Crains New York - May 21, 2012 - (Page 35)

flickr.com/chemex INSATIABLE CRITIC Gael Greene Dragonfly bites into Upper E. Side THE WEEK AHEAD MAY 28-JUNE 3 CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS FRIDAY, JUNE 1 The Bernard L. Schwartz Communication Institute at Baruch College will host the 12TH ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM ON COMMUNICATION-INTENSIVE INSTRUCTION. The event will feature workshops with media professionals, including Leigh Gallagher, assistant managing editor at Fortune magazine, and Peter Elbow, author of Vernacular Eloquence: What Speech Can Bring to Writing. Randy Cohen, host of WAMC’s Person Place Thing, will do a live radio interview with former Gov. Mario Cuomo to discuss how people reveal themselves through storytelling. The event will take place at 55 Lexington Ave., Vertical Campus Building, 14th-floor conference center, from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. To request an invitation, visit blsci.baruch.cuny.edu/ symposium/request-invitation/ or email symposium@baruch.cuny.edu. e-commerce business. Signed copies of their book, By Invitation Only, will be provided free of charge to the audience. A donation from book sales will go to a Fashioning Our Industry scholarship fund. The discussion will take place at American Airlines headquarters, 2 Park Ave., from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Ticket prices are $25 for students and members and $50 for nonmembers. To get more information, visit www.eventbrite.com. CULTURAL EVENTS THURSDAY, MAY 31 Join Kids in Distressed Situations (K.I.D.S.) for the SIXTH ANNUAL WOMEN IN INDUSTRY LUNCHEON. The event will honor Kathy Ireland and apparel industry leaders for helping to get clothing and shoes to schoolchildren in need. The luncheon will take place at the Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue and Central Park South, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tickets range from $250 to $25,000. All proceeds will benefit K.I.D.S. For tickets, call (845)758-6403 or email kids_luncheon@frontier.com. SATURDAY, JUNE 2, TO SUNDAY, JUNE 3 As part of the GOTHAM DANCE FESTIVAL, Peter Quanz introduces two ballets, Luminous and In Tandem, for the Joyce Theater debut of his company, Q Dance. In Tandem is a work originally commissioned by Guggenheim Works and Process. Q Dance shares the program with former Joffrey and Forsythe ballerina Jodie Gates. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Ave. Tickets cost between $10 and $39. For tickets, call (212) 242-0800 or visit www.joyce.org. —callie eidler M Untraditional Asian eatery a welcome alternative in area WHAT HE’S READING CITY COUNCILMAN Daniel Garodnick, who has a 16-monthold son, is catching up on his sleep—and his reading. His foray into parenthood led him to Michael Lewis’ 2009 memoir, Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood. That led the former securities litigator, who is running for city comptroller in 2013, to another book by Mr. Lewis. But instead of turning to Liar’s Poker, Mr. Lewis’ inside look at 1980s bond trading, he picked up Moneyball. The book, which demystifies how data were revolutionizing baseball, was published in 2003. “I know I’m behind the times,” said Mr. Garodnick, “but I thought it was an interesting concept, and I wanted to understand it.” —JEREMY SMERD y friends on the Upper East Side endlessly complain they have nowhere to eat except for the usual Italian fixtures: Sette Mezzo, Elio, Primola, Nicola, Paola. Well now, dear jaded ones, you have Dragonfly, a deliberately cautious riff on Asian familiars by Cornelius Gallagher. You may not remember, as I do, Gallagher’s bold and original ways with fish and sea creatures when Oceana was on East 54th Street. In 2008, his plans to open a place of his own sank with the battered economy and he disappeared, first as a catering chef, then to oversee six restaurants for Long Island’s Bohlsen Restaurant Group. Spurred by reveries of flavors he learned from Grey Kunz in the kitchen of Lespinasse, he explored Thailand, China and Vietnam, a tour that inspired the sassy lettuce wraps and sweet-glazed pork buns we’re sharing tonight in the narrow little 68-seat storefront on Third Avenue. At last, at 40, a room of his own. Expect an exuberant welcome: Grace Walker at the door mastered savoir faire working with Jonathan Waxman at Barbuto. Then settle into Dragonfly’s stress-reducing, laid-back modesty. The spicy coconut margarita, from a small list of cocktails, helps, though it could be colder and with more jalapeño kick. Fluke sashimi with tobiko, cilantro sprigs, sliced red radish and tart calamansi dressing is my favorite dish of the night—bold and citric,the fluke bracingly chilled and scrupulously fresh, as I would expect from a veteran of Oceana. Charred shishito and a polite chile glaze add complexity to sweet-glazed pork buns. Three crisp-fried phyllo-crusted shrimp come wrapped around skewers to dip in a lime-leaf-yuzu remoulade, nicely crusty, but oversalted—a challenge for four to share. Of course we have to have the house “tater tots”: golf-ball-size globes filled with Gruyère to slather with a sriracha-sesame spiced mayo. I’d like twice as many, half the size. And the Vietnamese summer roll should be plural for $12.95. Timid eaters who avoid authentic Thai or Szechuan heat will feel safe with most of the “Street Cart” starters, almost all safely assimilated, wrapped in an American flag. I don’t mind. I’m happy enough with Thai beef cheeks—slow-cooked in a Szechuan-style tomato sauce and served on creamy polenta with Ital- buck ennis BRACING: Fluke sashimi DRAGONFLY 1463 Third Ave. (212) 203-5518 www.dragonflyny.com CUISINE Asian fusion PRICE RANGE Entreés $17-$25 SERVING Dinner Mon.-Sun. RESERVATIONS Wouldn’t hurt NOISE LEVEL Lively I can’t wait to return. I will definitely go back. I’ll let them simmer awhile. NO HATS Never again. WORKSHOPS THURSDAY, MAY 31 Join Fashioning Our Industry for A CONVERSATION WITH THE GILT GROUPE FOUNDERS. Alexis Maybank and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson will speak about strategies for creating a successful Pick of the week To view Crain’s classified events listings, go to www.crainsnewyork.com/events ian bread crisps.Hot,yes,mildly,but lush and sweet and meaty, too. The whole branzino is exquisitely cooked in a bamboo leaf, delicate and moist, stuffed with lemongrass in a dashi broth. I would expect no less. The Crying Tiger Skirt Steak served with wasabi “tater tots” has an unusual exterior crunch that I like. Entrées are gently priced,running from $17 to $25 for whole fish and steak. What’s billed as “Non-Traditional Pad Thai” is wrapped in a crêpe— the “inverted bowl technique,” the menu explains.I like the idea,but the noodles with shreds of chicken and pea shoots are decidedly blah. Saigon cinnamon streusel is a bit of a reach to cast huckleberry cheesecake as Asian.The house doesn’t even try to work the theme with chocolate banana bread pudding,a molten treat topped with vanilla ice cream. The menu is still evolving, the chef says. “I’m sweating over it. I want to keep the feeling of a bistro.” Perhaps he’ll go even more untraditional with that pad Thai—crisp bacon bits might do it. Gallagher knew he was in for a challenge the first time he saw the closet-like kitchen. “But I love this neighborhood,” he said. “Life begins at 40,” I remind him. “I’m making that my motto,” he responds with a grin. Copyright © 2012 by Gael Greene. Syndicated by www.insatiable-critic.com. Which New York Businesses Are Defining the Word Success? On June 25th, Crain’s New York Business will announce the 50 fastest growing New York companies in our new “Fast 50” print and online feature. New York is the city that never sleeps and neither do the businesses that call it home. Innovation constantly occurs as new industries, such as digital media, emerge and established companies devise new growth strategies. To find out which businesses made the cut, pick up a copy of the June 25th issue, or visit crainsnewyork.com/fast50. For advertising opportunities, please contact Trish Henry at (212) 210-0711 or thenry@crainsnewyork.com. May 21, 2012 | Crain’s New York Business | 35 http://www.flickr.com/chemex http://www.eventbrite.com http://www.dragonflyny.com http://www.dragonflyny.com http://blsci.baruch.cuny.edu/symposium/request-invitation http://blsci.baruch.cuny.edu/symposium/request-invitation http://www.joyce.org http://www.crainsnewyork.com/events http://www.crainsnewyork.com/fast50 http://www.insatiable-critic.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - May 21, 2012

