Market Table -- Mike Price, formerly of the Mermaid Inn has partnered with the Little Owl's Joey Campanaro and Gabriel Stulman, moved into the former Shopsins space and created a market/restaurant where, among other things, they'll be selling the kick-ass pork chops served at the Little Owl so you can attempt to re-create them at home. The market portion is in the soft-opening stage, and the restaurant is due to open the week of September...

September 3: West Indian–American Day Carnival Some may go for the dancing and general festivities, but some of us will be headed to this celebration for the food. The Eastern Parkway service roads will be lined with stands selling dishes from throughout the Caribbean, including jerk chicken, oxtail, fried flying fish, curry goat, roti, callaloo, and more. 8am–6pm, Eastern Pkwy between Utica Ave and Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn. For more info or directions, visit wiadca.org....

Clippers Cuisine in Lefrak City has all the things one associates with a great Jamaican restaurant: killer oxtail, patties and coco bread, such traditional breakfasts as ackee and salt cod and the requisite easygoing dancehall reggae soundtrack. It also has one another claim to fame. The menu cites it as Naomi Campbell's favorite Jamaican restaurant. At first we were skeptical about that claim, but a quick check of W Magazine proved its veracity. The other...

Clippers Cuisine in Lefrak City has all the things one associates with a great Jamaican restaurant: killer oxtail, patties and coco bread, such traditional breakfasts as ackee and salt cod and the requisite easygoing dancehall reggae soundtrack. It also has one another claim to fame. The menu cites it as Naomi Campbell's favorite Jamaican restaurant. At first we were skeptical about that claim, but a quick check of W Magazine proved its veracity. The other...

As Grub Street and others reported yesterday, a letter written last Thursday by Senator Chuck Schumer to Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Friedman may have prevented the forcible closure of the Red Hook Ball Field food vendors this past weekend. While this seems to be a small victory for the food purveyors, doubt remains whether the operating season for the newly food safety-certified vendors will end just after Labor Day, or at the end...

Save for a few ethnic markets in the outer boroughs, raw pistachios are a difficult food to source in NY. Because of occasional crop blights and problems with carcinogenic, fungal aflatoxins, imported fresh pistachios are subject to rigorous inspection and regulation; perhaps not a lot see this side of customs, and eventual retail sale. What does make its way to market has often been flown in literally under the radar. Raw pistachios have some other...

When we want to find ripe mangoes - lush, juicy, almost overripe mangoes, in fact - the Mrs. Robinsons of mangoes - all the shelves seem to carry are hard, tart, green mangoes. But when we're looking for tart, sharp green mangoes - more a vegetable than a fruit, clear and refreshing like citrus - the shelves are full of fragrant, sweet, tender mangoes that probably don't even exist except for those times when we're...

The PR team over at Mercadito sent us a very disturbing email earlier today: On Sunday, August 26, at 7:20 am Antonio Barranco Hernandez was killed, and Luis Romero and Augusto Bravo were seriously injured after a drunk driver slammed into the back of the van while the men delivered produce to Mercadito Grove restaurant, located at 100 Seventh Avenue South in New York City. Mercadito has set up a fund to accept donations on...

The PR team over at Mercadito sent us a very disturbing email earlier today: On Sunday, August 26, at 7:20 am Antonio Barranco Hernandez was killed, and Luis Romero and Augusto Bravo were seriously injured after a drunk driver slammed into the back of the van while the men delivered produce to Mercadito Grove restaurant, located at 100 Seventh Avenue South in New York City. Mercadito has set up a fund to accept donations on...

Bruni goes to Franny’s in Brooklyn, rates it a top pick, awards it two stars, and calls himself a newly converted “besotted Franny’s believer.” Says Franny’s simplicity—they serve crostini, cured meats, pasta and pizza (along with a few other items)—“is deceptive. The restaurant finds transcendence in dishes and genres that wouldn’t seem to yield so readily to invention or open the door to so much pleasure.” And Cuozzo says Little Italy is “drawing unaccustomed buzz”...

Bruni goes to Franny’s in Brooklyn, rates it a top pick, awards it two stars, and calls himself a newly converted “besotted Franny’s believer.” Says Franny’s simplicity—they serve crostini, cured meats, pasta and pizza (along with a few other items)—“is deceptive. The restaurant finds transcendence in dishes and genres that wouldn’t seem to yield so readily to invention or open the door to so much pleasure.” And Cuozzo says Little Italy is “drawing unaccustomed buzz”...

This week's New York Mag runs down some of this season's upcoming restaurant openings -- better start planning now. We've already given you the scoop on Will Goldfarb's Picnick and Peter Hoffman's Back Forty, due in September and October respectively, but we're looking forward to some of the other spots highlighted by Rob and Robin, especially noodle shop Bun, from Mai House chef Michael Huynh and his wife, Thao Nguyen, and El Quinto Pino, from...

