Eat Cetera: Rooftop Bars, Secret Ingredients, TONY Awards
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<strong>mad46 Rooftop Lounge:</strong> Now that we're getting record high temperatures, the city's courtyards, gardens and roofs are all opening up again. This includes mad46 on top of the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown, with an indoor/outdoor space separated by retractable glass windows and comfy couches. The signature cocktails go for $14 - $15, and include the Mad Mojito with shaved coconut, and the St. Germain Cocktail made with Villa Sandi Prosecco and St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur. There's also a bar menu with light snacks like cheese plates and Kobe beef sliders. They're currently open Wednesday-Friday from 5-10 p.m., and will open for the full summer season in May.<p></p><em>Madison Avenue at 46th Street, 212-885-6095</em>
<em>(<a href="http://colormekatie.blogspot.com">Katie Sokoler</a>/Gothamist)</em><p></p><strong>Secret Ingredient Dinner</strong>: <a href="http://gothamist.com/2008/11/21/at_vermilion.php">At Vermilion</a> Chef Maneet Chauhan just went head to head with Iron Chef Morimoto on IRON CHEF AMERICA. To celebrate the battle, on April 8th <a href="http://www.thevermilionrestaurant.com/">At Vermilion</a> is hosting a Secret Ingredient Dinner. Chef Chauhan will recreate the five-course meal for $65 as diners watch the episode air, and the Chauhan will provide commentary on the battle. There will also be a five-course vegetarian menu, and an "herb & spice" secret ingredient cocktail. Anyone who can correctly identify the drink's main ingredient will win half-off their next meal at, um, At Vermilion. <em>Allez cuisine!</em><p></p><em>480 Lexington Avenue, 212-871-6600</em>
<em>Andrew Carmellini</em><p></p><strong>Time Out Awards:</strong> <a href="http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/restaurants-bars/84477/eat-out-awards-2010">Time Out New York hosted</a> their annual laid back awards show at (Le) Poisson Rouge last night. Hosted by TONY Eat Out section editor Gabriella Gershenson and associate editor Jordana Rothman, it was pretty fun for an awards show, and there were a lot of happening chefs and restaurateurs in the house, including <a href="http://gothamist.com/2008/10/28/andrew_carmellini_and_gwen_hyman_au.php">Andrew Carmellini</a> of Locanda Verde, April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman of <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/10/20/a_look_inside_the_breslin_latest_fr.php">The Breslin</a>, and Chris Cannon of <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/05/20/restaurant_marea_opens_after_1001_p.php?gallery0Pic=1">Marea</a>. <p></p>If you've been following along with what the trendy new restaurants of 2009 were, there weren't any surprises here, except maybe the Readers' Choice Award for Best New Bar. (Superdive? Come on, people, it's <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/08/04/new_restaurants_on_the_radar_luckyd.php">Luckydog</a>!) TONY readers deemed Carmellini the chef of the year, <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/10/02/mathieu_palombino_chef.php">Motorino</a> (East Village) the best new pizzeria, and the <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/07/16/doug_quint_big_gay_ice_cream_truck.php">Big Gay Ice Cream Truck</a> the best new street treats. <p></p>The magazine's critics had their own category of awards, singling out <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/02/11/new_restaurants_5.php">The Meatball Shop</a> as the "Best Balls-Out Endeavor," <a href="http://gothamist.com/2009/10/15/new_restaurants_on_the_radar_mark.php?gallery0Pic=2#gallery">Ardesia</a> for the "Most Ambitious Bar Food" (great cookies!), and Gothamist favorite <a href="http://www.thesummitbar.net/main.html">The Summit Bar</a> as the "Most Democratic Cocktail Bar." We're not really sure what that means, but we'll assume it's a compliment. You can find the full list of winners in this week's issue, or peruse <a href="http://newyork.timeout.com/static_content/downloads/758/eatoutawards2010.pdf">the pdf</a>.
<em>Photo of Walter Blanding by Clay Patrick McBride</em><p></p>April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and to celebrate the inauguration of "Jazz Day" (<a href="http://usmayors.org/resolutions/77th_conference/tapes07.asp">established last year</a> by the U.S. Conference of Mayors), Jazz at Lincoln Center is partnering with the great restaurants at the Time Warner Center to present "A Taste of Jazz." On Friday night from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., chefs will present dishes "inspired by the great American jazz cities," while saxophonist Walter Blanding of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra leads a septet. <p></p>Chef Masa Takayama is serving Jazzy Duck (marinated duck with foie gras inside of a mooshu skin); A Voce chef Missy Robbins pays homage to her hometown of Chicago with Citrus Cured Sardines and Fennel; and Landmarc Chef Marc Murphy is doing Shrimp gumbo, to name a few. The full bar will also be serving a specialty cocktail: Bourbon-Mint Iced Tea. <a href="http://www.circleoftaste.com/">Tickets</a>, available through the Time Warner Centerâs culinary club Circle of Taste, cost $85 and are all-inclusive.