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:......

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. Quite a few restaurants are participating--Eleven Madison Park is offering Panna Cotta......

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......

- Old business first, somehow this got missed last week. Mrs. Leuzzi over on Snack wonders about bathrooms at the SS now that it is Shacktoberfest. She recommends fast food establishments on the block and even provides a map. We always thought it was rude that they did not offer even hand sanitizer to customers in light of the missing facilities. This week, we hit the mailbox….not ours but others for seriously good entertainment. -......

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." Also in the Times, Sarah Lyall's got an update on food in British school cafeterias, and the......

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.” Peter Meehan visits Sake Bar Hagi, a japanese pub near Times Square. It’s a great contrast to other after-work options in the neighborhood, he says, plus it’s cheap. “The sake-buzzed......

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......

June 24: QBQ BBQ Burger Bash 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. June 24: Cheese and Wine at Telepan Telepan joins forces with cheese team Waldemar & Nadia for the second of a series of Saturday afternoon cheese and wine tastings. Taste summertime artisan cheeses paired with Telepan's wines......

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......

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......

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. This year's most popular restaurants were Gramercy Tavern, which swapped spots with Union Square Cafe, followed......

Regina Schrambling, Food Writer...