December 30, 2009
The Fabulous Freshmen of '09 By SAM SIFTON
FOLLOWING is a list of my favorite restaurants among those that opened in New York this year. It is in no particular order except that Marea is first and foremost.
MAREA The latest gem in the crown of the restaurateur Chris Cannon and his talented partner-chef, Michael White, representing the marine treats of a nation that is almost Italy, almost the United States. 240 Central Park South (Broadway), Columbus Circle, (212) 582-5100.
LOCANDA VERDE Andrew Carmellini, cooking like the hippest Italian grandmother you never had, in a dining room that's drop-dead pretty, with desserts by Karen DeMasco. Reserve now. In the Greenwich Hotel, 377 Greenwich Street (North Moore Street), TriBeCa, (212) 925-3797.
PRIME MEATS Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli's new venture combines steaks and cocktails under something like a German flag, to great effect. And the main dining room's not even open yet! 465 Court Street (Luquer Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 254-0327.
MINETTA TAVERN Keith McNally opened a steakhouse in an old Village landmark, updating the room with great skill and making the food about six times better than he needed to. Everybody came. 113 Macdougal Street (Minetta Lane), Greenwich Village, (212) 475-3850.
DBGB KITCHEN AND BAR A Daniel Boulud restaurant this far downtown is as strange as contemplating a David Chang one in Midtown. Incredible sausages and very good beer, however, make it worth the cognitive leap. 299 Bowery (Houston Street), East Village, (212) 933-5300.
OCEANA The Oceana of old was a pleasant room with elegant food and a caring touch; the new one, in the McGraw-Hill Building, is a high-functioning luxury mill. Sometimes that's just what you need. 1221 Avenue of the Americas (entrance on 49th Street), Midtown, (212) 759-5941.
LE RELAIS DE VENISE L'ENTRECOTE There is only green salad and steak frites. You can have O.K. wine and a dessert after. Women in French maid outfits serve the stuff, turning tables as if they were stools at Schrafft's. And you know what? It's terrific. 590 Lexington Avenue (52nd Street), Midtown, (212) 758-3989.
CO. Jim Lahey, of Sullivan Street Bakery, got into the restaurant game this year with Co. (pronounced "company"), a pizzeria. It's casual, fairly elegant in its way. The pizza's excellent. 230 Ninth Avenue (24th Street), Chelsea, (212) 243-1105.
FATTY CRAB A big, loud, ugly spinoff of the smaller, downtown, stoned-glutton restaurant of the same name, Zak Pelaccio's Fatty Crab brought gastro-hipster cachet to a neighborhood not formerly known for it — and good noodles, too. 2170 Broadway (76th Street), Upper West Side, (212) 496-2722.
ROCKAWAY TACO After a trial run in summer 2008, this fantastic summers-only surfer-shack taco stall opened with intensity for beach season 2009, with perfect fish tacos from Andrew Field, the chef, that are best eaten barefoot. 95-19 Rockaway Beach Boulevard (Beach 96th Street), Rockaway, Queens, (347) 213-7466.
The Top New Restaurants of 2009 - Review - NYTimes.com (30 December 2009)
http://events.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dining/reviews/30ylist.html?ref=dining&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/twxev
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Eleven Memorable Dishes, and Not Even a Full Year By SAM SIFTON
December 30, 2009
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Eleven Memorable Dishes, and Not Even a Full Year By SAM SIFTON
THE best dishes of the year? We'll get to the roasted unicorn in dwarf-fairy reduction sauce soon enough. But perspective is everything. For much of 2009 I was not the restaurant critic of The New York Times. I was the newspaper's culture editor, with little access to the sort of food that ordinarily appears in articles like this one.
Many of my meals were taken at my desk, between phone calls or sometimes during them, sometimes three times a day. Others were taken on weekends, the children in tow, rushing from beach to grocery store to birthday party or back. Still more were eaten at the bars of Times Square gin mills well after the newspaper's nightly deadlines, as colleagues railed into the dark against the perfidy of whoever had stood in the way of our getting to the place earlier.
Of course, I did not go hungry before stepping into the big brogans of Frank Bruni, my brilliant and tireless predecessor, who left his post at the end of August. As a civilian with a deep interest in the city's restaurant culture, I was able to sneak in some truly memorable dishes this year: among them, a perfect agnolotti del plin at Del Posto; a tiny piece of French toast at Momofuku Ko; a crisp and juicy truffle-stuffed chicken thigh with Medjool dates, carrot mousseline and tatsoi at Per Se.
As an amateur, I would also rate the suckling-pig tacos that Jimmy Bradley served as a Monday night special at the Red Cat in Chelsea as among the best things I ate in 2009. I also loved the spicy chicken shwarma served at the new, expanded Pick-a-Pita on Eighth Avenue near the newsroom, and the Korean tacos from the Kogi truck in Los Angeles.
But the following list, presented in no particular order, reflects my recent experience as a professional eater. It is the accounting of a fellow feeding with critical intent, who has read back over some months of notes to determine what, of all the new dishes in all the new restaurants in New York City, really were his favorites. (Since The Times does not review new restaurants until a decent interval has passed, the list includes a few dishes from places that opened at the end of 2008.)
In such cases where it seemed appropriate, I reached out to the creators and asked for a recipe. Even made by an amateur with a grim kitchen in Somewheresville, they can approximate the quality experienced here in the big town, under sparkling lights.
THE SMOKED HADDOCK TART AT LE CAPRICE It is early days yet over at Le Caprice, the new American outpost of London's club-like Piccadilly snob-shop, but Michael Hartnell, the chef, has at least one good card to play: this marvelous appetizer. With smoked haddock still a relative rarity in the United States, its smoky sweetness is a small taste of British sophistication, especially against the melting gold of the two tiny poached quail eggs he places above the pastry. Eaten at the bar, after the application of a Hendrick's martini, this dish can leave even the rubiest of American rubes feeling Bondlike and well fed. In the Pierre Hotel, 795 Fifth Avenue (61st Street), Upper East Side, (212) 940-8195.
THE FUSILLI WITH RED-WINE BRAISED OCTOPUS AND BONE MARROW AT MAREA This is surf and turf from Crazytown, Italy, near the American border. Michael White, the hugely talented pasta maven behind Chris Cannon's excellent new restaurant in the space that used to be San Domenico, cooks a mirepoix in a heavy pot, then adds baby octopus, Sangiovese and tomato purée. This simmers away for an hour, until the little fellows are fork tender and the sauce gone almost thick with flavor. The result is introduced to a serious amount of seared bone marrow and some twirls of house-made fusilli. The marrow emulsifies and acts as butter does in a sauce — if butter were 10 times richer than it already is. The combination is a loving marriage between separate species. 240 Central Park South (Broadway), Columbus Circle, (212) 582-5100.
THE POMMES ALIGOT AT MINETTA TAVERN A side dish, particularly well suited to the restaurant's excellent roast chicken, the pommes aligot at Keith McNally's glittery remake of this Greenwich Village landmark are a marvel of silky excellence. (They more than make up for the restaurant's one notable misstep: a partly open kitchen that clashes with both the aesthetic of the room and the heretofore modest demeanor of the men who run it, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.) Yukon Gold potatoes are whipped smooth with garlic, enormous amounts of butter and cheddar curds until they begin to turn to ribbons — a potato dish that is literally elastic. It tastes of Alpine clouds. 113 Macdougal Street (Minetta Lane), Greenwich Village, (212) 475-3850.
THE DUCK MEATLOAF AT BUTTERMILK CHANNEL Buttermilk Channel roared onto the Brooklyn dining scene late last year with family-friendly service, an excellent wine list and a great deal of comforting food. Popovers and fried chicken don't make year-end roundups, though. Rich, raisin-studded, thyme-infused duck meatloaf does. Doug Crowell, the restaurant's owner, is pairing the meat with puréed parsnips zipped on orange and star anise. You could do that at home, too, or try it alongside the pommes aligot. 524 Court Street (Huntington Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 852-8490.
THE BOUDIN BASQUE AT DBGB KITCHEN AND BAR This disk of spicy blood sausage with bits of head meat for textural contrast is served above a small pool of scallion-brightened, cream-thickened mashed potatoes. It is the standout sausage among many at Daniel Boulud's audacious new restaurant on the lower Bowery, just a few steps down from the birthplace of punk rock. Through a spokeswoman, Georgette Farkas, Mr. Boulud declined to offer a recipe for the home cook. It's too easy for it all to go terribly wrong, Ms. Farkas said. Not at the restaurant, though! 299 Bowery (Houston Street), East Village, (212) 933-5300.
THE MEATBALL PIZZA AT CO. Jim Lahey's much debated Chelsea pizzeria is devoted almost to a fault to the excellence of its dough, as Frank Bruni sagely pointed out in his one-star review of the restaurant in the spring. But in recent months, Mr. Lahey's been dialing in his toppings and the use of his insanely hot oven; he's now putting out pies that are good enough to do justice to his dough and to rival the city's best pizzas. The veal meatball version, with buffalo mozzarella, tomato, caramelized onions, gaeta olives, aged pecorino and oregano, is my favorite. 230 Ninth Avenue (24th Street), Chelsea, (212) 243-1105.
THE PRIME MANHATTAN AT PRIME MEATS There are a lot of people here who appear to have dressed for a Vancouver trapping expedition, attended a gallery show in Bushwick, and then had the idea to mush over to Carroll Gardens for absinthe. But this restaurant from the brilliant team behind the Frankies empire, while not even yet completely open, has wonderful food and a truly inspired drinks menu arranged by Damon Boelte. His Manhattan, built out of 100-proof Rittenhouse rye, Dolin sweet vermouth and bitters made at the restaurant out of buddha's hand, a lemony citrus fruit, is a glass of refinement afforded only artists and dreamers: a direct portal into an imaginary 19th-century New York City. 465 Court Street (Luquer Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 254-0327.
THE OYSTER PAN ROAST AT THE JOHN DORY Here's a wild card. This restaurant opened in December 2008, and closed in August. But April Bloomfield, the chef and an owner, and Ken Friedman, another owner, now have The Breslin to their name, and are making noises about reopening the John Dory in another space. So there's some chance we'll see this marvelous dish — a murderously rich pan roast topped with toast slathered in uni butter — again. Here's hoping: it made my winter last year. This year, you can cook it at home.
THE FRIED CURRIED PINK SNAPPER AT OCEANA Served upright, as if it had been caught swimming through hot oil and flash-fried into statuary, this amazing dish is among the most flavorful you can get at the new and massive version of stately old Oceana, now in the McGraw-Hill Building on West 49th Street. Served with lotus coins and strips of cucumber, with cilantro strewn here and there above its fantastic Indian-inflected sauce, it is a superb meal for two, accompanied by some spicy Napa cabbage. 1221 Avenue of the Americas (entrance on 49th Street), Midtown, (212) 759-5941.
THE CLASSIC BANH MI AT BAOGUETTE You can take subways, buses and trains to taste and debate the best banh mi in town. For the best I had in a new restaurant, though, look no farther than lower Lexington Avenue, where Michael Huynh opened Baoguette last December. His classic version, with house-made pâté, terrine and pork belly on a baguette from Tom Cat Bakery, with pickled daikon, cilantro and jalapeño, dabbed with their own mayo and squirted with fish sauce and Sriracha, is delicious and, at $5, among the best quality-to-cost ratios available in the city. 61 Lexington Avenue (between 25th and 26th Streets), Murray Hill, (212) 532-1133
THE MAPLE BUDINO AT LOCANDA VERDE Karen DeMasco is the wildly gifted pastry chef at Locanda Verde, which the chef Andrew Carmellini opened in the Greenwich Hotel in TriBeCa with a team of partners in the late spring. She brought a beautiful simplicity to the dessert menu at Tom Colicchio's Craft, where her impact was big enough that, more than a year after she left, she is still prominently featured on that restaurant's Web site. At Locanda Verde, she brings deep flavor and mischievous intensity to a dessert menu that sees its heights in a dark maple budino with candied pecans and cranberry sorbetto. Make it at home and serve it to friends exactly as if you were serving overstrong cocktails or recreational drugs. Taxonomically speaking, they are all of a piece. The Greenwich Hotel, 377 Greenwich Street (North Moore Street), TriBeCa, (212) 925-3797.
Critic’s Notebook - Selecting the Year’s Top 11 New Dishes - Review - NYTimes.com (30 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dining/reviews/30year.html?pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/twx9l
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Eleven Memorable Dishes, and Not Even a Full Year By SAM SIFTON
THE best dishes of the year? We'll get to the roasted unicorn in dwarf-fairy reduction sauce soon enough. But perspective is everything. For much of 2009 I was not the restaurant critic of The New York Times. I was the newspaper's culture editor, with little access to the sort of food that ordinarily appears in articles like this one.
Many of my meals were taken at my desk, between phone calls or sometimes during them, sometimes three times a day. Others were taken on weekends, the children in tow, rushing from beach to grocery store to birthday party or back. Still more were eaten at the bars of Times Square gin mills well after the newspaper's nightly deadlines, as colleagues railed into the dark against the perfidy of whoever had stood in the way of our getting to the place earlier.
Of course, I did not go hungry before stepping into the big brogans of Frank Bruni, my brilliant and tireless predecessor, who left his post at the end of August. As a civilian with a deep interest in the city's restaurant culture, I was able to sneak in some truly memorable dishes this year: among them, a perfect agnolotti del plin at Del Posto; a tiny piece of French toast at Momofuku Ko; a crisp and juicy truffle-stuffed chicken thigh with Medjool dates, carrot mousseline and tatsoi at Per Se.
As an amateur, I would also rate the suckling-pig tacos that Jimmy Bradley served as a Monday night special at the Red Cat in Chelsea as among the best things I ate in 2009. I also loved the spicy chicken shwarma served at the new, expanded Pick-a-Pita on Eighth Avenue near the newsroom, and the Korean tacos from the Kogi truck in Los Angeles.
But the following list, presented in no particular order, reflects my recent experience as a professional eater. It is the accounting of a fellow feeding with critical intent, who has read back over some months of notes to determine what, of all the new dishes in all the new restaurants in New York City, really were his favorites. (Since The Times does not review new restaurants until a decent interval has passed, the list includes a few dishes from places that opened at the end of 2008.)
In such cases where it seemed appropriate, I reached out to the creators and asked for a recipe. Even made by an amateur with a grim kitchen in Somewheresville, they can approximate the quality experienced here in the big town, under sparkling lights.
THE SMOKED HADDOCK TART AT LE CAPRICE It is early days yet over at Le Caprice, the new American outpost of London's club-like Piccadilly snob-shop, but Michael Hartnell, the chef, has at least one good card to play: this marvelous appetizer. With smoked haddock still a relative rarity in the United States, its smoky sweetness is a small taste of British sophistication, especially against the melting gold of the two tiny poached quail eggs he places above the pastry. Eaten at the bar, after the application of a Hendrick's martini, this dish can leave even the rubiest of American rubes feeling Bondlike and well fed. In the Pierre Hotel, 795 Fifth Avenue (61st Street), Upper East Side, (212) 940-8195.
THE FUSILLI WITH RED-WINE BRAISED OCTOPUS AND BONE MARROW AT MAREA This is surf and turf from Crazytown, Italy, near the American border. Michael White, the hugely talented pasta maven behind Chris Cannon's excellent new restaurant in the space that used to be San Domenico, cooks a mirepoix in a heavy pot, then adds baby octopus, Sangiovese and tomato purée. This simmers away for an hour, until the little fellows are fork tender and the sauce gone almost thick with flavor. The result is introduced to a serious amount of seared bone marrow and some twirls of house-made fusilli. The marrow emulsifies and acts as butter does in a sauce — if butter were 10 times richer than it already is. The combination is a loving marriage between separate species. 240 Central Park South (Broadway), Columbus Circle, (212) 582-5100.
THE POMMES ALIGOT AT MINETTA TAVERN A side dish, particularly well suited to the restaurant's excellent roast chicken, the pommes aligot at Keith McNally's glittery remake of this Greenwich Village landmark are a marvel of silky excellence. (They more than make up for the restaurant's one notable misstep: a partly open kitchen that clashes with both the aesthetic of the room and the heretofore modest demeanor of the men who run it, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.) Yukon Gold potatoes are whipped smooth with garlic, enormous amounts of butter and cheddar curds until they begin to turn to ribbons — a potato dish that is literally elastic. It tastes of Alpine clouds. 113 Macdougal Street (Minetta Lane), Greenwich Village, (212) 475-3850.
THE DUCK MEATLOAF AT BUTTERMILK CHANNEL Buttermilk Channel roared onto the Brooklyn dining scene late last year with family-friendly service, an excellent wine list and a great deal of comforting food. Popovers and fried chicken don't make year-end roundups, though. Rich, raisin-studded, thyme-infused duck meatloaf does. Doug Crowell, the restaurant's owner, is pairing the meat with puréed parsnips zipped on orange and star anise. You could do that at home, too, or try it alongside the pommes aligot. 524 Court Street (Huntington Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 852-8490.
THE BOUDIN BASQUE AT DBGB KITCHEN AND BAR This disk of spicy blood sausage with bits of head meat for textural contrast is served above a small pool of scallion-brightened, cream-thickened mashed potatoes. It is the standout sausage among many at Daniel Boulud's audacious new restaurant on the lower Bowery, just a few steps down from the birthplace of punk rock. Through a spokeswoman, Georgette Farkas, Mr. Boulud declined to offer a recipe for the home cook. It's too easy for it all to go terribly wrong, Ms. Farkas said. Not at the restaurant, though! 299 Bowery (Houston Street), East Village, (212) 933-5300.
THE MEATBALL PIZZA AT CO. Jim Lahey's much debated Chelsea pizzeria is devoted almost to a fault to the excellence of its dough, as Frank Bruni sagely pointed out in his one-star review of the restaurant in the spring. But in recent months, Mr. Lahey's been dialing in his toppings and the use of his insanely hot oven; he's now putting out pies that are good enough to do justice to his dough and to rival the city's best pizzas. The veal meatball version, with buffalo mozzarella, tomato, caramelized onions, gaeta olives, aged pecorino and oregano, is my favorite. 230 Ninth Avenue (24th Street), Chelsea, (212) 243-1105.
THE PRIME MANHATTAN AT PRIME MEATS There are a lot of people here who appear to have dressed for a Vancouver trapping expedition, attended a gallery show in Bushwick, and then had the idea to mush over to Carroll Gardens for absinthe. But this restaurant from the brilliant team behind the Frankies empire, while not even yet completely open, has wonderful food and a truly inspired drinks menu arranged by Damon Boelte. His Manhattan, built out of 100-proof Rittenhouse rye, Dolin sweet vermouth and bitters made at the restaurant out of buddha's hand, a lemony citrus fruit, is a glass of refinement afforded only artists and dreamers: a direct portal into an imaginary 19th-century New York City. 465 Court Street (Luquer Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 254-0327.
THE OYSTER PAN ROAST AT THE JOHN DORY Here's a wild card. This restaurant opened in December 2008, and closed in August. But April Bloomfield, the chef and an owner, and Ken Friedman, another owner, now have The Breslin to their name, and are making noises about reopening the John Dory in another space. So there's some chance we'll see this marvelous dish — a murderously rich pan roast topped with toast slathered in uni butter — again. Here's hoping: it made my winter last year. This year, you can cook it at home.
THE FRIED CURRIED PINK SNAPPER AT OCEANA Served upright, as if it had been caught swimming through hot oil and flash-fried into statuary, this amazing dish is among the most flavorful you can get at the new and massive version of stately old Oceana, now in the McGraw-Hill Building on West 49th Street. Served with lotus coins and strips of cucumber, with cilantro strewn here and there above its fantastic Indian-inflected sauce, it is a superb meal for two, accompanied by some spicy Napa cabbage. 1221 Avenue of the Americas (entrance on 49th Street), Midtown, (212) 759-5941.
