Free Food: Original Reporting, Plus Roundups of the Biggest Food Stories, Reviews, and Features

ryan sutton
Sep 06, 2023
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Pivot to Rich: We’re Being Priced Out of the Restaurants We Love

  • A special feature that looks into how (mostly) fine dining spots are becoming increasingly inaccessible due to inflation, stagnant real wages, the high cost of living in New York, and operators zeroing in on wealthier clienteles.

2nd Ave Deli Joins the $30 Pastrami Club

  • Plus reviews of Bangkok Supper Club (Pete Wells), Sailor (Helen Rosner), Ceibo (Tom Sietsema), Th Prsrv (Alison Cook) and other spots.

The Biggest Winners and Losers From the 2023 NYC Michelin Guide

  • A survey of the 2023 guide including Michelin’s focus on Modern Korean and Japanese fare — while it overlooks neobistros and scores of Mexican and Latin American spots.

Michelin NYC’s 2023 Guide: Brooklyn Fare Loses All Its Stars

  • A comprehensive breaking report on the unveiling of the 2023 Michelin guide, with notes on how Brooklyn Fare dropped from three stars to zero.

Understanding the Importance of Contra, an Accessible Fine Dining Icon

  • A short essay on how a Lower East Side spot used affordable guest chef dinners to make fine dining — and gaining culinary knowledge — more accessible for scores of patrons, young chefs, and cash-strapped food writers.

The Dismantling of David Chang’s Momofuku Restaurant Empire

  • Critic Ryan Sutton (that’s me) writes about the impending closure of Momofuku Ko, and how the brand has seen its relevance plummet as it slowly dismantles its once global restaurant empire.

The Rise of Chicken as an Object of Desire

  • A meditation on the state of chicken in NYC over the past two decades. Plus, reviews of Hakka Cuisine, Tatiana, D&K Gambian, and La Perra Hambre, and Gophchang Story.

The Case Against David Portnoy’s $200 Pizza Party

  • With a hat tip to columns by Eater, The Washington Post, and NJ.com about controversies surrounding the Barstool Sports founder and his pizza festival in Coney Island. Plus, reviews and columns by Helen Rosner, Chris Crowley, Pete Wells, Cesar Hernandez, and others.

Katz’s Pushes New York Further Into a $30 Pastrami Sandwich Era

  • Plus, Bon Appétit’s Best New Restaurants, Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs, Cesar Hernandez (SF Chronicle) on fancy diner fare, Ligaya Mishan (T Magazine) on vanilla, Jaya Saxena (Eater) on chicken liver mousse, and Tammie Teclemariam (Grub Street) on whether a certain restaurant is “gonna suck.”

Momofuku Ssam Bar, David Chang’s Trailblazing NYC Restaurant, Will Close

  • Also: reviews and columns by Luke Fortney (breakfast burritos), Pete Wells and Matthew Schneier (Libertine), Lucas Kwan Peterson (paletas!), Emma Orlow (bodega food!), Vittles (tacos in London!), and Stained Page News (cookbooks!).

Masa, Most Expensive U.S. Sushi Spot, Slashes Lunch Prices

  • Plus, reviews of the new heftier Impossible Burger, the chocolate cake at Claud, a few good places for Dutch Crunch, and some good Coney Dogs in SF

An Introduction to Our New National Food Media Column

  • In defense of critical roundups — and ensuring that roundups include more than just critics