If you've never played petanque, head on down to Smith Street for North America's largest petanque tournament -- the two block stretch betweeen Bergen and Pacific will be shut down and covered with sand just for the occasion. While your'e watching the action, enjoy special cocktails from Ricard and other drink specials ($5-6), nibble on grilled merguez and chicken sandwiches ($5) and groove to Jazz band Blue Orchid will provide the entertainment throughout the day. 11:30am - 8pm, free admission, sponsored by Bar Tabac, Robin des Bois, Ricard and the South Brooklyn Local Development Corporation. 128 Smith Street at Dean Street, 718-923-0918. more ›

Former NY Times food critic and current Gourmet magazine editor in chief Ruth Reichl is not TV - she's HBO. Two days ago, Variety reported that her books had been optioned by producer Cary Brokaw to turn into a half-hour comedy. Brokaw said, "It'll be a romantic comedy, but also beautiful and real in the same way." This is sounding like an older The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd! Or, as HBO probably hopes, a more mature Sex and the City ("more food, slightly less sex"). Her books, Comfort with Apples and Garlic and Sapphires, will be the basis, but not her first, Tender at the Bone, which is Gothamist's favorite. Maybe they can use it for flashbacks? more ›

Everyone is talking about how Fox cancelled Arrested Development (again-- but this time for good.) The Mercury News article about the cancellation also includes some news that will break the heart of many a NYC-foodie: more ›

The NY Post goes after the Michelin Guide for its glaring mistakes, sort of the way Manhattan User's Guide nailed the 2006 Zagat guide a few weeks ago. The Post's restaurant critic, Steve Cuozzo, goes after Michelin, wondering if their highly trained inspectors even went to some restaurants and calls some of the advice "inane." Plus: The guide tells readers to take the "Metro," not the subway, to restaurants, mentions Le Bernadin's a la carte menu when it's only prix fixe, and seems to rely on a 1960s review of the Four Seasons for decor information. Sacre bleu! Gothamist can only believe that Michelin's star for Etats-Unis, which Cuozzo calls an "overreaching dud" is because its name is in French, which means future restaurants will attempt to Frenchify their atmosphere for a coveted star.It's been an interesting week since the Michelin star/non-star filter has descended upon the city, as guide actually seems to make men cry. more ›

Ask Metafilter is trying to get to the bottom of one of the most pressing questions of our time: is it really a bad idea to eat fish in NYC restaurants on Mondays? The quick answer appears to be "maybe"-- it depends on the quality of the restaurant. Some responses: more ›

- Dogs dressed a pirates? It is so! more ›

STOP what you're doing and program your TiVos or mark this down in your Outlook calendars or PDAs... Anthony Bourdain's new show, No Reservations, is premiering on the Travel Channel on Monday, July 25 at 10PM. Here is Bourdain's description of what the show is about:

"It means that I just don't care what happens, you know, in the sense that there are things I want to do, there are things I want to see, there are things I want to experience before the time that I can't do those things. We get so little time at the table. I guess it means I'm not doing anything in a half-hearted way. No reservations, meaning we're going all the way, baby. No fear. My whole life, cooking has been about control. About being on it, every minute. About controlling everything and everybody around you. Traveling and eating are about letting things happen.

Even though it's June, on fall television show we're excited about is Kitchen Confidential, the Darren Starr spin on Gothamist favorite Anthony Bourdain's seminal "life of a working chef" book of the same name. Zap2It has an interview with Bradley Cooper, who will star as the Bourdainish character and explains the premise:

"[My character] got addicted to cocaine and blew it all up my nose, lost everything. Now I'm a line cook at an Olive Garden-esque restaurant. This guy Pino, this Italian guy played by Frank Langella, just fired his chef last night. He's got 300 on the book for tomorrow. He has no chef, no food, nothing. So he hires me and takes a chance."

Veritas Tender Braised Veal more ›

As anyone knows from reading Kitchen Confidential, teasing and macho posturing are part of the kitchen life and people need to be tough (like the lone female chef in the kitchen, being harassed by a guy, who then turned around and grabbed the guy's balls). But this - this sounds insane. Can anyone people who have worked in restaurants (and their kitchens) tell us about what goes on? more ›

News from Page Six that porn star Jenna Jameson was having her autobiography ghostwritten by NY Times rock critic Neil Strauss instantly made it a must-read for Gothamist whenever it does come out. Yes, it should be a wild and crazy book about being the hottest porn star today, but more importantly, Neil Strauss is ghostwriting it. Strauss' last contribution to pop culture memoirs was with the one of the best books about living the rock and roll life, The Dirt, the autobiography of Motley Crue. Sure, Tommy Lee was married to Heather Locklear and Pamela Anderson, but the book starts out with Tommy dating a girl the other band members called Moose because she was so ugly. Read a few pages to understand why. It's also one of Gothamist's standby "don't need to overthink because it'll be liked" last-minute gift books, alongside Kitchen Confidential.
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