We've survived the sirens for many years, and if this truly was the last Siren Fest ever, it certainly went out with a bang. Coney Island was packed full of thrifty music fans for the 7th annual Siren Festival this weekend. Despite the current trend of awful weather for every worthwhile free outdoor concert this summer so far, nobody could complain about the perfect day at the beach this past Saturday. We got down there......

June 21-23: NYC Food Film Festival, Part 2 See last week's calendar for the full description of the festival and the website for the schedule of events. This weekend's fim focus in on hot dogs and sausages, currywurst in particular, and even includes a hot dog eating competition, so get your gullets ready. At Water Taxi Beach. June 21-24: Staten Island Restaurant Week In their first ever restaurant week, over 50 of Staten Island's restaurants......

It's All American Food: The Best Recipes for More Than 400 New American Classics by David Rosengarten (Little, Brown, 2003) OK, we admit it: Gothamist grew up on Bisquick pancakes. (And we liked 'em.) But childhood tastes (hopefully) change when one grows up, and for us, our taste in pancakes now leans heavily towards homemade in general, buttermilk in particular. And while you'll find buttermilk pancakes on many a New York restaurant brunch menu, they're......

If you're looking to watch some physical sports action this weekend, you're in luck. The All American Open 2004 Karate Championships are at Hunter College on Saturday. The organizers are billing it as "No pads, no gloves, knockdown karate action!!" (FYI, Gothamist's heart rate just jumped after typing that.) Athletes from around the world to face off in men's and women's Kumite and Kata events. The defending champion, Ewerton Teixeira, has been dubbed one......