There sure are plenty of perks that come with working in media in NYC. You get free shit slung at you from every direction! Why just the other week we were invited to eat for free at a restaurant where LAN Airlines was planning a surprise publicity stunt in which every customer would be given a free roundtrip airplane ticket to "a destination of their choice" in South America. We were invited to sit at the LAN VIP table and share this truly exciting news with our readers! Wouldn't you enjoy reading about people you don't know getting fabulous prizes? more ›

The "owner" of the super-exclusive secret club El Baño, who mailed us a much-appreciated roll of toilet paper last week to promote the joke lounge (accessed through a sliding door in the stall of a locked bodega bathroom), has sent us an email expressing outrage that a fake club has been "mocking" El Baño. This one, which has a website bearing a striking resemblance to El Baño's site, is called El Evator. You can guess where it's located. At this point, the parody of a parody of pretentious clubland is starting to wear a bit thin, but we do love that El Evator is opening for Administrative Assistant Week. Says El Baño's unidentified owner/prankster, "I guess when you're the best of the best you pick up haters along the way." more ›

The current global food crisis signifies many things, including waning tolerance for exclusive, speakeasy-style bars. The newest, most secretest Lower East Side club of all, called El Baño, has all of the trappings of Marcel Duchamp readymade, only more scatological. From a post on Down By The Hipster last week, quoting the club's reps:

El Baño is a secret club, and like all things secret it's only known by few. more ›

Yesterday Gawker posted about a little-known LES space that, if you know the secret handshake, will open its doors to you. Once inside you'll find a reception room, a capacious old theater space... even fishtanks. The night Gawker stumbled in they found a band playing, and in booze-induced wonderment, took a short video clip. The clip was included in the post yesterday but now both have disappeared, becoming as mysterious as this secret club itself! more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an officer struck on 42nd St. and 8th Ave. in Manhattan, a bomb threat on 76th St. and Amsterdam Ave. in Manhattan, and a shooting on Mayfair Dr. in Brooklyn.
• Don't speed (108 m.p.h.), at night (2:30 a.m.), while drunk (.113 BAC), while tailgating and driving erratically, on an urban highway (Staten Island Expressway.) One young Brighton Beach resident didn't get the memo it seems.
• Councilman Leroy Comrie's efforts to halt the branding of soft and alcohol-based drinks "OG Nation," was recently successful, with the renaming of Larry Johnson and Jim Brown's snack and beverage company "Hall of Fame Beverages." No word on what the fate of the"Thug Chips" snacks brand is.
• After Hillary Clinton put her own money on the line by loaning $5 million of her own cash to her campaign, backers have ponied up $7.1 million in additional funding. The beauty of democracy: it brings a tear to our eye.
• Unfortunately, as police arrived at the Staten Island 9/11 Memorial today, a man shot himself in the head and died.
• The FDA is now questioning the safety of a widely used Botox [botulinum toxin] in injection as a beauty treatment. Thousands of New York women would love to express outrage at the revelation, but simply can't.
• Grub Street points out that one can do more than just eat at IHOP, one can now wear IHOP. And that means much more than just throwing up a half-stack of flapjacks on yourself at 5 a.m. after too much "syrup." We're talking IHOP apparel.
• Good question: New York City has its Bravest, Finest, Strongest, and Boldest, but what about the lawyers employed by the City. Do Jack McCoy and the legions of actual city attorneys who've served as his inspiration deserve an appellation? Suggestions welcome.

Got a tidbit for us? Send it to the feedbag. more ›

After Page Six alluded to The Gansevoort Hotel staff as being just a tad anti-semitic, the hotel retorted saying that the incident on New Year's Eve that led to the allegation was a misunderstanding. Their side of the story includes having to kick out a yarmulke-less (and apparently racist) "ill-behaved boyfriend of a member of Kid ['I love Jewish people'] Rock's PR team." Today Grub Street asked "which member of Kid Rock’s PR team brought in this ruffian," saying they were "not at all surprised that it involves Kid Rock." more ›

Spanish ibérico ham used to be banned in the United States because of USDA restrictions. However, as part of a newish approval process, the first shipments of the stuff arrived last week at New York stores Despaña and Dean & DeLuca. The former is selling free range sliced ibérico at $90-$99 a pound, and the latter has some of the fancier bellota ham at $75 a pound. More ibérico ham is on the way- in fact it’s already at the airport. “It has to clear customs first,” said Angélica Intriago, Despaña’s co-owner. “We’re at the top of the waiting list.” more ›

Bon Appétit , in an attempt to appeal to a broader, younger, and theoretically "hipper" audience, has recently revamped its logo. Taunting came in full force, via Grub Street, who concluded, "[t]he truth is that Bon Appétit will never be any hipper or friskier than it is, because no magazine about upscale entertaining can ever speak to people that don’t have big houses and plenty of time on their hands." Adam Roberts, the Amateur Gourmet,... more ›

