Donatella Arpaia

Land of Plenty: Old Money Burns Its Tongue

In a good way. Some Sichuan spice for 58th Street.

Open and Closed: Say Hello to Kibo; Goodbye to Hinsch's

Restaurants and bars, they come and they go. Here are a few making their debuts and bowing out this week. If you hear of any new openings or closings, let us know. Hinsch's, the beloved Bay Ridge luncheonette, has closed after more than 50 years in business. [Brooklyn Paper] The embattled space th ... More >>

Government Subsidizes Junk Food; Ferran Adrià Goes from Molecular to Home Cooking

​A new report has found that a significant chunk of federal subsidies for commodity crops go toward supporting high fructose corn syrup and three other common food additives used in junk food. [LA Times] Food donated for a nutrition program became contaminated with pesticides in Peru, poisoni ... More >>

Make Donatella Arpaia's Eggplant Parmigiana

Donatella's Eggplant Parmigiana​Donatella Arpaia has given birth to more than one little miracle in the past few weeks. For one, she has a brand new baby boy. She also delivered the Polpette Pizza, an excellent new pie at her eponymous restaurant that comes topped with her award-winning meatba ... More >>

Donatella Arpaia Now a Mom; Honey Festival Kicks Off This Weekend

​The founder of Nitehawk Cinema lobbied the state the allow movie theaters to serve alcohol and successfully: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed a new law on Aug. 17 allowing drinks in movie theaters that are also restaurants. [Diner's Journal] Donatella Arpaia and her cardiac surgeon hubby are cele ... More >>

Potatoes in the Cafeteria Under Attack; Dragon Fruit Is All the Rage

​The U.S.D.A. is proposing to eliminate the "white potato" -- as in, any variety that isn't a sweet potato -- from federally subsidized school lunches. And it isn't going down too well in places like Maine, where potatoes are part of the culture. [Wall Street Journal] McDonald's restaurants i ... More >>

2nd Ave Deli Sued for Gutbomb; A Bun in Donatella Arpaia's Oven

​The 2nd Ave Deli is being sued by Arizona-based Heart Attack Grill for trademark infringement due to its "Instant Heart Attack Sandwich." [Reuters] For the past year, the Family Life Academy Charter School in the Bronx has served fresh food in the cafeteria, prepared by a professional chef, ... More >>

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Truck Hits the Road; Human Breast Milk Cheese Installation Polarizes New Yorkers

​At the 2011 Grilled Cheese Invitational in L.A., the Cheesy Nerdz won several trophies for their Whole Enchilada sandwich, while a husband-and-wife team took top honors for a grilled-cheese dessert made with Peeps. [Wall Street Journal] Donatella Arpaia missed the Royal Wedding because she w ... More >>

Michael Merida 'In' at Mia Dona; Daniel Van Heudsen 'In' at Mahjong Dumpling and Cascabel

​White House chef Sam Kass gave the keynote address to members of The International Association of Culinary Professionals in New York, where he spoke about the progress made in making healthier food available to kids and what more needs to be done. [Atlantic Food] Mia Dona has a new partner a ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Dai Wah Yummy City; Lauren Shockey at Breuckelen

This week in the Voice, Robert Sietsema heads to Bensonhurst's Dai Wah Yummy City: "The menu features exactly what the adults crave: Cantonese food with Hong Kong flourishes, plus dishes from other regions of China that have been popularized and added to the southern Chinese canon." Lauren Shockey i ... More >>

When the Restaurateur is the Face of the Restaurant; The Scene at the Food Allergy Ball

​Charles Masson of La Grenouille, Ken Aretsky of Aretsky's Patroon, and even Danny Meyer with his rounds at Union Square Café are among the city's last iconic restaurateurs who rule the dining room. [NY Times] Congress may have passed new healthy food regulations for school lunches, but Capi ... More >>

Donatella--Noted Glamour Hound--Coaxes Excellent Pizzas

Her new Chelsea restaurant also has a stealth Sicilian agenda

This Week in the Voice: Shock The Junkie with Ibogaine Ingestion

​It's common knowledge that kicking a capital-H Habit isn't the most pleasant experience, to say the least. But what if there were a cure for drug addiction out there that only comes with one side effect, that of intense hallucinations? For this week's Village Voice cover story, join Keegan Ha ... More >>

