James Beard 2012 Semifinalists Announced This Morning

The long list of semifinalists for the James Beard Awards was revealed today.  It will see a significant chop next month in Vegas and leave us with the finalists for the ceremony to be held Monday, May 7th at Lincoln Center.

Isa, Tertulia, and Tremont get nods for best new restaurant.

Exciting rising star chef nominees in Emma Hearst (Sorella), Max Sussman (Roberta's), Jesse Schenker (Recette), and Noah Bernamoff (Mile End).

Talde 2.0 to Open this Summer

The new Dale Talde restaurant, set to occupy the former Aunt Suzie space in Park Slope, is going to be mullet friendly.  The menu will take more of a bar-food, late-night eats kind of lean.  It'll be much different from what's being served at Talde, as Talde himself has said, "At the end of the day, I'm just an American chef."

Windows are covered and construction has started at the still nameless space that plans to open this summer.

Patsy Grimaldi to Occupy Original Grimaldi's Space

Patsy Grimaldi has left a long trail in the history of New York City pizza.  It started in the 40s, when he learned how to make pizza under his uncle up in Harlem.  A legal battle in the 90s lead to the current Grimaldi's name and the end of the decade, 1998, saw Patsy Grimaldi's retirement from the pizza world.  A decision that never stopped haunting him.

Unpaid rent forced Grimaldi's out of the original 19 Old Fulton Street space at the end of last year.  They opened their new location half a block away, at 1 Front Street.

Patsy Grimaldi saw this as a perfect chance to come out of retirement.  He plans to open Juliana's, a name attributed to his late mother, in the original Grimaldi's location at 19 Old Fulton Street in DUMBO, BK.

Make pizza, not war.

Cabbie Didn't Realize Hearth Doesn't Have a Drive-Thru Window

These photo's come to us via chef Marco Canora over at Hearth.  Apparently a cab decided to crash into the restaurant last Friday around 11pm.  A tweet from the chef tells us, "Thankfully, no one was hurt."

Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri Event Today

Gambero Rosso is one of the leading publications for Italian Wines. Tre bicchieri (3 glasses) is the highest award given by Gambero Rosso.  All the tre bicchieri winners will be on offer today from 2-7pm at the Metropolitan Pavillion - 125 West 18th Street.

Registration is officially closed but to those who will be attending, digestNY included, salute!

Here's a rundown of participating wineries.

See you next week.  Enjoy your weekend.

Minetta Lane is in Michael Toscano's Ear and in Gabe Stulman's Eye

When Eataly opened at the end of August in 2010, Michael Toscano made the move from Babbo to head the stoves at Manzo, Eataly's flagship resto.  After a year and a half he will pack up and take his knives to Perla, the new venture from West Village powerhouse Gabe Stulman.

Perla will open in the old Bellavitae space at 24 Minetta Lane.  Chef Toscano's Italian cooking will fit into a traditional antipasti, primi, secondi Italian menu format.  The space boasts a wood burning, brick oven that will lend itself nicely to various roasts for two.

Along with Mr. Toscano comes a pretty all-star staff.

Eataly Has a Case of the Monday's

Rosso Pomodoro, the pizzeria at Eataly, will be sharing their oven starting next Monday.  Starting on the 20th, Pizza a Quattro Mani (pizza from 4 hands) will run for six weeks and feature a different pizzaiolo every Monday.  The first cameo will be Mathieu Palombino from Motorino.

Now the only question is, Pizza or Crab Monday?

Brushstroke Makes It Out Alive

GQ food fellow Alan Richman gives us his names out of a hat list of The Ten Best New Restaurants in America.  Brushstroke (#2), the masterful, Japanese spot from David Bouley, is the only one to make the list from NYC.

Michael Voltaggio's L.A. restaurant Ink took the #1 spot.