Whoa! Get a load of this bad boy! This 18-lb, septuagenarian behemoth is settling in to his new home at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, where officials say he's "loving life." And there sure is plenty of him to love. more ›

While you were schlepping home via mass transit yesterday, a matzo ball received a police escort from Teaneck, N.J. to the Lower East Side. Some say it was the biggest matzo ball on earth, and this video documents its vastness with a matter-of-fact style usually reserved for footage of beached whales: more ›

The boss is never going to believe this one: A report just came in over the police scanners about an "unusual occurrence" in a parking lot at East 128th Street between Park and Lex, where police have been summoned because "people are unable to get to their cars due to 10-15 very large rats in the parking lot." And so it begins; the day we've all dreaded when a master race of rats form organized battalions to take over the city once and for all. Well, Gothamist, for one, welcomes our new rodent overlords, and we look forward to seeing them show the current administration how real rats run a city. Viva la Rat! more ›

Mayor Bloomberg will observe Hanukkah today by lighting the world's largest menorah. Located in Manhattan, the 32-foot high, gold colored, 4,000 pound steel structure was lit last night by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. Rabbi Shmuel Butman, director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization, which sponsors the menorah, tells NBC that the each night's lighting ceremony "takes on a special meaning this year, as the Menorah joins the 'unite to light' campaign in memory of the terror victims in Mumbai. The message of the Menorah is, 'We are continuing in ever greater strength.'" (Brooklyn Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka were killed in last month's attacks.) Next Sunday there will be a celebration at the mother of all menorahs, featuring live music, singing, dancing, Hanukkah Gelt for the children and free hot latkes. Tonight's lighting will occur at 4:45 p.m. on 5th Avenue and 59th Street, by Central Park, between the Plaza and the Pierre Hotels. more ›

The gripping saga of the giant truffle that came to New York City from Italy with stars in its eyes has come to a modest end in the Second City. After being jerked around by just about every hot shot restaurateur in town, the massive 2.15 lbs white truffle packed its bags and set sights on Chicago, where the Four Seasons decided to give the kid a shot. Tyler Gray, the truffle's business manager, tells us he inked a contract last week for "our regular price for large truffles, $3,200 per pound." We hear the talented tuber is really making a go of it over there, and was recently spotted canoodling with Oprah Winfrey's noodles. more ›

Oh, remember how this time last year Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni thought nothing of dropping $7,000 on a 1.1 pound white truffle? Those were the days. Now, with Wall Street rapidly turning into Skid Row, it's hard out there for a truffle. more ›

You'll recall how excited everyone was—EVERYONE—last October when Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni bought a "perfectly round, pristine" 1.1 pound white truffle for $7,000. Child's play! Behold the 2.15 lbs white truffle that has just arrived on our shores from Alba, Italy. It's been acquired by Mikuni Wild Harvest, whose representative Tyler Gray writes:

A very excited Italian gentleman named Francesco the Forager stumbled / sprinted out of the forest mid afternoon in a haze of deliria and joy, grasping tightly to his most precious find ever...a 2LB WHITE ALBA TRUFFLE....2.15 lbs to be exact & by far the largest White Truffle to land in the USA in the last 3 years. more ›