Bedford Post Inn

Here’s what the press release says:

The Bedford Post Inn – There’s something about the honed atmosphere and confident food at the Bedford Post Inn that tells you that its famous owners, Richard Gere and his wife, Carey Lowell, didn’t just lend their names to a vanity project. Thanks to the creative talents of young chef Brian Lewis, the menu goes far beyond the usual suburban clichés.  Finish your meal with the warm huckleberry corncake with spiced port wine and mascarpone gelato and you’ll be ready for one of the comfy beds upstairs.

The rest of the list, plus chefs to watch and other places not to miss, after the jump.

The press release:

ESQUIRE MAGAZINE NAMES TS-EX- 2009
BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF TS-EX- YEAR

Including the Inaugural Inductions into the Hall of Fame, Four Rising-Star Chefs and
the Hostess of the Year

Esquire magazine unveils its annual list of Best New Restaurants of 2009 in its November issue on newsstands October 13th.  For more than 25 years, Esquire Food and Travel Correspondent John Mariani has eaten his way from coast to coast, and he has once again selected the 20 best new restaurants in America (plus another 15 not-to-miss spots), including “Restaurant of the Year,” “Chef of the Year,” “Hostess of the Year,” and the inaugural inductions to the “Esquire Restaurant Hall of Fame.”

At a time when most people are thinking twice about dining out, American restaurateurs and chefs have never made it more inexpensive or more exciting.  Mariani has eaten at scores of new restaurants this year and found that excellent food has never been better or more affordable.  Here’s what he found:

RESTAURANT OF TS-EX- YEAR:

The Bazaar, Los Angeles – The Bazaar is chef Jose Andres’s masterpiece, where he has poured everything he knows about tapas into a menu that marries regional culinary traditions with his formidable creativity.  Here you can choose from two dozen traditional tapas, including piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese and codfish croquettes with an aioli sweetened with honey, but there’s an even wider selection of fresh inventions that elevates the honored tradition of bar snacks to new heights: liquefied mozzarella with brussels-sprout leaves and the most intense cherry tomato you’ve ever popped in your mouth.

CS-EX-F OF TS-EX- YEAR:

Barton Seaver of Blue Ridge, Washington, D.C. – Chef Barton Seaver, age 30, is a voice of reason at a time when priggish, competing factions – from vegans to slow-food zealots – deal more in polemics than real solutions.  According to Seaver, we’ve become slaves to words like local, fresh, and seasonal.  His solution: “Eat more broccoli.  Broiled vegetables are the future.”

TS-EX- INAUGURAL ESQUIRE RESTAURANT HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES:

Alfred Portale, Chef – Since 1985, Portale has been manning the kitchen at the consistently excellent Gotham Bar and Grill in Manhattan, turning out food that is astonishing in both its flavor and its ability to satisfy.  For the most of the past quarter century, he’s been on East Twelfth Street, winning multiple stars and prestigious James Beard Awards and, more important, making and constantly reinventing the kind of bold American cuisine he helped define.

Danny Meyer, Restaurateur – From the night New York’s Union Square Café opened in 1985, hospitality has been its most ineffable advantage.  Its source: Danny Meyer.  At Union Square Café and the parade of places Meyer has opened since, he has crafted a hospitality system that virtually guarantees a great experience without ever feeling formulaic.

TS-EX- BEST NEW RESTAURANTS OF 2009 (sorted geographically):

Atlanta, GA

Pacci Ristorante – Pacci is positioned as an Italian steakhouse, and chef Keira Moritz has an expertise that takes nothing on the menu for granted.  In a city with a lot of dreary Italian restaurants and precious few very good ones, Pacci sets the bar higher, and not a minute too soon.

Paces 88 – Paces 88’s culinary team melds French-American and southern culinary traditions into seamless cuisine that befits both the deluxe trappings of its home in the St. Regis Hotel and Atlanta’s eminence as a southern city.  The friendliness of the place pairs well with a kitchen that carries off crab-shack fare with the same finesse as classic French cuisine.

Austin, TX

Perla’s Seafood and Oyster Bar – Few restaurants to open this year get the tenor of the time so impeccably right: bright yellow and blue everywhere, trays of shellfish glistening on the bar, an umbrella-shaded patio, and a menu on which every item sounds irresistible.

Bedford, NY

The Bedford Post Inn – There’s something about the honed atmosphere and confident food at the Bedford Post Inn that tells you that its famous owners, Richard Gere and his wife, Carey Lowell, didn’t just lend their names to a vanity project. Thanks to the creative talents of young chef Brian Lewis, the menu goes far beyond the usual suburban clichés.  Finish your meal with the warm huckleberry corncake with spiced port wine and mascarpone gelato and you’ll be ready for one of the comfy beds upstairs.