Crain's New York - May 21, 2012
Contents
Council Defies Mayor, Scares Business Leaders
Renegade Ceo Bucks Albany to Save His Hospital
Back to JPMorgan Chase’s Woes Have Some Local Bank Rivals Circling. in the Markets.
New York, New York
Hopes Rising Along B’klyn Waterfront in Sunset Park
Why Charlie Rangel Could Lose His Seat
Small Business
Viewpoint
Ibm Inside Big Blue’s Brain Trust, Which Pulled in More Than 6,180 Patents Last Year, the Most Ever by a Single Company. No Wonder the Stock Price Has More Than Doubled in the Past Five Years.
The List Our Annual Review of the New York Area’s Largest Publicly Held Companies, Ranked by Their 2011 Revenues.
What’s Up (And Down) at News Corp., Cbs, Bed Bath & Beyond, Vornado Realty, Mastercard, Jones Group, Revlon and Others.
For the Record
Classifieds
Real Estate Deals
The Week on the Web
Matchmakers Find Their Own Chemistry
Anne Fisher Tapping Into Human Emotions Pays Dividends
Hot Jobs
Executive Moves
Movers & Shakers Real Estate Veteran’s Surprising Switch
Gael Greene Dragonfly Lands on UES

Crains New York - May 21, 2012