THE CLASSIC BANH MI AT BAOGUETTE You can take subways, buses and trains to taste and debate the best banh mi in town. For the best I had in a new restaurant, though, look no farther than lower Lexington Avenue, where Michael Huynh opened Baoguette last December. His classic version, with house-made pâté, terrine and pork belly on a baguette from Tom Cat Bakery, with pickled daikon, cilantro and jalapeño, dabbed with their own mayo and squirted with fish sauce and Sriracha, is delicious and, at $5, among the best quality-to-cost ratios available in the city. 61 Lexington Avenue (between 25th and 26th Streets), Murray Hill, (212) 532-1133
THE MAPLE BUDINO AT LOCANDA VERDE Karen DeMasco is the wildly gifted pastry chef at Locanda Verde, which the chef Andrew Carmellini opened in the Greenwich Hotel in TriBeCa with a team of partners in the late spring. She brought a beautiful simplicity to the dessert menu at Tom Colicchio's Craft, where her impact was big enough that, more than a year after she left, she is still prominently featured on that restaurant's Web site. At Locanda Verde, she brings deep flavor and mischievous intensity to a dessert menu that sees its heights in a dark maple budino with candied pecans and cranberry sorbetto. Make it at home and serve it to friends exactly as if you were serving overstrong cocktails or recreational drugs. Taxonomically speaking, they are all of a piece. The Greenwich Hotel, 377 Greenwich Street (North Moore Street), TriBeCa, (212) 925-3797.
Critic’s Notebook - Selecting the Year’s Top 11 New Dishes - Review - NYTimes.com (30 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dining/reviews/30year.html?pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/twx9l
Bright Spots in a Year for Thrift By THE NEW YORK TIMES
December 30, 2009
Bright Spots in a Year for Thrift By THE NEW YORK TIMES
SOMETIMES the bill can help make a dining experience enjoyable. Here are some of the best affordable places from the Dining Briefs and $25 and Under columns this year, with the reviewer's name in parentheses.
AN CHOI The culinary thrill of Vietnamese streetside dining, like great pho and banh mi, combined with the camaraderie of a Lower East Side hangout. (Dave Cook) 85 Orchard Street (Broome Street), Lower East Side, (212) 226-3700.
CALEXICO CARNE ASADA The storefront sibling of the Vendy award-winning street cart makes a carne asada rolled quesadilla with a punch of flavor so intense, it's hard to justify ordering anything else. (Ligaya Mishan) 122 Union Street (Columbia Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 488-8226.
CHARLES' COUNTRY PAN FRIED CHICKEN Charles Gabriel's celebrated buffet, and its superb fried chicken, is back in the game after being sidelined for nearly a year. (Dave Cook) 2839-2841 Frederick Douglass Boulevard (151st Street), (212) 281-1800.
HENRY PUBLIC A pub that honors Brooklyn's illustrious past, with classic cocktails complementing dishes like a delicious turkey leg sandwich. (Betsy Andrews) 329 Henry Street (Atlantic Avenue), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 852-8630.
LAUT Hiding behind a pan-Asian menu is some of the best Malaysian food in Manhattan, like a roasted version of Hainanese chicken. (Julia Moskin) 15 East 17th Street, Flatiron district, (212) 206-8989, lautnyc.com.
M&T RESTAURANT The cuisine of Qingdao is prepared with elegant simplicity. Dishes balance strong flavors, like the fried ginseng and grass noodles. (Oliver Strand) 44-09 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, Queens, (718) 539-4100.
MOMOFUKU MILK BAR At this adjunct to David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar, Christina Tosi prepares standouts like soft-serve ice cream, chocolate-chocolate cookie, candy-bar pie and chocolate cake with yellow-cake icing. (Ligaya Mishan) 207 Second Avenue (13th Street), East Village, (212) 254-3500.
MIMI'S HUMMUS This sunny cafe serves dishes — not just hummus — that bear traces of the chef's family history in Israel, Morocco and the Kurdish region of Iraq. (Ligaya Mishan) 1209 Cortelyou Road (Westminster Road), Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, (718) 284-4444.
NENA LA RUBIA'S STREET STAND The tiny menu has one terrific cheap thrill, a $1 cup of habichuelas con dulce: creamed red beans, coconut milk, spices and the occasional whole bean or chunk of sweet potato. (Dave Cook) 182nd Street near the southeast corner of St. Nicholas Avenue, no telephone.
RECIPE Small and friendly, sophisticated but not scary, it wraps local ingredients and refined cooking in a modern-rustic package. Try the banana tarte Tatin. (Julia Moskin) 452 Amsterdam Avenue (82nd Street), recipenyc.com, (212) 501-7755.
SALTIE A tiny sandwich shop where breads are baked in-house and the dessert case is filled with 10 or more different pastries. Sandwiches are careful compositions of bright and brawny flavors. (Oliver Strand) 378 Metropolitan Avenue (Havemeyer Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 387-4777, saltieny.com.
SARAGHINA This trattoria, with winning dishes like bluefish ragù, is a pretty and unexpected addition to the neighborhood. (Oliver Strand) 435 Halsey Street (Lewis Avenue), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, no phone.
STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS Perfect cappuccino. (Oliver Strand) 20 West 29th Street (Broadway), no phone, stumptowncoffee.com.
TRINI-GUL Lines form early for the heady wraps of stew known as roti, for bake and shark (fry bread packed with seasoned fried shark bits), for jerk chicken and the whole crazy mash-up of Trinidadian cuisine: Indian, Creole, Chinese, African, Lebanese. (Sam Sifton) 543 Nostrand Avenue (Herkimer Street), Crown Heights, Brooklyn, (718) 484-4500.
UMI NOM Artful small plates of Asian comfort food — like sweet sausage, pork-belly adobo and bahay kubo fried rice — are elevated by technique but primal in appeal. (Ligaya Mishan) 433 DeKalb Avenue (Classon Avenue), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, (718) 789-8806, uminom.com.
VINEGAR HILL HOUSE Confident, flavorful food, most of which comes out of a wood-burning oven, like the enormous heritage pork chop, is worth a wait. (Oliver Strand) 72 Hudson Avenue (Front Street), Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 522-1018.
Highlights From the Dining Briefs and $25 and Under Columns - NYTimes.com (30 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dining/30others.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/twx7h
Bright Spots in a Year for Thrift By THE NEW YORK TIMES
SOMETIMES the bill can help make a dining experience enjoyable. Here are some of the best affordable places from the Dining Briefs and $25 and Under columns this year, with the reviewer's name in parentheses.
AN CHOI The culinary thrill of Vietnamese streetside dining, like great pho and banh mi, combined with the camaraderie of a Lower East Side hangout. (Dave Cook) 85 Orchard Street (Broome Street), Lower East Side, (212) 226-3700.
CALEXICO CARNE ASADA The storefront sibling of the Vendy award-winning street cart makes a carne asada rolled quesadilla with a punch of flavor so intense, it's hard to justify ordering anything else. (Ligaya Mishan) 122 Union Street (Columbia Street), Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, (718) 488-8226.
CHARLES' COUNTRY PAN FRIED CHICKEN Charles Gabriel's celebrated buffet, and its superb fried chicken, is back in the game after being sidelined for nearly a year. (Dave Cook) 2839-2841 Frederick Douglass Boulevard (151st Street), (212) 281-1800.
HENRY PUBLIC A pub that honors Brooklyn's illustrious past, with classic cocktails complementing dishes like a delicious turkey leg sandwich. (Betsy Andrews) 329 Henry Street (Atlantic Avenue), Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 852-8630.
LAUT Hiding behind a pan-Asian menu is some of the best Malaysian food in Manhattan, like a roasted version of Hainanese chicken. (Julia Moskin) 15 East 17th Street, Flatiron district, (212) 206-8989, lautnyc.com.
M&T RESTAURANT The cuisine of Qingdao is prepared with elegant simplicity. Dishes balance strong flavors, like the fried ginseng and grass noodles. (Oliver Strand) 44-09 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, Queens, (718) 539-4100.
MOMOFUKU MILK BAR At this adjunct to David Chang's Momofuku Ssam Bar, Christina Tosi prepares standouts like soft-serve ice cream, chocolate-chocolate cookie, candy-bar pie and chocolate cake with yellow-cake icing. (Ligaya Mishan) 207 Second Avenue (13th Street), East Village, (212) 254-3500.
MIMI'S HUMMUS This sunny cafe serves dishes — not just hummus — that bear traces of the chef's family history in Israel, Morocco and the Kurdish region of Iraq. (Ligaya Mishan) 1209 Cortelyou Road (Westminster Road), Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, (718) 284-4444.
NENA LA RUBIA'S STREET STAND The tiny menu has one terrific cheap thrill, a $1 cup of habichuelas con dulce: creamed red beans, coconut milk, spices and the occasional whole bean or chunk of sweet potato. (Dave Cook) 182nd Street near the southeast corner of St. Nicholas Avenue, no telephone.
RECIPE Small and friendly, sophisticated but not scary, it wraps local ingredients and refined cooking in a modern-rustic package. Try the banana tarte Tatin. (Julia Moskin) 452 Amsterdam Avenue (82nd Street), recipenyc.com, (212) 501-7755.
SALTIE A tiny sandwich shop where breads are baked in-house and the dessert case is filled with 10 or more different pastries. Sandwiches are careful compositions of bright and brawny flavors. (Oliver Strand) 378 Metropolitan Avenue (Havemeyer Street), Williamsburg, Brooklyn, (718) 387-4777, saltieny.com.
SARAGHINA This trattoria, with winning dishes like bluefish ragù, is a pretty and unexpected addition to the neighborhood. (Oliver Strand) 435 Halsey Street (Lewis Avenue), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, no phone.
STUMPTOWN COFFEE ROASTERS Perfect cappuccino. (Oliver Strand) 20 West 29th Street (Broadway), no phone, stumptowncoffee.com.
TRINI-GUL Lines form early for the heady wraps of stew known as roti, for bake and shark (fry bread packed with seasoned fried shark bits), for jerk chicken and the whole crazy mash-up of Trinidadian cuisine: Indian, Creole, Chinese, African, Lebanese. (Sam Sifton) 543 Nostrand Avenue (Herkimer Street), Crown Heights, Brooklyn, (718) 484-4500.
UMI NOM Artful small plates of Asian comfort food — like sweet sausage, pork-belly adobo and bahay kubo fried rice — are elevated by technique but primal in appeal. (Ligaya Mishan) 433 DeKalb Avenue (Classon Avenue), Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, (718) 789-8806, uminom.com.
VINEGAR HILL HOUSE Confident, flavorful food, most of which comes out of a wood-burning oven, like the enormous heritage pork chop, is worth a wait. (Oliver Strand) 72 Hudson Avenue (Front Street), Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn, (718) 522-1018.
Highlights From the Dining Briefs and $25 and Under Columns - NYTimes.com (30 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/30/dining/30others.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/twx7h
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Should Old Articles Be Forgot By WILLIAM FALK
December 29, 2009
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Should Old Articles Be Forgot By WILLIAM FALK
OVER the past year, Americans have spent an average of 11.8 hours a day consuming information, sucking up, in aggregate, 3.6 zettabytes of data and 10,845 trillion words. That, said the University of California, San Diego, researcher who computed these figures, is triple the amount of “content” that we consumed in 1980.
Thanks to this gargantuan download from all forms of media, we now know vastly more than we did a year ago about bankers’ bonuses, Sarah Palin, “death panels,” Glenn Beck, where Barack Obama was born, Jon and Kate, and cocktail waitresses who have spent quality time with Tiger Woods.
Hidden among that avalanche of diverting gigabytes were some developments of more enduring significance. Here are just a few:
ROBOTIC WARFARE The use of drones became a central part of the American antiterrorism strategy this year, with President Obama sanctioning about 50 Predator strikes — more than George W. Bush approved in his entire second term. As Jane Mayer of The New Yorker reported earlier this year, most of the targets of these assassinations were in the tribal regions of Pakistan, with as many as 500 people killed. Those killed in the missile attacks include many high-ranking Qaeda and Taliban figures and dozens of women and children who lived with them or happened to be nearby.
The military is so enthusiastic about these remotely piloted planes that it is building new ones as fast as it can (including a more heavily armed version called the Reaper). It also announced that it will deploy drones to scour the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean for drug smugglers. What’s more, the government is now working on “nano” drones the size of a hummingbird, which would be able to pursue targets into homes and buildings.
CAR CRAZY IN CHINA This year, China surpassed the United States as the largest consumer of that iconic American machine — the automobile. China’s emerging middle class has fallen in love with cars, with sales up more than 40 percent over 2008; there are now long waiting lists for the coolest and hottest models, ranging from the Buick LaCrosse to BMWs. Automakers are expected to sell 12.8 million cars and light trucks in China this year — 2.5 million more than in America.
China’s auto boom, of course, has major implications for global efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The nation of 1.3 billion is on pace to double its consumption of gasoline and diesel over the next decade.
REAL WORKING WIVES In more than a third of American households, women are now the chief breadwinners. This reversal of traditional roles was accelerated by a brutal two-year recession, in which 75 percent of all jobs lost were held by men.
Even in homes where both spouses work, one in four wives now earns more than her husband. That’s partly because of rising education levels among women, falling salaries in manufacturing and blue-collar jobs and the growing need for both spouses to bring home a paycheck. Wives’ earnings, said Kristin Smith, a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, have become “critical to keeping families afloat.”
A NEW SOURCE OF STEM CELLS Scientists re-engineered regular skin cells from mice into stem cells that are just as versatile as embryonic stem cells. To demonstrate that these re-engineered adult cells could be used to create any kind of cell in the body, the Chinese research team inserted just a few of them into placental tissue and developed them into healthy mice. “We have gone from science fiction to reality,” said Robert Lanza, a cell biologist.
If further research on the new technique proves successful, it may create a viable means for scientists to use a patient’s own tissue to produce a replacement liver, kidney or other organ — without the ethical concerns attached to the harvesting of stem cells from human embryos. But reprogramming adult cells opens the door to a new ethical problem: a rogue scientist could use the method to create human beings from a few cells scraped from a person’s arm. “All the pieces are there for serious abuse,” Mr. Lanza said.
TEEMING WITH PLANETS Astronomers are closing in on identifying distant worlds that may have the right conditions to support life. Techniques for detecting “exoplanets” are becoming more sophisticated, and over 400 have been discovered so far — 30 in October alone. This year brought two particularly intriguing finds. One is Gliese 581d, orbiting a star at a distance that could indicate surface temperatures not so different from Earth’s. Astronomers also discovered a “waterworld” composed mostly of H2O, which would be a prime candidate for extraterrestrial life if it were just a little farther from its sun.
The discovery of Earth-like planets, with water and moderate temperatures, is now so likely that the Vatican held a conference of astrobiologists this year to discuss the theological repercussions of extraterrestrial life. “If biology is not unique to the Earth, or life elsewhere differs biochemically from our version, or we ever make contact with an intelligent species in the vastness of space, the implications for our self-image will be profound,” said Chris Impey, a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona.
Discovering that we have company in the universe, in fact, might open our eyes to what’s important on Earth.
William Falk is the editor in chief of The Week magazine.
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Should Old Articles Be Forgot By WILLIAM FALK
OVER the past year, Americans have spent an average of 11.8 hours a day consuming information, sucking up, in aggregate, 3.6 zettabytes of data and 10,845 trillion words. That, said the University of California, San Diego, researcher who computed these figures, is triple the amount of “content” that we consumed in 1980.
Thanks to this gargantuan download from all forms of media, we now know vastly more than we did a year ago about bankers’ bonuses, Sarah Palin, “death panels,” Glenn Beck, where Barack Obama was born, Jon and Kate, and cocktail waitresses who have spent quality time with Tiger Woods.
Hidden among that avalanche of diverting gigabytes were some developments of more enduring significance. Here are just a few:
ROBOTIC WARFARE The use of drones became a central part of the American antiterrorism strategy this year, with President Obama sanctioning about 50 Predator strikes — more than George W. Bush approved in his entire second term. As Jane Mayer of The New Yorker reported earlier this year, most of the targets of these assassinations were in the tribal regions of Pakistan, with as many as 500 people killed. Those killed in the missile attacks include many high-ranking Qaeda and Taliban figures and dozens of women and children who lived with them or happened to be nearby.
The military is so enthusiastic about these remotely piloted planes that it is building new ones as fast as it can (including a more heavily armed version called the Reaper). It also announced that it will deploy drones to scour the Gulf of Mexico, the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean for drug smugglers. What’s more, the government is now working on “nano” drones the size of a hummingbird, which would be able to pursue targets into homes and buildings.
CAR CRAZY IN CHINA This year, China surpassed the United States as the largest consumer of that iconic American machine — the automobile. China’s emerging middle class has fallen in love with cars, with sales up more than 40 percent over 2008; there are now long waiting lists for the coolest and hottest models, ranging from the Buick LaCrosse to BMWs. Automakers are expected to sell 12.8 million cars and light trucks in China this year — 2.5 million more than in America.
China’s auto boom, of course, has major implications for global efforts to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The nation of 1.3 billion is on pace to double its consumption of gasoline and diesel over the next decade.
REAL WORKING WIVES In more than a third of American households, women are now the chief breadwinners. This reversal of traditional roles was accelerated by a brutal two-year recession, in which 75 percent of all jobs lost were held by men.
Even in homes where both spouses work, one in four wives now earns more than her husband. That’s partly because of rising education levels among women, falling salaries in manufacturing and blue-collar jobs and the growing need for both spouses to bring home a paycheck. Wives’ earnings, said Kristin Smith, a professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire, have become “critical to keeping families afloat.”
A NEW SOURCE OF STEM CELLS Scientists re-engineered regular skin cells from mice into stem cells that are just as versatile as embryonic stem cells. To demonstrate that these re-engineered adult cells could be used to create any kind of cell in the body, the Chinese research team inserted just a few of them into placental tissue and developed them into healthy mice. “We have gone from science fiction to reality,” said Robert Lanza, a cell biologist.
If further research on the new technique proves successful, it may create a viable means for scientists to use a patient’s own tissue to produce a replacement liver, kidney or other organ — without the ethical concerns attached to the harvesting of stem cells from human embryos. But reprogramming adult cells opens the door to a new ethical problem: a rogue scientist could use the method to create human beings from a few cells scraped from a person’s arm. “All the pieces are there for serious abuse,” Mr. Lanza said.
TEEMING WITH PLANETS Astronomers are closing in on identifying distant worlds that may have the right conditions to support life. Techniques for detecting “exoplanets” are becoming more sophisticated, and over 400 have been discovered so far — 30 in October alone. This year brought two particularly intriguing finds. One is Gliese 581d, orbiting a star at a distance that could indicate surface temperatures not so different from Earth’s. Astronomers also discovered a “waterworld” composed mostly of H2O, which would be a prime candidate for extraterrestrial life if it were just a little farther from its sun.
The discovery of Earth-like planets, with water and moderate temperatures, is now so likely that the Vatican held a conference of astrobiologists this year to discuss the theological repercussions of extraterrestrial life. “If biology is not unique to the Earth, or life elsewhere differs biochemically from our version, or we ever make contact with an intelligent species in the vastness of space, the implications for our self-image will be profound,” said Chris Impey, a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona.
Discovering that we have company in the universe, in fact, might open our eyes to what’s important on Earth.
William Falk is the editor in chief of The Week magazine.
The Sidney Awards II By DAVID BROOKS
ecember 29, 2009
OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Sidney Awards II By DAVID BROOKS
On Friday, I gave out the first batch of Sidney Awards for the best magazine essays of the year. Frankly, it was disappointing to see how quickly some winners were corrupted by fame. Several have already abandoned their families, accepted spots on reality shows and begun hanging out with Lil Wayne. I’m hoping today’s winners will do a better job of keepin’ it real.
Steven Brill’s essay, “The Rubber Room,” in The New Yorker generated a lot of discussion. It’s about the room where New York City schoolteachers who have been dismissed for incompetence sit for years on end and continue to collect their six-figure salaries for doing nothing. The word Dickensian doesn’t fully describe the madness of a system that cannot get rid of bad teachers.
Brill takes readers inside the room, and describes the arbitration hearings for teachers who want to be reinstated. One hearing, with clear-cut evidence against the teacher, stretches on 50 per cent longer than the O.J. trial.
Few essays are as ruthlessly honest as Bethany Vaccaro’s piece, “Shock Waves,” in The American Scholar. Vaccaro’s brother Robert suffered a brain injury, caused by an I.E.D. explosion in Iraq in January 2007.