Donatella's Lunch Menu Now Features Donatella's Meatballs

Mr. Usaji/Flickr​The success earlier this year of her Midtown meatball wagon seems to have inspired Donatella Arpaia to take her balls south to Donatella, her new-ish pizzeria in Chelsea. The fleshy orbs, which also netted Arpaia top honors at the New York Wine & Food Festival's Meatball Mad ... More >>

Between Meatball Madness and Pizza Love, Donatella Arpaia's Having a Good Week

The lady's got blue-ribbon balls.​Donatella Arpaia promised us several months ago that she was going to be in the kitchen "a lot more," and it looks like her time there has paid off.

Anthos Will Become a "High-End Beefery"

Saint TigerlillyA "high-end beefery" in the making.​Closed since August for "renovations," Anthos will re-open as a steakhouse. Steve Cuozzo reports that Donatella Arpaia, who became the Midtown restaurant's sole owner following partner Michael Psilakis' departure in March, has sold her lease ... More >>

What Not to Name Your Restaurant; Vendy Rookie of the Year

This week in food blogs... Eater offered its "What Not to Name Your Restaurant" guide to 2010 openings. Grub Street noticed that egg creams are going to be everywhere this weekend. Midtown Lunch confirmed that, yes, you can get a hot dog at Gray's Papaya on Eighth Avenue for 50 cents. Serious Ea ... More >>

Donatella Arpaia's DBar Opens Next Week, Complete with Moonshine

DBar day looms.​Donatella Arpaia's forthcoming pizzeria, Donatella, is nearing completion, but it looks like the adjacent lounge, DBar, will open first.

Next on The Next Iron Chef: New York's Marco Canora, Marc Forgione, and Maneet Chauhan

​Given that this season of Top Chef has thus far been a plodding disappointment, it comes as a relief that the Food Network has given us something else to look forward to with today's big reveal of who will be competing on Season 3 of The Next Iron Chef.

Donatella Arpaia Graduates From Pizza School in Naples

Donatella kneads this.​Donatella Arpaia is about a month away from opening her eponymous Chelsea pizzeria. Yesterday, Slice posted some images of the oven curing process, a 15-day stretch during which fires are lit in the oven daily to drive out residual moisture from the pores of a new brick ... More >>

KFC Pushes Further Into France; Chefs Get Cooking with Their Moms

​Americans are eating more vitamin supplements, which may be a good thing, especially for kids, who generally don't get enough vitamin D and other nutrients. [Wall Street Journal] KFC is plotting a deeper move into France, with a new ad campaign surrounding the opening of the 100th store ther ... More >>

In California, the Happy Meal Goes the Way of the Dodo Bird; Donatella Arpaia Dons Chef's Whites

​Santa Clara County, south of San Francisco, has decided to ban Happy Meal and other promotional toys that often accompany kids' meals at fast-food chains. [NY Times] The recipe-testing battle between Food52.com and Cook's Illustrated continues, and the results will be posted on Slate. [ABC N ... More >>

Donatella Arpaia Gets on the Meatball Bandwagon, Literally

Mr. Usaji/FlickrResistance is futile.​We have no idea if Donatella Arpaia has ever ventured below Houston Street, and if so, if she's ever patronized the Meatball Shop, but she certainly seems to have been inspired by the success of its signature product. To wit: On Friday, Arpaia will open a ... More >>

Robert Sietsema at Hibino; Sarah DiGregorio at El Quinto Pino

This week in the Voice, Robert Sietsema discovers the "heart of Japanese cuisine" at Hibino in Cobble Hill; Sarah DiGregorio finds a few missteps at El Quinto Pino, but doesn't mind because "the place is fun, and spirited." Sam Sifton awards Recette two stars, despite the restaurant earning tepid r ... More >>

Donatella Arpaia Confirms Her Cooking Show, Suggests She Might Replace Michael Psilakis with Herself