Cleveland, OH

L’Albatros Brasserie & Bar – At his new brasserie, chef Zack Bruell’s menu looks straight from Paris – onion soup gratine, mussels with pommes frites, and choucroute – but with a Midwestern twist.  Bruell has been around long enough to see every culinary style come and go, but he is still a guy from Ohio who knows that French pate is just another name for meat loaf – but who also knows the difference.

Las Vegas, NV

Society Café Encore – At the new Wynn Encore, Steve Wynn has continued his practice of nailing chefs’ clogs to the kitchen floors instead of simply buying a celebrity chef’s name to put on the door.  He hires people like chef-partner Kim Canteenwalla, who make sure everything is done better than anywhere else in Vegas.  The food itself is a reformulation of old favorites done with extraordinary panache, like the addictive mac-and-cheese bites with a truffle dipping sauce.

Los Angeles, CA ­

Rivera – It becomes very clear very quickly when a chef is having a ball, and John Sedlar is having a ball. But he is dead serious that Mexican food – careful, high-end Mexican food – should get as much respect as French and Italian cuisine, and he makes his case with wonderful dishes like braised barbecued pork short ribs with toasty, dried-guajillo-chile sauce.

Miami, FL

Area 31 – Area 31 gets its high-quality fish via Fishing Area 31, a patch of ocean that can be seen from the 16th-floor dining room.  Each day the menu lists the fish that arrived before noon that chef John Critchley is dying to cook for dinner – corvina, mahi-mahi, red drum, dorade – and you choose from a list of dressings like piquillo pepper and basil.  It’s uncomplicated, as it should be when your product comes from the waters outside your window.

Sra. Martinez – At Sra. Martinez, set on two tiers of a 1920s art-deco post office in Miami’s Design District, Spanish tapas are done with a Caribbean spark. The restaurant serves tropically colorful plates, each masterfully planned for a savory balance and texture, such as chef Michelle Bernstein’s shrimp tiradito topped with fresh popcorn.

Naples, FL

Sea Salt – With its soft lighting, patio packed with young mojito drinkers, sit-down carpaccio bar, and bright tablecloths, Sea Salt is a place you see from the street and can’t wait to try – especially once you read the menu.  After a head-to-head comparison between chef Fabrizio Aielli’s dishes and some of the best in Italy, Mariani found that Sea Salt is one more reason to not fly across the Atlantic.

New York, NY

Corton – Paul Liebrandt made his name creating eccentric dishes – eel with chocolate sauce, anyone? – that led some to praise him as an innovator and others to dismiss him as a prankster.  Now at Corton, where he is partners with restaurateur Drew Nieporent, Liebrandt has toned down the sensational, exercising his fertile imagination within the precision of French cuisine.

Locanda Verde – Robert DeNiro’s and chef Andrew Carmellini’s new restaurant has a nightly buzz due to people having a wonderful time eating the heartiest Italian food and drinking handpicked wines – including a lot of good ones for less than $50 a bottle.

Marea – Chef Michael White’s menu at this sleek, shimmering Italian seafood palace begins with crudo, and his pastas taste as fresh as the air in Portofino. His entrees impress in one of two ways: with nkd simplicity (grilled cuttlefish) or with his expert composition (sea scallops with endive, rosemary-laced lardo and sour cherry mostarda in an anchovy bath).

SHO Shaun Hergatt – Australian chef Shaun Hergatt’s dishes have always been showpieces.  At his new restaurant, they become artistic achievements.  If you were to have just one dish at SHO – spiced double-duck consommé with ravioli filled with chicken and black truffles – you’d see how it succeeds the way people say the best modern-dance ensembles succeed: Each element perfect on its own while also enhancing the rest.

Paradise Valley, AZ

Prado – The way the great food (a juicy pork chop with Muscat grapes and brown rice) from chef Claudio Urciuoli, wine (a superb bottle of Lopez Cristobal) and social chemistry play out in this fine dining room make this a meal to remember.

Richmond, VA

Lemaire – With the re-opening of Lemaire, Chef Walter Bundy is pouring everything he knows and loves into dishes like sweet-tangy fried green tomatoes showered with Gulf lump crabmeat, sherry vinegar, and verbena – proof yet again that southern cooking long ago moved past Paula Deen’s “Y’all want s’more gree-uts?”

San Francisco, CA

Nopalito – Nopalito was born in a supermarket parking lot, and its food is rigorously Mexican.  Nothing costs more than $15, but if you put this same food on Limoges china and replace the waiters’ green T-shirts with suits, it couldn’t taste any better.