Vaccaro describes her first glimpse of him weeks after the explosion at Bethesda Naval Hospital. “Robert was swollen and bloated; his skin was puffy and enamel white. He looked worse than dead and somehow a bit reptilian.” But the real subject of the essay is the injury’s effect on her family. “Now it defines our daily existence. The ongoing process of rehabilitation since his injury has tenaciously enmeshed each one of us, altering our plans, our family structure and interactions, our ideas about life and sacrifice, and most resolutely our belief that if he would only make it back home, everything would be O.K.”
Robert’s injury, she writes, has “allowed him to come so close to being normal, and yet miss it altogether ... He will frequently prattle away with wide-eyed seriousness and then collapse into silly laughter that is sweet and uninhibited but also sad coming from a 25-year-old man.”
After the Israeli incursion into Gaza, the U.N. produced the Goldstone Report, a tendentious and simple-minded account of Israeli tactics. But the report at least produced a sophisticated response, “The Goldstone Illusion,” by Moshe Halbertal in The New Republic.
Here’s a typical problem: Hamas fires rockets from apartment buildings. Israel calls the residents of the buildings to warn them a counterattack is coming. Hamas then escorts the residents to the roof, knowing Israeli drones will not fire on crowded roofs. Israel then deploys a “roof-knocking missile,” a weapon designed to scare people off roofs in preparation for an attack. Halbertal wrestles with the moral boundaries that should guide this kind of warfare.
On the big think front, Josef Joffe has a bracing essay, “The Default Power,” in Foreign Affairs, puncturing the claims that America is in decline. William M. Chace wrote “The Decline of the English Department” in The American Scholar on why fewer and fewer college students major in the humanities.
Jim Manzi’s essay, “Keeping America’s Edge,” in National Affairs, explores two giant problems. First, widening inequality; second, economic stagnation, the fear that without rapid innovation, the U.S. will fall behind China and other rising powers.
Manzi investigates a dilemma. Most efforts to expand the welfare state to tackle inequality will slow innovation. Efforts to free up enterprise, meanwhile, will only exacerbate inequality because the already educated will benefit most from information economy growth.
In her Policy Review essay, “Is Food the New Sex?,” Mary Eberstadt notes that people in modern societies are freer to consume more food and sex than their ancestors. But this has produced a paradox. For most of human history, food was a matter of taste while sex was governed by universal moral laws. Now the situation is nearly reversed. Food has become enmeshed in moralism while the privacy of the bedroom is sacred. Eberstadt asks why, and provides a philosophical answer.
It’s become fashionable to bash Malcolm Gladwell for being too interesting and not theoretical enough. This is absurd. Gladwell’s pieces in The New Yorker are always worth reading, so I’ll just pick out one, “Offensive Play,” on the lingering effects of football violence, for a Sidney award — in part to celebrate his work and in part as protest against the envious herd.
There are, of course, many other essays that, in a less arbitrary world, would get Sidneys. Fortunately there are a few Web sites that provide daily links to the best that is thought and said. Arts and Letters Daily is the center of high-toned linkage on the Web. The Browser is a trans-Atlantic site with a superb eye for the interesting and the profound. Book Forum has a more academic feel, but it is also worth a daily read.
OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Sidney Awards II By DAVID BROOKS
On Friday, I gave out the first batch of Sidney Awards for the best magazine essays of the year. Frankly, it was disappointing to see how quickly some winners were corrupted by fame. Several have already abandoned their families, accepted spots on reality shows and begun hanging out with Lil Wayne. I’m hoping today’s winners will do a better job of keepin’ it real.
Steven Brill’s essay, “The Rubber Room,” in The New Yorker generated a lot of discussion. It’s about the room where New York City schoolteachers who have been dismissed for incompetence sit for years on end and continue to collect their six-figure salaries for doing nothing. The word Dickensian doesn’t fully describe the madness of a system that cannot get rid of bad teachers.
Brill takes readers inside the room, and describes the arbitration hearings for teachers who want to be reinstated. One hearing, with clear-cut evidence against the teacher, stretches on 50 per cent longer than the O.J. trial.
Few essays are as ruthlessly honest as Bethany Vaccaro’s piece, “Shock Waves,” in The American Scholar. Vaccaro’s brother Robert suffered a brain injury, caused by an I.E.D. explosion in Iraq in January 2007.
Vaccaro describes her first glimpse of him weeks after the explosion at Bethesda Naval Hospital. “Robert was swollen and bloated; his skin was puffy and enamel white. He looked worse than dead and somehow a bit reptilian.” But the real subject of the essay is the injury’s effect on her family. “Now it defines our daily existence. The ongoing process of rehabilitation since his injury has tenaciously enmeshed each one of us, altering our plans, our family structure and interactions, our ideas about life and sacrifice, and most resolutely our belief that if he would only make it back home, everything would be O.K.”
Robert’s injury, she writes, has “allowed him to come so close to being normal, and yet miss it altogether ... He will frequently prattle away with wide-eyed seriousness and then collapse into silly laughter that is sweet and uninhibited but also sad coming from a 25-year-old man.”
After the Israeli incursion into Gaza, the U.N. produced the Goldstone Report, a tendentious and simple-minded account of Israeli tactics. But the report at least produced a sophisticated response, “The Goldstone Illusion,” by Moshe Halbertal in The New Republic.
Here’s a typical problem: Hamas fires rockets from apartment buildings. Israel calls the residents of the buildings to warn them a counterattack is coming. Hamas then escorts the residents to the roof, knowing Israeli drones will not fire on crowded roofs. Israel then deploys a “roof-knocking missile,” a weapon designed to scare people off roofs in preparation for an attack. Halbertal wrestles with the moral boundaries that should guide this kind of warfare.
On the big think front, Josef Joffe has a bracing essay, “The Default Power,” in Foreign Affairs, puncturing the claims that America is in decline. William M. Chace wrote “The Decline of the English Department” in The American Scholar on why fewer and fewer college students major in the humanities.
Jim Manzi’s essay, “Keeping America’s Edge,” in National Affairs, explores two giant problems. First, widening inequality; second, economic stagnation, the fear that without rapid innovation, the U.S. will fall behind China and other rising powers.
Manzi investigates a dilemma. Most efforts to expand the welfare state to tackle inequality will slow innovation. Efforts to free up enterprise, meanwhile, will only exacerbate inequality because the already educated will benefit most from information economy growth.
In her Policy Review essay, “Is Food the New Sex?,” Mary Eberstadt notes that people in modern societies are freer to consume more food and sex than their ancestors. But this has produced a paradox. For most of human history, food was a matter of taste while sex was governed by universal moral laws. Now the situation is nearly reversed. Food has become enmeshed in moralism while the privacy of the bedroom is sacred. Eberstadt asks why, and provides a philosophical answer.
It’s become fashionable to bash Malcolm Gladwell for being too interesting and not theoretical enough. This is absurd. Gladwell’s pieces in The New Yorker are always worth reading, so I’ll just pick out one, “Offensive Play,” on the lingering effects of football violence, for a Sidney award — in part to celebrate his work and in part as protest against the envious herd.
There are, of course, many other essays that, in a less arbitrary world, would get Sidneys. Fortunately there are a few Web sites that provide daily links to the best that is thought and said. Arts and Letters Daily is the center of high-toned linkage on the Web. The Browser is a trans-Atlantic site with a superb eye for the interesting and the profound. Book Forum has a more academic feel, but it is also worth a daily read.
2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards
Find this article at:
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_3.aspx
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_3.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi2r
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards
The D Home editors found the prettiest particulars in restaurants all around town. Forget the food. This is all about the most delightful dining details.
By by the D Home editors
D Home NOV-DEC 2009
Best International Experience
(above) Dining at Tei An is like taking a trip to Japan—without the outrageous airfare and jet lag. Hatsumi Kuzuu of Kuzuu Design succeeded in bringing the best of Tokyo to One Arts Plaza. The atmosphere is decidedly chic yet natural—a sake cup installation mixes with the beautiful stonework arranged in the middle of the restaurant. The utilitarian—and somewhat sobering—uniforms come straight from the Japanese soba bars.
Best Lighting
(above) Dean Fearing knows women. Even better, he knows Dallas women. That's why it's no surprise that his namesake restaurant Fearing's boasts seven separate dining areas—each with its own distinct lighting scheme. Whether you're recovering from a little nip/tuck or feeling like a million bucks after a day at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas spa, there's a table for you in the Johnson Studio-designed space that is sure to show you in your best light.
Best Acoustics
(above) Whether you're having the "It's not you, it's me" talk or proposing marriage, you won't risk being misheard at Salum. Not that it was planned that way. "We had no idea what it would sound like in there," owner and chef Abraham Salum says. So much for best-laid plans. In the end, though, designer Julio Quiñones created a sleek, sophisticated space that's ideal for those with a need to be heard.
Best Place to Have an Affair
(above left) Designed by local firm Plan B Group, The Stoneleigh Hotel's restaurant Bolla showcases rich colors and textures with a modern and glamorous appeal. The flattering lighting, chic chandeliers, and privacy panels make it the perfect place to sample forbidden fruit. The hotel rooms upstairs don't hurt either.
Best Tapestry
(above right) We've always coveted the tapestry on the east wall of Hattie's in Oak Cliff. No more coveting: turns out it is a digital photo printed on a
micro-fiber canvas, and anyone can use the technique to replicate the image of their choice. "The Legend of the Blue Willow" plate was created by Meisel in Dallas.
Best Wine Room
(above left) One could argue that any seat where you're sipping wine is the best seat in the house. We beg to differ. Experience the glass room in the middle of The Fish, designed by co-owner Michael Collins and built by Kevin Dinh. It holds 2,400 bottles of wine and seats 14 very comfortably. What was the inspiration? Collins wanted an exclusive private area—with separate climate and volume controls—ideal for birthday parties, bachelorette fetes, or even an executive lunch meeting.
Best Wall Coverings
(above right) Any Golden Girls fan worth his weight knows that the botanical wallpaper at Park is the very same used in Ms. Blanche Devereaux's boudoir. The Martinique "A" print by Beverly Hills Wallpaper is just part of the fun of the colorful Breck Woolsey-designed space, which is also filled with photographs by Allison V. Smith.
Best Presentation
(above left) We have a love/hate relationship with the desserts at Tillman's Roadhouse. We love the desserts, and we hate ourselves for not being able to resist them. Maybe that's why we love the "cookie paddle" so much. The R.W. Smith & Company-designed piece is perfect for meting out the appropriate punishment after we once again inhale one cookie too many.
Best Table
(above right) Admit it: the restaurant table often gets short shrift. You're so busy looking into your special someone's eyes—or into the bottom of your glass, depending on the day—to note the fine details of the dining surface. Not so at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. The tables chosen by design firm BAMO are a marriage that crosses state lines: bases are by Alabama merchant Table Topics, and the Macasssar veneer is from Dallas' Wood Gallery.
Best Silverware
(above at bottom) Dining at Hôtel St. Germain is a lesson in elegance. Just as the men don ties and jackets, the tables are dressed in their finest. The linen tablecloths, antique Limoges china, and crystal wine glasses set the scene perfectly, but what really pulls it all together is the antique silverware. The establishment's vast collection, which was two decades in the making, includes nearly a thousand pieces in more than 30 patterns. The flatware is so beautiful, you just might be inspired to start a collection of your own.
Best Concept
(above) There's just something about Charlie Palmer at The Joule that gets us excited. It's probably because the place is full of energy—literally. Designer Adam Tihany nestled six slowly rotating wind turbines in the ceiling as an homage to Texas wind energy, and artist Bram Tihany (Adam's son) created six wind-themed photo art pieces for the restaurant, with fantastical subjects such as The Wizard of Oz. You'll be blown away, we promise.
Best Checkout
(above left) Our friends at Shinsei encourage you to focus on a different time—the days of your youth—instead of that pesky bill. So they deliver the bad news in the pages of a children's book such as Goodnight Moon. The best part: it works. Plus, you can borrow this idea. Use your favorite literary works for place settings or name cards at your next dinner party.
Best Comic Relief
(above right) There's plenty of delicious pork on the menu at Smoke, but the pigs that really put a smile on our face are the ones on these quirky dishes the restaurant uses as bread plates. Part of the Les Cochons line by Jill Butler, the appetizer plates can be purchased as a set of four. Combine them with her matching glasses and "tidbit dishes," and you'll be in hog heaven.
Best Overall
(above) In our debates to the death regarding each category, one restaurant kept showing up: Rise No. 1. Why? Everything about this charming, authentic French restaurant is meant to contribute to a five-sensory experience. Even the bathroom is darling. Owner Hedda Dowd designed the space, and, luckily, she's willing to share. Everything in the restaurant is for sale: the silver, linens, even the chair you're sitting on. And feel free to borrow one of the books in the library, as long as you replace it with one of your own.
Best Booth
(above) Our crush on Craft owner Tom Colicchio has nothing to do with this proclamation. The intimate booths here, part of the design scheme by New York-based Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners, win on their own merits. That said, we wouldn't be opposed to canoodling with the Top Chef judge in a corner booth after inhaling some of Craft's signature chocolate chip cookies.
Best Napkin
(above left) Snagging a table at Neighborhood Services is no easy feat. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, so your wait may include making a friend—or enemy or two—at the bar. Once you finally get seated, signal your good fortune (or raise your white flag, if necessary) with this adorable linen napkin from Admiral Linen and Uniform Service. The buttonhole even ensures that your new Tommy Bahama shirt will remain unsoiled.
Best Plates
(above right) Masterpieces by Nana's Anthony Bombaci are obviously a treat on regular china. But plan a private party of 20 or so, and you can experience a Bombaci creation served on Versace—Medusa or Russian Dream patterns. It's out of this world. Purchase your own set at Neiman Marcus, Bombaci fare not included.
Best Outdoor Furniture
(above left) Until recently, we never liked to think about eating in conjunction with trying on clothes. The veranda at Cibus at NorthPark Center changed all that. Eating al fresco at the mall feels downright cosmopolitan when you're lounging in a "Thayla" chair by Kartell, in all of its "almost feminine form" glory. Purchase
your own Kartell collection at
Scott + Cooner.
Best Place to Rest your Bum
(above right) At most restaurants, you don't spend much time admiring the spot where you put your tush. Not so at Screen Door. George Cameron Nash designed the "One Arts" chair for the restaurant, and the style has become a top seller. With their generous seating proportions, the chairs provide the ideal place to settle in for a leisurely brunch, lunch, dinner, or afternoon tea. Both pretty and comfy, these seats are just as stylish and genteel as you'd expect in a "modern Southern kitchen."
Best Bar
(above left) Is there a more sophisticated place to drink than Highland Park Village's Cafe Pacific? From the black and white tiled floor to the tiny tables and the marble-topped bar, every detail is perfection. The people-watching at this haunt, open for some 29 years, is surpassed only by the dizzying array of liquors stocked behind the bar. According to a source who knows: "It's the best-stocked bar in Dallas. They have liquors other bartenders have never even heard of."
Best Fountain
(above center) Close your eyes and listen to the soothing sounds of the fountain on the patio at Dakota's and you're sure to find some peace. Close your next deal, and you might even be able to afford a fabulous fountain of your own. In the meantime, close out the bar while enjoying this Akard Street fixture, designed by the late Keith Simmons of HKS Inc. in the early 1990s.
Best Art Collection
(above right) Server Tamara White and pastry chef Rick Griggs lead double lives at Abacus. Sure, White is happy to talk specials and Griggs makes a mean dessert, but both are also accomplished artists. Check out their artwork hanging around the restaurant and purchase pieces of your own at Nest.
Best-Looking Waitstaff
(above) The employees at the Park Cities Houston's could have come directly from central casting. Clad in black uniforms, dewy-eyed, and polite, these waiters and waitresses have faces fit for head shots and portfolios. Even better: the fine fleet combines good looks with great service. Trust us, you drink your water (or wine) a little faster here just for the punctual refill.
Best Entrance
(above left) When Liz and Jim Baron opened the Blue Mesa Grill on Northwest Highway, they faced a couple of challenges: how to create a dramatic entryway in a strip mall and how to avoid the second-floor "kiss of death." Architect Rick Carrell saved the day with this gorgeous oversize door that creates a canyon effect in the restaurant's entry. Once inside, you completely forget that you passed a Container Store on your way in.
Best Private Dining Room
(above right) Todd Fiscus and Rob Dailey created something out of a fairy tale in the back room at Tillman's Roadhouse. The dreamy, tree- and feather-filled private parlor can seat up to 24, and it's ideal for an elegant lunch, dinner, or cocktail reception. Choose from three set menus. Looking to bring some of this whimsy to your own backhouse? Hire party planner extraordinaire Fiscus for your next big bash.
Best Side Service
(above) At Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen, the side dishes are a main attraction—and not only because of the food. The serving dishes aren't bad either. While you're munching on veggies, grits, and other sides, the lovely pots from Le Creuset add a splash of color to your table decor. Lucky for you, the cookware company just opened a new signature space in Allen (see p. 24), so getting this look at home just became a whole lot easier.
Best Lip Service
(above) Wet your whistle with these gorgeous glasses: (from top left) Impulse! Enterprises Galaxy water glass at Villa-O; silver mint julep glass from Screen Door; hand-blown polka dot water glass at Stephan Pyles; La Duni water glass; Riedel beer stein at Neighborhood Services; and Schott Zwiesel Pure fine champagne glass at Charlie Palmer.
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_3.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi2r
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_2.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi4b
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi3p
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_3.aspx
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_3.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi2r
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards
The D Home editors found the prettiest particulars in restaurants all around town. Forget the food. This is all about the most delightful dining details.
By by the D Home editors
D Home NOV-DEC 2009
Best International Experience
(above) Dining at Tei An is like taking a trip to Japan—without the outrageous airfare and jet lag. Hatsumi Kuzuu of Kuzuu Design succeeded in bringing the best of Tokyo to One Arts Plaza. The atmosphere is decidedly chic yet natural—a sake cup installation mixes with the beautiful stonework arranged in the middle of the restaurant. The utilitarian—and somewhat sobering—uniforms come straight from the Japanese soba bars.
Best Lighting
(above) Dean Fearing knows women. Even better, he knows Dallas women. That's why it's no surprise that his namesake restaurant Fearing's boasts seven separate dining areas—each with its own distinct lighting scheme. Whether you're recovering from a little nip/tuck or feeling like a million bucks after a day at the Ritz-Carlton, Dallas spa, there's a table for you in the Johnson Studio-designed space that is sure to show you in your best light.
Best Acoustics
(above) Whether you're having the "It's not you, it's me" talk or proposing marriage, you won't risk being misheard at Salum. Not that it was planned that way. "We had no idea what it would sound like in there," owner and chef Abraham Salum says. So much for best-laid plans. In the end, though, designer Julio Quiñones created a sleek, sophisticated space that's ideal for those with a need to be heard.
Best Place to Have an Affair
(above left) Designed by local firm Plan B Group, The Stoneleigh Hotel's restaurant Bolla showcases rich colors and textures with a modern and glamorous appeal. The flattering lighting, chic chandeliers, and privacy panels make it the perfect place to sample forbidden fruit. The hotel rooms upstairs don't hurt either.
Best Tapestry
(above right) We've always coveted the tapestry on the east wall of Hattie's in Oak Cliff. No more coveting: turns out it is a digital photo printed on a
micro-fiber canvas, and anyone can use the technique to replicate the image of their choice. "The Legend of the Blue Willow" plate was created by Meisel in Dallas.
Best Wine Room
(above left) One could argue that any seat where you're sipping wine is the best seat in the house. We beg to differ. Experience the glass room in the middle of The Fish, designed by co-owner Michael Collins and built by Kevin Dinh. It holds 2,400 bottles of wine and seats 14 very comfortably. What was the inspiration? Collins wanted an exclusive private area—with separate climate and volume controls—ideal for birthday parties, bachelorette fetes, or even an executive lunch meeting.
Best Wall Coverings
(above right) Any Golden Girls fan worth his weight knows that the botanical wallpaper at Park is the very same used in Ms. Blanche Devereaux's boudoir. The Martinique "A" print by Beverly Hills Wallpaper is just part of the fun of the colorful Breck Woolsey-designed space, which is also filled with photographs by Allison V. Smith.
Best Presentation
(above left) We have a love/hate relationship with the desserts at Tillman's Roadhouse. We love the desserts, and we hate ourselves for not being able to resist them. Maybe that's why we love the "cookie paddle" so much. The R.W. Smith & Company-designed piece is perfect for meting out the appropriate punishment after we once again inhale one cookie too many.
