Today the Times’s Keith Dixon, a self-described “clumsy, overambitious cook,” offers tips for cooking dinner in a crowded city apartment made even more cramped by a newborn baby. Dixon has adapted his cooking technique to accommodate a light-sleeping baby who, awakened by a clattering spatula, derails dinner plans as he and his wife “labor to get her back to sleep.” So he’s evolved into a “Silent Chef” with “ninja stealth” and suggests, among other things,......

This week in the Times, Bruni goes to Alto and L’Impero, both now run by chef Michael White (formerly of Fiamma Osteria). He finds Alto “better than ever” and bumps it up from two stars to three. “Alto is now a full throttle dining experience, no matter where on the menu you turn,” he says. L’Impero doesn’t fare so well, and receives two stars (down from the three it received from Eric Asimov in 2002).......

We got ourselves a note in the inbox from the folks who run the Big Apple BBQ to let us know that Bubba FastPasses are currently on sale from now till May 25 for the June 9 & 10 event. Gothamist was all over this event last year; look for more great coverage and photos coming up soon. This year should provide a bit of a pre-show glimpse of what local pitmaster Robbie Richter has......

December 7: Alex Prud’homme at O&CO. Join Alex Prud’homme, Julia Child's grandnephew, as he recounts stories about Julia and reads from her memoir, My Life in France, which he co-authored. He will also be available to sign books, which might make a great present for someone on your holiday shopping list. O&CO. store, Grand Central Terminal, Graybar Passage--Lexington Ave & 42nd St. (212-973-1472), 6:00 pm, Free. December 8 - 17: Gingerbread Homes for Animals Pastry......

- Tomatoes and watermelon together, really? One blogger thinks yes really. Just add it to the list of things to try sometime. - A big week for animal slaughtering, insight from SauteWednesday and Gordon Ramsay. - Speaking of Ramsay, we are damn glad Heather won last night on Hell's Kitchen; that challenge-winning streak by Virginia was odd by any measure. - Mmmmm….BLT’s. Do you think that the lettuce is superfluous in this classic? - A......

It’s about 1:15 in the morning and your friend who is swaying like wind chimes during a tropical depression, yells a little too enthusiastically, “Tequila shots!” Flashbacks of that vile alcohol in the handle, labeled tequila, quickly flood your memory. No way. You’ll stick to your Bombay martini, thank you very much. But, like any spirit you thought was crap in college, you’ve discovered that there is a premium version that is more palatable, smooth......

Bruni two-stars Degustation. The restaurant is the latest incarnation of Jewel Bako Robato, which had previously morphed into Grace's Kalbi Bar, and is a part of the Grace & Jack Lamb East Village empire. Creativity "courses through the concise lineup of dishes," says Bruni. Gasp, the Eater oddsmakers are off the mark! They predicted one star for Degustation, a rare slipup. Perhaps they were just doing it to mix things up: they admit "we may......

What lucky little New Yorkers we are. First the grand opening of the new and improved Astor Wines and Spirits and now, we get Trader Joe’s Wine Shop. It’s a wine cornucopia all packed neatly in one square mile. With such great options, so close (or conveniently located next to subways), we realized there was only one thing to do – hold a wine-off. May the best wine purveyor win. Trader Joe’s Wine Shop: Overview:......

Not to be outdone by his colleague, Frank Bruni, Eric Asimov has now joined the blogerati (who's next, Amanda Hesser? Peter Meehan?) with his new blog, The Pour. He welcomes us quite cordially: Welcome to The Pour. Sit down, fill a glass, have a drink, please. [Why thank you, Eric, don't mind if we do.] This is a new blog about the pleasure of drinking wine, and beer and spirits, too. That's drinking rather than......

Nothing says Shanghainese food like xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings, so when Gothamist read Eric Asimov's delirious review of the new Upper East Side restaurant, Shanghai Pavilion, it was clear it had been too long since our last xiao long bao. Luckily, our secret weapon in Shanghainese dining was available, LWC, aka the only Shanghainese-speaking mother of Gothamist. When Gothamist got to the restaurant, it was crowded. We had Saturday night reservations for 7:30PM,......

New York City's French dining landmark, Lutece, will close it doors on at the end of the week, making its last service, Valentine's Day dinners, bittersweet. With the opening of Lutece in 1961, founder and chef Andre Soltner (right) helped elevate dining in New York to new heights. He sold the four-star Lutece in 1994, and even though the cuisine remained strong (it was given three stars), many still associated it with Soltner. Eric Asimov......

Holy headrush, the Times has a feature on the cupcaking of New York! Reporter Julia Moskin calls the sight people toting cupcakes around, the way one would a hot dog, a sign of a trend that entrenched itself, and covers how NY bakeries are making bank off teeny little cakes. Cupcakes analyzed come from Magnolia, Cupcake Cafe, Buttercup, Amy Sedaris, Polka Dot, William Greenburg, Yura, Kitchenette, Crumbs, and Downtown Atlantic, and who better to......

Some might think being voted Zagat's Best Newcomer Restaurant would make the owners aware, with all the i's dotted and t's crossed. But, no, the restaurant Compass on West 70th was closed last night, for operating without a permit. A gaggle of Upper West Siders were dumbfounded at the closing, wondering if the closing was really due some suspicious meat or rodents. One man said incredulously, "Compass? Closed? Are you kidding me?" while his......