Intersect by Lexus is now serving a new tasting menu by an acclaimed chef
The next concept for Danny Meyer’s Intersect By Lexus has arrived, and it’s a 12-course, $115-per-person meal from acclaimed Santiago, Chile chef Sergio Barroso. New dishes include Gunkan sushi, in which the fish acts as the nori, with a rice and spicy miso filling, topped with what “appeared to be Flaming Hot Cheeto crumbs,” Gothamist writes. Other dishes include a shank dumpling, which comes topped with a quail egg, and an oxtail sandwich with pickled vegetables. Though the Chelsea restaurant is a live commercial for the luxury car brand, it’s been well-received by local food critics.
A coming attraction and an opening
Chelsea will welcome a new restaurant called Steak ‘N Lobster this month, a project from restaurateur Don Fellner and sushi chef Masato Okamoto. It’ll be a 170-seat space at 129 West 29th St., between Sixth and Seventh avenues, with a menu focused on hormone-free, grass-fed Black Angus steak and Maine lobsters. Crepes ‘n Things has opened over in the Bowery Market at 348 Bowery, with crepes, coffee, and smoothies on tap.
Two closings from late last week
London-based Japanese chain Wagamama has closed its East Village location at 55 Third Avenue, near East 11th St., though its two other locations in Murray Hill and Nomad remain open. A big new Midtown location is on the way, though, with 185 seats, a patio, and a full liquor license.
Over in Brooklyn, Latin American chicken chain Pollo Campero’s Sunset Park location has been shut down by the Department of Health for mice and other sanitary violations. Located at 4518 Fifth Ave., the restaurant failed to pass an April 9 inspection that found evidence of mice in the shop, that the facility wasn’t vermin proof, and that items meant for one use only were reused or improperly stored.
Steve Cuozzo of the Post defends Lucky Lee’s owner
“Lucky Lee’s owner had nothing to apologize for,” read a tweet from Post writer Steve Cuozzo, who defends owner Arielle Haspel in a recent column. Haspel, who’s behind the Chinese American restaurant at the center of a widespread conversation on cultural appropriation, has fallen victim to the “noxious new world of culinary correctness,” he writes in the piece, in which he highlights several chefs who have come under scrutiny for cooking foods that represent a culture other than their own. He also agrees with Haspel that Chinese lo mein makes people feel “bloated and icky” — a marketing stance that many people took offense to — saying that he too feels bloated after eating starchy lo mein and that the restaurateur shouldn’t be crucified for stating an “obvious fact.”
Harvey Weinstein spotted at Cipriani Dolci again
Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was again spotted at Italian restaurant Cipriani Dolci inside Grand Central, the second time he’s been seen there this year. Weinstein has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women, and a number of incidents have allegedly occurred within Cipriani restaurants — which one woman says Weinstein used as his “hunting ground.” His trial is set for June 3.
Mariah Carey celebrates her boyfriend at Tao Downtown
Singer Mariah Carey and her boyfriend Bryan Tanaka celebrated his 36th birthday with a splashy private party at Tao Downtown. The couple rented a 25-person skybox just for the two of them, and the space was decked out with tons of balloons.