Best Table
(above right) Admit it: the restaurant table often gets short shrift. You're so busy looking into your special someone's eyes—or into the bottom of your glass, depending on the day—to note the fine details of the dining surface. Not so at the Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. The tables chosen by design firm BAMO are a marriage that crosses state lines: bases are by Alabama merchant Table Topics, and the Macasssar veneer is from Dallas' Wood Gallery.
Best Silverware
(above at bottom) Dining at Hôtel St. Germain is a lesson in elegance. Just as the men don ties and jackets, the tables are dressed in their finest. The linen tablecloths, antique Limoges china, and crystal wine glasses set the scene perfectly, but what really pulls it all together is the antique silverware. The establishment's vast collection, which was two decades in the making, includes nearly a thousand pieces in more than 30 patterns. The flatware is so beautiful, you just might be inspired to start a collection of your own.
Best Concept
(above) There's just something about Charlie Palmer at The Joule that gets us excited. It's probably because the place is full of energy—literally. Designer Adam Tihany nestled six slowly rotating wind turbines in the ceiling as an homage to Texas wind energy, and artist Bram Tihany (Adam's son) created six wind-themed photo art pieces for the restaurant, with fantastical subjects such as The Wizard of Oz. You'll be blown away, we promise.
Best Checkout
(above left) Our friends at Shinsei encourage you to focus on a different time—the days of your youth—instead of that pesky bill. So they deliver the bad news in the pages of a children's book such as Goodnight Moon. The best part: it works. Plus, you can borrow this idea. Use your favorite literary works for place settings or name cards at your next dinner party.
Best Comic Relief
(above right) There's plenty of delicious pork on the menu at Smoke, but the pigs that really put a smile on our face are the ones on these quirky dishes the restaurant uses as bread plates. Part of the Les Cochons line by Jill Butler, the appetizer plates can be purchased as a set of four. Combine them with her matching glasses and "tidbit dishes," and you'll be in hog heaven.
Best Overall
(above) In our debates to the death regarding each category, one restaurant kept showing up: Rise No. 1. Why? Everything about this charming, authentic French restaurant is meant to contribute to a five-sensory experience. Even the bathroom is darling. Owner Hedda Dowd designed the space, and, luckily, she's willing to share. Everything in the restaurant is for sale: the silver, linens, even the chair you're sitting on. And feel free to borrow one of the books in the library, as long as you replace it with one of your own.
Best Booth
(above) Our crush on Craft owner Tom Colicchio has nothing to do with this proclamation. The intimate booths here, part of the design scheme by New York-based Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners, win on their own merits. That said, we wouldn't be opposed to canoodling with the Top Chef judge in a corner booth after inhaling some of Craft's signature chocolate chip cookies.
Best Napkin
(above left) Snagging a table at Neighborhood Services is no easy feat. The restaurant doesn't take reservations, so your wait may include making a friend—or enemy or two—at the bar. Once you finally get seated, signal your good fortune (or raise your white flag, if necessary) with this adorable linen napkin from Admiral Linen and Uniform Service. The buttonhole even ensures that your new Tommy Bahama shirt will remain unsoiled.
Best Plates
(above right) Masterpieces by Nana's Anthony Bombaci are obviously a treat on regular china. But plan a private party of 20 or so, and you can experience a Bombaci creation served on Versace—Medusa or Russian Dream patterns. It's out of this world. Purchase your own set at Neiman Marcus, Bombaci fare not included.
Best Outdoor Furniture
(above left) Until recently, we never liked to think about eating in conjunction with trying on clothes. The veranda at Cibus at NorthPark Center changed all that. Eating al fresco at the mall feels downright cosmopolitan when you're lounging in a "Thayla" chair by Kartell, in all of its "almost feminine form" glory. Purchase
your own Kartell collection at
Scott + Cooner.
Best Place to Rest your Bum
(above right) At most restaurants, you don't spend much time admiring the spot where you put your tush. Not so at Screen Door. George Cameron Nash designed the "One Arts" chair for the restaurant, and the style has become a top seller. With their generous seating proportions, the chairs provide the ideal place to settle in for a leisurely brunch, lunch, dinner, or afternoon tea. Both pretty and comfy, these seats are just as stylish and genteel as you'd expect in a "modern Southern kitchen."
Best Bar
(above left) Is there a more sophisticated place to drink than Highland Park Village's Cafe Pacific? From the black and white tiled floor to the tiny tables and the marble-topped bar, every detail is perfection. The people-watching at this haunt, open for some 29 years, is surpassed only by the dizzying array of liquors stocked behind the bar. According to a source who knows: "It's the best-stocked bar in Dallas. They have liquors other bartenders have never even heard of."
Best Fountain
(above center) Close your eyes and listen to the soothing sounds of the fountain on the patio at Dakota's and you're sure to find some peace. Close your next deal, and you might even be able to afford a fabulous fountain of your own. In the meantime, close out the bar while enjoying this Akard Street fixture, designed by the late Keith Simmons of HKS Inc. in the early 1990s.
Best Art Collection
(above right) Server Tamara White and pastry chef Rick Griggs lead double lives at Abacus. Sure, White is happy to talk specials and Griggs makes a mean dessert, but both are also accomplished artists. Check out their artwork hanging around the restaurant and purchase pieces of your own at Nest.
Best-Looking Waitstaff
(above) The employees at the Park Cities Houston's could have come directly from central casting. Clad in black uniforms, dewy-eyed, and polite, these waiters and waitresses have faces fit for head shots and portfolios. Even better: the fine fleet combines good looks with great service. Trust us, you drink your water (or wine) a little faster here just for the punctual refill.
Best Entrance
(above left) When Liz and Jim Baron opened the Blue Mesa Grill on Northwest Highway, they faced a couple of challenges: how to create a dramatic entryway in a strip mall and how to avoid the second-floor "kiss of death." Architect Rick Carrell saved the day with this gorgeous oversize door that creates a canyon effect in the restaurant's entry. Once inside, you completely forget that you passed a Container Store on your way in.
Best Private Dining Room
(above right) Todd Fiscus and Rob Dailey created something out of a fairy tale in the back room at Tillman's Roadhouse. The dreamy, tree- and feather-filled private parlor can seat up to 24, and it's ideal for an elegant lunch, dinner, or cocktail reception. Choose from three set menus. Looking to bring some of this whimsy to your own backhouse? Hire party planner extraordinaire Fiscus for your next big bash.
Best Side Service
(above) At Rathbun's Blue Plate Kitchen, the side dishes are a main attraction—and not only because of the food. The serving dishes aren't bad either. While you're munching on veggies, grits, and other sides, the lovely pots from Le Creuset add a splash of color to your table decor. Lucky for you, the cookware company just opened a new signature space in Allen (see p. 24), so getting this look at home just became a whole lot easier.
Best Lip Service
(above) Wet your whistle with these gorgeous glasses: (from top left) Impulse! Enterprises Galaxy water glass at Villa-O; silver mint julep glass from Screen Door; hand-blown polka dot water glass at Stephan Pyles; La Duni water glass; Riedel beer stein at Neighborhood Services; and Schott Zwiesel Pure fine champagne glass at Charlie Palmer.
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_3.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi2r
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards_2.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi4b
The 2009 Dallas Restaurant Design Awards (29 December 2009)
http://www.dmagazine.com/Home/D_Home/2009/November_December/The_2009_Dallas_Restaurant_Design_Awards.aspx?p=1
http://snipurl.com/twi3p
Ten chefs to watch Leslie Brenner
Ten chefs to watch Leslie Brenner
Heading into the new decade, there are a number of chefs in and around Big D who seem to be bursting with fresh ideas. Here are ten I'll be keeping my eye on:
1. Christopher Short. I loved what he did at Bella, the beautiful-people spot near the Quandrangle, which he recently left. He'll be heading up the kitchen at Artin's Grill, with a planned opening later this month. Kim Pierce recently quoted him as saying it will be "an upscale, casual American grill with a huge, hickory-burning grill." His cooking is appealing and unpretentious, with solid technique and a focus on flavor; he does pastry as well as savory. Can't wait to see where he's going.
2. Jeff Harris. The East Texas-born UT graduate landed his first job four days out of culinary school, at Craft in New York, and Tom Colicchio made him top toque at Craft Dallas earlier this year. Harris has a terrific feel for produce and fish (I loved his halibut with butter beans, crave his artichoke risotto with roasted garlic). He's quite the talent, bound to make a lot of noise in this town sooner or later.
3. David Uygur. Big D's foodie community was pretty heartbroken when Lola, where Uygur was chef, closed in the fall. But Uygur has promised to return, with plans to open a small Italian restaurant, where he'll feature house-made pastas and house-cured salumi. (His cured meats at Lola were outstanding.) It'll be fascinating to see his what he does as he lights out on his own.
4. Molly McCook. The Louisiana-born, California-trained chef made a terrific debut at Ellerbe Fine Foods, which owns with her childhood friend, Richard King. Anyone who can deliver such compelling cooking right out of the gate is worth watching.
5. Randall Copeland and Nathan Tate. At Ava in Rockwall, they cook as a team, so they share an entry. My experiences at Ava were uneven, but these young chefs have some good ideas -- I still remember their wonderful wood-roasted pork chop with Canton peaches. Like McCook, they revere great produce and they're devoted to working with farmers, which benefits everyone, so as they gain experience, it'll be interesting to see how they progress.
6. Tre Wilcox. It was a relatively quiet year for the one-time "Top Chef" star, who has been practicing his craft at Loft 610 in Plano. But he's got more than that cooking -- he and Loft 610 owner Brian Twomey plan to open a more chef-driven restaurant later this year in Highland Park. Though Wilcox told me he draws a percentage at Loft 610, this, he says will be his first experience as a real chef-owner. I doubt I'm the only one who will be excited to see what he does.
7. Sara C. Johannes. Wolfgang Puck is notoriously good to work for (so my L.A. sources have long told me); therefore I'd be very surprised if this talented chef leaves the fold anytime in the foreseeable future. But clearly she's got the chops. Will her skill and ideas continue to develop at Five Sixty? If so, she could gain the kind of amazing but somewhat-under-the-radar status that Lee Hefter, the brilliant execu-chef who heads Spago Beverly Hills, enjoys. The kind of chef where you absolutely must stop by and see (and taste) what's happening on her plates.
8. Kelly Hightower. The former Hattie's chef, who has been charming diners at Kavala in Oak Cliff, reportedly plans to turn the Mediterranean Grill into a tapas bar. If the rumors are true, he also plans to be involved in a music venue with an international soul fusion menu. I still have not dined at Kavala (I'd better hurry, I guess!), but anyone who gets that much rumor-buzz merits keeping an eye on.
9. Tim Byers. True, the former Stephan Pyles chef has made a lot of noise lately at Smoke, the Oak Cliff restaurant he co-owns with Christopher Jeffers and Chris Zielke. But the kid's a creative whiz, and no doubt he'll continue to impress and surprise -- starting with the "guerrilla restaurant" the trio plans to open in mid-January.
10. Bruno Davaillon. Sure, we're watching the new chef at The Mansion. Isn't everyone?
OK, whom are you watching?
EATS | dallasnews.com (29 December 2009)
http://eatsblog.dallasnews.com/
http://snipurl.com/twhwm
Heading into the new decade, there are a number of chefs in and around Big D who seem to be bursting with fresh ideas. Here are ten I'll be keeping my eye on:
1. Christopher Short. I loved what he did at Bella, the beautiful-people spot near the Quandrangle, which he recently left. He'll be heading up the kitchen at Artin's Grill, with a planned opening later this month. Kim Pierce recently quoted him as saying it will be "an upscale, casual American grill with a huge, hickory-burning grill." His cooking is appealing and unpretentious, with solid technique and a focus on flavor; he does pastry as well as savory. Can't wait to see where he's going.
2. Jeff Harris. The East Texas-born UT graduate landed his first job four days out of culinary school, at Craft in New York, and Tom Colicchio made him top toque at Craft Dallas earlier this year. Harris has a terrific feel for produce and fish (I loved his halibut with butter beans, crave his artichoke risotto with roasted garlic). He's quite the talent, bound to make a lot of noise in this town sooner or later.
3. David Uygur. Big D's foodie community was pretty heartbroken when Lola, where Uygur was chef, closed in the fall. But Uygur has promised to return, with plans to open a small Italian restaurant, where he'll feature house-made pastas and house-cured salumi. (His cured meats at Lola were outstanding.) It'll be fascinating to see his what he does as he lights out on his own.
4. Molly McCook. The Louisiana-born, California-trained chef made a terrific debut at Ellerbe Fine Foods, which owns with her childhood friend, Richard King. Anyone who can deliver such compelling cooking right out of the gate is worth watching.
5. Randall Copeland and Nathan Tate. At Ava in Rockwall, they cook as a team, so they share an entry. My experiences at Ava were uneven, but these young chefs have some good ideas -- I still remember their wonderful wood-roasted pork chop with Canton peaches. Like McCook, they revere great produce and they're devoted to working with farmers, which benefits everyone, so as they gain experience, it'll be interesting to see how they progress.
6. Tre Wilcox. It was a relatively quiet year for the one-time "Top Chef" star, who has been practicing his craft at Loft 610 in Plano. But he's got more than that cooking -- he and Loft 610 owner Brian Twomey plan to open a more chef-driven restaurant later this year in Highland Park. Though Wilcox told me he draws a percentage at Loft 610, this, he says will be his first experience as a real chef-owner. I doubt I'm the only one who will be excited to see what he does.
7. Sara C. Johannes. Wolfgang Puck is notoriously good to work for (so my L.A. sources have long told me); therefore I'd be very surprised if this talented chef leaves the fold anytime in the foreseeable future. But clearly she's got the chops. Will her skill and ideas continue to develop at Five Sixty? If so, she could gain the kind of amazing but somewhat-under-the-radar status that Lee Hefter, the brilliant execu-chef who heads Spago Beverly Hills, enjoys. The kind of chef where you absolutely must stop by and see (and taste) what's happening on her plates.
8. Kelly Hightower. The former Hattie's chef, who has been charming diners at Kavala in Oak Cliff, reportedly plans to turn the Mediterranean Grill into a tapas bar. If the rumors are true, he also plans to be involved in a music venue with an international soul fusion menu. I still have not dined at Kavala (I'd better hurry, I guess!), but anyone who gets that much rumor-buzz merits keeping an eye on.
9. Tim Byers. True, the former Stephan Pyles chef has made a lot of noise lately at Smoke, the Oak Cliff restaurant he co-owns with Christopher Jeffers and Chris Zielke. But the kid's a creative whiz, and no doubt he'll continue to impress and surprise -- starting with the "guerrilla restaurant" the trio plans to open in mid-January.
10. Bruno Davaillon. Sure, we're watching the new chef at The Mansion. Isn't everyone?
OK, whom are you watching?
EATS | dallasnews.com (29 December 2009)
http://eatsblog.dallasnews.com/
http://snipurl.com/twhwm
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Big Zero By PAUL KRUGMAN
December 28, 2009
OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Big Zero By PAUL KRUGMAN
Maybe we knew, at some unconscious, instinctive level, that it would be an era best forgotten. Whatever the reason, we got through the first decade of the new millennium without ever agreeing on what to call it. The aughts? The naughties? Whatever. (Yes, I know that strictly speaking the millennium didn’t begin until 2001. Do we really care?)
But from an economic point of view, I’d suggest that we call the decade past the Big Zero. It was a decade in which nothing good happened, and none of the optimistic things we were supposed to believe turned out to be true.
It was a decade with basically zero job creation. O.K., the headline employment number for December 2009 will be slightly higher than that for December 1999, but only slightly. And private-sector employment has actually declined — the first decade on record in which that happened.
It was a decade with zero economic gains for the typical family. Actually, even at the height of the alleged “Bush boom,” in 2007, median household income adjusted for inflation was lower than it had been in 1999. And you know what happened next.
It was a decade of zero gains for homeowners, even if they bought early: right now housing prices, adjusted for inflation, are roughly back to where they were at the beginning of the decade. And for those who bought in the decade’s middle years — when all the serious people ridiculed warnings that housing prices made no sense, that we were in the middle of a gigantic bubble — well, I feel your pain. Almost a quarter of all mortgages in America, and 45 percent of mortgages in Florida, are underwater, with owners owing more than their houses are worth.
Last and least for most Americans — but a big deal for retirement accounts, not to mention the talking heads on financial TV — it was a decade of zero gains for stocks, even without taking inflation into account. Remember the excitement when the Dow first topped 10,000, and best-selling books like “Dow 36,000” predicted that the good times would just keep rolling? Well, that was back in 1999. Last week the market closed at 10,520.
So there was a whole lot of nothing going on in measures of economic progress or success. Funny how that happened.
For as the decade began, there was an overwhelming sense of economic triumphalism in America’s business and political establishments, a belief that we — more than anyone else in the world — knew what we were doing.
Let me quote from a speech that Lawrence Summers, then deputy Treasury secretary (and now the Obama administration’s top economist), gave in 1999. “If you ask why the American financial system succeeds,” he said, “at least my reading of the history would be that there is no innovation more important than that of generally accepted accounting principles: it means that every investor gets to see information presented on a comparable basis; that there is discipline on company managements in the way they report and monitor their activities.” And he went on to declare that there is “an ongoing process that really is what makes our capital market work and work as stably as it does.”
So here’s what Mr. Summers — and, to be fair, just about everyone in a policy-making position at the time — believed in 1999: America has honest corporate accounting; this lets investors make good decisions, and also forces management to behave responsibly; and the result is a stable, well-functioning financial system.
What percentage of all this turned out to be true? Zero.
What was truly impressive about the decade past, however, was our unwillingness, as a nation, to learn from our mistakes.
Even as the dot-com bubble deflated, credulous bankers and investors began inflating a new bubble in housing. Even after famous, admired companies like Enron and WorldCom were revealed to have been Potemkin corporations with facades built out of creative accounting, analysts and investors believed banks’ claims about their own financial strength and bought into the hype about investments they didn’t understand. Even after triggering a global economic collapse, and having to be rescued at taxpayers’ expense, bankers wasted no time going right back to the culture of giant bonuses and excessive leverage.
Then there are the politicians. Even now, it’s hard to get Democrats, President Obama included, to deliver a full-throated critique of the practices that got us into the mess we’re in. And as for the Republicans: now that their policies of tax cuts and deregulation have led us into an economic quagmire, their prescription for recovery is — tax cuts and deregulation.
So let’s bid a not at all fond farewell to the Big Zero — the decade in which we achieved nothing and learned nothing. Will the next decade be better? Stay tuned. Oh, an
OP-ED COLUMNIST
The Big Zero By PAUL KRUGMAN
Maybe we knew, at some unconscious, instinctive level, that it would be an era best forgotten. Whatever the reason, we got through the first decade of the new millennium without ever agreeing on what to call it. The aughts? The naughties? Whatever. (Yes, I know that strictly speaking the millennium didn’t begin until 2001. Do we really care?)
But from an economic point of view, I’d suggest that we call the decade past the Big Zero. It was a decade in which nothing good happened, and none of the optimistic things we were supposed to believe turned out to be true.
It was a decade with basically zero job creation. O.K., the headline employment number for December 2009 will be slightly higher than that for December 1999, but only slightly. And private-sector employment has actually declined — the first decade on record in which that happened.
It was a decade with zero economic gains for the typical family. Actually, even at the height of the alleged “Bush boom,” in 2007, median household income adjusted for inflation was lower than it had been in 1999. And you know what happened next.
It was a decade of zero gains for homeowners, even if they bought early: right now housing prices, adjusted for inflation, are roughly back to where they were at the beginning of the decade. And for those who bought in the decade’s middle years — when all the serious people ridiculed warnings that housing prices made no sense, that we were in the middle of a gigantic bubble — well, I feel your pain. Almost a quarter of all mortgages in America, and 45 percent of mortgages in Florida, are underwater, with owners owing more than their houses are worth.
Last and least for most Americans — but a big deal for retirement accounts, not to mention the talking heads on financial TV — it was a decade of zero gains for stocks, even without taking inflation into account. Remember the excitement when the Dow first topped 10,000, and best-selling books like “Dow 36,000” predicted that the good times would just keep rolling? Well, that was back in 1999. Last week the market closed at 10,520.
So there was a whole lot of nothing going on in measures of economic progress or success. Funny how that happened.
