This week in the Times, Bruni three-stars Le Cirque, bumping the restaurant's rating up from the two stars he awarded it in 2006. Executive chef Christophe Bellanca’s menu “nimbly straddles the line between predictable decadence… and creative flair,” he says. He also says that you’ll pay—a lot—for what you get, and that Le Cirque isn’t quite as reliable as other three star restaurants. In $25 and Under, ">Peter Meehan is at Soba Totto, where he......

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Shorty’s.32 and Smith’s, awards each restaurant one star. Says that at both, “Skill, standards and a few well-chosen grace notes lift what might otherwise be favored neighborhood charmers into a slightly loftier league.” Loves the chicken and all side dishes at Shorty’s, though says the chef is “overly fond of wet fish and wet food.” Um, yuck. At Smith’s, says the lamb and lobster are the way......

Food bloggers from around the world are offering delicious prizes as part of Menu for Hope 4. Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising event hosted by Chez Pim. Last year, Menu for Hope raised an incredible $62,925 to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry. Want more details? Well, here’s the FAQ. From December 10-21, you can buy raffle tickets to bid on any on the food-related prizes being offered. Tickets cost......

Bon Appétit , in an attempt to appeal to a broader, younger, and theoretically "hipper" audience, has recently revamped its logo. Taunting came in full force, via Grub Street, who concluded, "[t]he truth is that Bon Appétit will never be any hipper or friskier than it is, because no magazine about upscale entertaining can ever speak to people that don’t have big houses and plenty of time on their hands." Adam Roberts, the Amateur Gourmet,......

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? Martha Stewart’s got a great line-up of guests this week: Jamie Oliver on Monday, making roast beef and carrot cake; Mario Batali appears on Tuesday, making pumpkin lune (little moon) pasta; and David Chang is on Thursday. And Keri Russell, who is not a chef but played a pie-making wizard in the movie Waitress, appears on Wednesday (Monday-Friday, 1pm, NBC). Also on this week: On Wednesday, Gordon Ramsay......

What’s worth watching on food-related TV this week? We’re in the thick of it now on The Next Iron Chef (Sundays at 9pm on the Food Network). The Amateur Gourmet says “Finally, it gets juicy!” and puts his money on Symon or Besh. He also points out that these chefs—with national reputations—have much more to lose than your average reality food show competitor. “It’s not really a laughing matter when your business hinges on your......

A confession. In general, we’re not big Food Network Fans. We do make an exception for Iron Chef (it always sucks us in), and we love it’s latest incarnation. Last week on the premiere of The Next Iron Chef (9pm on the Food Network, Chef Traci Des Jardins got the ax, brought down by her salmon roe dessert (ick). Read the Amateur Gourmet's unique and often hilarious take on things on his blog on the......

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? Tonight on No Reservations (10pm on the Travel Channel), Bourdain goes to South Carolina. He’s also got an upcoming holiday special that features Queens of the Stone Age (wearing Christmas sweaters from QVC, no less). We can’t wait for that one. Read about it in ">Rolling Stone. On Top Chef, Episode 12 airs Wednesday at 10pm (Bravo). The guest judges are Sirio Maccioni and Andre Soltner. Grub Street......

On a hunt for the best mac and cheese in the city? See if you can make your way through this list. Enjoy the food coma afterwards and ponder the origin of the word "marconus". Texas barbecue shrine Hill Country now delivers. Amen. Adam Roberts, a.k.a. The Amateur Gourmet, has made the blog-to-book leap, with How to Shop, Chop, and Table Hop Like a Pro (Almost), and is parading around the internets on a virtual......

Restaurants vs. Bloggers -- the smackdown. Shouts go out to New York locals NYCNosh, Ed Levine, and the Amateur Gourmet. [The Food Section] We adore lambrusco -- now Vino and I Trulli are carrying a rare line of lambruscos fermented in the bottle, champagne-style. [Grub Street] Morandi -- now serving breakfast. [Eater] Why are there only two restaurants on Roosevelt Island? Could it be the work of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation? [NYCNosh] The Smoke......

Mo-mo-mo Momofuku! David Chang and company is moving the Noodle Bar into bigger digs down the street to make room for the new Momofuku Ko. Eater's got the details. And now, says Chang, "just shut up and eat." Brooklyn Record visits Peru via Mancora on Smith Street and found "a delicious and hearty feast, extremely friendly service, and drinks that left us thirsty for more." The Amateur Gourmet visits Stand. In a word? Forgettable. Remember......

- Momofuku Ssam Bar makes shakes up their menu -- the late-night selection is available earlier and Ssams later. - The Village Voice's Seistema visits the Smoke Joint and likes it "right out of the starting gate." [via Eating for Brooklyn] - The Black Pearl has been reborn in Chelsea -- long live lobster rolls! - Congrats to the winners of this year's food blog awards; a big shout out to Smitten Kitchen, Slashfood, and......

January 13: Seasonal Game Cooking Class Chef Franck Delatrain of Café Centro will be cooking up seasonal game in a two hour cooking class. The menu consists of: Chestnut and Celery Root Soup with Melted Leeks and Foie Gras; Sturgeon Saltimbocca with Sage, Smoked Duck and Beluga Lentils; Fresh Pappardelle Pasta with Wild Boar Civet, Apple Smoked Bacon and Black Trumpet Mushrooms; Grilled Quail with Golden Beets and Frisee Salad, Poached Quail Egg and Spiced......

If you're serious about eating, you should check out the latest addition to the food blog/community scene, Serious Eats. The brainchild of Ed Levine, of Ed Levine Eats and author of New York Eats, the site bills itself as "the first website for serious eaters" with the goal in mind "to provide the best, most satisfying food- and drink-related experience on the internet." Ed is joined by other illustrious food bloggers, including Adam Kuban of......

- In honor of last weeks Day Without Food Blogs, we offer some food blogs whose names we like: Give Me Some Food A Full Belly I Was Just Really Very Hungry The Food Whore Go sign the petition on Net Neutrality if you have the inclination and time. - In honor of The Red Hot Chili Peppers' recent appearance on SNL, here is a random picture of The Amateur Gourmet's mom and Flea. We......

We had a lunch date down at Lucky Strike yesterday, but unfortunately, they were closed for renovations. Instead, we went across the street to Felix, a bistro on the corner of Grand and West Broadway. BIG MISTAKE. No one told us, but Felix is the home of the most polluted glass of water in lower Manhattan. The picture above shows the second glass we received after sending back the first round-- note the grime......

Gothamist, fond of Amanda Hesser ever since we saw cook from her book, The Cook and the Gardener, at Fairway a few years ago, has to hand it to her. In her Dining & Wine > Restaurants: Mystery, Allure and Sushi" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/02/dining/02REST.html?ex=1401595200&en=52eb7c23cf74332c&ei=5007&partner=USERLAND">review of Masa, the swank $300 prix-fixe Japanese restaurant at the TimeWarner Center, she refuses to give it a rating...but not because it's bad:Masa is my last review as the interim restaurant critic. After......