As much as Gothamist tries to be on the bleeding edge of the food scene in Queens, sometimes only an old favorite will do. Which is exactly what happened the other day when we found ourselves standing in front On the Grill craving chicken shwarma. This three-year old Israeli spot serves up some of the city's best shwarma, and it had been months since we'd had eaten any. So we were jonesing for some of...

As much as Gothamist tries to be on the bleeding edge of the food scene in Queens, sometimes only an old favorite will do. Which is exactly what happened the other day when we found ourselves standing in front On the Grill craving chicken shwarma. This three-year old Israeli spot serves up some of the city's best shwarma, and it had been months since we'd had eaten any. So we were jonesing for some of...

When a cocktail is delicious and easy to make, it’s worth talking about. Often times we get overly ambitious with our mixology skills and the results can be drinks that are undrinkable, even for professional lushes like us. Perhaps that’s why we fell in love with the Honey Bee. This cocktail is light and refreshing with just a subtle hint of sweetness and involves nothing more than a shaker and a few easy to find...

When a cocktail is delicious and easy to make, it’s worth talking about. Often times we get overly ambitious with our mixology skills and the results can be drinks that are undrinkable, even for professional lushes like us. Perhaps that’s why we fell in love with the Honey Bee. This cocktail is light and refreshing with just a subtle hint of sweetness and involves nothing more than a shaker and a few easy to find...

Generally, when one thinks of baseball game food, the usual suspects come to mind -- hot dogs, sausage and pepper sandwiches, Cracker Jacks, maybe some nachos, complete with day-glo cheez -- but tucked away in a corner of Shea stadium lies something that puts them all to shame. Mama's of Corona is squirreled away on the third base side on the Field Level of the stadium, and those of us with the cheap seats have...

What’s worth watching, food-wise, on TV this week? Be warned: it’s the dog days of summer, so there’s not much new on the air… Tonight on No Reservations (10pm on the Travel Channel), Bourdain goes to Cleveland, Ohio, where Michael Ruhlman shows him around town. Serious Eats recaps last week’s ep (visit to French Polynesia), shares the recipe for poisson cru. Top Chef is a repeat this week. It’s the “All-Star” episode where top competitors...

Maybe it’s the weather, but lately Gothamist has been craving Indian food. Rather than go to one of the numerous steam-table joints in Jackson Heights, we decided to give Hyderabadi, a new restaurant in Woodside down the street from the much-acclaimed Spicy Mina’s a try. The scuttlebutt on Chowhound was that this spot serves cuisine from the South Indian city of Hyderabad, renowned for its myriad biryanis and the mysterious Chicken 65, among other things....

Maybe it’s the weather, but lately Gothamist has been craving Indian food. Rather than go to one of the numerous steam-table joints in Jackson Heights, we decided to give Hyderabadi, a new restaurant in Woodside down the street from the much-acclaimed Spicy Mina’s a try. The scuttlebutt on Chowhound was that this spot serves cuisine from the South Indian city of Hyderabad, renowned for its myriad biryanis and the mysterious Chicken 65, among other things....

Feast of San Gennaro. Manhattan’s Little Italy may be constantly shifting borders and shrinking, but this event seems to get bigger every year. Plunk down $3 for a big plastic cup of Italian bianco with peaches. When you’re done sipping, you can fish out the large hunks of wine-steeped fruit with your straw. It’s worth waiting on the long lines for kettle-fried zeppolis that come by the half or full dozen, shook up in a...

Sam Mason's Tailor, in it's post-plywood, pre-opening glory. Word on the street is that it's set for an August 30th opening. Dozing off in the afternoon? Maybe you're not eating the right lunch. Are all the rumors about Restaurant Liebrandt true? Tune in next week to find out. Restaurateur Drew Nieporent may eat like he owns some heavy-hitting restaurants, but the man has lost 70 pounds in the process. Got a tidbit for us? Send...

Freegans have been around for a while now, most recently The Times caught them dumpster diving in the NYU area just as school let out. A freegan goldmine! Now a blogger for Newsweek is getting knee deep in rubbish for a month in order to fully understand these "waste reclaimers". Raina Kelley is keeping a blog of her fairweather freeganism, and on her first day (Wednesday) she pondered, "Why would a eBay-loving, omnivorous, cigarette-smoking shopaholic...

Freegans have been around for a while now, most recently The Times caught them dumpster diving in the NYU area just as school let out. A freegan goldmine! Now a blogger for Newsweek is getting knee deep in rubbish for a month in order to fully understand these "waste reclaimers". Raina Kelley is keeping a blog of her fairweather freeganism, and on her first day (Wednesday) she pondered, "Why would a eBay-loving, omnivorous, cigarette-smoking shopaholic...

Alphabet City has long been a cheap eats favorite, with Kate's Joint for veggie-heads, Westville East for market lovers, and Nicky's Vietnamese sandwiches for the best salty-sweet-hot sandwich for under $5. You can get ramen (Minca) or delicious baked goods (Ciao for Now) or the city's arguably best coffee (9th Street Espresso), before even getting to welcome Cafe Cortadito, a new sure-to-be neighborhood favorite on 3rd Street and Avenue B. With miniature vases full...