For as the decade began, there was an overwhelming sense of economic triumphalism in America’s business and political establishments, a belief that we — more than anyone else in the world — knew what we were doing.
Let me quote from a speech that Lawrence Summers, then deputy Treasury secretary (and now the Obama administration’s top economist), gave in 1999. “If you ask why the American financial system succeeds,” he said, “at least my reading of the history would be that there is no innovation more important than that of generally accepted accounting principles: it means that every investor gets to see information presented on a comparable basis; that there is discipline on company managements in the way they report and monitor their activities.” And he went on to declare that there is “an ongoing process that really is what makes our capital market work and work as stably as it does.”
So here’s what Mr. Summers — and, to be fair, just about everyone in a policy-making position at the time — believed in 1999: America has honest corporate accounting; this lets investors make good decisions, and also forces management to behave responsibly; and the result is a stable, well-functioning financial system.
What percentage of all this turned out to be true? Zero.
What was truly impressive about the decade past, however, was our unwillingness, as a nation, to learn from our mistakes.
Even as the dot-com bubble deflated, credulous bankers and investors began inflating a new bubble in housing. Even after famous, admired companies like Enron and WorldCom were revealed to have been Potemkin corporations with facades built out of creative accounting, analysts and investors believed banks’ claims about their own financial strength and bought into the hype about investments they didn’t understand. Even after triggering a global economic collapse, and having to be rescued at taxpayers’ expense, bankers wasted no time going right back to the culture of giant bonuses and excessive leverage.
Then there are the politicians. Even now, it’s hard to get Democrats, President Obama included, to deliver a full-throated critique of the practices that got us into the mess we’re in. And as for the Republicans: now that their policies of tax cuts and deregulation have led us into an economic quagmire, their prescription for recovery is — tax cuts and deregulation.
So let’s bid a not at all fond farewell to the Big Zero — the decade in which we achieved nothing and learned nothing. Will the next decade be better? Stay tuned. Oh, an
Wired's 20 Favorite iPhone Apps of 2009
* By Brian X. Chen Email Author
* December 28, 2009 |
* 12:00 am |
* Categories: Phones
*
_mg_10441
2009 was the "year of the app," especially for the iPhone, whose App Store is overflowing with more than 100,000 offerings. While it's easy to make fun of the more ridiculous apps, some truly stellar wares stood out from that massive pile, and we're taking the time to honor them.
We recently published Wired readers' favorite iPhone apps of 2009, as well as Apple's top picks. Now it's our turn. The Wired staff has chosen its 20 favorite apps, broken into separate categories: productivity, games, hobbies, and travel and outdoors. These are apps we deemed exceptional either for their innovation, elegant design, usefulness or a combination of all these qualities.
Ready for this? Drum roll, please.
Productivity
beejive2BeeJiveIM
We've been using instant messaging for years, but BeeJiveIM is the most feature-rich, well-designed app we've seen that crams this communication method into our pockets. The app supports several IM services (such as Google chat, AIM and Yahoo! Messenger), as well as chat-room functionality and the ability to upload videos and photos. Plus, it's got push support, so IMs can pop up on your iPhone, just like text messages, the instant you receive them. It's a fancy app worth the $10 (on sale for $7 until Jan. 1, 2010). Download BeeJiveIM.
Dropbox
Who doesn't like Dropbox? The service allows you to store and share your computer's files online through a "dropbox" folder, and this new iPhone app allows you to access your Dropbox anywhere you go. On the iPhone, Dropbox really comes in handy for listening to your friends' shared music or viewing their videos and photos. The Dropbox service is free for 2 GB of storage per month. It costs $10 per month for 50 GB and $20 per month for 100 GB. The iPhone app is free. Download Dropbox.
Instapaper
We're gaga for Instapaper here at Wired. The app is perfect for tech-savvy newshounds constantly on the run — i.e., us. After downloading the app, you add a "Read Later" button to your web browser toolbar. Whenever you see a webpage with contents you want to save to read on your iPhone, you click the Read Later button. Launch Instapaper et voila — it's there. Very useful not just for saving web articles, but also recipes, map directions, airplane itineraries and so on. The app is $5; there's also a light version you can get for free. Download Instapaper.
Tweetie 2
We've been raving about this app for months, and with good reason: Tweetie 2 is probably the most loved app in the App Store. Its beautiful interface and rich feature set make using Twitter a blast. It's a must-have for any Twitter user with an iPhone. Tweetie 2 is $3. Download Tweetie 2.
Games
Canabalt
canabalt
Canabalt is braindead simple, and that's what makes it such a great game. It's a retro-style, side-scrolling adventure with one objective: Survive. Avoid running into obstacles or falling into pits; tap the screen to jump. The music is awesome, too. A fully playable Flash version of the game is available at Canabalt.com. It costs $3 to have it on your iPhone. Download Canabalt.
Doodle Jump
Another game that falls in the "charmingly simple" category is Doodle Jump. You take on the role of an adorable alien who bounces from platform to platform, with a goal of getting as high as possible. Trampolines, jetpacks and other goodies help you along the way. It costs just a buck in the App Store. Download Doodle Jump.
Flight Control
At this point in the year many of us have played Flight Control so many times we've grown sick of it. But that doesn't disqualify it from being one of the best iPhone games of the year. Who knew that using your finger to land planes could be so much fun? Somehow, this game pulled that off. It only costs a dollar. Download Flight Control.
Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor
spider2
You get to be a spider who swings around with his web while jumping extraordinary distances. And you don't even have to wear a lame red suit. For $3. Need we say more? Download Spider.
TowerMadness
There are plenty of tower-defense strategy games out there, but TowerMadness brings the genre to a new level. The game's objective is to set up missile turrets and laser cannons to defend your flock of sheep from aliens and giant insects. What's so great about the game? Web 2.0-savviness: TowerMadness regularly hosts contests for players to compete for the most points to get prizes; the game also issues free upgrades with new levels. High replay value, smooth 3-D graphics and an awesome web experience: a true winner in our book, and it costs a dollar. Download TowerMadness.
Words With Friends
Wired readers adored Words With Friends — a Scrabble knockoff that you can play online — and it was a favorite among our staff, too. No surprise there: The social integration of the game is excellent. You can play with multiple friends simultaneously, and you can even taunt each other with an in-game chat tool. It's got a beautiful interface, too. The ad-free version of the game costs $3; there's also a free version with ad support. Download Words With Friends.
Travel and Outdoors
convert1Convert
Whoever thought unit conversions could be fun? Convert is a gorgeous unit converter and calculator that makes conversions for everything from money and time to air pressure and energy. It's a lot more useful than you'd think. When cooking, for instance, if you're trying to triple a recipe and need to convert tablespoons into cups, you can simply punch some numbers into this app. Or if you're traveling to Japan and need to convert dollars into Yen, this should come in handy, too. Convert is a buck in the App Store. Download Travel and Outdoors.
Postman
Sending postcards can be a real drag, especially when you're trying to take it easy on vacation. Forget about wasting money on a generic-looking postcard from the museum and just download Postman. With the app you can create your own postcard using photos taken during your trip and then send it off instantly. That spares you the trouble of blowing money on postage, too. Download Postman.
Red Laser
Everyone's familiar with this scenario: You're browsing a brick-and-mortar retail store, and you spot something you'd like to buy. But we all know you can probably find a better deal online, without paying tax, too. Red Laser's a great app to help you check. It's a barcode scanner that brings up online deals super fast. Beats the heck out of standing there and manually searching shopping sites with the iPhone's web browser. The app costs $2. Download Red Laser.
RunKeeper
Not all gadgets turn us into lazy couch potatoes. The iPhone proves that with the help of RunKeeper. It's a nifty app for tracking your progress for runs, bike rides, hikes, skiing and more. The app tells you total distance, time and current pace, and when you're done it uploads your data to your account on RunKeeper's website. The $10 version, RunKeeper Pro, has audio cues; the free version is cueless. Download RunKeeper.
Taxi Magic
Cabs can be as hard to get as a high-paying position in the journalism industry, but TaxiMagic pulls off the miracle of getting you a cab late at night in San Francisco. The app automatically loads with nearby cab services, and you can even use Taxi Magic to calculate a fare estimate for your destination and pay for the ride when you get there. Good news: It's free. Download Taxi Magic.
KCRW
We lurve public radio, and the KCRW app streams all three KCRW channels: On Air, Music and News. It accompanies the streams with clean art, and there's also an Events button displaying music, news and arts happenings around time. Totally sweet for just a buck. Download KCRW.
Hobbies
Best Camera
The best camera is the one you have with you. And unfortunately the first- and second-generation iPhones' built-in camera mostly sucks, but this app can still make shots look awesome. Best Camera grabs pictures from your iPhone camera roll, lets you process them and then share them via Twitter, Facebook and e-mail. A slick interface makes the process easy: A rolling strip of icons at the bottom of the screen contains your editing tools. The app is $3. Download Best Camera.
Bloom
Electronic musician Brian Eno turned the iPhone's touchscreen into a dreamscape of wonderful ambient sounds in his app Bloom. Tapping the screen in different places emits a different note; they change colors to create soothing visual animations as well. Bloom costs $4. Download Bloom.
CameraBag
Another sweet image-editing app, CameraBag is for photographers who want to keep things short and sweet. The app automatically applies effects filters to your photos by simply swiping from left to right. Effects include black and white, instant Polaroid, Cinema and more. CameraBag costs $2. Download CameraBag.
Eucalyptus
There's gold in them public book archives. Project Gutenberg has about 30,000 public domain e-books to date, including classics such as Gulliver's Travels, Oliver Twist and Tales of the Jazz Age. Eucalyptus is the best app we've seen providing for accessing and reading Project Gutenberg books on your iPhone. It costs $10 in the App Store, and it's worth it. Download Eucalyptus.
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com, Charlie Sorrel/Wired.com
Wired’s 20 Favorite iPhone Apps of 2009 | Gadget Lab | Wired.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/wired-favorite-iphone-apps/all/1
http://snipurl.com/tw38z
* By Brian X. Chen Email Author
* December 28, 2009 |
* 12:00 am |
* Categories: Phones
*
_mg_10441
2009 was the "year of the app," especially for the iPhone, whose App Store is overflowing with more than 100,000 offerings. While it's easy to make fun of the more ridiculous apps, some truly stellar wares stood out from that massive pile, and we're taking the time to honor them.
We recently published Wired readers' favorite iPhone apps of 2009, as well as Apple's top picks. Now it's our turn. The Wired staff has chosen its 20 favorite apps, broken into separate categories: productivity, games, hobbies, and travel and outdoors. These are apps we deemed exceptional either for their innovation, elegant design, usefulness or a combination of all these qualities.
Ready for this? Drum roll, please.
Productivity
beejive2BeeJiveIM
We've been using instant messaging for years, but BeeJiveIM is the most feature-rich, well-designed app we've seen that crams this communication method into our pockets. The app supports several IM services (such as Google chat, AIM and Yahoo! Messenger), as well as chat-room functionality and the ability to upload videos and photos. Plus, it's got push support, so IMs can pop up on your iPhone, just like text messages, the instant you receive them. It's a fancy app worth the $10 (on sale for $7 until Jan. 1, 2010). Download BeeJiveIM.
Dropbox
Who doesn't like Dropbox? The service allows you to store and share your computer's files online through a "dropbox" folder, and this new iPhone app allows you to access your Dropbox anywhere you go. On the iPhone, Dropbox really comes in handy for listening to your friends' shared music or viewing their videos and photos. The Dropbox service is free for 2 GB of storage per month. It costs $10 per month for 50 GB and $20 per month for 100 GB. The iPhone app is free. Download Dropbox.
Instapaper
We're gaga for Instapaper here at Wired. The app is perfect for tech-savvy newshounds constantly on the run — i.e., us. After downloading the app, you add a "Read Later" button to your web browser toolbar. Whenever you see a webpage with contents you want to save to read on your iPhone, you click the Read Later button. Launch Instapaper et voila — it's there. Very useful not just for saving web articles, but also recipes, map directions, airplane itineraries and so on. The app is $5; there's also a light version you can get for free. Download Instapaper.
Tweetie 2
We've been raving about this app for months, and with good reason: Tweetie 2 is probably the most loved app in the App Store. Its beautiful interface and rich feature set make using Twitter a blast. It's a must-have for any Twitter user with an iPhone. Tweetie 2 is $3. Download Tweetie 2.
Games
Canabalt
canabalt
Canabalt is braindead simple, and that's what makes it such a great game. It's a retro-style, side-scrolling adventure with one objective: Survive. Avoid running into obstacles or falling into pits; tap the screen to jump. The music is awesome, too. A fully playable Flash version of the game is available at Canabalt.com. It costs $3 to have it on your iPhone. Download Canabalt.
Doodle Jump
Another game that falls in the "charmingly simple" category is Doodle Jump. You take on the role of an adorable alien who bounces from platform to platform, with a goal of getting as high as possible. Trampolines, jetpacks and other goodies help you along the way. It costs just a buck in the App Store. Download Doodle Jump.
Flight Control
At this point in the year many of us have played Flight Control so many times we've grown sick of it. But that doesn't disqualify it from being one of the best iPhone games of the year. Who knew that using your finger to land planes could be so much fun? Somehow, this game pulled that off. It only costs a dollar. Download Flight Control.
Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor
spider2
You get to be a spider who swings around with his web while jumping extraordinary distances. And you don't even have to wear a lame red suit. For $3. Need we say more? Download Spider.
TowerMadness
There are plenty of tower-defense strategy games out there, but TowerMadness brings the genre to a new level. The game's objective is to set up missile turrets and laser cannons to defend your flock of sheep from aliens and giant insects. What's so great about the game? Web 2.0-savviness: TowerMadness regularly hosts contests for players to compete for the most points to get prizes; the game also issues free upgrades with new levels. High replay value, smooth 3-D graphics and an awesome web experience: a true winner in our book, and it costs a dollar. Download TowerMadness.
Words With Friends
Wired readers adored Words With Friends — a Scrabble knockoff that you can play online — and it was a favorite among our staff, too. No surprise there: The social integration of the game is excellent. You can play with multiple friends simultaneously, and you can even taunt each other with an in-game chat tool. It's got a beautiful interface, too. The ad-free version of the game costs $3; there's also a free version with ad support. Download Words With Friends.
Travel and Outdoors
convert1Convert
Whoever thought unit conversions could be fun? Convert is a gorgeous unit converter and calculator that makes conversions for everything from money and time to air pressure and energy. It's a lot more useful than you'd think. When cooking, for instance, if you're trying to triple a recipe and need to convert tablespoons into cups, you can simply punch some numbers into this app. Or if you're traveling to Japan and need to convert dollars into Yen, this should come in handy, too. Convert is a buck in the App Store. Download Travel and Outdoors.
Postman
Sending postcards can be a real drag, especially when you're trying to take it easy on vacation. Forget about wasting money on a generic-looking postcard from the museum and just download Postman. With the app you can create your own postcard using photos taken during your trip and then send it off instantly. That spares you the trouble of blowing money on postage, too. Download Postman.
Red Laser
Everyone's familiar with this scenario: You're browsing a brick-and-mortar retail store, and you spot something you'd like to buy. But we all know you can probably find a better deal online, without paying tax, too. Red Laser's a great app to help you check. It's a barcode scanner that brings up online deals super fast. Beats the heck out of standing there and manually searching shopping sites with the iPhone's web browser. The app costs $2. Download Red Laser.
RunKeeper
Not all gadgets turn us into lazy couch potatoes. The iPhone proves that with the help of RunKeeper. It's a nifty app for tracking your progress for runs, bike rides, hikes, skiing and more. The app tells you total distance, time and current pace, and when you're done it uploads your data to your account on RunKeeper's website. The $10 version, RunKeeper Pro, has audio cues; the free version is cueless. Download RunKeeper.
Taxi Magic
Cabs can be as hard to get as a high-paying position in the journalism industry, but TaxiMagic pulls off the miracle of getting you a cab late at night in San Francisco. The app automatically loads with nearby cab services, and you can even use Taxi Magic to calculate a fare estimate for your destination and pay for the ride when you get there. Good news: It's free. Download Taxi Magic.
KCRW
We lurve public radio, and the KCRW app streams all three KCRW channels: On Air, Music and News. It accompanies the streams with clean art, and there's also an Events button displaying music, news and arts happenings around time. Totally sweet for just a buck. Download KCRW.
Hobbies
Best Camera
The best camera is the one you have with you. And unfortunately the first- and second-generation iPhones' built-in camera mostly sucks, but this app can still make shots look awesome. Best Camera grabs pictures from your iPhone camera roll, lets you process them and then share them via Twitter, Facebook and e-mail. A slick interface makes the process easy: A rolling strip of icons at the bottom of the screen contains your editing tools. The app is $3. Download Best Camera.
Bloom
Electronic musician Brian Eno turned the iPhone's touchscreen into a dreamscape of wonderful ambient sounds in his app Bloom. Tapping the screen in different places emits a different note; they change colors to create soothing visual animations as well. Bloom costs $4. Download Bloom.
CameraBag
Another sweet image-editing app, CameraBag is for photographers who want to keep things short and sweet. The app automatically applies effects filters to your photos by simply swiping from left to right. Effects include black and white, instant Polaroid, Cinema and more. CameraBag costs $2. Download CameraBag.
Eucalyptus
There's gold in them public book archives. Project Gutenberg has about 30,000 public domain e-books to date, including classics such as Gulliver's Travels, Oliver Twist and Tales of the Jazz Age. Eucalyptus is the best app we've seen providing for accessing and reading Project Gutenberg books on your iPhone. It costs $10 in the App Store, and it's worth it. Download Eucalyptus.
Photos: Jon Snyder/Wired.com, Charlie Sorrel/Wired.com
Wired’s 20 Favorite iPhone Apps of 2009 | Gadget Lab | Wired.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/wired-favorite-iphone-apps/all/1
http://snipurl.com/tw38z
Top 7 Disruptions of the Year
Top 7 Disruptions of the Year
* By Epicenter Staff Email Author
* December 28, 2009 |
* 12:00 am |
* Categories: Crowdsourcing, Future Shock, Media, Miscellaneous, People, Search, Social Media
*
yelp iphone app augmented reality
Technology is like a dog; each year of it seems like the equivalent of seven human years — at least when you get to the end of it and realize it's only been 12 months since that now indispensable service first launched.
We spent 2009 documenting technology's disruption of how we live, entertain ourselves and do business. Looking back on the year from the comfortable perch of December, here are the seven most disruptive developments of 2009.
Google Stack
It's been a running joke for the last few years that Google knows everything you do online, but 2009 might be the year that Google became a full-scale technology platform — with technologies that layer on top of one another to create the "Google Stack." From your smartphone through to your enterprise's document-creation software, Google now has you covered, with promises of more to come. That means the list of companies whose revenues Google plans to undermine continues to grow (We're thinking about you, AT&T, Skype and Microsoft.)
2009 saw Google start to land in users' pockets, thanks to the the Android OS showing up on the coolest phones from three of the four dominant U.S. carriers. In July, Google announced the Google Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system that runs web services like Gmail and Google Calendar with a speed comparable to pesky installable software. Your Chrome browser will need to know how to get Google Apps, so it will use Google DNS (new for '09 too, just like Chrome for Mac).
When your friends want to reach you, they'll call your Google Voice number or they'll add a message to the right Google Wave. Or they'll visit your website hosted on Google Sites, click on the Google AdSense ads, which will fund the dinner you just added to you Google Calendar and will write about on your Google Blogger blog. And almost all of that is free so you won't need Google Checkout to pay for their services. And if there's a service missing from that stack (say photo sharing via Picasa), you can always use a search engine called Google to find it.
Mobile App Stores
Before Apple disrupted the mobile-phone market by granting thousands of software developers access to the iPhone through the App Store, cell carriers used to allow only a handful of companies to make stuff for their phones. Consumers and developers put up with it because we had no choice, but the App Store changed that.
Apple still exerts some control over which apps are sold in its store, but had approved over 100,000 apps as of November — an astonishing number no matter how you slice it. Google's Android app store now includes over 20,000 apps, and the concept is spreading to other platforms. Carriers now view third-party-designed apps as a way to augment their offerings and sell bigger data plans, rather than viewing them as an unconscionable loss of control. The app store phenomenon made the cellphone more like the personal computer, and we're all the better for it.
