Dining

For the last year and a half, Chef Bill Telepan has brought greenmarket-inspired, sophisticated cuisine to the restaurant-starved Upper West Side. He mixes the best local ingredients with a solid technique he perfected at the now-defunct Judson Grill and changes his menu regularly to tickle his guests — a mix of Lincoln Center attendees and happy foodies. — Sylvie Bigar

PB&J Makes the Jump from Lunchbox to Luxury
Upper East Side restaurant David Burke & Donatella is taking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches upscale. Forget about the white bread, Skippy and Smuckers. For $23, their Hudson Valley Foie Gras PB&J Tourchon provides layers of macadamia nut butter, strawberry-vanilla jam and foie gras on a toasted brioche.–Kerri Fortune

SUMMER-END SEAFOOD
For a quick summer’s end retreat, feast on fresh fish. Here are some suggestions:
—Nicole Tringali

A Salt and Battery

America’s Top Chef Opens A Restaurant (and Lives to Tell About It)

By Jake Tracer
Photos By Martin Ceperley

Unlike most men, Harold Dieterle’s recipe for happiness didn’t include fame or fortune. All he wanted was to open his own restaurant and let the food speak for itself.

By Ayana L. Haywood
With all the heat in the city during these summer months there is something about dining at a fine restaurant, having a mouth-watering dish and admiring a view of the river. Here are some Manhattan restaurants worth your while that offer a scenic river view as well as palatable menus.

Dining for Darfur
On Aug. 21, wine enthusiasts will gather at the Puck Building to taste wines from around the world, all for a good cause. Dining for Darfur’s Wine Tasting Gala will raise funds for the International Rescue Committee aiding Darfur, Sudanese genocide victims and refugee camps in Chad.

Boulud On Bowery?
Like many other restaurateurs and real-estate proprietors, renowned chef Daniel Boulud is looking to own a slice of the Bowery, Avalon Bowery Place to be exact, for his new proposed restaurant/bar Daniel Boulud Good Burger, or DBGB. It’s the latest in the rapid transformation of the Bowery, with the restaurant’s name referencing closed rock club CBGB. If it opens, the restaurant will join a Whole Foods Market, a new art museum and the haute Bowery Hotel with Italian restaurant Gemma, whose seats were packed opening night despite no tasting preview. Upmarket restaurants and bars are replacing the family-owned establishments, which is pushing the real-estate values up and leaving those with lower income unable to afford the rent hikes.

At the age of 26, having already amassed nearly a decade of experience on the line, Hara arrived in New York, claiming an executive chef position at the two-star Chez Josephine. Rounding out a career marked by a series of gifted tutors, Hara sharpened his skills alongside Rick Laakkonen (Ilo and River Café) before joining davidburke & donatella as Chef de Cuisine. Menu titles alone inspire a combination of hunger and curiosity: Appetizers include Sea Scallop “Benedict,” Foie Gras Terrine with Candied Kumquats and Fried Armagnac Grapes, and Crisp and Angry Lobster.—Sascha Brodsky

By Sylvie Bigar

Summer in New York doesn’t really conjure images of culinary excursions but between Shakespeare in the Park and Midsummer Night Swing, why not take advantage of Restaurant Week? This year between July 16–20 and 23–27, 200 restaurants are offering $24 menus at lunch and $35 menus at dinner. Make your plans soon and call for reservations; some of the finest eateries are already sold out. Here is a sampling of our favorite stops.

We Have A ‘Wiener’

Joey Chestnut and Takeru “Tsunami” Kobayashi face off at the weigh-in before the Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest at Nathan’s Famous at the corner of Stillwell and Surf avenues on Coney Island. In the contest, Chestnut reclaimed the Mustard Belt from the six-time reigning champion from Japan; besting his own record by eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. Despite facing jaw injuries, Kobayashi finished with an impressive 63 wieners.