This week in Eat Cetera: Get in on the Grits Takedown and the NYC Food Festival, crave crepes at Jacques Torres, and meet your farm-maker tomorrow night at Craft. more ›

For two years now, gourmet chocolate maker Jacque Torres has been selling a pink Champagne bon bon called the "Champagne Kiss." But the Hershey Corporation is worried that customers shopping for cheap, proletariat candy might get confused and buy his Kiss instead, which costs $1.50 each, instead of their waxy sugar pellets. So earlier this month their lawyers sent him a C&D, demanding he immediately retire his Champagne Kiss. But Torres won't pucker up! His lawyers have fired back, and in a letter obtained by Grub Street, they argue that the comparing the two products is analogous to "Chevrolet complaining that Rolls Royce is infringing on the Chevrolet trademark." Furthermore! "This is yet another example of a giant, monolithic corporation attempting to take advantage of 'the little guy,' in this case, a world-renowned artisan from France." An irate Torres tells Grub Street, "They don’t own the world! No way am I going to give up on [the kiss]—it’s completely unfair!" Oh merde, it is on! more ›

Free chocolates and Atlantic City hotel reservations are being handed out at the corner of 48th Street and Sixth Avenue until 10 a.m. this morning, and then from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the Jacques Torres Hudson Store (350 Hudson). The hotel is Harrah's, and we're told they're distributing 5,000 free overnight stays to publicize the Sunday opening of a café called Temptations that will feature most of the Jacques Torres product line. (Torres has been answering NY Times readers' questions this week, and has revealed the secret to his dangerously addictive chocolate chip cookies.) In other V-Day gimmicks, three couples will be competing in the Netflix "Greatest Kiss" contest at Grand Central this morning. On sets built to resemble the movies, they'll be performing kiss-culminating scenes from Titanic, Gone With the Wind, and the incestuous mom/son kiss from Back to the Future. We're told a panel of judges will rate the "amateur kissers," and the awkwardness begins at 11:30. more ›

After-hours Sunday night at the Jacques Torres chocolate factory on Hudson Street was the release party for Jean Georges pastry chef Johnny Iuzzini’s first cookbook, the provocatively titled Dessert Fourplay. The book is literally named for Iuzzini’s preferred format of serving desserts composed of four separate parts or components, and not your chance of getting some when getting your brulee on; actual results may vary. Some examples of Iuzzini’s recipes can be found here, here, and here. more ›

How does Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz spend $6,000 of campaign cash? On Jacques Torres fine chocolates, of course. The NY Post reports that Marty, who is running for re-election this year, laid down all that dough for "staff gifts and gift bags" in December 2007. One watchdog group told the paper that the spending "illustrates yet again the laxity of oversight and guidance the New York law provides for what is and is not an appropriate campaign expense"—but the BBP says: "not a single penny of public funds was used to purchase them." Maybe Marty should get the Brooklyn shop to make chocolate-molded Marty pops for his campaign season. more ›

Okay, it's freezing. Not just freezing -- bone chillingly bitter. We've been at our desk for hours now and still can't manage to fight off the chill from our morning commute. This kind of weather makes us crave warm, cozy comfort food -- hopefully at least one of these options is close enough to you for a quick dash out, or even better, to deliver to you. more ›

On a recent weekend, we saw Jacques Torres loading boxes of delectable treats from a van into his new store Jacques Torres Chocolate store at 285 Amsterdam Avenue, near 73rd Street, leaving us impressed at his commitment as a small business owner. Today, the chocolatier and the store are mentioned in a NY Times article that examines the emergence of Amsterdam Avenue as an option for retailers, who have traditionally been attracted to Broadway and Columbus Avenues for Upper West Side locations. more ›

Hot chocolate's all the hype these days with Jacques Torres, City Bakery, Cocoa Bar, and MariBelle all pouring decadent brews at their downtown locales. And, while we have to admit that we’re more likely to stop in one of these spots below 14th Street, there are plenty of reasons for heading further uptown during this holiday season—say, for ice skating at Rockefeller Center, a trip to Central Park, or a visit to the Met. more ›