But as disruptive as the app stores are, they may not exist in five years, thanks to the next item on our list.
HTML5
Web protocols aren't as sexy as the iPhone, but they could soon replace the app store as mobile web browsers improve to run Javascript and HTML5, allowing developers to create what they make as apps today as mobile web pages tomorrow. Rather than developing a different app for every type of phone, they'll be able to write the code once and have it run everywhere.
Apps are everywhere right now — whatever you're looking for, there's an app for that, as the commercial says. But as the president of Mozilla's mobile division said, "Over time, the web will win, because it always does." Gmail's Mobile website already leans hard on HTML5 and is nearly as snappy as a native app. Still doubt that HTML5 can make Apple's apps obsolete? The same thing happened with applications that run on computers (see Google Stack), much to Microsoft's chagrin.
A New FCC
The FCC, under the leadership of Obama's law school classmate Julius Genachowski, is taking its job as the guardian of the nation's airwaves seriously again. The agency is talking about the politically controversial step of taking back spectrum from over-the-air TV broadcasters and making it available for wireless users.
Then this summer, the agency stuck their noses into Apple's app store to see why the Google Voice application was rejected — forcing AT&T to declare it would let VoIP applications on all their phones. They are setting formal 'net neutrality' rules and in the face of strong opposition from the wireless industry, plan to apply them to wireless, satellite, cable and DSL providers alike. It's trying to break the cable company's monopoly on set-top boxes, so you can buy one that actually does cool stuff.
And all the while, it's been hard at work composing the country's first-ever national broadband plan, which is due in February (though all signals are the plan will be pragmatic, rather than revolutionary). That's a far cry from the Bush era, where the agency took two years and a public roadshow before it ordered Comcast to stop blocking peer-to-peer file sharing.
journeyStreaming Music
This was the year streaming really took off, and Pandora and YouTube were the big winners in the music space — YouTube's video service allows it to stream on-demand music that music-only services can't afford.
Google's searches now link directly to on-demand music streaming services (see screenshot), which puts the phenomenon squarely in the mainstream. And more of us are listening to cloud-based music than ever before, through websites, MP3 blogs, MP3 blog aggregators, streaming software and mobile apps.
We're finishing the year with less diversity in the music space than we started with; Apple acquired Lala, and MySpace bought iLike and imeem. But these acquisitions are a sign that the big players recognize that the future belongs not to iTunes and iPods, but to web-based services and connected devices.
The Real-Time Web
Twitter is mostly just a protocol for publishing short little messages to the web, but in 2009, the little startup continued its shakeup of the net's landscape, and is on track to become what its leaked internal documents show it hopes to be: the "pulse of the planet." It's not quite that yet, despite becoming a player in the battle over Iran's future. But it has launched the notion of a real-time web, where netizens are constantly and instantaneously updated — even if it's just about the funny billboard your friend just walked by.
Add to that location services like foursquare and loopt — which report where you are — and the unproven concept of reporting to everyone what you bought via Blippy.com, and you've come up with a recipe for a net that values headlines over nut graphs, narcissism over thoughtfulness, and speed over deliberation.
But the notion was powerful enough to send Google, Microsoft and Yahoo all racing to add Twitter and Facebook posts to their search results, regardless of the utility. And Facebook got envious, re-doing its entire approach to social networking by pushing all of its users to post publicly in an attempt to become the net's vanity press. The upshot of it all: Add "get a prescription to Provigil" to your list of New Year's resolutions if you hope to keep up.
Augmented Reality
This year the world got its first real taste of mobile augmented-reality apps, which overlay digital information on top of analog reality. The idea is to let you see restaurant ratings floating over restaurants, peoples' tweets appear over their heads, what song they're listening to and so on.
Augmented reality is still a work-in-progress as developers iron out kinks such as the floating tag problem, and as consumers get used to the idea. But in a sense, it's already here — from geotagged photos to phones with compasses and maps in them, the internet already intersects with the world at specific locations, letting us access data where it's most relevant.
What did we miss?
Photo: Yelp's augmented-reality iPhone app shows you a restaurant's rating simply by pointing a phone's camera in the right direction.
Top 7 Disruptions of the Year | Epicenter | Wired.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/12/top-7-disruptions-of-the-year?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
http://snipurl.com/tw37w
* By Epicenter Staff Email Author
* December 28, 2009 |
* 12:00 am |
* Categories: Crowdsourcing, Future Shock, Media, Miscellaneous, People, Search, Social Media
*
yelp iphone app augmented reality
Technology is like a dog; each year of it seems like the equivalent of seven human years — at least when you get to the end of it and realize it's only been 12 months since that now indispensable service first launched.
We spent 2009 documenting technology's disruption of how we live, entertain ourselves and do business. Looking back on the year from the comfortable perch of December, here are the seven most disruptive developments of 2009.
Google Stack
It's been a running joke for the last few years that Google knows everything you do online, but 2009 might be the year that Google became a full-scale technology platform — with technologies that layer on top of one another to create the "Google Stack." From your smartphone through to your enterprise's document-creation software, Google now has you covered, with promises of more to come. That means the list of companies whose revenues Google plans to undermine continues to grow (We're thinking about you, AT&T, Skype and Microsoft.)
2009 saw Google start to land in users' pockets, thanks to the the Android OS showing up on the coolest phones from three of the four dominant U.S. carriers. In July, Google announced the Google Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system that runs web services like Gmail and Google Calendar with a speed comparable to pesky installable software. Your Chrome browser will need to know how to get Google Apps, so it will use Google DNS (new for '09 too, just like Chrome for Mac).
When your friends want to reach you, they'll call your Google Voice number or they'll add a message to the right Google Wave. Or they'll visit your website hosted on Google Sites, click on the Google AdSense ads, which will fund the dinner you just added to you Google Calendar and will write about on your Google Blogger blog. And almost all of that is free so you won't need Google Checkout to pay for their services. And if there's a service missing from that stack (say photo sharing via Picasa), you can always use a search engine called Google to find it.
Mobile App Stores
Before Apple disrupted the mobile-phone market by granting thousands of software developers access to the iPhone through the App Store, cell carriers used to allow only a handful of companies to make stuff for their phones. Consumers and developers put up with it because we had no choice, but the App Store changed that.
Apple still exerts some control over which apps are sold in its store, but had approved over 100,000 apps as of November — an astonishing number no matter how you slice it. Google's Android app store now includes over 20,000 apps, and the concept is spreading to other platforms. Carriers now view third-party-designed apps as a way to augment their offerings and sell bigger data plans, rather than viewing them as an unconscionable loss of control. The app store phenomenon made the cellphone more like the personal computer, and we're all the better for it.
But as disruptive as the app stores are, they may not exist in five years, thanks to the next item on our list.
HTML5
Web protocols aren't as sexy as the iPhone, but they could soon replace the app store as mobile web browsers improve to run Javascript and HTML5, allowing developers to create what they make as apps today as mobile web pages tomorrow. Rather than developing a different app for every type of phone, they'll be able to write the code once and have it run everywhere.
Apps are everywhere right now — whatever you're looking for, there's an app for that, as the commercial says. But as the president of Mozilla's mobile division said, "Over time, the web will win, because it always does." Gmail's Mobile website already leans hard on HTML5 and is nearly as snappy as a native app. Still doubt that HTML5 can make Apple's apps obsolete? The same thing happened with applications that run on computers (see Google Stack), much to Microsoft's chagrin.
A New FCC
The FCC, under the leadership of Obama's law school classmate Julius Genachowski, is taking its job as the guardian of the nation's airwaves seriously again. The agency is talking about the politically controversial step of taking back spectrum from over-the-air TV broadcasters and making it available for wireless users.
Then this summer, the agency stuck their noses into Apple's app store to see why the Google Voice application was rejected — forcing AT&T to declare it would let VoIP applications on all their phones. They are setting formal 'net neutrality' rules and in the face of strong opposition from the wireless industry, plan to apply them to wireless, satellite, cable and DSL providers alike. It's trying to break the cable company's monopoly on set-top boxes, so you can buy one that actually does cool stuff.
And all the while, it's been hard at work composing the country's first-ever national broadband plan, which is due in February (though all signals are the plan will be pragmatic, rather than revolutionary). That's a far cry from the Bush era, where the agency took two years and a public roadshow before it ordered Comcast to stop blocking peer-to-peer file sharing.
journeyStreaming Music
This was the year streaming really took off, and Pandora and YouTube were the big winners in the music space — YouTube's video service allows it to stream on-demand music that music-only services can't afford.
Google's searches now link directly to on-demand music streaming services (see screenshot), which puts the phenomenon squarely in the mainstream. And more of us are listening to cloud-based music than ever before, through websites, MP3 blogs, MP3 blog aggregators, streaming software and mobile apps.
We're finishing the year with less diversity in the music space than we started with; Apple acquired Lala, and MySpace bought iLike and imeem. But these acquisitions are a sign that the big players recognize that the future belongs not to iTunes and iPods, but to web-based services and connected devices.
The Real-Time Web
Twitter is mostly just a protocol for publishing short little messages to the web, but in 2009, the little startup continued its shakeup of the net's landscape, and is on track to become what its leaked internal documents show it hopes to be: the "pulse of the planet." It's not quite that yet, despite becoming a player in the battle over Iran's future. But it has launched the notion of a real-time web, where netizens are constantly and instantaneously updated — even if it's just about the funny billboard your friend just walked by.
Add to that location services like foursquare and loopt — which report where you are — and the unproven concept of reporting to everyone what you bought via Blippy.com, and you've come up with a recipe for a net that values headlines over nut graphs, narcissism over thoughtfulness, and speed over deliberation.
But the notion was powerful enough to send Google, Microsoft and Yahoo all racing to add Twitter and Facebook posts to their search results, regardless of the utility. And Facebook got envious, re-doing its entire approach to social networking by pushing all of its users to post publicly in an attempt to become the net's vanity press. The upshot of it all: Add "get a prescription to Provigil" to your list of New Year's resolutions if you hope to keep up.
Augmented Reality
This year the world got its first real taste of mobile augmented-reality apps, which overlay digital information on top of analog reality. The idea is to let you see restaurant ratings floating over restaurants, peoples' tweets appear over their heads, what song they're listening to and so on.
Augmented reality is still a work-in-progress as developers iron out kinks such as the floating tag problem, and as consumers get used to the idea. But in a sense, it's already here — from geotagged photos to phones with compasses and maps in them, the internet already intersects with the world at specific locations, letting us access data where it's most relevant.
What did we miss?
Photo: Yelp's augmented-reality iPhone app shows you a restaurant's rating simply by pointing a phone's camera in the right direction.
Top 7 Disruptions of the Year | Epicenter | Wired.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2009/12/top-7-disruptions-of-the-year?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
http://snipurl.com/tw37w
Sunday, December 27, 2009
2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. By LAWRENCE ULRICH
December 27, 2009
The Year in Cars
2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. By LAWRENCE ULRICH
DESPITE the bankruptcies, bailouts and plunging sales that quaked the auto industry this year, perhaps nothing sums up the misery better than this: The United States is no longer the world's top car market.
As 2009 draws to a merciful end, J. D. Power & Associates estimates that the Chinese will end up buying 12.7 million vehicles, compared with Americans' 10.4 million purchases. How much has the market contracted? Consider that in 2000 United States sales reached an all-time high of 17.4 million.
The slippage came despite an unprecedented effort to assist those who make and sell cars, including the summer cash-for-clunkers program that doled out $2.9 billion in government rebates to spur sales of 690,000 new cars — while taking that many guzzling older models off the streets. Despite that program's temporary jolt, nearly 1,500 dealerships had shut their doors through October, making this the worst year for dealers since at least the 1950s, according to Automotive News, a trade publication.
The recession in North America, Europe and elsewhere pushed some automakers into the grave and others into consolidation or drastic downsizing. The casual consumer, who may not realize that General Motors killed off Pontiac this year, or that Jaguar and Land Rover now belong to Tata Motors of India, may need a scorecard and a spreadsheet to keep track of the players left in the game.
To that end, here is a rundown on the status of some brands and companies caught up in the shuffles, shakeups and desperate dances of the last couple of years, as automakers tried to keep a lap ahead of the Grim Reaper:
ASTON MARTIN A consortium led by a British motorsports magnate — with the backing of Kuwaiti petrodollars — is still running this manufacturer of luxury sports cars, acquired from Ford in late 2007. Ford had exponentially lifted Aston's worldwide sales, though the recession has taken its toll on all high-end nameplates. James Bond, at least, is back in a proper Aston, driving the stunning $270,000 DBS in his last two adventures; will Daniel Craig trade up to the even more conspicuous One-77? Aston will build just 77 examples of that $2 million, 220-m.p.h. supercar this year.
CHRYSLER GROUP This aging band of heavy-metal purveyors continued its Flame Out world tour. Ownership has passed from Germany (with Daimler) to Wall Street (Cerberus Capital Management) and now to Italy. Fiat took control of Chrysler the way people buy a Sebring — with no money down and a nearly pharmaceutical grade of optimism.
Sergio Marchionne, Fiat's sweater-loving turnaround maestro and Chrysler's new chief executive, took over from Robert L. Nardelli, the former boss at Home Depot. Mr. Marchionne announced a five-year plan: Chrysler will sell some Fiats and Alfa Romeos in the United States; Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models will combine American styling with Italian engineering; Ram, a name currently affixed to Dodge's muy-macho pickup — it pulls three times its weight in company sales — will be spun off as a separate brand.
Alfa Romeos may be rebadged as Dodges in America, and Dodges may be sold as Alfas in Europe, with Chryslers offered alongside cars from Fiat's struggling Lancia brand.
Well, that's the plan.
FIAT Starving for product, Chrysler's last, best hope is a Mediterranean salad whipped up by its new owner. Replacements for marketplace bombs like the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Caliber will use Fiat platforms, engines and technology. The Fiat 500 minicar may arrive late next year, with perhaps the Alfa Romeo MiTo subcompact to follow. Everything has to mesh and be translated to American tastes — quickly — and consumers must be willing to accept Chrysler's latest cultural exchange program.
FISKER Henrik Fisker, the onetime Aston Martin designer who is now intent on turning out hybrid luxury cars, says the nation is ready for plug-in hybrids. Certainly, Mr. Fisker seems plugged into Washington: he emerged with $529 million in government loans earmarked for green cars.
After delays, Mr. Fisker now promises that his $80,000 Karma luxury sedan, to be built in Finland, will go on sale next fall. But the federal loans are being used to develop lower-cost plug-ins, including a $47,000 sedan called Project Nina. Fisker plans to start building that car at a former G.M. plant in Delaware in 2012.
FORD MOTOR Although Ford's sales have fallen this year, the decline was at least countered by a rising market share and a brighter public image. As the only Detroit car company that didn't hold out an XXL Tigers cap to be stuffed with taxpayer money, Ford won applause from free-market advocates — and the right to make and market what it wants, free of pressure from government overseers.
Ford won more praise for its Fusion Hybrid, for its new line of powerful but fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines and for a makeover that girded its Mustang against any takeover attempt by Chevy's new Camaro.
Reversing a long brand-acquisition spree — Ford has given up its controlling interest in Mazda, though the companies will continue to share technology — the company kept hacking down to its core Ford and Lincoln nameplates. It has kept Mercury around as the madwoman in the attic: alive, yes, but mostly out of sight and inexplicable. GENERAL MOTORS At the "new" taxpayer-owned G.M., executives enjoy even less job security than Notre Dame football coaches.
Three months after President Obama showed Rick Wagoner, the chairman and chief executive, the golden door, Fritz Henderson came in as chief executive, promising big changes. These changes turned out to include his own ouster eight months later. (Mr. Henderson's sizable group of defenders included his daughter, who stuck up for her dad in an all-cap Facebook tirade against Edward E. Whitacre Jr., the new G.M. chairman who took over as interim chief.)
Then the Buick GMC unit went through three leaders in a month. One of them — Michael Richards, a Ford veteran who had been lured to G.M. by the vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz — left after barely a week on the job.
After months of drawn-out talks, G.M. decided not to sell its European Opel division to a consortium headed by Magna, a Canadian auto parts supplier, and Sberbank of Russia. For American consumers, G.M.'s retention means Opel will continue to supply German-engineered cars and technology that will serve as the basis for Buicks (including a new Regal in 2010) and other models.
Other moves outlined in G.M.'s bankruptcy plan also fell apart. Deals to sell Saturn and Saab fizzled. A Chinese company's effort to claim Hummer has dragged on for months.
Still, G.M. got some $400 million by giving Shanghai Automotive a larger stake in their Chinese venture and a 50 percent share in G.M.'s Indian operations.
HONDA Although its sales dropped in line with the industry, Honda passed Chrysler to grab fourth place in American sales, trailing G.M., Toyota and Ford. Honda's big challenge now is to revive the Acura luxury division, which has lost ground to rivals.
HUMMER America's three-ton Quasimodo — a monster toasted by the masses before gas prices spiked and the mobs turned hostile — was tentatively sold by G.M. to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, though the Chinese government hasn't approved the deal. Though Hummer sales have plunged, G.M. said the deal would preserve 3,000 American jobs.
HYUNDAI-KIA South Korean's automotive juggernaut kept rolling through the global economic downturn. Hyundai's cars — already recession-ready because they are perceived as offering good value — got a big boost in good will from the Hyundai Assurance plan, a marketing masterstroke that let owners return their cars if they lost their jobs. (There were exceptions in the fine print.)
Hyundai raised its American market share above 4 percent this year, from 3 percent in 2008, as sales rose more than 6 percent. The Kia division did better, with sales up nearly 8 percent.
Through it all, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group quietly became the world's fourth-largest automaker, displacing Ford. The top three are now Toyota, G.M. and Volkswagen.
JAGUAR AND LAND ROVER Ford has finished unloading its trophy import brands that were seen as saviors in the new millennium but turned out to be money-shredders. Ford bundled up Jaguar and Land Rover and sent them packing to a new parent, Tata Motors of India, leading Tories everywhere to raise a bitter glass to their dwindling Empire.
The new owners are primping the pedigreed brands that fell into their laps. For all the criticism of Ford's stewardship, the company handed off Land Rover and especially Jaguar in their most competitive shape in decades, with modern lineups of high-design, highly desirable cars and S.U.V.'s.
Whether these hothouse brands can earn money on top of respect remains an issue: Jaguar Land Rover promptly hung a $504 million fiscal year loss around Tata's neck — just the sort of burden that led Ford to cut its losses and cut the Brits loose.
MAHINDRA This Indian manufacturer has promised to sell hard-working, high-mileage diesel compact pickup trucks and S.U.V.'s to Americans. But the promised introduction dates continue to come and go with no trucks in sight. The arrival date has been pushed forward again, to February.
PONTIAC Just after Pontiac popped out its best car in years — the Australian-built G8 sport sedan — G.M. killed the brand whose onetime "We build excitement" pledge was tarnished by decades of poseur sporty cars (like the two-seat Fiero) and rebadged leftovers from other divisions. The brand that spawned the legendary GTO muscle car in the 1960s — not to mention Burt Reynolds's Trans Am of "Smokey and the Bandit" fame — now rules Craigslist and haunts backwater used-car lots.
PORSCHE See Volkswagen. Also, chutzpah.
SAAB G.M.'s bid to dump Saab, its dying Swedish brand, devolved into farce. An obscure pair of underfinanced sports car makers — Koenigsegg of Sweden and Spyker of the Netherlands — failed to close deals to take over the vastly larger Saab. Koenigsegg and Spyker together produced fewer than 100 cars worldwide this year.
China's Beijing Automotive did buy Saab's spare parts and tooling, perhaps to use aging Saab's aging model lines as a basis for home-market models. But for the rest of the world, Saab — which began in World War II as an aircraft producer for the Royal Swedish Air Force and started exporting its offbeat cars to the United States in the mid-1950s — appears headed to extinction.
SATURN After its celebrated birth and a promising childhood as an import-fighter — followed by years of benign parental neglect — Saturn shut its doors when G.M. failed to find a buyer.
Roger Penske, the billionaire auto magnate and racing-team legend, pulled out of a last-ditch deal to sell G.M.-built Saturns through his vast dealership chain, having failed to seal a deal to eventually import Renaults and sell them as Saturns. Mr. Penske perhaps realized that the only thing harder to sell than American Saturns would be French Saturns.
