Aquavit, the 23-year-old Scandinavian restaurant in midtown, has replaced the always-absent name brand chef Marcus Samuelsson with his 28-year-old second in command, Marcus Jernmark. This occasions a fourth review from the NY Times, and current chief critic Sam Sifton keeps the status quo, letting the underpopulated restaurant keep the two stars left behind by a previous critic. "Aquavit’s dining room can be somewhat lonely these days, only a little more than half full at peak hours," writes Sifton. more ›

Herring are about to stage their own version of Spring Awakening. Schools of tiny fish (seen here) congregate this time every year in the slowly warming Nordic and Dutch waters, chill, and essentially OD on plankton. According to Edible Manhattan, it’s at this point herring undergo a major change akin to the freshman fifteen, with “their little oily bodies becoming up to 16 percent fat.” It’s also at this moment the fishing industries of several dozen countries go into maximum overdrive and start netting the hell out of the fish. In Holland, Flag Day is called Vlaggetjesdag; the holiday is celebrated by a lot of raw herring eating in the streets. more ›