Attention Pacific Northwest: New Yorkers don't care about your cuisine. None of Jeffrey Chodorow's blogging, full page ads in the Times or other theatrics could save Wild Salmon from its imminent closure. After Eater circulated news of its potential doom, Chodorow issued a statement, published on Grub Street, "Regrettably, we will be closing Wild Salmon after the new year. We were excited about bringing the food and wine of the Pacific Northwest to New York,... more ›

Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni made big news recently by dropping $7,000 on a single white truffle, telling the Post, “Once in a while, you have to be crazy.” Indeed, the highly coveted tubers – which at Le Cirque are often shaved sparingly onto pastas or used for tortellini filling – are known to drive chefs and gourmands mad with ecstasy. (Melissa Hom, who took the above photo for Grub Street, snapped a hilarious shot of Le Cirque’s kitchen team partying around Sirio’s huge score.) more ›

Got a tidbit for us? Send it to the feedbag. more ›

What’s worth watching on food-TV this week? more ›

As Grub Street and others reported yesterday, a letter written last Thursday by Senator Chuck Schumer to Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Friedman may have prevented the forcible closure of the Red Hook Ball Field food vendors this past weekend. While this seems to be a small victory for the food purveyors, doubt remains whether the operating season for the newly food safety-certified vendors will end just after Labor Day, or at the end of October, the date observed by the vendors for the last few decades. more ›

Despite Meatopia IV's downright pagan theme, Slaughter of the Innocents, which involved spit roasted kid goat and suckling pig as well as the consumption of copious amounts of other young animal flesh, the good lord chose to spare the soul of Mr. Cutlets, aka Josh Ozersky, and the band of meat-crazed revelers that came out Tuesday night to Water Taxi Beach to celebrate Josh's 40th birthday. more ›

What’s worth watching, food-wise, on TV this week? more ›

Last night food blogger Andrea Strong played the role of her (really mean) self in the Restaurant Wars episode of Top Chef. She was there as an "undercover blogger," an accurate title given by Padma - as Strong got less screen-time than random walk-ins. more ›

This week on food-related TV, we’ve got: more ›

Got a tidbit for us? Send it to the feedbag. more ›

In case you missed it, earlier this week, Rebecca Charles, owner of Pearl Oyster Bar, filed an intellectual property suit against former sous-chef Ed McFarland, alleging that he had stolen recipes and design ideas when he opened his new restaurant, Ed's Lobster Bar. Here's what has gone down since then. Ed held a press conference. Grub Street describes Ed's response: “I am deeply saddened to learn that Rebecca Charles has brought an action against me,” McFarland announced. “I believe her action has no merit. I harbor no ill will and wish her safely to port.” more ›

As we mentioned earlier this week, the vendors who set up shop at the Red Hook ballfields may be at risk for losing their permit. According to the New York Times, the vendors have operated for years under a series of temporary use permits, but now they will have to place a formal bid with the city in order to remain in the space. But the vendors are not guaranteed to win this bid, so the fans of this culinary community institution have rallied behind it. more ›

• Has DiFara been shuttered by the DOH? A tipster saw a telltale yellow sign slapped up. Sigh. [Eater]
• Zak Pelaccio has left the building at 5 Ninth, leaving Dan Parilla at the helm. [Mouthing Off]
• More crappy news -- could it possibly be the last summer of the Red Hook ball fields vendors? Put on your community action hat and write a letter to the Parks Commissioner, stat. [Grub Street]

• Hate airport food? Well, if you're flying out of JFK, they've just opened a Balducci's in Terminal 2. We're also partial to the Cibo Express in Terminal 6, pictured at right. [New Yorkology]
• What happens when you mix chefs, booze, fire, and egos? A mess, some broken glass, and an accidental stabbing. Seems that Marco Pierre White was demonstrating a flaming Sambuca trick to Mario Batali, Tony Bourdain and others at the Spotted Pig when things went awry. [NY Post]
• Herring, herring, and more herring. 'Tis the season at The Oyster Bar and Aquavit. [Eat for Victory]

• 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 in store for his new spot Hill Country - a place that should have you very excited. Hit the site to review other pitmasters participating as well as the impressive panelists for seminar series.
• Reading on Grub Street about Cones ice cream and one patron's fight to get Dulce de Leche con Brownie stocked as a regular flavor prompted a pop-in. After spotting the flavor and knowing we needed to order it to see what it was all about, we blew our test tries on corn (not good, very different from Claudia Fleming's seminal version) and pistachio (have you had Ronnybrook ?). Walking home we reflected back that this was probably not the best ice cream we have had and was not even up to snuff with Peanut Butter Ripple the ole' Shake Shack had earlier in the weekend.
• Congratulations to Ganda, who recently grabbed Ed Levine for her “You Are What You Eat” column, on her inclusion on a food blogging panel this Fall for the Gourmet Institute. With a wide variety of panels full of heavy hitter chefs and food personalities, this is a great opportunity for a fantastic food blogger.

We love a good birthday party, especially when it means cheap tacos. To celebrate their 20th year in business, San Loco will be offering beef, bean or rice hard tacos topped with cheddar, lettuce and sauce for a mere 20 cents at all four of their locations. The only downside -- there's a five-taco limit. We think you'll survive. From 11 a.m. "until supplies last." more ›