The September shutdown announcement stunned the 370 Saturn dealers — repeatedly hailed as among the industry's best.
SMART After making a pint-size splash in 2008, its first year in America, Smart's sales plunged nearly 40 percent. Smart's failure to lure customers in a recession — despite its novelty, low price, fuel efficiency and press exposure — suggests that the car has more in common with a shortlived fad than with the brand-building accomplished by Mini.
SUBARU What recession? Buoyed by good timing and well-received new models — including the Legacy, Outback and Forester — Subaru recorded the biggest percentage sales gains in the industry, nearly 14 percent.
SUZUKI One of two companies that often seemed to be on life support in the United States — Mitsubishi is the other — Suzuki could breathe easier after Volkswagen took a 19 percent stake in December. The move is part of VW's bid to supplant Toyota as the world's largest automaker by 2018.
TATA The automaking arm of the vast Indian conglomerate says it will bring its celebrated Nano — the world's cheapest car in more ways than one — to Europe by 2011, and eventually to America as well. There are even plans to make a hybrid version. The Nano, which costs roughly $2,500 in India, surprised some critics by passing European front- and side-impact crash tests last summer.
TESLA Leaving a trail of fired chief executives, the company's co-founder, Elon Musk, is now guiding the Silicon Valley maker of the electric Tesla Roadster. And Tesla, like its plug-in rival from Southern California, Fisker, benefited from a government loan ($464 million) to be used for its next car, the Model S.
That sport sedan was designed by Franz von Holzhausen, formerly a rising star at Mazda and G.M., and is to be built in a new California factory. In theory, it will be on the road by late 2011. Tesla has pegged the Model S's price at $50,000 once a federal $7,500 rebate on electric vehicles is factored in.
TOYOTA If misery loves company, Detroit finally learned to love Toyota. The Japanese automaker lost nearly five billion dollars in its fiscal year as worldwide sales plunged. In addition, Toyota mounted its biggest recall ever, of 3.8 million cars for unintended acceleration possibly caused by pedal-snaring floor mats.
At the headquarters in Japan, Katsuaki Watanabe was replaced as president by Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, but not before being publicly run through by Shoichiro Toyoda, the company's 84-year-old honorary chairman. Before a stunned audience of 400 executives, Mr. Toyoda asked Mr. Watanabe, "How many times have you made a mistake?" and said that Toyota's addiction to big, pricey cars and trucks reminded him of, well, G.M. and Chrysler.
Volkswagen GROUP The doings this year at Volkswagen and Porsche, two companies with ties to the same founding family, may help explain why schadenfreude is a German word. Porsche's chief executive, Wendelin Wiedeking, nearly engineered a David vs. Goliath takeover of vastly larger VW; his shrewd maneuvering netted him more than $100 million in annual compensation.
Mr. Wiedeking met his match in the 72-year-old VW board chairman, Ferdinand Piëch (who is also the grandson of Porsche's founder), who refused to surrender his company or his reputation as the auto industry's top overreacher. (Mr. Piëch had added Bentley and Lamborghini to the VW empire, created the white-elephant $80,000 VW Phaeton luxury sedan and revived Bugatti.)
As the collapsing economy showed that the Porsche takeover was spun from thin air — including $14 billion of debt that nearly sent Porsche into bankruptcy — Mr. Piëch used his backroom skills to scuttle the deal and drive Mr. Wiedeking, his archrival, into an unplanned retirement. Now, VW is absorbing Porsche instead of the reverse.
VOLVO Even solid, safety-conscious Volvo wasn't safe from 2009's potholes. Having put the Swedish carmaker on the block, Ford turned to China for a buyer. A deal is said to be nearly final for Geely to buy Volvo for $2 billion; Ford paid $6.5 billion in 1999.
The Volvo sale would remove the last piece of Ford's Premier Automotive Group, an awkward umbrella for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo (and, briefly, Lincoln Mercury), for which Ford built an elaborate headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
The Year in Cars - 2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27year.html?sq=2009%20Year%20In&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ir
The Year in Cars
2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. By LAWRENCE ULRICH
DESPITE the bankruptcies, bailouts and plunging sales that quaked the auto industry this year, perhaps nothing sums up the misery better than this: The United States is no longer the world's top car market.
As 2009 draws to a merciful end, J. D. Power & Associates estimates that the Chinese will end up buying 12.7 million vehicles, compared with Americans' 10.4 million purchases. How much has the market contracted? Consider that in 2000 United States sales reached an all-time high of 17.4 million.
The slippage came despite an unprecedented effort to assist those who make and sell cars, including the summer cash-for-clunkers program that doled out $2.9 billion in government rebates to spur sales of 690,000 new cars — while taking that many guzzling older models off the streets. Despite that program's temporary jolt, nearly 1,500 dealerships had shut their doors through October, making this the worst year for dealers since at least the 1950s, according to Automotive News, a trade publication.
The recession in North America, Europe and elsewhere pushed some automakers into the grave and others into consolidation or drastic downsizing. The casual consumer, who may not realize that General Motors killed off Pontiac this year, or that Jaguar and Land Rover now belong to Tata Motors of India, may need a scorecard and a spreadsheet to keep track of the players left in the game.
To that end, here is a rundown on the status of some brands and companies caught up in the shuffles, shakeups and desperate dances of the last couple of years, as automakers tried to keep a lap ahead of the Grim Reaper:
ASTON MARTIN A consortium led by a British motorsports magnate — with the backing of Kuwaiti petrodollars — is still running this manufacturer of luxury sports cars, acquired from Ford in late 2007. Ford had exponentially lifted Aston's worldwide sales, though the recession has taken its toll on all high-end nameplates. James Bond, at least, is back in a proper Aston, driving the stunning $270,000 DBS in his last two adventures; will Daniel Craig trade up to the even more conspicuous One-77? Aston will build just 77 examples of that $2 million, 220-m.p.h. supercar this year.
CHRYSLER GROUP This aging band of heavy-metal purveyors continued its Flame Out world tour. Ownership has passed from Germany (with Daimler) to Wall Street (Cerberus Capital Management) and now to Italy. Fiat took control of Chrysler the way people buy a Sebring — with no money down and a nearly pharmaceutical grade of optimism.
Sergio Marchionne, Fiat's sweater-loving turnaround maestro and Chrysler's new chief executive, took over from Robert L. Nardelli, the former boss at Home Depot. Mr. Marchionne announced a five-year plan: Chrysler will sell some Fiats and Alfa Romeos in the United States; Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models will combine American styling with Italian engineering; Ram, a name currently affixed to Dodge's muy-macho pickup — it pulls three times its weight in company sales — will be spun off as a separate brand.
Alfa Romeos may be rebadged as Dodges in America, and Dodges may be sold as Alfas in Europe, with Chryslers offered alongside cars from Fiat's struggling Lancia brand.
Well, that's the plan.
FIAT Starving for product, Chrysler's last, best hope is a Mediterranean salad whipped up by its new owner. Replacements for marketplace bombs like the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Caliber will use Fiat platforms, engines and technology. The Fiat 500 minicar may arrive late next year, with perhaps the Alfa Romeo MiTo subcompact to follow. Everything has to mesh and be translated to American tastes — quickly — and consumers must be willing to accept Chrysler's latest cultural exchange program.
FISKER Henrik Fisker, the onetime Aston Martin designer who is now intent on turning out hybrid luxury cars, says the nation is ready for plug-in hybrids. Certainly, Mr. Fisker seems plugged into Washington: he emerged with $529 million in government loans earmarked for green cars.
After delays, Mr. Fisker now promises that his $80,000 Karma luxury sedan, to be built in Finland, will go on sale next fall. But the federal loans are being used to develop lower-cost plug-ins, including a $47,000 sedan called Project Nina. Fisker plans to start building that car at a former G.M. plant in Delaware in 2012.
FORD MOTOR Although Ford's sales have fallen this year, the decline was at least countered by a rising market share and a brighter public image. As the only Detroit car company that didn't hold out an XXL Tigers cap to be stuffed with taxpayer money, Ford won applause from free-market advocates — and the right to make and market what it wants, free of pressure from government overseers.
Ford won more praise for its Fusion Hybrid, for its new line of powerful but fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines and for a makeover that girded its Mustang against any takeover attempt by Chevy's new Camaro.
Reversing a long brand-acquisition spree — Ford has given up its controlling interest in Mazda, though the companies will continue to share technology — the company kept hacking down to its core Ford and Lincoln nameplates. It has kept Mercury around as the madwoman in the attic: alive, yes, but mostly out of sight and inexplicable. GENERAL MOTORS At the "new" taxpayer-owned G.M., executives enjoy even less job security than Notre Dame football coaches.
Three months after President Obama showed Rick Wagoner, the chairman and chief executive, the golden door, Fritz Henderson came in as chief executive, promising big changes. These changes turned out to include his own ouster eight months later. (Mr. Henderson's sizable group of defenders included his daughter, who stuck up for her dad in an all-cap Facebook tirade against Edward E. Whitacre Jr., the new G.M. chairman who took over as interim chief.)
Then the Buick GMC unit went through three leaders in a month. One of them — Michael Richards, a Ford veteran who had been lured to G.M. by the vice chairman, Robert A. Lutz — left after barely a week on the job.
After months of drawn-out talks, G.M. decided not to sell its European Opel division to a consortium headed by Magna, a Canadian auto parts supplier, and Sberbank of Russia. For American consumers, G.M.'s retention means Opel will continue to supply German-engineered cars and technology that will serve as the basis for Buicks (including a new Regal in 2010) and other models.
Other moves outlined in G.M.'s bankruptcy plan also fell apart. Deals to sell Saturn and Saab fizzled. A Chinese company's effort to claim Hummer has dragged on for months.
Still, G.M. got some $400 million by giving Shanghai Automotive a larger stake in their Chinese venture and a 50 percent share in G.M.'s Indian operations.
HONDA Although its sales dropped in line with the industry, Honda passed Chrysler to grab fourth place in American sales, trailing G.M., Toyota and Ford. Honda's big challenge now is to revive the Acura luxury division, which has lost ground to rivals.
HUMMER America's three-ton Quasimodo — a monster toasted by the masses before gas prices spiked and the mobs turned hostile — was tentatively sold by G.M. to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery, though the Chinese government hasn't approved the deal. Though Hummer sales have plunged, G.M. said the deal would preserve 3,000 American jobs.
HYUNDAI-KIA South Korean's automotive juggernaut kept rolling through the global economic downturn. Hyundai's cars — already recession-ready because they are perceived as offering good value — got a big boost in good will from the Hyundai Assurance plan, a marketing masterstroke that let owners return their cars if they lost their jobs. (There were exceptions in the fine print.)
Hyundai raised its American market share above 4 percent this year, from 3 percent in 2008, as sales rose more than 6 percent. The Kia division did better, with sales up nearly 8 percent.
Through it all, the Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group quietly became the world's fourth-largest automaker, displacing Ford. The top three are now Toyota, G.M. and Volkswagen.
JAGUAR AND LAND ROVER Ford has finished unloading its trophy import brands that were seen as saviors in the new millennium but turned out to be money-shredders. Ford bundled up Jaguar and Land Rover and sent them packing to a new parent, Tata Motors of India, leading Tories everywhere to raise a bitter glass to their dwindling Empire.
The new owners are primping the pedigreed brands that fell into their laps. For all the criticism of Ford's stewardship, the company handed off Land Rover and especially Jaguar in their most competitive shape in decades, with modern lineups of high-design, highly desirable cars and S.U.V.'s.
Whether these hothouse brands can earn money on top of respect remains an issue: Jaguar Land Rover promptly hung a $504 million fiscal year loss around Tata's neck — just the sort of burden that led Ford to cut its losses and cut the Brits loose.
MAHINDRA This Indian manufacturer has promised to sell hard-working, high-mileage diesel compact pickup trucks and S.U.V.'s to Americans. But the promised introduction dates continue to come and go with no trucks in sight. The arrival date has been pushed forward again, to February.
PONTIAC Just after Pontiac popped out its best car in years — the Australian-built G8 sport sedan — G.M. killed the brand whose onetime "We build excitement" pledge was tarnished by decades of poseur sporty cars (like the two-seat Fiero) and rebadged leftovers from other divisions. The brand that spawned the legendary GTO muscle car in the 1960s — not to mention Burt Reynolds's Trans Am of "Smokey and the Bandit" fame — now rules Craigslist and haunts backwater used-car lots.
PORSCHE See Volkswagen. Also, chutzpah.
SAAB G.M.'s bid to dump Saab, its dying Swedish brand, devolved into farce. An obscure pair of underfinanced sports car makers — Koenigsegg of Sweden and Spyker of the Netherlands — failed to close deals to take over the vastly larger Saab. Koenigsegg and Spyker together produced fewer than 100 cars worldwide this year.
China's Beijing Automotive did buy Saab's spare parts and tooling, perhaps to use aging Saab's aging model lines as a basis for home-market models. But for the rest of the world, Saab — which began in World War II as an aircraft producer for the Royal Swedish Air Force and started exporting its offbeat cars to the United States in the mid-1950s — appears headed to extinction.
SATURN After its celebrated birth and a promising childhood as an import-fighter — followed by years of benign parental neglect — Saturn shut its doors when G.M. failed to find a buyer.
Roger Penske, the billionaire auto magnate and racing-team legend, pulled out of a last-ditch deal to sell G.M.-built Saturns through his vast dealership chain, having failed to seal a deal to eventually import Renaults and sell them as Saturns. Mr. Penske perhaps realized that the only thing harder to sell than American Saturns would be French Saturns.
The September shutdown announcement stunned the 370 Saturn dealers — repeatedly hailed as among the industry's best.
SMART After making a pint-size splash in 2008, its first year in America, Smart's sales plunged nearly 40 percent. Smart's failure to lure customers in a recession — despite its novelty, low price, fuel efficiency and press exposure — suggests that the car has more in common with a shortlived fad than with the brand-building accomplished by Mini.
SUBARU What recession? Buoyed by good timing and well-received new models — including the Legacy, Outback and Forester — Subaru recorded the biggest percentage sales gains in the industry, nearly 14 percent.
SUZUKI One of two companies that often seemed to be on life support in the United States — Mitsubishi is the other — Suzuki could breathe easier after Volkswagen took a 19 percent stake in December. The move is part of VW's bid to supplant Toyota as the world's largest automaker by 2018.
TATA The automaking arm of the vast Indian conglomerate says it will bring its celebrated Nano — the world's cheapest car in more ways than one — to Europe by 2011, and eventually to America as well. There are even plans to make a hybrid version. The Nano, which costs roughly $2,500 in India, surprised some critics by passing European front- and side-impact crash tests last summer.
TESLA Leaving a trail of fired chief executives, the company's co-founder, Elon Musk, is now guiding the Silicon Valley maker of the electric Tesla Roadster. And Tesla, like its plug-in rival from Southern California, Fisker, benefited from a government loan ($464 million) to be used for its next car, the Model S.
That sport sedan was designed by Franz von Holzhausen, formerly a rising star at Mazda and G.M., and is to be built in a new California factory. In theory, it will be on the road by late 2011. Tesla has pegged the Model S's price at $50,000 once a federal $7,500 rebate on electric vehicles is factored in.
TOYOTA If misery loves company, Detroit finally learned to love Toyota. The Japanese automaker lost nearly five billion dollars in its fiscal year as worldwide sales plunged. In addition, Toyota mounted its biggest recall ever, of 3.8 million cars for unintended acceleration possibly caused by pedal-snaring floor mats.
At the headquarters in Japan, Katsuaki Watanabe was replaced as president by Akio Toyoda, grandson of the company's founder, but not before being publicly run through by Shoichiro Toyoda, the company's 84-year-old honorary chairman. Before a stunned audience of 400 executives, Mr. Toyoda asked Mr. Watanabe, "How many times have you made a mistake?" and said that Toyota's addiction to big, pricey cars and trucks reminded him of, well, G.M. and Chrysler.
Volkswagen GROUP The doings this year at Volkswagen and Porsche, two companies with ties to the same founding family, may help explain why schadenfreude is a German word. Porsche's chief executive, Wendelin Wiedeking, nearly engineered a David vs. Goliath takeover of vastly larger VW; his shrewd maneuvering netted him more than $100 million in annual compensation.
Mr. Wiedeking met his match in the 72-year-old VW board chairman, Ferdinand Piëch (who is also the grandson of Porsche's founder), who refused to surrender his company or his reputation as the auto industry's top overreacher. (Mr. Piëch had added Bentley and Lamborghini to the VW empire, created the white-elephant $80,000 VW Phaeton luxury sedan and revived Bugatti.)
As the collapsing economy showed that the Porsche takeover was spun from thin air — including $14 billion of debt that nearly sent Porsche into bankruptcy — Mr. Piëch used his backroom skills to scuttle the deal and drive Mr. Wiedeking, his archrival, into an unplanned retirement. Now, VW is absorbing Porsche instead of the reverse.
VOLVO Even solid, safety-conscious Volvo wasn't safe from 2009's potholes. Having put the Swedish carmaker on the block, Ford turned to China for a buyer. A deal is said to be nearly final for Geely to buy Volvo for $2 billion; Ford paid $6.5 billion in 1999.
The Volvo sale would remove the last piece of Ford's Premier Automotive Group, an awkward umbrella for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo (and, briefly, Lincoln Mercury), for which Ford built an elaborate headquarters in Irvine, Calif.
The Year in Cars - 2009 Was a Clunker. Time to Cash It In. - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27year.html?sq=2009%20Year%20In&st=cse&scp=1&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ir
High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage By JAMES G. COBB
December 27, 2009
Car Critic's Picks
High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage By JAMES G. COBB
In a year of high anxiety, at least on the economic front, car enthusiasts could take some comfort in going back to the basics. When unemployment is in double digits, do you want to roll by the soup kitchen in a Rolls Phantom?
The public's new attention to emissions and fuel economy is coinciding with a realization in automakers' executive suites that the business of green can be good business. And so in the last year I've tested two hybrids — the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Lexus HS 250h — that feel pretty much like conventional cars. I've also driven some impressive clean diesels that deserve more consideration by consumers.
1. Ford Fusion Hybrid
Several of the latest Fords have surprised me with their newfound polish and refinement, including the workaday Fusion with gasoline engines. The Fusion Hybrid takes this to another level, with a smooth, seamless gas-electric powertrain, impressive fuel economy and a reasonable price. Finally, here's a hybrid that requires no compromises.
2. Mazda 3
I could do without the smiley-face grille, but from the driver's seat the view is a thrill. There's simply no other car out there that packs so much fun, so much versatility and so many features into such a sensibly sized, fairly priced (roughly $16,000 to $25,000) package.
3. Audi R8 5.2 V-10
The R8 was already the coolest car this side of Italy, but the arrival of a new engine, shared with Lamborghini, gives it a new sense of urgency — without making the R8 any less friendly to drive to the grocery store.
4. BMW Z4
BMW has long been the master of the sport sedan, but its recent attempts at roadsters fell flat. The Z3 felt chubby and the first-generation Z4 seemed cold and impersonal. But the new Z4 is handsome, sharp-edged and exciting, a worthy challenger to the great Porsche Boxster.
5. Kia Soul
I am not sure why I found this self-consciously cute Korean so appealing, but somehow it just clicks. The styling is not quite like anything I've seen before. The interior lighting is fun — even the speakers pulse in color. And for a sub-$20,000 econobox, the appointments and equipment seem decidedly high-line.
6. Volvo XC60
Of all the pretty-good new crossovers out there (Audi Q5, Mercedes GLK, etc.), the XC60 is hands-down the most stylish and engaging.
7. Toyota Prius
The first two generations of Toyota's pioneering hybrid were a little too geeky for me. But the 2010 model is not just impressively fuel-efficient — 51 m.p.g. in town! — it is much more refined. It doesn't even look like a nerdmobile anymore.
8. BMW 750Li xDrive
There was a time when the big BMW sedan was everything I could wish for a big German car. But then the last-generation 7 Series arrived, with its big rump, perplexing controls and sterile feel, and I found the Audi A8 more to my liking. The newly redesigned 7, however, may win me back. It's fast, plush and, with variable suspension settings, capable of a range of demeanors, from plush to hard-edged.
9. BMW 335d
Tremendous torque and terrific mileage show the 3 Series' fundamental greatness to best advantage. No wonder Europeans are in love with diesels.
