Last month The New-York Historical Society—the oldest museum in New York City—completed a $65 million renovation to its Upper West Side home. And this weekend, the Society flings open the doors to its new restaurant, Caffè Storico (Italian for “historic”), operated by restaurateur Stephen Starr, the guy behind Buddakan and Morimoto. The first thing you'll probably notice are all that pretty Chinese and 19th century European porcelain and Staffordshire china (all from New-York Historical Society’s collection) adorning the walls. Also striking: a giant marble slab formed into a cicchetti bar, where small plates are prepared and served. As you can see, it's a bright, airy room replete with dazzling chandeliers, high ceilings, and cheery yellow banquettes. more ›

An Italian jazz singer was hit and killed by a car while crossing the street in Manhattan late last night. Daniela D'Ercole, 32, was struck by a 2002 Mercury Mountaineer SUV minutes before midnight, and pronounced dead on arrival at St. Luke’s hospital. more ›

Though Andrew Cuomo and Carl Paladino differ in political views, style, and level of crazy, they do have one key thing in common: being Italian. But even with that, former Staten Island BP Guy V. Molinari told the Times, "As Italians, they are very much the opposite of each other." Meaning Paladino doesn't wear his gold chains in the shower? more ›

"Fornino Park Slope is a throwback, the sort of restaurant that will appeal mostly to those who still think of Manhattan as 'the city,' and who rarely cross a river to get to work," says Sam Sifton in his one star review of chef Michael Ayoub's return to Park Slope. Despite its expansive menu, most critics have focused (unfavorably) on Fornino's grilled pizza. Sifton doesn't dissent, loving pretty much everything until he comes to that controversial item, which "may be the restaurant’s weakest suit. The pies at Fornino Park Slope have thin crusts, in some cases almost shatteringly so, and they can lack the purity of flavor that characterizes the wood-oven versions at the Williamsburg location. Sometimes they don’t work at all. A plain margherita pie, for instance, sits flat and crackly on its plate, devoid of yeasty flavor; it felt in the mouth a little like a pizza made with saltines." more ›

The Times's first string dining critic Sam Sifton is "off the grid" for a couple of weeks, but critic Ligaya Mishan ventures to Williamsburg to file a favorable review of Traif, which is named for the Yiddish term for food forbidden under Jewish dietary law. Mishan says it's "simply, a very nice restaurant. There’s nothing outré about the food, which is for the most part delicious and well made. The cooking is thoughtful, the flavors subtle and complex, the prices reasonable... When asked if you’d like to sit outside, say yes. On a stone patio, small tables nestle under a bower at the edge of a garden — lush, riotously green, with flowers, bushes, trees. You sit and stare, not daring to enter this promised land." more ›

Now that hotshot chef Michael Psilakis has left Mia Dona (and his former partner Donatella Arpaia) far behind, Sam Sifton at the Times barrels through to strip the place of the two stars originally bestowed by Frank Bruni when it opened in 2008. "Arpaia declared that she would run the restaurant alone, training the remaining kitchen staff to cook the peasant food of Puglia, the cucina povera of the Arpaia family’s Italian past," writes Sifton. " 'There is no chef,' she told The Times in an interview at the time. 'Sometimes it’s hard to do what I want, working with a talented chef-partner. I wanted the food I grew up with and not have it reinterpreted.' more ›

"Some restaurants are time machines," writes Times critic Sam Sifton in his perceptive two star review of the elegant "modern French, Asian-accented" restaurant SHO Shaun Hergatt, which opened in 2009 down the block from the New York Stock Exchange. "SHO Shaun Hergatt, the strange and occasionally terrific restaurant on the second floor of a condominium building in the financial district, even looks like one, down to the elevator that whisks you up from the lobby. Diners enter this simple metal box in 2010, talking about the beating Goldman Sachs took in the markets on Friday. They emerge in the late 1990s, Goldman still privately held, the economy booming in a city where restaurants reflected the excess. This calls for Champagne!" more ›

To linguists our city is part of what’s known as the "R-less corridor,” because New Yawkas, like South Londonaws before them, drop their “R’s” (My Daughta’s a lawya). But, most language experts agree that the designation is quickly becoming irrelevant. “New Yorkers are more and more 'R'-ful, and the amount of R-dropping is decreasing," says Michael Newman, associate professor of linguistics at Queens College. more ›