Donatella cooks... and maybe chefs?​Donatella Arpaia's growing empire includes Mia Dona, Anthos, Kefi, and Eos in Miami. Her recent public split from partner and chef Michael Psilakis in two of those ventures has tongues wagging about her vision for both her restaurants and her career. A blog ... More >>

Posts of the Week

'Tis Friday. Thus, 'tis time to look back on the best posts of the last 120 hours: We ranked Our 10 Best Sausages. Kunafa is like the Middle East's version of a cheese Danish, and can be found in Bay Ridge. Donatella Arpaia confirmed her cooking show and suggested she might replace Michael Psila ... More >>

Donatella Arpaia May Leap from Cookbook to Cooking Show

Donatella cooks in 'Donatella Cooks'​Donatella Arpaia, the attractive face of Mia Dona, has seemingly abandoned her role at the front of the house in order to take charge of the kitchen, notes Frank Bruni in a Diner's Journal post today. Or, perhaps more accurately, she is now both the face an ... More >>

Michael Psilakis Out at Anthos; Thomas Ferlesch Leaves Fort Greene for the Bright Lights of Manhattan

​ Michael Psilakis, who has been spotted sniffing out a new space in Williamsburg, has announced his departure from Anthos, his restaurant with partner Donatella Arpaia. She has reportedly bought him out. [NY Times] Ferlesch, the chef-owner of Austrian bistro Thomas Beisl in Fort Greene, is l ... More >>

Top Chef: I Thought It Was Going to Be an Absolute Knock-out. And It Wasn't.

Bravo​Oh, Toby Young. Have truer words ever been spoken? Top Chef huffed and puffed its way to the bitter end last night, but rather than granting long-suffering viewers climactic relief, it delivered a finale that was more akin to watching a bull try to impregnate an indifferent cow. There wa ... More >>

Donatella Arpaia on the New Mia Dona and Finally Pleasing Her Mother

From Mia Dona's new menu: Fava puree with chicory​ "My mother doesn't really like the food in my restaurants," says Donatella Arpaia. "She didn't even like the food in my father's restaurants. She only likes her food," referring to the cuisine of Puglia, where her mother grew up. But now, with ... More >>

Costco Takes Manhattan; Long Island Scallops Make a Comeback

​iVillage has launched a new food site, ivillage.com/food, specifically targeted at "women on the go." The site will feature blogs, recipes, photos and video content, as well as content by Gail Simmons and restaurateur Donatella Arpaia. [WWD] Costco got its first Manhattan location on Thursda ... More >>

iDonatella--Restaurateur Donatella Arpaia Blogs for iVillage's Food Rush

Photo borrowed from iVillage's Food Rush Donatella Arpaia may have her hands full with the recently opened Anthos Upstairs and the upcoming Viceroy Miami restaurant, but she has still managed to find time to keep us up to date on all her news in her new guest blogging spot on iVillage's Food Rush. T ... More >>

This Week in Chef News

Chef Michael Citarella has left the kitchen at Freemans, in part, presumably, to a negative review in the Times when Bruni wrote "the eating seems never to live up to the setting."[The Feed]Iron Chef Cat Cora and her girlfriend are reportedly both pregnant, via (I guess that's the right preposition ... More >>

Vladimir Putin's Vodka Popularity

A vodka that bears Vladimir Putin's name is far more popular in Russia than a new vodka named after current President Dmitry Medvedev that is struggling to find its place in the market. [WSJ]A growing number of California winemakers are producing lighter, dryer pinot noirs, in stark contrast to the ... More >>

New Openings

This Week on FitR: More Blogging!

Michael Psilakis Owes it all to T.G.I. Friday's

Fork in the Road Explores Hunts Point Eats

Hunts Point: Where To Eat (With Strippers)

A foodie's tour through the neighborhood that feeds the city and the nation

Now Hiring: Seymour Burton, Commerce, Pearl Oyster Bar

Now Hiring: The Second Avenue Deli, Mia Dona, Gottino

Now Hiring: Jeffrey Chodorow, Mr. Softee

Dona is Dunzo: Development kills a young one