June 3: A Day A Whey (the Sequel!) Join Saxelby Cheesemongers for a day trip to the Valley Shepherd Creamery in New Jersey to see a sheep dairy in action. Learn about the cheesemaking process from start to finish and end the day with a picnic on the farm. 11 am to 7 pm. Tickets are $75 and are available online. June 4: Japanese Food Demonstration and Tasting Head on over to the Brooklyn Kitchen...

With yesterday’s innocuous New York Times review of Katz’s Deli and the news last week that the 2nd Avenue Deli will be "recreated" in Murray Hill, it seems that forces of pastrami have won some kind of cosmic victory over the over the forces of real estate; forces that threaten to destroy old-fashioned New York dining institutions. The outer boroughs are home to a scattering of delicatessens where the pastrami sandwiches rival, and at times...

Grab a few friends and head over to Momofuku Ssäm Bar for the Bo Ssäm ($180) a huge hunk of pork butt, cooked to falling-off-the-bone perfection, and served with a dozen oysters, kimchi, rice, a variety of sauces (including an addictive ginger-based sauce), and bibb lettuce for wrapping. You'll have to call in advance for reservations, and depending on the size of your group, you'll have room for other dishes as well. Our group...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Memorial Day usually conjures up some kind of natural reactions. Beyond the real reason-for-the-season aspect of the holiday, what usually comes next is food. Though hot dogs, chicken wings, and many other things could and should be used, what hits the paper plates more often than not are hamburgers. Which is all well and good, except that Memorial Day...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Memorial Day usually conjures up some kind of natural reactions. Beyond the real reason-for-the-season aspect of the holiday, what usually comes next is food. Though hot dogs, chicken wings, and many other things could and should be used, what hits the paper plates more often than not are hamburgers. Which is all well and good, except that Memorial Day...

The 7 month-old Taqueria Tlaxcalli in the Parkchester section of the Bronx seems unassuming enough: the narrow dining room is painted in nice colors, and is adjoined with a half dozen counter seats and an open kitchen where you can see your food being prepared. It turns out that the food is incredibly good, made using an arsenal of different chili peppers for a variety of culinary effects. Serranos (10,000 to 23,000 on the Scoville...

This week Bruni visits Katz's Delicatessen, awards the LES institution one star. Calls its pastrami sandwich "one of the best in the land" and Katz’s itself "the king of New York delis." He doesn't like the potato knish, the latkes or the desserts, but overall loves the institution—don’t we all? —that is Katz’s. Also in the Times, Peter Meehan goes to Lucky Eight in Brooklyn's Chinatown for $25 and Under. He recommends the dinner menu...

This week Bruni visits Katz's Delicatessen, awards the LES institution one star. Calls its pastrami sandwich "one of the best in the land" and Katz’s itself "the king of New York delis." He doesn't like the potato knish, the latkes or the desserts, but overall loves the institution—don’t we all? —that is Katz’s. Also in the Times, Peter Meehan goes to Lucky Eight in Brooklyn's Chinatown for $25 and Under. He recommends the dinner menu...

Newly opened Smith and Mills is, apparently, all about the bathroom. [Eater] Food bloggers everywhere want to show you what's in their fridges. [Blogsoop] Looking for some new (and old) ideas for eating out? How about Resto, 11 Madison Park, or the East Village Yacht Club? [MUG] What's better than the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory? Another Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory. This time in Greenpoint. [NY Mag] Photo courtesy of Becks and Posh Got a tidbit...

No orange Sharpies in these goodie bags, honest. Technically we weren't at Martha Stewart's table. French wonderchef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten was. Gothamist had the distinct honor of attending the premiere broadcast of the domestic diva's new Sirius radio show, At Martha's Table last week. As Gothamist approached the McGraw-Hill Building on 49th Street, we knew Martha was already in the house, particularly because there was a Chevy Suburban with tinted windows parked outside. And what a...

No orange Sharpies in these goodie bags, honest. Technically we weren't at Martha Stewart's table. French wonderchef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten was. Gothamist had the distinct honor of attending the premiere broadcast of the domestic diva's new Sirius radio show, At Martha's Table last week. As Gothamist approached the McGraw-Hill Building on 49th Street, we knew Martha was already in the house, particularly because there was a Chevy Suburban with tinted windows parked outside. And what a...

The Cedar Tavern is next in the long list of establishments giving way to condo development. The tavern has been located at 82 University Place (between 11th and 12th Streets) since 1963, though it's original location, in 1866, was on Cedar Street, from there it moved to 24 University Place. Best known for its legendary patrons: Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and countless others - most of...

