One of NYC’s Most Celebrated Bakers Is Back at a West Village Restaurant

One of NYC’s top bakers is back

After a consulting stint, Melissa Weller is back in the bread game in NYC, partnering with Ellen Yin and Eli Kulp of High Street on Hudson. Weller previously served as head baker at Per Se and has overseen baking operations all over the city, including at Roberta’s and Sadelle’s. At High Street, Weller is making hand-rolled bagels and brings new baked treats to the menu like a buttermilk-iced cinnamon-cardamom roll. She’s working with Mary Attea to retool the menu. Attea used to be the chef de cuisine at Annisa and has been brought on at High Street to revamp the savory offerings.

Salt Bae’s restaurant is backed by a holding group in serious debt

It has now been over a year since Salt Bae splashed into NYC dining with the opening of his notoriously overpriced steakhouse Nusr-Et. But despite a global expansion of the stunty restaurant, the chain is owned by the Turkish holding group Doğuş Holding AS, which has $2.5 billion in debt. It has been selling off hotels as a result. For now though, Salt Bae’s restaurants remain. In fact, the company sold Istanbul’s Park Hyatt Hotel to Nusret Turizm Yatirim AS, which is owned by Nusret Gokce a.k.a. Salt Bae.

Openings around Brooklyn

Long Island City’s Big aLICe Brewing taproom expanded to Sunset Park, opening a barrel room at Industry City. It’s pouring small-batch options like a lemongrass kolsch and a sweet potato farmhouse ale. Bagel chain Black Seed Bagels opened its first Brooklyn location in Boerum Hill at 123 Court St., and chicken fingers chain Sticky’s Finger Joint also opened its first Brooklyn shop at 66 Willoughby St. in Downtown Brooklyn. Empanada City in Prospect-Lefferts Garden will open a new location in Bushwick at 321 Starr St. this June, serving empanadas with various sweet and savory fillings. And a new Mediterranean and French restaurant called Le Mistral opened in Park Slope at 332 Fifth Ave. in the former Cafe Wolf space.

A Lego bar is coming to NYC

The Brick Bar, a pop-up “adult playground” and bar dedicated to Lego creations, will hit New York this summer. Cocktails served in brick-shaped water bottles will be on hand, along with slightly disturbing-looking burgers on red and green buns made to look like Lego blocks. The seating is all made from Legos, too. Expect Museum of Ice Cream vibes, but Legos.

Take a look behind the scenes at Mi Barrio Tortilleria

Miguel and Nelson Carrera give a tour of their Brooklyn-based tortilla factory Mi Barrio Tortilleria in a new First We Feast video that looks at the lasting company’s legacy and transformation. It makes hundreds of thousands of tortillas every day and supplies places all over the city — from neighborhood joints to Michelin-starred restaurants.