Crains New York - May 28, 2012 - (Page 23)

flickr.com/chemex INSATIABLE CRITIC Gael Greene S Giuliano Zulian’s UES eatery packs ’em in with flavorful Italian buck ennis CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS TUESDAY, JUNE 5 Join TabbFORUM for MARKET TECH 2012: BIG, FAST, SHARED. This fifth annual conference brings together leading voices in trading technology from across the capital markets industry. Discussions will address how market practitioners are dealing with big data, faster trading and tighter regulations. The conference takes place at 242 W. 41st St. from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $395. For more information, visit www.eventbrite.com/event/2367607578. TUESDAY, JUNE 5 Join the Beverly Willis Architecture Foundation for INNOVATION AND CHANGE: EIGHT NEW GROWTH IDEAS FOR BUSINESS IN THE NEW ECONOMY. The forum will answer the question, “What does the future look like?” It will feature a keynote by Edie Weiner, who will present eight growth areas of the newly emerging economy. The forum will take place at the CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 365 Fifth Ave., from 8:15 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tickets range from $25 to $160. To register, call (212) 577-1200, visit http://future.bwaf.org or email events@bwaf.org. CULTURAL EVENTS irio Maccioni said it.“Either we are a genius or we are completely crazy.” He was talking about juggling his regulars at Le Cirque on 65th Street, where a certain couple endured being whipped by passing sables inches from the entrance.I giggled, remembering, as I watched Giuliano Zulian’s dance as he directed his minions to insert a table into a nearly nonexistent spot up front in his noisy,sardined Primola for customers he could not exile. We’re at the window table, where an expanded sill is “perfect for your purses,” Zulian observes. The waiter recites the specials,but my friends don’t need the menu. “I’ll have the chicken paillard,” says the wife. “Oh, please, no!” I cry. “That’s the most boring thing on the menu.” Veal parmigiana is her fallback, she announces. A third companion has calmly ordered the chicken paillard as if he’s slept through our drama,provoking pouts from my friend, the Primola habitué. It’s my fault she’s stuck with the veal parmigiana. Expecting the usual tasteless slab of veal in elastic armor, I’m amazed by a certain patrician elegance—the meat, round to fit the plate, has been pounded thin without toughening it, and layered with a worldly tomato sauce and gobs of silky cheese. The paillard is a surprise, too. Granted, it’s the usual undistinguished breast of chicken,but I’m impressed by the crumb-nuttiness under decent chopped salad. And though six littlenecks look scrawny, they’re deftly crumbed,too—no sawdust, not too much oil, just enough flavor. Alas, the swordfish tastes fatigued. I’ve already eaten too much of the salumi and focaccia freebies, but I need a starter. I want to see what makes fussy gourmands so happy here. My generous toss of arugula, radicchio and endive could be a tricolore prototype. It’s crisp and fresh, expertly dressed with not too much of a first-rate vinaigrette. Unable to settle on a pasta from the menu lineup,I figure I’ll challenge the kitchen by ordering the $38 grilled veal chop “between medium rare and rare.” It arrives a bit singed but timed to my taste exactly—sweetly caramelized, pink, savory, incredibly juicy. Maybe the best veal chop in recent memory. I can’t quite believe the succulence. I slice off a taste and then another. After prompt clearing and efficient de-crumbing of the tablecloth, VEAL OF FORTUNE: Top chop 1226 Second Ave. (212) 758-1775 PRIMOLA WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 Prize4Life will host its third annual WORLD WITHOUT ALS GALA. The evening will feature cocktails followed by dinner, a live auction and an award ceremony with special guest speaker and auctioneer James Niven, chairman of Sotheby’s North and South America. Supernatural entertainer and mentalist Lior Suchard will perform original acts. The gala will take place at the Plaza Hotel, Fifth Avenue at Central Park South. The gala begins at 6 p.m., and tickets start at $500. To purchase tickets, visit www.prize4life.org. FRIDAY, JUNE 8 As part of CHIHUAHUA QUERIDA, a weeklong event of cooking classes and lectures celebrating the Mexican state of Chihuahua, Diego Valles will be giving an all-day class at the Greenwich Pottery House. He will speak about his technique, and his art will be on display. The class runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 16 Jones St. Tickets are $95. To register, call (212) 242-4106, ext.10 —callie eidler Pick of the week WHAT HE’S READING CONDÉ NAST Publishing Director CUISINE Italian PRICE RANGE Entrées $21$41.50 SERVING Lunch Mon.