The storied Oak Room in the Plaza Hotel is closing soon, but not without a good old fashioned sexual harassment suit first. Former pastry chef Melissa Rodriguez has named the restaurant and her former boss, ex-executive chef Eric Hara, in a $25 million lawsuit claiming, among other things, that she was canned on a daily basis. As in literally picked up and put in a garbage can. more ›

Click on the images for the scoop on the upcoming Vegan Pizza Safari, the Ommegang Dinner at MexiQ in Astoria, and Chef Eric Hara's tasty reboot of 9 in Hell's Kitchen. more ›

The revamped, newly exclusive Monkey Bar has gone the route of the blue-plate special, featuring menu nuggets like iceberg lettuce wedge salad and home-style meatloaf. At the upscale Oak Room, now reopened after a restaurant critic meltdown, new chef Eric Hara is serving fancy versions of grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup, and ye olde potluck favorite Stuffed Shells (Hara’s shells are stuffed, however, with veal cheeks, chanterelles, and cherries). In the midst of all the retro-food it would seem fitting that Lil' Smokies, the hot dog shorties of somebody's campfire memories, have also made a return; they’re now being served at 5 Ninth, where Kevin Pomplun is chef. The good news is that you don’t have to have a publicist or know someone to get into the place. In fact, the Lil Smokies are only available at the bar, are free (with purchase of drink), and are available all day. more ›