Police have identified Philip Boney-Scrivano as the victim of yesterday's fiery crash on Staten Island, and Jean Carlos Aleman as the 25-year-old passenger who miraculously walked away. The two had reportedly been at a birthday party earlier in the night, and decided to drag race friend Korey Swatz and another passenger on their way to the White Castle in Stapleton. However, Boney-Scrivano jumped the curb at Bay Street and crashed into the Citgo gas station. The Staten Island Advance says, "The driver's side of his 2009 Honda Accord bore the brunt of the impact, which was so powerful that his body was ripped apart." more ›

We'd like to use this space to say that our thoughts are with the friends and family of John Pike (pictured). The 23-year old drummer of Syracuse band Ra Ra Riot was found dead yesterday in Fairhaven, Massachusetts. more ›

Imagine a very special hot dog vendor—one who bakes the bun and forms the sausage to order right before your eyes. This kind of immediacy to your meal is hard to find on the street. But not if you venture to Red Hook Park. On weekends a veritable caravan of Latin food stands sets up beneath a giant tent the length of a city block, and all of the food is cooked right here. Head for the lady making arepas on a makeshift griddle. Choose your filling (pork, cheese, or both), and stand back to watch as she scoops a ball of corn masa dough from one container, massages it into a disk, envelops the savory filling, and slaps it down on the griddle. A couple minutes later, she’ll flip it, when the underside has achieved a lovely brown crust. For $1.50, the arepa is served with a huge garnish of what could be south-of-the-border slaw—shredded cabbage and carrots doused liberally with a mild chile-tomato sauce. The arepas here are worlds apart from those pre-formed patties ubiquitous at street fairs now. These little cakes manage to be both creamy and tender as well as chewy and crispy all in one bite. These arepas, a meal in themselves, express a different style than those of the legendary Arepa Lady, which are more like snacks. more ›

Imagine a place where you could choose amongst authentic Mexican, Honduran, Colombian, Guatemalan, Dominican, and Salvadoran food. A place where you and a friend wouldn't need to spend more than $10 to stuff yourselves on everything from Guatemalan tamales to Mexican huaraches, Salvadoran pupusas to Dominican plantains--all while enjoying the beautiful summertime weather. more ›