This week Sam Sifton at the Times tosses one measly star to SD26, the big glitzy Flatiron district reboot of San Domenico, which used to operate on Central Park South. Given the restaurant's lofty ambitions, one star is certainly a disappointment for gregarious owner Tony May, who used to run what many agreed to be "Manhattan’s best classically Italian restaurant. Some elements of that excellence remain in the cooking at SD26 and in the wine list put together by the affable Jason Ferris, the restaurant’s wine director. Others have been buried beneath attempts to modernize the kind of dining that Mr. May says has gone out of fashion: the elegant Italian cuisine he helped bring to New York. more ›

Designed to evoke the kind of joint where you'd plant a revolver in the men's room in order to shoot a corrupt police captain, the East Side Social Club opened last night, from the family behind such winners as Employees Only and Macao Trading Co. Located on East 51st Street in the former Montparnasse space in The Pod Hotel, the club is divided into three distinct sections: a bar in front with Art Deco accents; a fine dining room with classic checkered tablecloths in the center; and an elevated, semi-private back room divided by ironwork. It's open from 6:45 a.m. to 4 a.m., giving the public the opportunity to conduct "business" at all hours. (For the record, it's not literally a "club.") more ›

Click on the images for details on newcomers Spot Dessert Bar, Obao, Lucy's Cantina Royale, and the latest at Emporio and Death & Co, which just introduced their fall menu. more ›

This week in the Times, Sam Sifton reviews the newly-opened midtown outpost of French mini-chain Le Relais de Venise L’Entrecote, which serves just drinks, salad, fries, steak, and dessert. "Women in French maid outfits serve the stuff as if they were characters in an early Preston Sturges film," says Sifton. "And you know what? It’s terrific." Meanwhile, the Times's Oliver Strand is in Williamsburg to rave about the gourmet sandwich shop Saltie, from veterans of Marlow & Sons and Diner: "It’s a lot of talent for one cramped kitchen. So they overachieve." (He also has kind words for Crosby Connection and Barros Luco.) more ›

Click on the images here for more details on The Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights, Bill's Burger in the Meatpacking District, Corsino in the West Village, and Giano in the East Village. more ›

Click on the images for details on Scarpetta's new five course tasting menu, The JakeWalk's new fall food and cocktail menu, and Dokebi's Korean tacos and weekend brunch. more ›

New York's Adam Platt files a twofer on twee West Village restaurant Joseph Leonard and Civetta, an Italian restaurant on Kenmare Street. Each gets a measly one star out of five; "Joseph Leonard’s very standard bistro menu isn’t inspired enough to add to this festive atmosphere, but neither is it so horrible that it detracts from the proceedings." At Civetta, "if you choose wisely, it’s possible to have a decent meal." Meanwhile, Jay Cheshes at Time Out finally gets around to reviewing Graydon Carter's Monkey Bar, giving it three out of five stars and noting that, "There are still some rich people in New York City, and they eat here." more ›

We recently interviewed chef Saul Bolton, whose eponymous restaurant in Boerum Hill just celebrated ten years in business. Today Pete Wells at the Times bestows two stars on the place, where the elegantly understated atmosphere provides a modest frame for Bolton's culinary ambition: "One of the first restaurants to bring a contemporary sensibility to Brooklyn when it appeared on Smith Street in 1999, it has neither faded, nor stood still, nor sought a personality transplant. Instead Saul Bolton, the chef and the owner with his wife, Lisa, has upgraded just about everything in their modest storefront. Saul is the same restaurant, but better." more ›

Police shut down part of West Third Street today so President Obama and former President Bill Clinton could enjoy a leisurely lunch at Italian restaurant Il Mulino, a Village mainstay. The two political powerhouses dined for about an hour and a half following Obama's big speech at Federal Hall urging Congress to pass stronger regulations on the financial industry. Did they chat about that one time Barry wrested the Democratic nomination from Bill's wife? No one knows, but according to reports they dined alone in an empty restaurant, so there was probably no standing ovation, like when Barack and Michelle finished their meal at Blue Hill. As they walked from the restaurant to their waiting limos, Clinton lapped up a reporter's question about the quality of the food, saying, "It was good. It was Il Mulino, how could it not be?" Suck it, Yelper B.D.! As for what they ate, Clinton remarked, "We had fish, pasta and salad. It was very healthy. Even I was healthy." Meanwhile, over on Hudson Street, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich glumly dined at a picnic table outside at Lucy Browne's. The street was not closed for security, and no one stopped Eater from getting this classic photo. more ›

