clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The $50 ‘Omakase Strawberries’ Beloved by Michelin-Starred Chefs Now Cost $20

Plus, it’s the end of an era at the Meat Hook — and more intel

Strawberries, from upscale brand Oishii, are strewn out on a table in fancy branded packaging.
The $6.25 “omakase” strawberry now costs $2.50.
Oishii

Oishii, the agriculture company responsible for those $50 boxes of strawberries, has dropped its prices by 60 percent as it looks to expand its operations and make the prized produce more commercially available. The upscale berries, grown in a series of vertical indoor farms in New Jersey, have become the darlings of Michelin-starred restaurants like Atomix and Sushi Ginza Onodera. A box of eight strawberries is now priced at $20 according to Oishii’s website — which is, to be clear, still $2.50 a berry.

This Flatiron bistro is closing next week

Almond, a Flatiron bistro with a following, is closing up shop after more than 13 years at 12 East 22nd Street, between Park Avenue South and Broadway. The restaurant credited the closure to the pandemic in an Instagram post signed by partners Jason Weiner and Eric Lemonides, saying its last day would be May 25. Two additional locations of Almond, in Bridgehampton and Palm Beach, “are strong like a bull and not going anywhere,” according to the post.

Manhattan’s largest club opens this weekend

Get ready to “pump your fists in the air to techno,” Page Six warns. Musica, a new dance club purported to be Manhattan’s largest, will open its doors at 637 West 50th Street, near 12th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen this weekend. This second location of the club — the original is in Riccione, Italy — comes from restaurateur Giuseppe Cipirani and Italian entrepreneur Tito Pinton.

It’s the end of an era at the Meat Hook

Ben Turley is out at the Meat Hook. The restaurateur announced his departure from the Williamsburg butcher shop in an email on Thursday, writing “I want to move on and focus on other passions in food, hospitality, and beyond.” His last day will be June 31. The departure concludes a 13-year-run at the pioneering meat shop, which he started with partner Brent Young and spun-off into a series of businesses, including a sandwich shop that’s since closed and food stalls at Threes Brewing in Greenpoint and Gowanus.