In the territory immediately surrounding NYU, and therefore Washington Square Park, fine dining isn't always the first thing to come to mind. Instead, there's Mamoun's for late-night falafel, the Dosa Man, or the Dessert Truck – great for meals on the cheap and meals on the go. But on nights when you feel like you deserve a glass of wine with dinner, have a downtown date, or just crave a real sit-down meal, the Washington Square Hotel's North Square Restaurant (formerly C3) is a another subterranean option that'll dig slightly deeper into your wallet, but is well worth the price. In the L-shaped dining room on the corner of Waverly and MacDougal, the art deco-meets-contemporary furnishings set the right tone for some fancied up home-cookin'. more ›

Saturday night’s Vendy Awards ended in victory for “Dosa Man” Thiru Kumar, the all-vegan, South Indian crêpe vendor of Washington Square South who had previously taken the runner-up title for the last two years. At the awards ceremony capping off a 5 hour eat-a-thon, Kumar was presented with the silver “Vendy” trophy by last year’s winner Samiul Haque Noor, from Sammy’s Halal. more ›

Talk about joy -- over 300 sakes will be poured at the largest sake tasting in the United States, coming our way tonight. Over 100 of them are generally not available outside Japan and about 150 are silver and gold award winners in the National Sake Appraisal that takes place each year. Never fear, there will be appetizers to soak it all up, from the likes of Bao Noodles, Bond St, EN Japanese Brasserie, 15 East, Megu, Sakagura, Tocqueville, Woo Lae Oak, wd-50, and more. There's also a sake info desk where an expert will be able to answer all of your burning sake questions. 6 - 9 p.m., the Puck Building, 295 Lafayette between East Houston and Prince Streets. Tickets are $75 in advance and $90 at the door. For more info or to make reservations, call 212-799-7243, or visit joyofsake.com. more ›

It was a cool, but comfortable night in the courtyard of St. Mark's Church last night as a few hundred street food afficionados gathered to pay tribute to the four vendor finalists, nominated by their regulars and fans. The competition was fierce, but the nine judges were up to the task, tasting sample platters from each of the four carts and scoring them in a range of categories, including flavor, presentation, the flair/personality of each vendor, and the "addictiveness factor." more ›

You know you've been waiting for it -- the finalists for the Second Annual Vendy Awards have been announced! These four finalists will attend the gala event on Sunday, October 22nd from 6 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. where a panel of judges (including at least one who might be familiar to Gothamist readers) will select their favorite. The event is a fundraiser for the Street Vendor Project of the Urban Justice Center, a non-profit a... more ›

In August, we told you about the Vendys, the first annual streetfood awards sponsored by Streetvendor.org. The awards are a wonderful idea-- they celebrate the hard working people that produce some our city's most delicious food, and help dispel those old notions that everything you buy on the street is poisonous, tastes bad, or both. From the looks of it, the four finalists are tightly matched: more ›