Alphabet City has long been a cheap eats favorite, with Kate's Joint for veggie-heads, Westville East for market lovers, and Nicky's Vietnamese sandwiches for the best salty-sweet-hot sandwich for under $5. You can get ramen (Minca) or delicious baked goods (Ciao for Now) or the city's arguably best coffee (9th Street Espresso), before even getting to welcome Cafe Cortadito, a new sure-to-be neighborhood favorite on 3rd Street and Avenue B. With miniature vases full...

What do tourists like more than walking slowly in bunches, visiting Ground Zero, buying fake handbags in Chinatown, and wearing socks with sandals? Eating at restaurants they can find at home! The Post is reporting that IHOP (aka the International House of Pancakes) is in talks with Vornado to open a location at 1540 Broadway (btwn 45th and 46th). It would be the 2nd Manhattan location for the chain - the first location opened...

Despite Meatopia IV's downright pagan theme, Slaughter of the Innocents, which involved spit roasted kid goat and suckling pig as well as the consumption of copious amounts of other young animal flesh, the good lord chose to spare the soul of Mr. Cutlets, aka Josh Ozersky, and the band of meat-crazed revelers that came out Tuesday night to Water Taxi Beach to celebrate Josh's 40th birthday. Meatopia has grown to be something of the...

August 23 & 30: "Get Some" at Bottlerocket Mingle with wine-curious folks at Bottlerocket Wine and Spirit for their singles night, every Thursday in August. 6 to 8 pm. Free wine and cheese. 5 West 19th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. 212-929-2323. August 25: A Study of Barolo’s Vintage Streak So rumor has it that 1995 to 2001 were some rocking vintages on the Barolo front. The team at Italian Wine Merchants will guide...

August 23 & 30: "Get Some" at Bottlerocket Mingle with wine-curious folks at Bottlerocket Wine and Spirit for their singles night, every Thursday in August. 6 to 8 pm. Free wine and cheese. 5 West 19th Street between 5th & 6th Avenues. 212-929-2323. August 25: A Study of Barolo’s Vintage Streak So rumor has it that 1995 to 2001 were some rocking vintages on the Barolo front. The team at Italian Wine Merchants will guide...

Inwood’s La Estufa (“the stove”) is a reliable restaurant destination in a neighborhood largely bereft of good food. The restaurant’s website bills its menu as “a delicious fusion of American-Italian dishes,” but it’s really more simple than that: menu items are prepared from scratch in an open kitchen, and they’re not fancy. Standing in for the traditional breadbasket are a few slices of house-made whole wheat bread, served with a shallow dish of cold, spicy...

Mid to late August is the perfect time to catch two locally grown vegetables at the top of their game. At the very beginning of the month, bush lima beans are most buttery and vibrant. The very last weekend in August is also the best time to try Long Island corn. It is around Labor Day weekend that local corn is its sweetest and most flavorful. Succotash is principally the combination of corn and lima...

We sailed around the Cyclades in Greece a few summers ago, and while we felt that the cuisine on the islands became tedious after a while, there were a few things we never tired of: dolmas, spanikopita, and milk pies. Our dolmas are a bit of a stretch from traditional Greek or Turkish stuffed grape leaves, which sometimes call for pine nuts but never hazelnuts, and which can call for currants or meat but rarely...

This week in the Times, Bruni one-stars “freestyle” Latin restaurant Rayuela on the LES. Says, “it’s a beautiful, fascinating, frustrating place, its cosmetic showiness echoed by dishes that are also all over the map, in terms of their appeal as well as their geographic and ethnic tethers.” He loves the tuna relleno, the arraz con pollo, and the lobster ceviche, and also the cocktails and the house-made bread. Also in the Times, Peter Meehan goes...

BarFry: Sumile's Josh DeChellis is bringing New York our first ever tempura bar. Not only will he be perfectly battering and frying fresh veggies, seafood, and meat and serving them up with his signature dipping sauces (wasabi remoulade and pickled jalapeno soy, to name a few), but he'll be offering made-to-order tempura Po Boys. Wash everything down with Gaijin Pale Ale from Oregon's Rogue Brewery, made especially for BarFry. And -- they deliver in the...

A Korean restaurant is not something one would expect to find on the border of Forest Hills and Rego Park. If anything the neighborhood is better known for the plethora of Central Asian kebab joints. Nor is Korean chow something you'd expect to find at an old-school spot like the #1 Coffee Shop. Years ago local legend Robbie Richter, pitmaster of Hill Country, worked the flat top one day when the grill man was out...

Esca's Dave Pasternack is a Midtown Lunch'r too. His faves include Pakistani Restaurant on 38th and 9th, Grand Sichuan, and Han Bat on 35th between 5th and 6th. Restaurant Girl makes her Daily News debut, dines with Gael Greene, looks glamourous. Zagat goes mobile with Zagat.mobi. iPhone not included. Epicurious 2.0 has arrived with a redesign and more bloggers (because what isn't better with more bloggers?). RUB commissioned Orange County Chopper to create a mobile...