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PassBlue - Covering the UN

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Irwin Arieff and Deborah Baldwin

Deborah Baldwin is a veteran editor and writer, most recently for This Old House; previously, she was an editor for The New York Times, working on the Style section and other parts of the newspaper. She and her husband, Irwin Arieff, wrote restaurant reviews for The Washington Post and Washington City Paper in the 1980s and 1990s.

Irwin Arieff is a veteran writer and editor with extensive experience writing about international diplomacy and food, cooking and restaurants. Before leaving daily journalism in 2007, he was a Reuters correspondent for 23 years, serving in senior posts in Washington, Paris and New York as well as at the United Nations.

Irwin Arieff and Deborah Baldwin

Deborah Baldwin is a veteran editor and writer, most recently for This Old House; previously, she was an editor for The New York Times, working on the Style section and other parts of the newspaper. She and her husband, Irwin Arieff, wrote restaurant reviews for The Washington Post and Washington City Paper in the 1980s and 1990s.

Irwin Arieff is a veteran writer and editor with extensive experience writing about international diplomacy and food, cooking and restaurants. Before leaving daily journalism in 2007, he was a Reuters correspondent for 23 years, serving in senior posts in Washington, Paris and New York as well as at the United Nations.

A Crozes-Hermitage With That Burger, Please

November 21, 2019

by Irwin Arieff and Deborah Baldwin

Second Avenue near the United Nations is not exactly expense-account row, which makes Château 49 something of an anomaly, in more ways than one. There aren’t many spots in this area where you can order two glasses of red wine at high noon without apology, tuck into slow-cooked coq au vin and relax over …

UN EATS

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Craving Ceviche and Other Delights During the UN General Assembly? A NYC Foodie Guide

September 20, 2019

New Yorkers know full well to avoid East Midtown Manhattan around mid-September. During those few weeks, when the United Nations General Assembly opens its annual session, multiple street blocks go into a major security gridlock in this part of town. Despite the increase in crowds and traffic, the world leaders, diplomats and international policy …

UN Diplomats, UN EATS

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The UN Headquarters’ Incredibly Shrinking Dining Choices

July 11, 2019

by Irwin Arieff

Six years ago, hungry staff members at the United Nations’ New York headquarters thought big changes were afoot in the cafeteria, and not a moment too soon. Toward the end, the provider, Aramark, a publicly traded firm best known for its catering at prisons and baseball stadiums, replaced silverware with plastic and got rid of all …

UN EATS

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At The Pho 5, Vietnamese-Style Tacos and Slurpy Noodles

May 24, 2019

by Irwin Arieff

Sure, you could check out The Pho 5 for its oversized bowls of beefy pho, its slurpable vermicelli and its tempting summer and spring rolls. But don’t snub the tacos. As slick nouvelle-Vietnamese cooking is trending, The Pho 5 offers simpler, more straightforward fare, in a sliver storefront on Third Avenue near 39th Street. …

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Little Tong Noodle Shop, Packing the Heat and the Crowds

February 14, 2019

by Irwin Arieff

Little Tong wants you to fall in love with its rice noodles, known as mixian in Yunnan province, their place of origin. But don’t ignore the big draw at this diminutive Turtle Bay restaurant — as if you could: incendiary spice blends that make your mouth sting and eyes tear up the moment you …

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Art and Lunch, a Felicitous Blend at Rose Hill

April 27, 2018

by Irwin Arieff and Deborah Baldwin

Some people at the United Nations remain in mourning since Matisse shut down in February after serving as the corner cantine to hungry diplomats and their friends and neighbors for nearly nine years. If you are still feeling a void in your lunchtime routine, there’s good news: a sister restaurant called Rose Hill opened …

UN EATS

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Ah, Wilderness: Escaping to Tuttles’ Backyard

June 25, 2015

by Irwin Arieff

It’s a balmy summer evening, but the United Nations neighborhood has few places where you can grab a beer and a burger or a salad under the glow of office towers. So it was a pleasant surprise to be invited by old friends for drinks at Tuttles Bar & Grill, where two well-concealed outdoor …

UN EATS

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Serious Sushi Tempts Customers to a Restaurant With No Name

April 9, 2015

by Irwin Arieff

It started out as a health food store. Maybe you never went inside, but it was easy to spot for its eye-catching sidewalk signs touting Bladder Control Tea. Then a tiny lunch counter appeared, displacing a few of the shop’s bright-green racks piled high with vitamins. The menu: sushi, smoothies and noodle soup. UN …

UN EATS

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Top 10 Dining Choices Near the UN, Plus a Rendezvous for Espresso

March 11, 2015

by Irwin Arieff

Looking for a place to eat while you’re in New York for the the Commission on the Status of Women? PassBlue’s UN Eats relieves the trial and error of finding a good place to eat around the United Nations. Below is the top 10 list of UN Eats reviews, chosen by PassBlue’s critic Irwin …

UN EATS

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Tres Carnes: Barbecue and Tex-Mex Hook Up

February 26, 2015

by Irwin Arieff

Tres Carnes, a New York mini-chain with a new branch in the Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan, touts its food as a marriage of Tex-Mex and Texas-style barbecue. The wedding may spice up your lunch hour, but the pairing does not dazzle. While some of the dishes stand out, it’s mostly just Mexican …

UN EATS

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Eating Like an Italian at Alidoro

January 8, 2015

by Irwin Arieff

Alidoro is the sandwich shop of my dreams, and that’s a problem. Other people seem to feel the same way. Drop by between 11:30 and 2:30 and you may get so hungry waiting in line to order your lunch you’ll be tempted to put in a call to Domino’s. Situated on a nondescript stretch of …

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Asian Fusion That Shines With Star Power

October 30, 2014

by Irwin Arieff

Fusion is the fashion these days, but the concept is fairly fuzzy. It can just mean that an Italian and an Argentine got married and decided to share a stove. But if you’re lucky, it will really mean that some great minds with good cooking skills have pooled ingredients and techniques from different parts …

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Luke’s Lobster, Offering Seafood Alfresco

September 18, 2014

by Irwin Arieff

If you didn’t know it was there, you could easily walk right by the new Luke’s Lobster, just east of Third Avenue on East 43rd. Scaffolding next door has left the double glass doors at the front of the restaurant in the dark, and there’s only a small blackboard sign to let you know …

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Hearing a Call for Kale? A New Spot for Aficionados

July 17, 2014

by Irwin Arieff

Should you go to a health-food restaurant just because the food is good for you? No, you should go there because the cooking is healthy and tastes great. Now, a related question: If you call your place “Kale” and add chopped bits of it to nearly every dish on the menu, will they come? …

UN EATS

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Blue Olive Market: Rack of Lamb to Go

May 8, 2014

by Irwin Arieff

At the Blue Olive Market, a new casual restaurant and carryout service in the United Nations neighborhood, you can be out the door in minutes with a lunch of rack of lamb — four lovely rare-cooked chops — along with two vegetable side dishes, all for the princely sum of $13.95. The market, on …

UN EATS

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