Washington, D.C

Blue Ridge – Blue Ridge is home to Esquire’s pick for “Chef of the Year,” and if you eat a few dishes prepared by Barton Seaver, you will feel good about living on Earth: aged country ham, a perfect chicken potpie with hot rosemary-flecked biscuits, and sweet-potato fritters with honey mustard, among other masterful creations.

Yountville, CA

Bottega – With Bottega, chef-owner Michael Chiarello of Food Network’s Easy Entertaining and Top Chef Masters fame, returns not only to the kitchen but to his roots, serving a menu including crudo, house-cured salumi, homemade pickled vegetables, polenta cooked in a jar, and a local sweet-sour eggplant-and-goat-cheese lasagnette with red-pepper-tomato sauce.

ESQUIRE ALSO SELECTED TS-EX- FOLLOWING
NOTEWORTHY  HONOREES OF TS-EX- YEAR:

ANOTS-EX-R FIFTEEN PLACES NOT TO MISS

Ajax Tavern, Aspen
Apiary, New York
Aureole, New York
The Bristol, Chicago
8100 Mountainside Bar and Grill, Avon, CO
Il Casale, Belmont, MA
Minetta Tavern, New York
Passionfish, Reston, VA
Province, Chicago
The Publican, Chicago
Rambla, New Orleans
RH, Los Angeles
Sepia, Chicago
Vermilion, New York
West Side Tavern, Los Angeles

FOUR  BREAKOUT CS-EX-FS TO WATCH:

David Katz, Meme, Philadelphia, PA – A damn good chef in a damn small restaurant.

Chris Lusk, Cafe Adelaide, New Orleans, LA – Operates with gusto at the high end of New Orleans’s fertile food culture.

Victoria Ann Moore, The Lazy Goat, Greenville, SC – Fortunately for Greenvillians, Moore hasn’t (yet) brought her Mediterranean-Latin fare to the big city.

Raymond Mohan, Onda, New York, NY – One of the most creative South American chefs – via Guyana – working in the U.S. right now.

HOSTESS OF TS-EX- YEAR:

Kaitlin Yelle, Meat Market, Miami, FL – The 21-year-old Sarasota, FL, native has reached the pinnacle of her profession after a mere four months.  Her secret?  To smile and be happy, and make the customer feel special.

Tiger Woods Accident Rumors

Words of a Mensch
Tiger Woods denied the Florida State troopers for a third day and did not grant them an interview to discuss his version of the events surrounding his Friday morning accident. Instead, Woods releases a statement on his website that addresses the accident and rumors surrounding the circumstances of his private life at this time. Key in his message is a request that his family be given privacy. There was no mention of other rumors regarding Rachel Uchitel, ‘his mistress,’ who denies having an affair with the golfer. Mr. Woods full statement is below.

What is emerging is a man who – regardless of any impropriety that may or may not have occurred – is behaving exactly as he should. Most specifically, in my Modern Love opinion, his are the words of a Mensch. Not that I am a ‘menshpert,’ only a student of what it means to act with dignity when the circumstances might incite something far more ugly. Many tigers would have scratched, if not mauled, by now. This one keeps his cool.

Instead, we see a husband taking full blame for the accident, shielding his wife, Elin, and family from curious eyes and suspicious minds. The events that lead up to this are not our business – they didn’t occur on the golf course – and he graciously reminds us of this. And while some might argue that silence is akin to admittance on the mistress front, Modern Love suggests that this is really the best way to deal with rumors of this nature. Let Rachel Uchitel do the denying (Rachel Uchitel ‘no homewrecker’). That old adage, ‘talking is silver, silence is golden,’ is wisdom worth following when what is being said is dirt.

The louder he might roar in protest, the harder it would be for us to believe him anyway. Tiger is doing what he does best. He’s playing this out with the cunning of a man on top of his game, and for that he deserves respect, and our compliance. In this world where money is God to many, and those with wealth can buy anything and anyone (oh, we all have a price), he is showing that rare ability to draw the line. For that Modern Love humbly asks his permission to use this story and pass on an important message.

Groupon

There is a new online discount sweeping the country this holiday season — groupons or group coupons.
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Elisabeth Leamy takes a look at new coupon service available in 35 cities.

It is a revolutionary new service from groupon.com, where collective buying power means big savings for online bargain hunters.

“I’ve already got Christmas done this year, and I didn’t have to go anywhere. They are all from Groupon,” frequent groupon user Lisa English said.

English checks Groupon.com’s daily offers every morning for the deals, which can mean as much as 80 percent off the original price.

