Big news for bi-coastal foodies: Andy Ricker, the chef at Portland's ragingly popular Thai restaurant Pok Pok, is coming to New York before the end of the year. more ›

Just as we predicted following the announcement that Sam Sifton will be leaving his post as restaurant critic at the Times, there's been a whole lot of speculation about what will happen next. But is getting paid to eat out every night really the dream job that it appears to be? Maybe not so much. more ›

Eddie Huang, the Flavor Flav of the downtown dining scene, has abruptly closed his popular Orchard Street restaurant Xiao Ye after barely four months in operation. Business seemed to be good at the funky little joint, and though critical reaction was mixed, the positive end of the critical spectrum was really positive. (The Times called it "an artful misfire," declaring that "Xiao Ye could almost be the right place to eat right now.") But Huang tells Eater that he's "vacating the space as we speak," and he says the SLA's Four Loko-related crackdown is to blame. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] Well, it was a fun ride, but now teenagers will just have to go back to chugging Mad Dog and Colt 45 to get themselves blacked out twiddling their thumbs until they're 21, right? The State Liquor Authority has pressured the state's biggest beer distributors to stop selling caffeinated alcoholic drinks to New York retailers by December 10th. The makers of the controversial beverage have also agreed to stop shipping the drink to distributors by November 19th. SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen told the Daily News,"I hope this will end the sale of this product in the state." more ›

Unfortunately we couldn't make it to Thursday night's $3 Four Loko party hosted by Eddie Huang, which was preceded by a fair amount of drama. To recap, Huang's original plan of all-you-can-drink Four Loko cocktails didn't pan out because all-you-can-drink specials are illegal. He then changed it to $3 per can, and defended the controversial beverage on his blog with endorsements like, "I like gummy bears and I like alcohol that taste like malt liquor gummy bears." Can't argue with that kind of logic. Luckily, the Observer was at the event, and gathered some great reactions of Loko'd New Yorkers. Here are some of the best: more ›

Eddie Huang would like to clarify a few things about his blackout-inducing Four Loko party on Thursday, which was previously reported to be cancelled because unlimited drink specials are illegal. He told Eater, "The NY Daily News misquoted me. I told the writer really clearly that the party was still going on but that I would change the special from all-u-can-drink to something else. We're doing $3/Four Loko at the bar." He's also speaking out against the mulled-over ban of caffeinated alcohol drinks by the SLA, which Chuck Schumer is getting behind again. more ›

We've been told to quit smoking. We've been told to stop eating salt. We've been barred from enjoying trans fats and reminded that soda equals fat. But New Yorkers will be damned if we can't drink enough caffeine-infused alcohol to make ourselves black out and wake up naked somewhere on Orchard Street. Unless it's illegal, which it apparently is. more ›