June 7 - June 11: Broadway Panhandler "Yard Sale" more ›

April 20-21: Wine Rave NYC more ›

For someone who graduated from college just last year, Ohio native, Soho-transplant Jill Donenfeld has really made a quick study of the New York food scene. As the founder of The Dish’s Dishes, Donenfeld oversees a team of kitchen ninjas she calls Culinistas™ (she also holds the word’s trademark)- who prepare meals en masse and in-house for clients using raw materials from greenmarkets, organic bakeries, and the subterranean caves of Murray’s Cheese, among other hand-picked sources. Donenfeld is also a soon-to-be cookbook author and the current writer of a weekly food intelligence one-sheet (available to DD clients). Gothamist sat down to talk shop with The Dish’s Dishes entrepreneur #1 last week at Jacques Torres on Hudson Street, and left with a recipe for squid salad. more ›

People tend to go a little haywire over Peeps. We've given you a taste of the madness before, but there's even more sugar-infused insanity this year. Via the epi-log over at Epicurious: chef Francisco Migoya of The Culinary Institute of America has a video up on You Tube demonstrating how to make your own Peeps aptly titled "The Peep Show." more ›

• The foie gras battle rages on sparked by a sign at Fairway on the Upper West Side.
• Jacques Torres is in a hot chocolate war in DUMBO (his use of exclamation points is also noted).
• Michael Psilakis and Donatella Arpaia find a new home at Anthos, in the former Acqua Pazza space on 52nd Street. Restaurant Girl gets an early peek.
• And with Japanese Restaurant Week starting today, we find Grub Street's guide very handy.
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This week'sNew York Magazine wraps up some of the city's best cups of hot chocolate -- you know, the kind that drinks like a meal. Their top choice, the decadent cup at City Bakery ($2), is rich enough to make even the most passionate chocolate lover feel close to overdose levels (don't forget that February is the month where they feature a new hot chocolate flavor every day). Other mentions include the gianduja hot chocolate at Otto Enoteca Pizzeria ($4.50), which is creamy, infused with hazelnut, and served with delicious shortbread cookies. Other standouts include chocolatiers Marie Belle, Jacques Torres, and Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man. Did they leave any off the list, in your opinion? more ›

As first reported on Slice, Patsy Grimaldi, founder of Grimaldi's has come out of retirement to operate Girmaldi's at Aviator, the new sports and recreation complex at Floyd Bennett Field. The Times picks up the story today, quoting Mr. Grimaldi, who sold the original pizzeria several years ago, as saying retirement "was a big mistake". more ›

Now that the big tree is lit, Rockefeller Center draws tourists like moths to a flame. You may even find yourself under its sway. The tree is pretty impressive after all—more than 65 feet tall and adorned with more than 30,000 lights. But when the crowds swarm and the cold bites, remember relief is not far away. Just duck into La Maison du Chocolat, around the corner on 49th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, for what might be the best cup of hot cocoa in New York. This outpost of the quintessential French temple of chocolate provides a respite to midtown madness. Despite its location (right next to the NBC studios tour entrance), La Maison always maintains an air of calm. Maybe it’s because as soon as you walk in, the scent of pure, unadulterated chocolate envelops you. Every surface in the shop radiates in shades of auburn and brown, and even the clerks bear beatific smiles that seem cocoa induced. This is the Hermes of chocolate (with a bigger branch on Madison Avenue and 78th Street), and prices reflect the value. more ›

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November 3: Chocolate and Dessert Wine Seminar more ›

New York Magazine rounds up one of summer's sweetest treats -- the ice cream sandwich. Forget about the tasteless, mass-produced blocks from your childhood, we're talkin' high end sandwiches, with high end cookies (think Jacques Torres chocolate chunk) filled with rich gelato in a range of flavors. Try One Girl Cookies' version of a whoopie pie filled with il Laboratorio's ricotta gelato, the brownie with fromage-blanc gelato from Ruby et Violette, or pick your own flavor of Otto's sublime gelato and tuck it into a fluffy brioche. more ›

