Click through on the photos for the scoop on the fast female bartender competition, our happy discover that you don't need cash for Peter Luger, and Savoy's farewell summer feast. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, chef and owner Peter Hoffman announced that his 21-year-old Soho restaurant Savoy will serve its last meal on June 18th. He plans to keep and reopen the space this fall with a new name and concept. more ›

After tut-tutting the pat predictability of the Obamas' choice to dine at "locavore" restaurant Blue Hill last week, Frank Bruni at the Times has taken the opportunity to revisit Soho's Savoy, where chef/owner Peter Hoffman "began exalting all things organic, sustainable and humanely raised... a full decade before Dan Barber did likewise at Blue Hill." Bruni's two star-review, evocative of a comment-thread "FIRST!", declares that Savoy's still got it after almost two decades: "Raise a glass of wine (from an appealing, varied list) to Mr. Hoffman, an evangelist outpaced by younger adherents but not out of the picture. Not even close." more ›

So far, the reviews have all mentioned that you cook out of a small kitchen here, but I really think you have one of the smallest kitchens in the city back there. It’s just rough. It’s just me and my cook during service. We don’t have room for a kitchen staff, really. I receive deliveries, prep the food, sometimes wash dishes during service. I also cook the food. more ›

In his new book, Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honeybee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis, author Rowan Jacobsen describes the effects of Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) on beekeeping throughout the world. While the exact cause of CCD remains unknown, it clearly has the makings of a major agricultural crisis: Pollination is required in the life cycles for most every facet of our food supply. Among the nastier discoveries Jacobsen makes while telling the CCD story is that some industrial honeybees are forced to slurp down their share of high fructose corn syrup. Fall is also a DIY book; its appendices lay out resources for tyro beekeepers, including a breakdown of beneficial, bee-friendly “pollinator plants.” more ›

You're tired. You have a kitchen the size of a closet. You can't handle dealing with your guests' various and sundry dietary restrictions/food allergies/food quirks. Whatever the reason, you'd rather eat out on Thanksgiving this year. You've only got a few days left to lock down your reservation, but the options are plentiful. We present you a roundup of roundups, and our picks from the bountiful and tempting options. Restaurant Girl gives her top picks,... more ›

It appears the rumors of autumn's demise have been greatly exaggerated and you're going to have to start wearing a jacket outside after all. But the change of seasons is not without its perks; there are those hot winter drinks to look forward to, and a number of bars around town offer the perfect accompaniment for your hot toddy: a crackling fireplace. Below are some of New York's best places to chill out on a... more ›

Coming up next Monday is a benefit event celebrating East New York Farms, an organization that seeks to remedy the dearth of good nutritional choices in the Brooklyn neighborhood by growing and distributing its own food, along the way inviting a wealth of community participation. “Our first season was one gardener out on the sidewalk with a table,” says Sarita Daftary, Project Director of East New York Farms! (the exclamation mark goes with the... more ›