In a Victory Against Rising Rents, Washington Heights Legend Will Stay Open After Backlash

Residents successfully save Coogan’s in Washington Heights

Coogan’s was fully set to close in May, citing the end of a lease and a rent increase of $40,000. Regulars and employees then rallied to save the Washington Heights mainstay, and according to amNY, their efforts have been successful. The owners reached an undisclosed agreement with their landlord on the afternoon of January 12, just two days after announcing the impending closure.

Downtown Los Angeles lands its own NoMad, and NoMad New York gets fondue

Will Guidara and Daniel Humm’s new LA version of The NoMad officially opens on January 21. As Eater previously reported, the space includes Giannini Bar in the main lobby, an Italian-style coffee bar, the formal dining restaurant Mezzanine — where executive chef Chris Flint will execute Humm and Guidara’s vision — and a rooftop with a landscaped pool area, cocktail bar, outdoor cafe. Here in New York, the NoMad will be offering a special, three-course fondue prix fixe menu on Sundays from January 28 to March 4. For $55 per person, diners can get a fondue with marble potatoes and pain au levain, as well as a chicken consommé, and a tarte tatin.

Panned Gramercy Park Tex-Mex restaurant expands to the UES

NYC doesn’t have a lot of Tex-Mex offerings, and as Eater NY critic Robert Sietsema pointed out, Javelina may have been one of the first places in town to offer queso when it opened in 2015. Now, the restaurant — which was widely panned when it first opened — is expanding to the UES with a location that will have a larger bar area and late night happy hour. The new Javelina opens Friday, January 19 at 1395 2nd Ave near 73rd St. and will be giving free breakfast tacos starting at 8:30 a.m. to the first 100 guests from January 22 through 26.

Harsher immigration restrictions bar tortellini master from pasta-making in NYC

Caterina Schenardi, the 70-year-old Bologna native and mother of West Village Gradisca trattoria owner Massimo Galeano, has been making tortellini for New Yorkers for 15 years. Schenardi, who has been profiled by the New York Times, flies to New York from Emilia-Romagna regularly, making enough tortellini to supply Gradisca until she returns. Seven months ago, Schenardi’s request to renew her employment visa was denied, and Galeano tells Grub Street that he suspects his mother has been a victim of the Trump administration’s increasing restrictions on skilled foreigners working in the U.S. For now, Schenardi has secured a tourist visa and will be returning to New York to make more of her beloved pasta but without pay.

Critic highlights Tibetan food truck in Queens

The New York Times spotlighted Jackson Heights’ popular momo truck Amdo Kitchen, praising the hot steamed dumplings that “come huddled unceremoniously, eight for $5 on a disposable plate.” The truck is run by owner and chef Thubten Amchok, who grew up in the Amdo region of Tibet. For a look at different momos in town, check out this video: