We've been patiently waiting for spring to arrive to time our road trip to Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, about a 45 minute drive from Manhattan. The timing was perfect -- Chef Dan Barber loaded up our $42 prix fixe lunch with spring's bounty -- ramps, asparagus, dainty greenhouse microgreens, and fresh breakfast radishes. Pictured above are black bass perched atop a delicately sweet stew of beets, and spinach cannelloni, with...

Augie does a two step on authenticity and how it can be anywhere, then uses that as a pretext to review the Nonna Maria slice at Bleeker Street Pizza. Ancillary pizza generalizations are also on display, and Chicago takes a hit. For regularly updated dining digests with a Asian/vegetarian slant check the Gaijin Girl's blog. Check out The Hedonista Hundred, the author is only up to 20, but they are sticking with it and adding...

It’s hard to keep a secret in this town. Maybe with so many people, so close together privacy seems a foreign concept. But as we learned on the playground back in third grade, “secrets, secrets are no fun, unless they are for everyone.” God, we were so smart back then. That being said, you probably know all about the Monday Room. Actually, you may have even heard about it from us, when we spoke to...

We’re pissed. After setting the date on our schedule for an excursion out to the Red Hook Ball fields this Saturday to sample some of the famous Mexican stalls, word comes from Porkchop Express that the opening has been postponed until May 5th. Apparently from the official Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park: ...administrative issues beyond our control have forced us to push this date to May 5th. We are very excited to...

We’re pissed. After setting the date on our schedule for an excursion out to the Red Hook Ball fields this Saturday to sample some of the famous Mexican stalls, word comes from Porkchop Express that the opening has been postponed until May 5th. Apparently from the official Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park: ...administrative issues beyond our control have forced us to push this date to May 5th. We are very excited to...

Off the Broiler gets an early peek at Marco Canora and Paul Greico's Insieme, complete with excellent food porn. Only have 36 hours in NYC? Love wine? Dr. Vino has got the perfect itinerary for you, including stops at not-to-be-missed wine bars, wine shops, restaurants, and even a "vinotherapy" spa. The boys from Thrillist serve up some boozy all-you-can-drink brunch options. Grub Street fuels the rumor mill surrounding an upcoming collaboration between Drew Nieporent and...

Fette Sau (German for Fat Pig) rests back from the street off Metropolitan Ave, in an old garage outfitted with what is one of Brooklyn's newest barbecue joints. It is rightly getting loads of press for its food, but what many of them forget to mention is that it's also loaded with one of the most impressive collections of bourbons in the city. We counted 55 different ones the last time we were there, which...

Fette Sau (German for Fat Pig) rests back from the street off Metropolitan Ave, in an old garage outfitted with what is one of Brooklyn's newest barbecue joints. It is rightly getting loads of press for its food, but what many of them forget to mention is that it's also loaded with one of the most impressive collections of bourbons in the city. We counted 55 different ones the last time we were there, which...

Landmarc is the latest restaurant to open at the Time Warner Center, thankfully providing an affordable option to TWC visitors who want to sit down for a casual meal without waiting in line at the basement Whole Foods or the neighboring Bouchon Bakery. Both breakfast and lunch are served from 7 AM to 4 PM every day of the week. Want to start off your morning with a hamburger? Do it. Our friend Tina...

Feed Your Mind is a new column that will focus on food-related books. Have you ever wondered what sparked the culinary careers of the world's top chefs? Sure, they may be huge names today, but where did they start and how did they get there? How I Learned to Cook: Culinary Educations from the World's Greatest Chefs is an entertaining view into pivotal moments in the lives of culinary leaders like Mario Batali, Anthony Bourdain,...

April 28: Food and Wine Pairings: Remarkable Greece Food guru David Rosengarten and guest chef Jim Botsacos of Molyvos, will pair Greek wines with Greek delicacies for a Greek-o-riffic afternoon. De Gustibus 8th Floor Cooking School at Macy's Herald Square, 151 West 34th Street, 1:00 - 4:00PM, $95. April 29: Dining for Darfur Join Andrea Strong in her second annual fundraiser to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Dine out at participating restaurants, which...

April 28: Food and Wine Pairings: Remarkable Greece Food guru David Rosengarten and guest chef Jim Botsacos of Molyvos, will pair Greek wines with Greek delicacies for a Greek-o-riffic afternoon. De Gustibus 8th Floor Cooking School at Macy's Herald Square, 151 West 34th Street, 1:00 - 4:00PM, $95. April 29: Dining for Darfur Join Andrea Strong in her second annual fundraiser to raise awareness about the genocide in Darfur. Dine out at participating restaurants, which...

We get our baking equipment at a number of places in town: Williams-Sonoma, Broadway Panhandler, Bridge Kitchenware, and they've each got a decent selection of baking sheets and silpat and tart molds. But when it comes to finding that elusive cake mold in the size that no one seems to carry, or the special tip for piping we can't find anywhere, there's one place that never lets us down: New York Cake Supplies. They carry...

We get our baking equipment at a number of places in town: Williams-Sonoma, Broadway Panhandler, Bridge Kitchenware, and they've each got a decent selection of baking sheets and silpat and tart molds. But when it comes to finding that elusive cake mold in the size that no one seems to carry, or the special tip for piping we can't find anywhere, there's one place that never lets us down: New York Cake Supplies. They carry...

The newest addition to the Two Boots Pizza empire is set to open on Sunday on the Lower East Side. [Grub Street] Top Chef season one contestant LeAnn Wong was spotted dining at Momofuku Ssam Bar and dishes that she's going to be a producer on the show next season. [FoodCandy] Want a career in the culinary arts but can't afford it? The James Beard Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2007 scholarship program....

The newest addition to the Two Boots Pizza empire is set to open on Sunday on the Lower East Side. [Grub Street] Top Chef season one contestant LeAnn Wong was spotted dining at Momofuku Ssam Bar and dishes that she's going to be a producer on the show next season. [FoodCandy] Want a career in the culinary arts but can't afford it? The James Beard Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2007 scholarship program....

The kind of attention being paid to ramp season has reached a fever pitch usually reserved for depraved celebrity gossip. Last season, after food blogger Augie enjoyed a pizza at Otto topped with ramps and a fried egg, several readers rushed over to the restaurant in attempt to order the same, and were promptly shut down by a noncompliant waitstaff. This year, Gothamist was shocked by a heaping side order of ramp greens at Telepan,...

This week Bruni visits Keith McNally's Morandi, which has been getting creamed by critics of late. He awards the restaurant one star, says "the food has been getting a worse rap than it deserves," but also that it's erratic. He doesn't love the desserts, but doesn't hate them; same goes for the wine list. Overall, McNally has "miscalculated with this restaurant," says Bruni, "which doesn't have enough atmospheric magic to distract you from the insane...

This week Bruni visits Keith McNally's Morandi, which has been getting creamed by critics of late. He awards the restaurant one star, says "the food has been getting a worse rap than it deserves," but also that it's erratic. He doesn't love the desserts, but doesn't hate them; same goes for the wine list. Overall, McNally has "miscalculated with this restaurant," says Bruni, "which doesn't have enough atmospheric magic to distract you from the insane...

FR.OG -- This sleek space in SoHo brings together Chef Didier Virot and his partner from Aix Brasserie, Philip Kirsh, in a tribute to parts of the world that had at one time been colonized by the French and influenced by French cuisine. The name stands for French Origin (it has nothing to do with amphibians), and the menu provides a global culinary romp with stops in Vietnam, Morocco, Lebanon and, of course, France....

FR.OG -- This sleek space in SoHo brings together Chef Didier Virot and his partner from Aix Brasserie, Philip Kirsh, in a tribute to parts of the world that had at one time been colonized by the French and influenced by French cuisine. The name stands for French Origin (it has nothing to do with amphibians), and the menu provides a global culinary romp with stops in Vietnam, Morocco, Lebanon and, of course, France....

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. With the weather finally creeping into comfortable spring, it’s finally time to start spending a lot of our time thinking of ways to cool off. Some might think of beverages with lots of ice, but for some reason we were thinking about cucumbers. It’s hard to think of another vegetable so cool and so crisp. It might be the...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. With the weather finally creeping into comfortable spring, it’s finally time to start spending a lot of our time thinking of ways to cool off. Some might think of beverages with lots of ice, but for some reason we were thinking about cucumbers. It’s hard to think of another vegetable so cool and so crisp. It might be the...

Caitlin Berrigan is a 25 year-old Brooklyn-based artist who chooses media such as fats, sugars, and proteins to address ideas and subjects that are often invisible to the naked eye. At Location One last month, Berrigan presented her Viral Confections project: ping pong ball-sized chocolate truffles she casts from a silicone mold created especially for the task. The truffles are made in the shape of the Hepatitis C virus. “These delicious truffles do not carry...

It's the convergence of restaurant hot spot and restaurant hot topic: The Waverly Inn meets health inspection - and fails! The NY Times looks at the recent health inspection woes of Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter's noshery, finding that the Department of Health found a number of issues during a March 28 inspection. Hmm, perhaps picking up on the mice-alert-at-the-Waverly that Eater wrote about in February? Here's what the DOH found:1.) "Choking first aid" poster...

The Tribeca Film Festival is starting this Wednesday night, so you still have a few days to get your tickets and make dinner reservations. The New York Times gave a few local suggestions including Dennis Foy, Mai House, and Turks and Frogs. Cercle Rouge is offering a prix fixe, three-course menus for lunch ($19.95) and for dinner from 4 - 7 p.m. ($34.95), just for the occasion. Some of our other Tribeca favorites include Landmarc,...

Summer's around the corner and the party invitations are beginning to roll in. If you want to get invited back to their share on the shore, the key is bringing a great hostess gift (and not puking off the balcony). You don’t need to deplete your bank account to make a good impression; in fact for only $20 bucks we found the perfect gift. The “IL” Party To-Go kit (around $19.99) contains two 750 ml....

Summer's around the corner and the party invitations are beginning to roll in. If you want to get invited back to their share on the shore, the key is bringing a great hostess gift (and not puking off the balcony). You don’t need to deplete your bank account to make a good impression; in fact for only $20 bucks we found the perfect gift. The “IL” Party To-Go kit (around $19.99) contains two 750 ml....

Looks like Rick's Ramps have made it into the Union Square Greenmarket, the frenzy commences...now. We raised some of our own in few EV community gardens, are hoping to harvest in a bit and use as an herb as opposed to the pile of it recently consumed as a veg accompaniment on the Duck dish at Telepan. Nina Lalli goes on a Sunset Park taco tour. Great photos here, we especially love the race track...

How much thought do you give to the origins of your daily dose of java? Not the origin of the purchase (mega-chain vs. local joint), but the origin of the beans themselves. And not just country of origin, but the labor and trade practices of the growers and workers who got those beans to you, no matter where they end up. Many of us don't think about this, but the owners of Vox Pop, a...

With many local short-season spring vegetables out of commission (ramps, pea greens), at least for a while, one nutty underdog is currently available at many small Middle Eastern, Russian, and Ukrainian produce markets throughout lower Brooklyn and parts of Queens- green almonds. Because they are only available for 3-4 weeks each year, green almonds are usually overlooked, or are considered too hard to find. Some people dismiss the olive-sized green things as too much kitchen...

It's a gorgeous day out (high of 76 degrees!), so we're going to echo our earlier suggestion for an outside Saturday event. Head to Chinatown for the Taste of Chinatown, where you can try a number of different Asian foods for $1-2. According to a menu, the dishes include "Peking Duck, Shrimp Salad, Green Curry Chicken, Thai Spring Roll, Papaya Salad, Banana Sticky Rice, Thai Iced Tea, BBQ Pork/Duck/Ribs, Fried Squid, Grilled Beef Papaya...

In George Orwell's 1933 debut roman a clef novel "Down and Out in Paris and London", the author asserted that the more high-class an establishment in Paris, the more disgusting its kitchen could be counted on being. We certainly don't feel that holds true today, but the New York Times has a piece this morning about the closure of Brasserie la Côte Basque in the wake of the health scandal that stemmed from a rat...

Sandwiched between Park Slope and Gowanus, along 4th Avenue, the Sheep Station bills itself as an Australian restaurant even if the bar seems to get the most attention. It has none of the kitschy video games, dated beer posters, or anything really that might muck up its design. It’s all straight lines and clean surfaces, and in that respect feels a little like Gothamist favorite Bocco Lupo in Cobble Hill. Like that enticing wine bar,...

Sandwiched between Park Slope and Gowanus, along 4th Avenue, the Sheep Station bills itself as an Australian restaurant even if the bar seems to get the most attention. It has none of the kitschy video games, dated beer posters, or anything really that might muck up its design. It’s all straight lines and clean surfaces, and in that respect feels a little like Gothamist favorite Bocco Lupo in Cobble Hill. Like that enticing wine bar,...

If you are easily distracted by the flashy signs and lights that decorate most of Korea Town’s restaurants on 32nd Street, you would easily miss E-Mo, a hole-in-the-wall that only sells kimbap, the Korean take on Japanese sushi. As much as we love sushi, we prefer kimbap because its hefty size resembles sushi on steroids and actually fills up our stomach, while dainty sushi inexplicably makes us feel hungrier. E-Mo’s kimbap come filled with jalapeno,...