Amy Poehler Advocated for Restaurant Workers’ Rights at Midtown Rally

Amy Poehler spoke out against sexual harassment in the restaurant industry

Amy Poehler attended a One Fair Wage rally in Midtown on Tuesday to call for better protections against sexual harassment and a raise of the minimum wage for tipped workers. Poehler worked as a server for over a decade. “I was a white woman who had certain privileges allowed to me and I worked with very reasonable restaurant owners,” she said. “But I did, like every woman in this room, deal with incredible amounts of harassment from customers and co-workers. It was a very routine way of life.” Poehler brought restaurant worker-rights advocate Saru Jayaraman to the Golden Globes earlier this year.

Critic claims Henry at Life Hotel is the “best new hotel restaurant in ages”

Steve Cuozzo at the Post praises Henry at Life Hotel, describing the restaurant as “a bistro that’s sexy, casual and cozy, with just 60 seats in a clubby dining room with dark-wood paneling and copper and brass tables.” He calls the menu “crowd-pleasing and well-priced” and the cocktails “killer.” “Henry is the final piece of the puzzle in restoring this historic property to glory,” he writes.

More closures around NYC

Siggy’s Good Food in East Village is set to close. First opened in 2012, the all-organic restaurant will have its last service on Saturday. A sign posted on the restaurant’s social media accounts cites “bureaucratic” reasons and the economy as the causes for closure. The note also announces that the restaurant is moving to Charlotte, North Carolina. The Brooklyn Heights outpost closed in 2015. Ariel’s Latin Bistro in LES has also closed, and a leasing sign is in the window. Elmhurst’s Thai cafe Sugar Club, specializing in desserts and sweet tea beverages, is closed as well.

NYC literary dining series promises good reads and eats

Art book delivery service Reads is launching a new dinner series with a focus on literature. Co-hosted by Stet Mag, the next dinner will feature Jenny Zhang talking about her new book Sour Heart on Sunday, March 4th. Chef Diane Chang of Po-Po’s, will serve a three-course vegetarian Sichuanese-inspired meal at the event. Tickets can be purchased here.

Forbes Travel Guide announces its own rating system for restaurants

Among the NYC recipients of Forbes Travel Guide’s five-star ratings are Jean Georges, Le Bernardin, Per Se, and Eleven Madison Park — an unsurprising list of pricey places for that Forbes business audience.

A chef switch-up at De Maria

Chef Camille Becerra is out at Nolita’s Instagram-friendly all-day cafe De Maria. Adriana Urbina, previously of Rouge Tomate and Atera, will serve as the new chef starting next month. Urbina wrote on Instagram that she will be creating a new menu consisting of her Latin-inspired fare along with some of the previous menu items.