Grub Street Grub Street New York

The John Dory’s November 1 reopening was delayed, but we’re told the 120-seat oyster bar should finally start taking walk-ins (no reservations) at noon tomorrow. We’d suggest calling tomorrow to make sure they have all of their ducks in a row, and in the meantime see the menu here and brush up on the place here. Also, the folks at Ai Fiori tell us the latest opening date for Michael White’s restaurant in the Setai is “late November” (of note: Eater hears that White and his partner Chris Cannon are on the outs). And Diner’s Journal now puts the opening of Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster at “late November or early December.”

Harney & Sons produces more than 250 varieties of tea in its Dutchess County headquarters, and connoisseurs will now be able to sample most of them at the 24-foot tasting bar in the company's new Soho shop, opening next Tuesday. Sweet and savory scones will be served in the 26-seat café, along with novelties like tea-flavored ice cream from the Berkshires' SoCo Creamery and tea-laced Harpersfield cheeses made by Brovetto Dairy upstate. There's no beer or wine, but should the urge strike, the nearby Crosby Street Hotel serves a Champagne tea featuring Harney & Sons selections. Between this new arrival and In Pursuit of Tea's storefront around the corner, this stretch of Soho has suddenly become a tea drinker's destination in a coffee-obsessed town.

A while back we pointed out that sad ol’ Gristedes was seemingly courting NYU students by introducing growlers, and now Racked and Brooklyn Paper point out that the new Duane Reade on Bedford Avenue is warming the anti-corporate hearts of Williamsburgers with refillable beer jugs. Crikes! Do we really have to add Duane Reade growlers to our Brooklyn collection above? So tacky! Oh wait, by the looks of this photo, they’re all, like, stylized and stuff! Just get a photo of Terry Richardson pouring one out on a naked starlet and we’re sold.

Bedford's New Duane Reade Wins Over The Neighborhood With Beer [Racked NY]
Battle on Bedford! Duane Reade takes on the little guy in Williamsburg [Brooklyn Paper]

A statement from owners James Gersten and Derek Sanders sheds light on La Esquina’s project in the old Relish space. We’re told that it won’t necessarily be a “Mexican beer garden,” and a concept is still being developed for a spring 2011 opening. Oh, and these guys are very psyched to be part of the whole Brooklyn thing. Here’s the good word:

Two years ago, we asked the question: “Will New Yorkers pay to drink wine out of a rubber nipple?” Thank goodness for our dignity, the answer is no. The fondue lounge that replaced Gibraltar underneath the Nolita restaurant Jacques didn’t exactly take off, and the tiny space went unused for a while. Last night, though, Jacques Oauri reopened it as 1534, a celebration of French colonialism (1534 is the year of Jacques Cartier’s first explorations). Where wine in baby bottles failed, Ouari is hoping Contemporary Cocktails (“the platinum standard of cocktail consulting,” per David Wondrich) can succeed with $12 seasonal drinks inspired by France and its colonies. In addition to the cocktail and small-plates menus below (food is served till 1:30 a.m. from Wednesday through Sunday, and till 2:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday), there’ll be rotating seasonal punches served from absinthe fountains.

Welcome to “How Do You Make That?”: You tell Grub Street about a restaurant dish you’re dying to make at home, and we fetch the recipe from its creator. This time around, we've got a seasonal request from a reader who's thinking ahead: “Last night at Cookshop I had the roasted chicken, which was served with a savory pumpkin chanterelle corn bread pudding. I would love the bread pudding recipe for Thanksgiving.” Just in time for the holiday, chef Robert Berry reveals the recipe.