Sometimes, a middling restaurant can be where everyone wants to dine - if it has outdoor seating. Last week, WNBC's Andrew Siff had a story on the rise of al fresco dining in the city and had some interesting statistics. And we also liked that al fresco diners use their laptops during dinner. The number of permits for sidewalk cafes has increased from 600 in 2002 to 900 in 2007. Tje Department of Consumer...

While that whiff of fried food is as indelible to the aura of Coney Island as the roller coaster, sometimes you just don’t want hot dogs, fried clams, onions rings, or elephant ears. The only fresh fruit option we’d ever found were from the nice ladies that stroll around with the cut up mangoes on a stick. But there are only so many of those things you can suck back before the real hunger pangs...

An adventurous appetite for ethnically authentic and delicious victuals in our fair city's outer boroughs often yields both delights and disasters. This is a tale of a delight, three to be precise. Gothamist found the sugary jewels you see before you at Laziza, an oasis of a Middle Eastern bakery set amidst the myriad hookah lounges that line Steinway Street in Astoria. Like many an old-school pastry shop, the display case runs the length of...

An adventurous appetite for ethnically authentic and delicious victuals in our fair city's outer boroughs often yields both delights and disasters. This is a tale of a delight, three to be precise. Gothamist found the sugary jewels you see before you at Laziza, an oasis of a Middle Eastern bakery set amidst the myriad hookah lounges that line Steinway Street in Astoria. Like many an old-school pastry shop, the display case runs the length of...

In a city that has everything, there are always a few things that we can use more of. For starters, maybe one or two more cheese shops, an extra beer garden wouldn’t hurt and who wouldn’t like another Trader Joe’s? Just saying. The same rule applies to wine bars. Sure we have a bunch, but after a while, the circuit gets old. Luckily, we have a new stop to add to our list. Wined...

On Saturday Union Square Wines held the kickoff for the three-day, first anniversary of their new location on 4th Avenue and 13th street. Bringing in about a dozen of their favorite importers and distributors, they set up tasting stations all around the store and turned loose the herds of glass-in-hand sippers for six hours. Unlike the tastings that sometimes take place at your local wine stores with wines you do not know and are...

Yesterday we pointed out WCBS tip-sheet that reminded vacationers that the beach is a deadly minefield of hazards, potentially littered with actual explosives. Now, local ABC affiliate WABC has a piece pointing out the dangers of Memorial Day grilling. Salmonella, e. coli bacteria, and other causes of food poisoning tend to proliferate when people get relaxed about cooking cleanliness while grilling. The CDC reports that food-poisoning illnesses necessitate 300,000 hospitalizations a year and cause 5,000...

Sample is small. But not like Minibar small, or even Tini, where what you see is what you get. It is long and especially narrow, and feels like it has more to show. We kept expecting to find another room, or a little cove behind some tables. But even the back garden only has enough room for two tiny tables. If you have the misfortune to sit in the middle of the bar you’ll have...

Sample is small. But not like Minibar small, or even Tini, where what you see is what you get. It is long and especially narrow, and feels like it has more to show. We kept expecting to find another room, or a little cove behind some tables. But even the back garden only has enough room for two tiny tables. If you have the misfortune to sit in the middle of the bar you’ll have...

While Tiny's Giant Sandwich Shop is easily our favorite cheap sandwicherie, we also have a designated favorite not-so-cheap sandwicherie: Blue Ribbon Bakery. Sandwiches are only offered during lunch time, but that might be a good restriction so that we don't blow money on them too often, which mostly cost between $12 and $15....

May 26 - 27 Barbecue at Flatbush Farm The gang at Flatbush Farm hosts a barbecue the last weekend of every month, including this one. Feast on grilled clams, barbecued chicken legs and ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, veggie chili and more. 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. 76 Saint Marks Avenue, Brooklyn. Call 718-622-3276 for details. May 29: Is New York Dining Really Better Than Ever? Ask the experts! Mike Colamenico will moderate a panel discussion...

It must be the warmer weather: there’s been a lot posted on Gothamist this week about drinks, from limey gin fizzes to detox smoothies; from aguas frescas to wine made in Queens. Today, as part of our continuing summer beverage coverage, we present some strange and fancy sodas. Airforce Nutrisodas come in eight different fruit flavored varieties, each styled with a wellness-themed end result, wishful thinking a la Vitamin Water: “Radiant” is pomegranate and...

