Click through on the images for info on a last-minute beer dinner tonight with Chef David Burke at Bloomingdale's, details about the new weekend brunch service at Spot Dessert Bar, and the "Tar Ball" ice cream that's being scooped out for the Gulf wildlife. more ›

We've got updates from bars and restaurants all around the city. This week, The JakeWalk unveils its winter fondue menu, Mama's Food Shop is starting brunch, there's new space coming to the already massive Radegast Hall, and today there's snow day champagne at Fishtail. more ›

For too long bacon lovers have cursed both the darkness and their deceptive, maddeningly inedible, bacon-scented candles. Who hasn't raised a bacon-scented candle to their lips and tried to drink the savory-smelling wax, only to be badly burned by the meretricious aroma and nauseating flavor? more ›

Exuberant chef David Burke is no longer involved with Hawaiian Tropic Zone, and that's probably for the best, since he's had his hands full with plenty of other projects anyway. Last fall his sustainable seafood restaurant Fishtail opened on the Upper East Side to favorable reviews, and his restaurant at Bloomingdale's continues to give shoppers the sustenance they need to keep our economy afloat. Burke, who first made a splash at the River Café in Brooklyn in the '80s, has recently finished changing up his other serious venture in the neighborhood, which opened in 2003 as "davidburke & donatella." Restaurateur Donatella Arpaia is no longer involved (the partnership is said to have ended amicably) so it's now simply called David Burke Townhouse, and has reopened with a new menu after renovations. more ›

Following a string of mediocre reviews, particularly a one-two punch from Adam Platt, fancy uptown restaurants Fishtail and The Oak Room have both lost their top toques. At the Oak Room, acclaimed Atlanta-based Joël Antunes has left; today rumor has it that executive chef Eric Hara will leave David Burke’s “sustainable-friendly” seafood restaurant Fishtail. Now it seems Hara will replace Antunes. The recession has created a tighter-than-normal feedback loop between poor reviews and business as usual at high profile restaurants, in part because business as usual no longer exists (read: no more expense accounts). Meanwhile, Post critic Steve Cuozzo yesterday called out a “whining” Anita Lo, blaming absentee chefs for bad reviews and recent closings. “Stop treating customers like we're idiots,” he wrote. Bad food is bad food, sure, but perhaps Cuozzo would also encourage Lo to stop cooking at charity events around town that do things like feed homeless people, which seems more important than ever. more ›

Well, it's hardly a surprise, given Donatella Arpaia's success with Michelin-starred chef Michael Psilakis, but the team behind david burke and & donatella -- Arpaia and David Burke (pictured) -- are parting ways, at least professionally. According to the official release, Burke will run the East 61st Street restaurant (whose name will remain until the end of the year) while Arpaia "leaves to focus on her other restaurant projects." Arpaia and Psilakis have been on a streak with with Kefi, Anthos and Mia Dona. As for Burke, he will also continue to expand outside of New York, and of course, continue his consulting gig with the Hawaiian Tropic Zone. more ›

Despite the rain, the crowds poured in at Citymeals-on-Wheels Chef's Tribute fundraiser in Rockefeller Center last night. This year's theme -- Crème de la Crème, a tribute to the great French masters, many of whom were in attendance. As one might expect, honoring the world's best French chefs includes a large quantity of foie gras, caviar, duck, and truffles, and America's top chefs certainly put them all to good use. Each chef prepared two dishes: one classic dish as a tribute to a French master, and one of his/her own that was a variation on a French classic. more ›

Tonight, the non-profit Share Our Strength is holding its annual Taste of the Nation NYC event at the Roseland Ballroom. Share Our Strength works with community groups, activists and food programs to make sure children don't go hungry, and the NYC chapter's event will benefit City Harvest, the Food Bank for New York City, the NYC Coalition Against Hunger and many other organizations. more ›

Rebecca Charles, NYC lobster roll pioneer and owner of Pearl Oyster Bar will do whatever it takes to protect the formula she has created to make Pearl such a success. She has brought suit in Federal court against Ed McFarland, her former sous chef and owner of Ed's Lobster Bar, claiming that he copied “'each and every element' of Pearl Oyster Bar, including the white marble bar, the gray paint on the wainscoting, the chairs and bar stools with their wheat-straw backs, the packets of oyster crackers placed at each table setting and the dressing on the Caesar salad," amounting to a theft of Charles' intellectual property. more ›

This week, we hit the mailbox….not ours but others for seriously good entertainment. more ›

Julia Moskin sits in for Bruni again this week, gives two stars to the new dining room at the Morgan Library. It's eccentric, she says--open only during museum hours, which means that it only serves dinner on Friday nights, and even then only until 9pm. But "there's no institution that joins a menu and a museum as seamlessly." more ›

Bruni goes to Lidia Bastianich’s Felidia (last reviewed and three-starred by Ruth Reichl in 1995) and reaffirms the three-stars. He’s crazy about the risotto, and calls its food “surprisingly distinctive in a city infatuated with, and just about saturated by, various kinds of Italian cuisine.” more ›

A prosciutto that plays soccer, a Szechwan pepper who's a karate master, and a chocolate lollipop that bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Hanky. These are but a few of the colorful characters inhabiting the Javits Center during the past few days. It's the 52nd Annual Fancy Food Show, when producers from around the world converge to hawk their goods to buyers. Not everything is gimcrackery though. Some of the next big trends in food can be found here. Here's a rundown of the best and the worst: more ›

Gothamist and A Hamburger Today bring you the best burgers from across the nation right here at Water Taxi Beach. We've told you about it plenty -- all the details are here. more ›

All the foodies are in a tizzy today as the coveted James Beard Award nominees were announced last night. The actual awards ceremony and reception will be held on May 8, at an event celebrating "the culinary legacy of New Orleans." Reservations for the May 8th event can be made by calling 212-367-9490 or toll free at 1-866-362-6442. Admission is $375 ($325 for James Beard Foundation members/$120 for students - find your old ID cards fast!). A portion of the admission price will be donated to a charitable fund established to support the rebuilding of New Orleans’ restaurant community. more ›

It was bound to happen. The Hamptons, or as Gothamist likes to think of it, a displacement home for wealthy New Yorkers, finally got their own wine and food festival. The talent read like a who’s who of the food and wine circuit: Rick Moonen, Michael Romano, Steven Jenkins and Floyd Cardoz all boarded the Hampton Jitney to share their secrets with those who could afford the $150 ticket. Or for the big spenders $650 gets you the VIP Platinum Pass that includes access to the Bentley Tailgate Party and Mojito Barbecue (unfortunately the Bentley’s were only for show and were not included in the $650 ticket – such a tease). more ›

The 2005 edition of the Zagat New York City Restaurant Guide is out today, and no, per se didn't blow everyone else out of the water -- at least not yet. Although it earned 29 out of 30 points in all three categories -- food, decor, and service -- it was too new to qualify for this year's guide. more ›

Regina Schrambling, Food Writer more ›