Opening "softly" tomorrow, A Voce Columbus is the new big sister location of the cozier A Voce in the Flatiron District. The original location made a big name for chef Andrew Carmellini, who is currently saving Robert De Niro's restaurant reputation at Locanda Verde in the Greenwich Hotel. Then came chef Missy Robbins, who joined A Voce after her tour as Executive Chef at the Obamas' favorite Chicago restaurant, Spiaggia. more ›

Trattoria Cinque: It's all about the number five at this new 250-seat Italian restaurant, which, depending on your numerological stance, could signify the alchemist's five pointed star of quintessence or the Satanist's pentagram. We'll have to wait and see if owner Russell Bellanca's deal with the devil pays off, but it's certainly a good-looking establishment, with two fireplaces, spacious booths, and wooden tables that complement a grand Italian marble bar spanning the lounge area. Chef Mirco Grassini's rustic Italian menu includes just five dishes in each category (five small plates, five pasts, five desserts, etc.) and will change five times a year in tune with the, uh, four seasons. It's all priced under $25, and includes such options as Lasagna Bolognese ($18); Halibut al Guazzetto with roasted filet, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives ($24); and Pizza con Gorgonzola e Pere with pears, gorgonzola, white truffle oil ($12). 363 Greenwich Street; (212) 965-0555 more ›

This week Frank Bruni at the Times weighs in on Locanda Verdi, the reboot of Robert De Niro's failed Ago, which the critic had such fun eviscerating last summer. His two star review radiates adoration for new chef Andrew Carmellini, whose "talent demands a bigger stage, and luckily for both him and us, Locanda Verde came along in the nick of time to give him that. It opened two months ago in the TriBeCa space inhabited briefly — and disastrously — by Ago, may it rest in peace... But it doesn’t amount to the exactly right situation or perfect fit for him. It’s not the Carmellini restaurant that many of us have been waiting and hoping for, though it has plenty to recommend it. Hit the menu’s strong spots and you’ll have a terrific meal at a reasonable price." more ›

Organika: This new organically-oriented Mediterranean restaurant opens today next door to Sushi Samba in the West Village. Restaurateur and designer Marcello Assante (Boom, Bacco, Porta Toscana) promises "quintessential cooking with an emphasis on Italian cuisine, approached in the most sustainable way." Salads and appetizers range from $5-$14, pastas and pizzas from $13-$16, and the entrees are all daily specials determined by the local markets. The menu currently features pastas like Tagliatelle al Salmone Affumicato (Tagliatelle, Onion, Smoked Salmon, Chives, Cream) for $15 and Tronchetto (Rolled Pizza stuffed with Rocket, Fresh Tomatoes, Mozzarella) for $14. There's no liquor license yet, but cocktails will one day feature fresh juices, rotating to highlight seasonal fruits and vegetables. The kitchen stays open nightly until 1 a.m. 89 Seventh Avenue South; (212) 414-1900 more ›

This week Frank Bruni at the Times, approaching his last month with the Gray Lady, goes gaga for Aldea (photos), where "the cooking is precious, lusty, ultramodern, rustic and a host of other adjectives that don’t normally squeeze together but find themselves in a tight, mostly happy clutch here. Although Aldea has a clean, sleek and relatively spare look, it has a much more complex taste. One minute you’re nibbling on crisp pig’s ears. The next you’re carefully maneuvering your spoon under a translucent, quivering orb of concentrated mushroom broth—one of those liquid ravioli that the Spanish alchemist Ferran Adrià made famous—in an avant-garde consommé." Bruni also takes a look at artisanal pizza parlors this week. more ›