We came to win. We were prepared for the challenges they laid before us. Blind wines…bring it. Guess the spices…we came to play. Decorate the cookie…we’ll take down the pastry chefs. This was our mantra. Dirty or fair, we had one goal and that was to win the 2nd Annual Duckathlon sponsored by D’Artagnan. more ›

The Port Authority will face the wrath of chocoholics, as various groups are "begging" the PA to give them some more space on the pier so they can unload 36 million pounds of cocoa beans. The ship is docked at Pier 9 in Red Hook, but workers cannot unload the cargo. American Stevedoring is complaining about the PA's treatment and the fact that the post "can't handle the cargo," but the PA says that American Stevedoring made the mistake when it didn't realize it had reduced space because AS has "mismanaged" its cocoa business. Snap! And the big issue is that there are vacant ports...it's a big political hoo-ha between the PA and AS, and illustrates the changing to the city's shipping business. NYC used to be the number 1 cocoa port in the country, but now Philadelphia and Camden are ahead. And the Times supplied this fun fact: "The cocoa sitting on the ship amounts to 10 percent of all the West African cocoa that has come into the United States this harvest season, which is now at its height and is about half over." more ›

Mom always said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. That's why we're a little disappointed that the new, hip franchise Cereality has yet to open in the Big Apple. A cafe solely devoted to the love of Froot Loops, Cap'n Crunch, Cocoa Puffs and the like, Cereality sounds like the perfect compliment to the diner, pushcart and coffee house options we New Yorkers currently enjoy. more ›

Everyone wants what they don't have. And, when you live in Manhattan, there is little you don't have at your fingertips - especially food-wise. more ›

The French Culinary Institute's Salute to Healthy Cooking by Alain Sailhac, Jacques Pepin, Andre Soltner, and Jacques Torres (Rodale, 1998) more ›

Foodies have been flocking to DUMBO for quite a while now. It's no surprise. Who can resist the siren's call of the spicy, New Mexican-inspired breakfast burrito at Superfine? Or a piping hot pizza pie with house-roasted peppers at Grimaldi's. Or the Curried Mussels at Five Front? And, then there is the biggest temptation of them all - Jacques Torres Chocolates, chocked full of decadent, Wonka-like confections for children and adults alike. But is Jacques really the biggest foodie draw in the 'hood? more ›

We told you it was coming, and now it's finally here: the Seventh Annual Chocolate Show New York, which began this past Thursday, November 11th, and ends this Sunday, November 14th. Gothamist knew that there'd be everything from a fashion show to cooking demos to art displays made of chocolate. But what we were really excited about was getting to try so many different chocolates, all in one afternoon. more ›

The Chocolate Show is coming! The Chocolate Show is coming! We know where we'll be camped out this weekend . . . more ›

Some places to get candy: Dylan's Candy Bar, Jacques Torres, and more picks from NY magazine.
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This made Gothamist wonder about other smells in the city. There's the bus exhaust and the smell of bagels outside of H&H, as well as the more-than-earthy explosion of scents (good and bad) in Chinatown and the fried fumes of the San Gennaro Festival. Other bad smells in the city - the Gowanus, Subway sandwich shops, Times Square subway on a hot sultry day, bar bathrooms at around 1AM. And good smells - outside Jacques Torres' place in DUMBO (but a good kind of chocolatey smell), pizzerias, Peter Luger's, Krispy Kreme, freshly cut grass in the park, the Greenmarket, and a fresh newspaper. more ›

Gothamist, like many other New Yorkers, will be strategically avoiding the various lifestyle headaches that promise to accompany the Grand Old Party to our beloved city. For those natives fleeing the island as the Republicans descend, we'll take a page from the administration's book and offer our suggestions for a Gothamist Food "Go Bag" stocked with some of our favorite hometown provisions: more ›