted to explaining the current dining experience in New York City south of 42nd Street.  At 15 West 18th Street, a handful of dishes failed to please Pete's palate.  "Razor clams slapped - grit, shells and all - on top of a knotted clump of flavorless fettucine" didn't do the trick.  A polenta dish with wild mushrooms was tilted "until a small pond of olive oil and melted butter collected on one side."

Traped behind an "eggplant-colored velvet curtain" is the "revival of an old play, the set looks great but the dialogue can feel a bit strained, and the players need time to learn their lines."

Lunch Launches at Babbo

Babbo began serving dinner at 110 Waverly Place in June of 1998.  For 14 years it has remained the most lauded dining location in Mario Batali's empire and one of the most sought after reservations in the city.  Today, starting at 1130am, the restaurant will be open for lunch.

Eater has pictures of the menu, which gives the option of a 4-course, $49, tasting menu.

I Say Googa, You Say Mooga

The Great Googa Mooga is getting closer and there's been a few more restaurants added to the roster.  Craft, Num Pang, Pok Pok Wing, and Dinosaur BBQ, who has a location opening next year at 604 Union Street in Brooklyn, will be feeding the masses May 19th and 20th.  General Admission tickets sold out in just a few hours when they became open to the public a couple of weeks ago, but all inclusive Extra Mooga tickets are still available for $249. 

The Wine Experience was also announced last week and includes a 120 foot tent and over 100 wines.  Paul Grieco, of Hearth and Terroir, will be on hand with other NYC sommeliers as part of an "Ask the Sommelier" station.

Pok Pok Ny Pumps the Breaks

Andy Ricker's Pok Pok Ny, on Columbia Street in Brooklyn, will not open tonight as originally thought.  Dinner service will begin Wednesday night when they open the doors at 6pm and run from 6 - 11pm Wednesday through Sunday, with full week dinner and lunch service to follow.  Head over to Grubstreet for a slideshow.

A Comic Book Look at the Guys Behind Pork Slope, Coming Early Summer

Nick and Adam Hayes are the brothers behind the graphic novel Dark Age.  They teamed up with the trio behind Talde, the white-hot Park Slope spot on 7th Ave and 11th Street that opened in January, and made this illustration talking about Pork Slope, the trio's latest venture.

Bleecker Street Plans Fall Through for Fried Field

About a month ago we got word that Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield were looking to open a wine bar in the former Bar'rique spot on Bleecker Street.  They had written a letter to their potential neighbors explaining their vision.  Today, Eater reports the duo is backing out from the Bleecker Street locale, as they feel the project might not be "welcomed with open arms."

Says Friedman, "We live in the Village. We're not from another city, trying to open a restaurant in a place we have no connection to and don't have to face the neighbors on a daily basis. Its no fun to have neighbors blaming you for being kept awake last night. Maybe this is a sign that we need to open uptown."

Higgins, Stop Eating the Chicken!

David Chang was on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night to have a chicken battle with Roots drummer ?uestlove.  If Chang losses, ?uestlove's chicken would go on the menu's at Momofuku's in the city and he would get a spread in the next issue of Lucky Peach.  Should Chang win, ?uestlove would have to stand outside one of the Momofuku restaurants and promote Chang's chicken and give him a shout out ever night on Late Night for a week.

Turns out Higgins, the shows announcer, is a pretty big fan of fried chicken.  Check out the clip for the winner.