Here's Bar Luna, the casual Upper West Side wine bar that opened recently in the space formerly occupied by the Neptune Room on Amsterdam Avenue. There was a bit of a delay last month when owner Turgut Balikci, who cut his teeth twenty years ago with Bella Luna on Columbus Avenue, sent out an email canceling the opening because of a liquor license issue. But a source tells the Village Voice that the opening was actually pushed back because the chef, Sean Chudoba (who ran the kitchen at Balikci's restaurant AYZA) quit at the last minute. Bar Luna is now up and running with chef Jacque Belanger (West Branch), whom Balicki says is "better suited for the style of restaurant, and more experienced in the neighborhood." more ›

La Taverna: This unpretentious new Italian-Mediterranean restaurant, located in a former Polish bookstore, opened on Manhattan Avenue in Greenpoint over the weekend. Owner Robert Tripak, who doubles as the hotel manager at the Da Vinci Hotel in midtown, tells us he came to New York from Poland as a teenager, and his place is the fulfillment of a dream to own a restaurant "that can be affordable and still provide great service." No liquor license yet, but there is an espresso machine behind the bar, and the menu is definitely "affordable"; the only entree over $10 is the grilled steak served with roasted potatoes ($12.95). There is also a mussels marinara, sautéed in a marinara sauce over linguini pasta ($8.45); pork chops stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, served with mushroom sauce ($8.95); and among the pizzas there's a Mediterranean Pie with spinach, plum tomato, kalamata olives, pesto, feta and parmesan cheese and basil ($6.95/$9.95). 946 Manhattan Avenue; (718) 383-0732 more ›

The Village Voice's Robert Sietsema discovers South Indian restaurant Southern Spice in Flushing, and files a rave review that begins, "Sometimes a restaurant makes such an impression that it changes your way of thinking about an entire cuisine...Dish after dish was astonishing in the power and immediacy of its flavors." His colleague Sarah DiGregorio checks out two East Village cured-meat "specialists," Cure and Ballaro. The former "looks like a boudoir—a boudoir stocked with meat and cheese...Stick with the meat for best results. Even the most successful salad is made mostly of meat—a mess of a half-dozen kinds of chopped charcuterie, rendered even less healthy by the addition of sliced fresh mozzarella, all on top of a portion of mixed greens. The quiches, unfortunately, are heated to sogginess in a microwave." And over at Ballaro, "the proprietors are more serious about their food." more ›

Brooklyn Star: Former Momofuku partner Joaquin Baca has gone solo in Williamsburg, with this handsome little restaurant a few blocks from the L train. The Southern comfort menu includes options such as corn bread ($4), Dr. Pepper Ribs ($16), Fried Pig Tails ($11), BBQ Catfish with grits and fried cucumbers ($13), and Smothered Porkchop with scalloped tomatoes and string beans. Inside the open kitchen, a 100-plus-year-old oven, a relic from when the place used to be a pizzeria, imbues the food with the appropriate degree of smokiness. NY Mag finds out how much money Baca spent to make his dream a reality, and here's the menu from Brooklyn Star's website. No liquor license yet, but they do have plenty of cool, refreshing ice tea and root beer! 33 Havemeyer Street, Brooklyn; (718) 599-9899 more ›

When popular Greenpoint restaurant Queen's Hideaway closed last October, chef/owner Liza Queen told us she was pulling the plug because her "prick of a landlord" had "astronomically" raised her rent, adding, "I think we're the last of those kind of vaguely scruffy places [in the neighborhood]." Now a new restaurateur is having a go at the location, and true to Queen's prediction, her famously hostile hideaway has been transformed into the comparatively un-scruffy Anella, which embodies the elegantly decaying, urban rustic ambiance that's so ubiquitous these days. That the bar top is made of recovered piano wood from the Steinway factory in Astoria pretty much tells you all you need to know about the design. more ›

This week Frank Bruni at the Times bestows one star upon David Burke's Fishtail on the Upper East Side. He finds it both "exasperating" and "amusing...While several lines of type on the restaurant’s elaborately segmented, deeply fatiguing menu trumpet its commitment to sustainable seafood, there’s at least as high a premium on silliness, and exuberance is everything. With Mr. Burke, the trailblazing inventor of the cheesecake lollipop, that’s often the case... He’s as much showman as chef, though he’s a particular kind of showman, happy to act the clown, eager to play the prankster. You get the sense that if, at some pivotal juncture in his past, he had been handed a microphone instead of a spatula, he’d be doing stand-up now." more ›