Your happy hour is safe, for now. Despite distressing reports in the New York Post this weekend, a rep from the Department of Health tells us that rumors that Commissioner Thomas Farley wants to ban happy hours from the city are "completely untrue." Phew! more ›

In the theater scene, Clark Gregg is known as one of the founders of the longstanding Atlantic Theater Company, along with David Mamet and William H. Macy. But many more geeks people know him as Agent Phil Coulson, a pivotal character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor and The Avengers). He also wrote and directed the funny film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel Choke, and co-starred with Julia Louis Dreyfus in the long running CBS comedy, The New Adventures of Old Christine (of which we've seen exactly zero episodes). But after many years in Hollywood, Gregg has returned to the off-Broadway world in NYC to participate in Ethan Coen's latest collection of one-act plays. more ›

SushiSamba, the stylish restaurant that fuses together Japanese, Brazilian, and Peruvian cuisine to surprisingly delicious effect, is rocking a pretty appealing happy hour these days, at both their Manhattan locations. Seen here is the lounge at the original location on Park Avenue and 19th Street; it's a funky place where they show Sumo wrestling on TV screens behind the bar. This month they're doing a Brazilian happy hour, with $6 specialty cocktails and a special menu of Brazilian-inflected bar food for $6 a plate. more ›

Who said preteens don't know how to party? Oh that's right—nobody. Well, a few Connecticut middle schoolers really stepped up to the plate and turned their school bus into a booze cruise on wheels, selling mixed drinks to the other students on board for two dollars each. The Norwalk tween trio used juice, iced tea and Gatorade as mixers, but there was no confirmation of our suspicion that Miley Cyrus thermoses were turned into shakers. School officials are playing party patrol and disciplining the students without police intervention after being tipped off by parents. They claim that none of the students on board the party bus became intoxicated. Which makes us wonder: have these kids already built up a preteen tolerance or were these drinks watered down, thus officially making the junior bartenders the greatest young entrepreneurs since the Olsen twins? more ›

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• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a truck stuck underneath a train platform at 237th St. in the Bronx, an armed robbery on 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, and a burn victim at McKeever Pl. in Brooklyn.
• The husband who was strangled to death, allegedly by his wife in their new $1 million Long Island home, had a criminal record that included serving several years upstate for rape, robbery, and burglary.
• A fire at a homeless encampment near Hillside Ave. and 178th St. in Queens spread to the encampment's shanties. One man was unable to escape in time and died in the fire.
• The controversial federal case against a woman accused of smuggling monkey meat into the U.S. for use in religious ceremonies continues.
• New York is turning into a clown town during the holiday season. There are currently six separate circuses operating in the city.
• Police are investigating a string of robberies in Brooklyn's 84th Precinct that appears to be targeting Asian people.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission wants the Indian Point power plant to pick up the pace on the repair of emergency sump pumps.
• The city's started to ticket ($100 to $300) businesses in Cobble Hill and Park Slope for placing a-frame signs advertising everything from manicure prices to happy hour specials. The signs supposedly are obstructing the sidewalk.

The Counter Meal, a waitress explained during a recent visit, is an Australian tradition made up of comforting food, a hefty drink, an informal atmosphere, and a darn good price. The menu offers an appetizer, either burger or entree, and a choice of traditional Australian desserts for this price ($16)--or even less, $10, on Sunday nights. more ›

The first bowling alley to open in Brooklyn in (we can't even believe this) nearly 50 years is about to open up! The Gutter is new...but the feeling old. Brought to you by two of the same people who brought you Barcade, expect a similar vibe. There's a Schlitz globe spinning over the shoe counter, vintage bowling items adorning the bar, old lamps throughout, and even some TVs with rabbit ear antennas. more ›

We expect a lot from our beer. It needs to be refreshing. It needs to be bold and flavorful. And it needs to keep us as excited on the last sip as we were when the first pass crossed our lips. For us, a truly great beer is the one that keeps going after most beers have stopped. So when we came across Endurance Pale Ale on tap at Drop Off Service in the East Village we thought if the name matches the brewer’s philosophy then we might be in for one tasty Saturday afternoon (weekend happy hour special of $3 and $4 pints ends by 8pm). more ›

MOVIE: The 2006 Clark Kent hit the big screen in Superman Returns. Tonight catch the superhero do his thing all over again at the River Flicks outdoor film series. Free popcorn, free film and a nice cold summer breeze. Bring a blanket! more ›

READING: It's New York Murder Mystery Night with novelists Jed Rubenfeld, Joel Rose, and historian Ben Feldman. The trio will be discussing New York’s famous 19th-century murders, including the bizarre events behind Butchery on Bond Street. more ›