City Councilman Eric Gioia, took it upon himself to eat only what he could afford for $28, the equivalent of a week's worth of food stamps. He followed in the foosteps of Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, who only allotted himself $21 (the Oregonian food stamp equivalent) for the week. According to the New Yorker, Councilman Gioia conducted the challenge "to draw attention to the issue of how people are living in New York City.” After...

Did you ever hear the one about the vineyard in Queens, just minutes away from the Little Neck Parkway Q46 bus stop? Even if you haven’t, it’s true. First reported three years ago, the borough is finally set to prove it has terroir in spades with the imminent production of its namesake wine. The epicenter for this oenophile revolution is the Queens County Farm Museum, described on its website as “New York City's largest remaining...

This week Bruni two-stars Belgian Resto. Loves the beers, the fries and mussels, and the hint of Asian seasonings in some dishes: "Resto's version of Belgium is neither clichéd nor isolationist," he says. It’s not great for your arteries, either, he points out, but sometimes it's worth the health risk. In Dining Briefs, Bruni stops by Perilla (the new restaurant opened by Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle). Says "Like a bistro with elegant tailoring, it...

Hate airport food? Well, if you're flying out of JFK, they've just opened a Balducci's in Terminal 2. We're also partial to the Cibo Express in Terminal 6, pictured at right. [New Yorkology] What happens when you mix chefs, booze, fire, and egos? A mess, some broken glass, and an accidental stabbing. Seems that Marco Pierre White was demonstrating a flaming Sambuca trick to Mario Batali, Tony Bourdain and others at the Spotted Pig when...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Two weeks ago, searching for limes among the piles of produce in Fairway seemed like cruel game. Because they were out of the “regular” ones, we had to wade through the organic bins, tossing over strange foliage to find the citrus at over a dollar a piece. So imagine our shock when we walked in this week and faced...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Two weeks ago, searching for limes among the piles of produce in Fairway seemed like cruel game. Because they were out of the “regular” ones, we had to wade through the organic bins, tossing over strange foliage to find the citrus at over a dollar a piece. So imagine our shock when we walked in this week and faced...

The life of a food columnist may seem glamorous to some -- tasting events, restaurant openings, dining out several nights a week -- but sometimes it feels downright gluttonous. After a particularly over-the-top week, when I received an email from the folks at Blueprint Cleanse offering me a free sample 3-day juice cleanse, I jumped right on it. The idea behind a three-day juice cleanse is that it will help your body purge the...

It’s hard to live in the shadow -- the one overlooked, or at best, an afterthought. But this is the burden that Armagnac has had to bear -- the forgotten little sister to Cognac. But what has been a difficult life for this troubled spirit has resulted in great values and hidden treasures for those who have been wise enough to look past the spotlight. There are probably a good number of you who are...

We got ourselves a note in the inbox from the folks who run the Big Apple BBQ to let us know that Bubba FastPasses are currently on sale from now till May 25 for the June 9 & 10 event. Gothamist was all over this event last year; look for more great coverage and photos coming up soon. This year should provide a bit of a pre-show glimpse of what local pitmaster Robbie Richter has...

Looking for coastal dining? Try Staten Island. If that Mr. Softee jingle grates on your nerves, maybe you should try to write your own. Andrea Strong explores the world of Greek wines. Does Shrek the Third's huge movie opening mean that less kids will eat less fast food at McDonald's, since McD's has the green ogre telling kids to order milk - not soda - and apples - not apple pies? Or should McDonald's have...

We used to think lemonade was the best drink for cooling off in the summertime. Our grandmother swore by barley water. But on a recent humid day a friend mixed passionfruit puree with strawberry puree, threw in a bit of ice and water, and there it was! The most refreshing drink we've ever had. We tried to stop at three glasses; it didn't work. We managed to stretch out the fourth, and we've been thinking...

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes One of the great things about Rego Park apart from all the Central Asian kebab joints and it being the home of graffitti legend Cost is all the treats at the Russian delis scattered throughout the neighborhood. Which brings us to the subject of today's find at the ethnic market: korzhiki. Think of these round...

While we can't honestly imagine what kind of pleasure you'd get from sipping on that highly polluted stream, we did do a little bit of research about drinking establishments around Brooklyn’s favorite body of water. Gowanus Yacht Club is really in Carroll Gardens, and 4th Avenue (along with its new bars) are now being taken over by Park Slope. So, you'll have to get closer to the canal then you ever thought possible. The most...