Savings.com Coupons

The Fixer just couldn’t screw up the courage to brave the crowds of last week’s Black Friday shopping extravaganza.
Not to worry, though. Today is Cyber Monday, which means “screenbusters” will replace “doorbusters.” If you’re planning to shop online today, here are a few tips:
Some fave Web sites

• CyberMonday.com. We like this site for its mind-boggling array of ads, specials and coupons from hundreds of retailers. You can search by category, merchant, special deals and who has free shipping. You also can sign up for e-mail alerts about Cyber Monday deals.

• Like.com. The Fixer followed the recommendation of Shop Smart magazine and checked out this site, which lets you search multiple retailers according to the type, color, material, details, shape, pattern, etc. of a particular item. So when Aunt Millie says she wants a “purple-and-black wool sweater with long sleeves, gold buttons and front pockets,” you can instantly see which stores have such an item and for how much.

• Savings.com, RetailMeNot.com and CouponCabin.com (among others). All have online coupon codes and/or printable coupons for many merchants. Don’t click the “order” button on any shopping site until you’ve first searched sites like these for a discount.

• Bargainist.com. This site frequently updates deals (and “hot deals”) from around the Web and also has a “freebies” tab for samples and other goodies that won’t cost you a dime.
Read the fine print

• Shipping time. Make sure you understand the online seller’s time period for shipping. If no shipping date is given, they must ship within 30 days, according to federal law — and if there’s a delay, you’re allowed to get a full refund. There’s an exception, though: If a company extends you credit to make the purchase, they have 50 days in which to ship.

• Returns and exchanges. Read the company’s terms carefully. Can you return an item for full credit or store credit, or do they state that “all sales are final”? Is there a deadline for returns, and will it come before the holidays? Is there a fee to ship the item back? Is there a restocking fee?

• Use credit, not debit. Credit cards offer more protection and less liability if your number falls into the hands of a thief.

• Stay organized. Keep your shopping list, order confirmations and tracking numbers in one folder.
Beware online scams

• Protect your computer. Install updated spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software and a secure firewall.

• Know your seller. Just because someone has a fancy Web site doesn’t mean they’re reputable. If you’re dealing with an unfamiliar name, take 30 seconds and plug them into the Better Business Bureau’s search function at www.chicago .bbb.org. Make sure they have a physical address and a clean complaint record.

• Order securely. Make sure you submit your order through a secured Web site. Look for “https:” (rather than http:) in front of the site’s URL and a lock symbol in the lower-right corner. Never shop on an open wireless network, such as at an airport or coffee shop.

• Check your credit statements. The Better Business Bureau recommends frequently checking your statements online, rather than waiting for a paper bill.
Canceled policy a mystery

Dear Fixer: We sent in our insurance payment for our policy with Globe Life and Accident Insurance Co. of Oklahoma City.

After that, we received the check back with a note stating that the policy had been canceled by me on July 17. That is not true. I have never contacted the insurance company for any reason.

Can you find out where we stand on this?

Albert Hendon, Hebron, Ind.

Dear Albert: Well, first Team Fixer had to rule out the existence of an insurance-canceling evil twin. Once we did that, we went to Mike Majors, vice president of investor relations at Globe Life’s parent company, Torchmark Corp.

Majors looked into it and said a premium notice had been mailed to Globe Life with the word “cancel” on it. We have no idea how that happened, and you didn’t remember doing that. The good news is the company would rather keep you. Majors helped get you in touch with someone who could straighten this out, and you’ve since gotten a phone call confirmation that your policy has been reinstated.
Web chat at noon

Take a 15-minute break from your cyber shopping at noon today and join The Fixer for a live, online chat at www.suntimes.com. We’ll chat some more about online holiday shopping, and you can share your tips, too.

Thanks to contributor Jon Seidel.

Extra Bucks

Santa Monica, CA: Extra Bucks @ Savings.com Coupons: One can save some extra bucks on Cyber Monday Deals through Savings.com coupons. At the same time, various other coupons are also available besides this.

Savings.com, the premier online savings Web site and community has the best deals for everything shoppers want, making it easier than ever to search, find and share bigsavings from top brands and stores.

With Savings Little Helpers, shoppers can now ask Savings.com for a specific deal, and get a response with the best coupon currently available online. This special service will be available through the end of holiday shopping season.

“When you are shopping online, you should never check out without using an online coupon, but sometimes the best deals can be hard to find,” said Loren Bendele, CEO of Savings.com.

The company said in a press release that shoppers can now ask Savings.com for a specific deal, and get a response with the best coupon currently available online.

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