MOVIE: Last week Bryant Park was packed as Annie Hall played on the big screen. This week grab someone who's hand you'll be able to squeeze tight as the classic horror flick, The Thing, plays in the park. The timeless flick watches the sci-fi terror unfold as "scientists at an Arctic research station discover a spacecraft buried in the ice. Upon closer examination, they discover the frozen pilot. All hell breaks loose when they take him back to their station and he is accidentally thawed out!" more ›

“We don’t carry Coors Light,” said the bartender, quick as could be, as a lady patron sat shocked and surprised. more ›

HAPPY HOUR: You read the Onion, and you probably drink whiskey...so why not combine the two tonight? The Onion crew enjoys the simple pleasures of life in WIlliamsburg with some free Jameson Irish Whiskey in the name of alcohol preservation. more ›

MUSIC: Tonight The Ladybug Transistor (who sadly just lost a band member) have their record release show (band pictured at right). Joining them on stage will be Pipas and Alasdair Maclean from The Clientele performing an acoustic set. Buy tickets here. more ›

Sample is small. But not like Minibar small, or even Tini, where what you see is what you get. It is long and especially narrow, and feels like it has more to show. We kept expecting to find another room, or a little cove behind some tables. But even the back garden only has enough room for two tiny tables. If you have the misfortune to sit in the middle of the bar you’ll have approximately a foot of space between you and the wall, and no matter how politely people try to slip by you’ll get a constant brush whether they mean to or not. more ›

While we can't honestly imagine what kind of pleasure you'd get from sipping on that highly polluted stream, we did do a little bit of research about drinking establishments around Brooklyn’s favorite body of water. Gowanus Yacht Club is really in Carroll Gardens, and 4th Avenue (along with its new bars) are now being taken over by Park Slope. So, you'll have to get closer to the canal then you ever thought possible. more ›

First off, let us set the record straight. Gotham Bar and Grill and Gothamist are not related. We do not share any parent holding company and there is no sordid history to tell of. The experience that we are about to share is an unbiased tale of a wine geek, just trying to find a quality glass of wine and a comfy stool at the bar. more ›

Buy one get one free everyday more ›

Lido is somewhat of an enigma along Columbia Street. Unlike the dark hues of B61 across the street, and the low light of Sugarlounge further down the street, Lido’s front windows show all from the street. In fact, the name means a public open-air swimming pool or beach, which probably explains the bare legged women sprawled out on the sign. With nothing to hide, Lido can either seem very empty or one of the hottest places to be in the neighborhood. more ›

EVENT: The Brooklyn Kitchen is hosting a series of live in-store cooking demos with local rockers to help celebrate the release of Kara Zuaro’s new book, I Like Food, Food Tastes Good.. Tonight, Les Savy Fav frontman Tim Harrington will school us all in ceviche while likely wearing one of his very own aprons. more ›

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We don’t find ourselves up in the fruit-named streets of Brooklyn Heights that often, unless we’re romantically strolling along the Promenade, or have gotten lost on our way home from Grimaldi’s. And we can very safely say that we’ve never ventured up there to drink. Brooklyn Heights might be one of the most beautiful stretches of the city, but it’s dining options, not to mention bars, have also ventured towards the safe and reliable, not to mention the expensive. But we heard about some impressive cocktails that were being mixed at Jack the Horse Tavern and figured it’d be fun to find out. more ›

At first glance, Tini doesn't seem that much different from all the other wine bars littered around Brooklyn. It's small, cute, and feminine. But while others are tucked in tree-lined streets, this one is out in Red Hook. And that makes all the difference. more ›

You’d think a place called MiniBar in Carroll Gardens would have an inferiority complex. It even stares across the street at Frankies 457 Spuntino, a much more serious eatery and wine bar, with a very high reputation. But it doesn’t seem to care. more ›

- Shortly before the now infamous Bourdain post skewering the Food Network appeared, blogger Jinius put her newly acquired TV writing skills to the test with a piece funneling the stars of the much maligned network into the Lost model. Enjoy and don’t miss riding the wake still behind Bourdain’s post, hundreds of comments from readers, Josh at Grub Street defending RR and Nina Lalli piling on him. more ›

The aptly titled and recently openedHope Lounge (it's on Hope Street), might might seem a little too tranquil at first. The enormous red walls are sporadically graced with signs and Indian statues, but if there is a theme, it’s not readily apparent. Right now, it is huge, clean, and spare, which accentuates the high ceilings and abundant seating. With so much space they have enough room to house a regular schedule of live acts, most starting around 9 or 10, in the usual jazz-bluegrass-D.J. vein. You know, something for everyone. more ›

Wednesday night, WNBC invited a bunch of bloggers to its first NYC Blogger Summit. Why? As Anil Dash put it, to "engage bloggers and encourage them to provide information and resources to the station's news-gathering efforts, in exchange for credit and exposure." more ›