-Fri., dinner Mon.-Sun. RESERVATIONS Definitely NOISE LEVEL Convivial I can’t wait to return. I will definitely go back. I’ll let them simmer awhile. NO HATS Never again. Bill Wackermann made a temporary move to the other side of the desk by writing his first book, Flip the Script. The self-help guide is filled with examples from his years overseeing Glamour, but Mr. Wackermann draws a lot of inspiration from biographies— his favorite kind of reading. “You can [learn] so much from them,” Mr. Wackermann said, referring to biographies of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Recently, he finished Catherine the Great, by Robert K. Massie, about the 18th-century Russian empress. “Here was this German woman who was brought to marry the czar, and wound up becoming one of the most significant rulers in the country’s history,” he said. —MATTHEW FLAMM To view Crain’s classified events listings, go to www.crainsnewyork.com/events our waiter comes by with a tray of desserts, contemporary efforts, catalogued by us, but rejected as “too much” for tonight. There’s drama here, too—the theater of recognition and rejection: Attendees at the bar arguing for a post in the family subdivision,Zulian hustling the unwary into Siberia. Looking at the menu the next day, I realize, nothing my cozily indulged friends had is on it. “Lots of things are not on the menu,” the owner confesses, explaining his wiles. “I don’t want the menu to get too long. They ask. We do it.” He can’t quite pin down how he keeps the privileged happy when he has seven groups claiming the catbird tables. “Sometimes they get the front. Sometimes they sit in the back.” Some customers even prefer the back. “The guys in striped suits—they like the privacy. It’s quieter.” Recently, Joe Torre wanted a table for two at 7:30.To keep a spot worthy of Torre open, Zulian put a sixtop at the window so none of his maniacal foursomes would try to claim it. When Torre arrived, the six became a fourtop because you can’t expect a supernova to sit at a table for two. Just how good is the Primola crowd? He crows,“I tell you, there are no tourists in my restaurant.” Copyright © 2012 by Gael Greene. Syndicated by www.insatiable-critic.com. Events CALENDAR Ensure Your Next Event is a Blockbuster Post your next event on the Crain’s Events Calendar and we will help you market it to an influential audience that regularly attends in-person conferences. Featured Listing Includes: - Ability to edit listing - Unlimited word count - Logo inclusion - Promotion on related industry pages - Social media buttons - Link to registration page - Designation as a “Featured Event” - Inclusion in weekly email blasts - Multi-day events (1-3 days) - Upgrade print opportunity available crain’s To start your listing today, visit: www.crainsnewyork.com/section/events_calendar/submit Or contact Joanne Barbieri at (212) 210-0189 or jbarbieri@crainsnewyork.com May 28, 2012 | Crain’s New York Business | 23 newscom In with the in crowd at Primola THE WEEK AHEAD JUNE 4-10 WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6 NAIOP NEW YORK CITY, a chapter of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, will hold a breakfast event titled “EB-5 Financing.” Attendees will discover issues affecting businesses seeking alterative financing through the use of the EB-5 foreign investor program. The session will be held at Greenberg Traurig, 200 Park Ave., from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. It’s free for NAIOP members and $10 for nonmembers. To get more information, visit http:// naiopnyceb5seminar-es2.eventbrite.com. http://naiopnyceb5seminar-es2.eventbrite.com http://naiopnyceb5seminar-es2.eventbrite.com http://www.eventbrite.com/event/2367607578 http://www.prize4life.org http://future.bwaf.org http://www.crainsnewyork.com/events http://www.crainsnewyork.com/section/events_calendar/submit http://www.crainsnewyork.com/section/events_calendar/submit http://www.insatiable-critic.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - May 28, 2012

Crains New York - May 28, 2012
Contents
Kids’ Lines Behave Badly for Retail Industry
City’s Scarcest Resource These Days? Engineers
Taxi! Follow That Cab’s Fare Increase
Nasdaq Attack the Facebook Fallout in the Markets
Bronx Retail Strip Goes From Famously Bad to Bustling
It’s the Return of the Automat
The Insider
Real Estate Deals
Opinion
For the Record
The Week on the Web
Classifieds
Taking Urban Farming to a New Level
Anne Fisher: Manufacturing Jobs Make a Comeback
Hot Jobs
Movers & Shakers: Russian Banker Shares His u.s.plans
Gael Greene: Fighting the Crowd at Primola
The Week Ahead

Crains New York - May 28, 2012