10. Toyota Venza
I didn't get it until I drove it: this comfortable high-set wagon is the new Country Squire. And if you want to see Toyota at the top of its game, examine the Venza's execution and attention to detail.
Beyond the Top 10
Most missed: Pontiac G8 GXP, perhaps the best all-round car G.M. ever made, and it lasted for only a few months. Also, let's bow our heads in tribute to the terrific Honda S2000 roadster. R.I.P.
Most underwhelming powertrain: Cadillac SRX with a 3-liter V-6 and 6-speed automatic. Not my idea of luxury performance.
Coolest new design: Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the best rendition yet of Cadillac's school of knife-edge design.
Best design revival: Chevrolet Camaro SS, a real head-turner, true to its roots.
Most improved: Ford Mustang GT, which has been upgraded more than you'd guess by looking at it.
Biggest missed opportunity: Ford Taurus, a transformation in which a big car with a formerly cavernous interior now manages to feel pinched on the inside.
Most unexcused absences: Chrysler Group, which in terms of new products pretty much sat the year out.
Most mystifying front end: Mazda 3, Acura TL, Acura ZDX (a three-way tie)
Most unappealing rear end: Porsche Panamera
Prettiest coupes: Audi A5 and S5
Most creative use of boxes: Kia Soul, Nissan Cube (tie)
Car Critic's Picks - High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27cobb-best.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ho
Car Critic's Picks
High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage By JAMES G. COBB
In a year of high anxiety, at least on the economic front, car enthusiasts could take some comfort in going back to the basics. When unemployment is in double digits, do you want to roll by the soup kitchen in a Rolls Phantom?
The public's new attention to emissions and fuel economy is coinciding with a realization in automakers' executive suites that the business of green can be good business. And so in the last year I've tested two hybrids — the Ford Fusion Hybrid and the Lexus HS 250h — that feel pretty much like conventional cars. I've also driven some impressive clean diesels that deserve more consideration by consumers.
1. Ford Fusion Hybrid
Several of the latest Fords have surprised me with their newfound polish and refinement, including the workaday Fusion with gasoline engines. The Fusion Hybrid takes this to another level, with a smooth, seamless gas-electric powertrain, impressive fuel economy and a reasonable price. Finally, here's a hybrid that requires no compromises.
2. Mazda 3
I could do without the smiley-face grille, but from the driver's seat the view is a thrill. There's simply no other car out there that packs so much fun, so much versatility and so many features into such a sensibly sized, fairly priced (roughly $16,000 to $25,000) package.
3. Audi R8 5.2 V-10
The R8 was already the coolest car this side of Italy, but the arrival of a new engine, shared with Lamborghini, gives it a new sense of urgency — without making the R8 any less friendly to drive to the grocery store.
4. BMW Z4
BMW has long been the master of the sport sedan, but its recent attempts at roadsters fell flat. The Z3 felt chubby and the first-generation Z4 seemed cold and impersonal. But the new Z4 is handsome, sharp-edged and exciting, a worthy challenger to the great Porsche Boxster.
5. Kia Soul
I am not sure why I found this self-consciously cute Korean so appealing, but somehow it just clicks. The styling is not quite like anything I've seen before. The interior lighting is fun — even the speakers pulse in color. And for a sub-$20,000 econobox, the appointments and equipment seem decidedly high-line.
6. Volvo XC60
Of all the pretty-good new crossovers out there (Audi Q5, Mercedes GLK, etc.), the XC60 is hands-down the most stylish and engaging.
7. Toyota Prius
The first two generations of Toyota's pioneering hybrid were a little too geeky for me. But the 2010 model is not just impressively fuel-efficient — 51 m.p.g. in town! — it is much more refined. It doesn't even look like a nerdmobile anymore.
8. BMW 750Li xDrive
There was a time when the big BMW sedan was everything I could wish for a big German car. But then the last-generation 7 Series arrived, with its big rump, perplexing controls and sterile feel, and I found the Audi A8 more to my liking. The newly redesigned 7, however, may win me back. It's fast, plush and, with variable suspension settings, capable of a range of demeanors, from plush to hard-edged.
9. BMW 335d
Tremendous torque and terrific mileage show the 3 Series' fundamental greatness to best advantage. No wonder Europeans are in love with diesels.
10. Toyota Venza
I didn't get it until I drove it: this comfortable high-set wagon is the new Country Squire. And if you want to see Toyota at the top of its game, examine the Venza's execution and attention to detail.
Beyond the Top 10
Most missed: Pontiac G8 GXP, perhaps the best all-round car G.M. ever made, and it lasted for only a few months. Also, let's bow our heads in tribute to the terrific Honda S2000 roadster. R.I.P.
Most underwhelming powertrain: Cadillac SRX with a 3-liter V-6 and 6-speed automatic. Not my idea of luxury performance.
Coolest new design: Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon, the best rendition yet of Cadillac's school of knife-edge design.
Best design revival: Chevrolet Camaro SS, a real head-turner, true to its roots.
Most improved: Ford Mustang GT, which has been upgraded more than you'd guess by looking at it.
Biggest missed opportunity: Ford Taurus, a transformation in which a big car with a formerly cavernous interior now manages to feel pinched on the inside.
Most unexcused absences: Chrysler Group, which in terms of new products pretty much sat the year out.
Most mystifying front end: Mazda 3, Acura TL, Acura ZDX (a three-way tie)
Most unappealing rear end: Porsche Panamera
Prettiest coupes: Audi A5 and S5
Most creative use of boxes: Kia Soul, Nissan Cube (tie)
Car Critic's Picks - High Anxiety in Search of Higher Mileage - NYTimes.com (28 December 2009)
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/automobiles/27cobb-best.html?ref=automobiles&pagewanted=print
http://snipurl.com/tw2ho
A Holiday From Wishful Thinking By LAWRENCE ULRICH
December 27, 2009
Car Critic's Picks
A Holiday From Wishful Thinking By LAWRENCE ULRICH
The urge to find silver linings in the recession’s clouds is understandable. But the vogueish insistence that Americans will rediscover the simple life — forgoing new cars and Texas-size TVs, perhaps stitching designer jeans from homespun cotton — is wishful thinking.
The recession has changed our essential nature as much as vegans have convinced us to stop perusing the Dollar Menu at McDonald’s. When Americans get back to work, they’ll spend their lunch breaks clambering over each other to buy cars, as they have always done when the financial coast was clear. More than a house, and far more than a piddling iPhone — a token of achievement so potent that 15-year-old babysitters can acquire one — a car remains the most visible, desirable accessory of success. For better or worse, those four wheels, wrapped in glossy paint and bursting with high-tech toys, are still the fastest route to the good life that upwardly mobile Americans have always imagined for themselves..
At least that’s my theory, for which I’m hoping to be vindicated in 2011. Or maybe in 2012. And for anyone with the means and inclination to buy a new car in 2010, here are 10 of the best I drove in 2009:
1. Volkswagen Golf TDI and GTI
The TDI hatchback, along with its road-slashing GTI cousin, are the best and most timely cars I’ve driven this year, a one-two punch to the recession’s leering mug. The diesel-powered TDI is more luxurious than a Toyota Prius, and far more fun. Yet in highway driving it is just as thrifty, posting an incredible 52 m.p.g. The GTI starts at barely $24,000 and tops 30 m.p.g. on the highway, yet this practical hatchback is as thrilling to drive as many sports cars.
2. Audi S4 and S5 Cabriolet
For both these Audis, the “S” on their muscular chests is the difference between Superman and Clark Kent: If you love to fly, why settle for the mere-mortal A4 or A5 versions? For roughly $7,000 more, the S versions come with Audi’s new 333-horsepower supercharged V-6, which blows away the 211-horsepower turbo 4 in the most basic models, yet gets just 1 m.p.g. less on the highway, at 26 mpg. And the S5 Cabrio is my current dream car that’s not pure lottery-ticket fantasy: At roughly $70,000, the Audi convertible is fast and decadent, but still roomy enough for kids and luggage.
3. Volvo XC60
A genuine looker in a field dominated by suburban snoozers, the XC60 crossover caps its eye-snaring design with several pluses: Outstanding use of space; a just-right blend of ride comfort and handling control; an eager turbocharged V-6 and a slick all-wheel-drive system. It also offers the most comprehensive safety features in its class.
4. Ford Fusion Hybrid
The Fusion defies the conventional wisdom that Detroit couldn’t build a great hybrid. The Ford trumps the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s city mileage, at 41 m.p.g. for the Ford versus 33 for the Toyota. And I love racking up green points with the interactive, leaf-sprouting video display that encourages you to try to attain the best possible mileage.
5. BMW 7 Series
I must get getting old: I’m starting to feel at home in grandpa-sized luxury sedans. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready for a date with the local death panel. The new 7 Series — I’m talking the long-wheelbase version, the 750Li — has more rear legroom than any Mercedes, Lexus, Audi or Jaguar. Yet the car’s athletic handling makes this the rare luxo-barge that can relax or reinvigorate on command.
6. Nissan 370Z Roadster
Nissan has followed up the acclaimed Z coupe, new last year, with a droptop version. And if the only thing you love more than a sports car is a convertible sports car, the Z (starting at barely $42,000) is the most wind-aided joy you’ll have without raiding the 401(k) for a Porsche Boxster, a Corvette or some other more pricey ragtop.
7. Audi R8 5.2 V-10
I was skeptical before my opening laps in the new 10-cylinder Audi R8; the original V-8 model seemed enough to satisfy any sports-car fantasy. Turns out that the 525-horsepower midmounted V-10 — a detuned version of the explosive engine in the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8’s sister car — gives the Audi the spine-jangling sound, power and 200-m.p.h. bragging rights this exotic needed all along. Now I think the V-8 version is the one that’s irrelevant: If you have the means to spend $130,000 on a two-seat Audi, you might as well go all-in for the $160,000 V-10 model.
8. Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3
Japan’s sharpest riposte to the VW Golf and GTI, the Mazdas are for buyers who demand more from a small car: Not just price and practicality, but fun and refinement. The Mazdaspeed version, with its 263-horsepower turbo 4, is more high-strung and adolescent than the GTI; but a grown-up can still drive one without looking as if he’s watched too many Eminem videos.
9. Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe
The coupe version of the latest E-Class sedan has more hubba-hubba than any four-seat Benz in memory. After you park this arched-roof coupe, you may find yourself walking backward trying to catch one last glimpse. The Benz is also fast, plush, and satisfying, especially the splurge-worthy E550, with a terrific 382-horsepower V-8.
10. Land Rover LR4
This reworking of the LR3 is as old-school as a nearly three-ton, steel-boned, rock-crawling S.U.V. can be. And the 14 m.p.g. I recorded on my test drive is old-school as well. But for the LR4, the new includes a terrific Jaguar-based V-8, a markedly improved cabin and better ride and handling. The capable LR3 was bursting with industrial character, but the LR4 is a genuine luxury alternative to the range-topping Range Rover. Add handy three-row seating unavailable in the Range Rover, and the $60,000 LR4 feels like a three-ton bargain.
Beyond the Top 10
Here are some of my biggest letdowns this year:
1. Ford Taurus
Looks are deceiving for the Taurus, whose modestly handsome styling disguises the most disappointing car I tested this year. The Taurus could get the award for World’s Biggest Small Car: it seems enormous on the outside, claustrophobic on the inside, with poor exterior sightlines and an paucity of rear legroom for taller adults. The final backhand came from my wife, taken aback by the Taurus’ old-fashioned, floaty road manners. “I thought America stopped making cars like this,” she said.
2. Chevrolet Camaro
I wanted to love the Camaro. And while the car’s looks score a technical knockout, the Camaro is too deeply flawed: It weighs too much, has a so-so interior, indifferent steering and the outward visibility of a barrel at Niagara Falls. Let’s hope the “Transformers” star can transform itself into a more complete car in the years to come.
3. Audi A4
The A4 is the rare recent Audi that misses the mark in overall design and performance, not to mention its dismayingly lofty price.
4. BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
The X6 and the 555-horsepower X6M are up front, at least, about their profligate, power-mad intentions. But the bogus X6 ActiveHybrid crossover, rated at just 19 m.p.g. on the highway, reminds me of the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan: It is overwrought and pointless, a piece of green window dressing.
5. Cadillac SRX
All show and no go sums up the Cadillac SRX, a great-looking crossover that drives like a tarted-up Chevy.
6. Chrysler Group
Give Chrysler an “incomplete” final score for the year. Perhaps tired of seeing its cars relentlessly panned, Chrysler simply didn’t put out any new cars at all this year. The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickup, itself merely a work-centric offshoot of the company’s lone sales star, was the sole new addition to the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineups. Chrysler’s cupboard is scarily bare for 2010 as well; the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee looks terrific on paper, but it will arrive into a dwindling class of conventional S.U.V.’s. Aside from that, there is next to nothing until products arrive from Fiat — and it is hardly certain that the Italians can pull off the Chrysler rescue that eluded Daimler and Cerberus, Chrysler’s two previous owners.
Car Critic's Picks
A Holiday From Wishful Thinking By LAWRENCE ULRICH
The urge to find silver linings in the recession’s clouds is understandable. But the vogueish insistence that Americans will rediscover the simple life — forgoing new cars and Texas-size TVs, perhaps stitching designer jeans from homespun cotton — is wishful thinking.
The recession has changed our essential nature as much as vegans have convinced us to stop perusing the Dollar Menu at McDonald’s. When Americans get back to work, they’ll spend their lunch breaks clambering over each other to buy cars, as they have always done when the financial coast was clear. More than a house, and far more than a piddling iPhone — a token of achievement so potent that 15-year-old babysitters can acquire one — a car remains the most visible, desirable accessory of success. For better or worse, those four wheels, wrapped in glossy paint and bursting with high-tech toys, are still the fastest route to the good life that upwardly mobile Americans have always imagined for themselves..
At least that’s my theory, for which I’m hoping to be vindicated in 2011. Or maybe in 2012. And for anyone with the means and inclination to buy a new car in 2010, here are 10 of the best I drove in 2009:
1. Volkswagen Golf TDI and GTI
The TDI hatchback, along with its road-slashing GTI cousin, are the best and most timely cars I’ve driven this year, a one-two punch to the recession’s leering mug. The diesel-powered TDI is more luxurious than a Toyota Prius, and far more fun. Yet in highway driving it is just as thrifty, posting an incredible 52 m.p.g. The GTI starts at barely $24,000 and tops 30 m.p.g. on the highway, yet this practical hatchback is as thrilling to drive as many sports cars.
2. Audi S4 and S5 Cabriolet
For both these Audis, the “S” on their muscular chests is the difference between Superman and Clark Kent: If you love to fly, why settle for the mere-mortal A4 or A5 versions? For roughly $7,000 more, the S versions come with Audi’s new 333-horsepower supercharged V-6, which blows away the 211-horsepower turbo 4 in the most basic models, yet gets just 1 m.p.g. less on the highway, at 26 mpg. And the S5 Cabrio is my current dream car that’s not pure lottery-ticket fantasy: At roughly $70,000, the Audi convertible is fast and decadent, but still roomy enough for kids and luggage.
3. Volvo XC60
A genuine looker in a field dominated by suburban snoozers, the XC60 crossover caps its eye-snaring design with several pluses: Outstanding use of space; a just-right blend of ride comfort and handling control; an eager turbocharged V-6 and a slick all-wheel-drive system. It also offers the most comprehensive safety features in its class.
4. Ford Fusion Hybrid
The Fusion defies the conventional wisdom that Detroit couldn’t build a great hybrid. The Ford trumps the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s city mileage, at 41 m.p.g. for the Ford versus 33 for the Toyota. And I love racking up green points with the interactive, leaf-sprouting video display that encourages you to try to attain the best possible mileage.
5. BMW 7 Series
I must get getting old: I’m starting to feel at home in grandpa-sized luxury sedans. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready for a date with the local death panel. The new 7 Series — I’m talking the long-wheelbase version, the 750Li — has more rear legroom than any Mercedes, Lexus, Audi or Jaguar. Yet the car’s athletic handling makes this the rare luxo-barge that can relax or reinvigorate on command.
6. Nissan 370Z Roadster
Nissan has followed up the acclaimed Z coupe, new last year, with a droptop version. And if the only thing you love more than a sports car is a convertible sports car, the Z (starting at barely $42,000) is the most wind-aided joy you’ll have without raiding the 401(k) for a Porsche Boxster, a Corvette or some other more pricey ragtop.
7. Audi R8 5.2 V-10
I was skeptical before my opening laps in the new 10-cylinder Audi R8; the original V-8 model seemed enough to satisfy any sports-car fantasy. Turns out that the 525-horsepower midmounted V-10 — a detuned version of the explosive engine in the Lamborghini Gallardo, the R8’s sister car — gives the Audi the spine-jangling sound, power and 200-m.p.h. bragging rights this exotic needed all along. Now I think the V-8 version is the one that’s irrelevant: If you have the means to spend $130,000 on a two-seat Audi, you might as well go all-in for the $160,000 V-10 model.
8. Mazda 3/Mazdaspeed 3
Japan’s sharpest riposte to the VW Golf and GTI, the Mazdas are for buyers who demand more from a small car: Not just price and practicality, but fun and refinement. The Mazdaspeed version, with its 263-horsepower turbo 4, is more high-strung and adolescent than the GTI; but a grown-up can still drive one without looking as if he’s watched too many Eminem videos.
9. Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe
The coupe version of the latest E-Class sedan has more hubba-hubba than any four-seat Benz in memory. After you park this arched-roof coupe, you may find yourself walking backward trying to catch one last glimpse. The Benz is also fast, plush, and satisfying, especially the splurge-worthy E550, with a terrific 382-horsepower V-8.
10. Land Rover LR4
This reworking of the LR3 is as old-school as a nearly three-ton, steel-boned, rock-crawling S.U.V. can be. And the 14 m.p.g. I recorded on my test drive is old-school as well. But for the LR4, the new includes a terrific Jaguar-based V-8, a markedly improved cabin and better ride and handling. The capable LR3 was bursting with industrial character, but the LR4 is a genuine luxury alternative to the range-topping Range Rover. Add handy three-row seating unavailable in the Range Rover, and the $60,000 LR4 feels like a three-ton bargain.
Beyond the Top 10
Here are some of my biggest letdowns this year:
1. Ford Taurus
Looks are deceiving for the Taurus, whose modestly handsome styling disguises the most disappointing car I tested this year. The Taurus could get the award for World’s Biggest Small Car: it seems enormous on the outside, claustrophobic on the inside, with poor exterior sightlines and an paucity of rear legroom for taller adults. The final backhand came from my wife, taken aback by the Taurus’ old-fashioned, floaty road manners. “I thought America stopped making cars like this,” she said.
2. Chevrolet Camaro
I wanted to love the Camaro. And while the car’s looks score a technical knockout, the Camaro is too deeply flawed: It weighs too much, has a so-so interior, indifferent steering and the outward visibility of a barrel at Niagara Falls. Let’s hope the “Transformers” star can transform itself into a more complete car in the years to come.
3. Audi A4
The A4 is the rare recent Audi that misses the mark in overall design and performance, not to mention its dismayingly lofty price.
4. BMW X6 ActiveHybrid
The X6 and the 555-horsepower X6M are up front, at least, about their profligate, power-mad intentions. But the bogus X6 ActiveHybrid crossover, rated at just 19 m.p.g. on the highway, reminds me of the Lexus LS 600h L hybrid sedan: It is overwrought and pointless, a piece of green window dressing.
5. Cadillac SRX
All show and no go sums up the Cadillac SRX, a great-looking crossover that drives like a tarted-up Chevy.
6. Chrysler Group
Give Chrysler an “incomplete” final score for the year. Perhaps tired of seeing its cars relentlessly panned, Chrysler simply didn’t put out any new cars at all this year. The Dodge Ram Heavy Duty pickup, itself merely a work-centric offshoot of the company’s lone sales star, was the sole new addition to the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep lineups. Chrysler’s cupboard is scarily bare for 2010 as well; the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee looks terrific on paper, but it will arrive into a dwindling class of conventional S.U.V.’s. Aside from that, there is next to nothing until products arrive from Fiat — and it is hardly certain that the Italians can pull off the Chrysler rescue that eluded Daimler and Cerberus, Chrysler’s two previous owners.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)