Cordell Lochin is a bit of an enigma. The well-connected scenester, subject of an indulgent profile in the Observer last spring, presented himself as a partner in the obnoxiously affected nightspots La Esquina and The Box. Now the other entitled owners are distancing themselves from Lochin and the enigma will soon be wrapped inside a prison cell; Guest of a Guest has news that Lochin’s gotten sent up on a 3-year bid for involvement in......

It could be argued that all pizza is by definition "ethnic," but we think some pizzeria fare is especially deserving of this designation. Ethnic Pizza Patrol strives to find unique cultural interpretations of this classic New York City food. Expect piping hot tips about New York City pizzerias that feature an ethnic twist on pizza as we know it; combine a pizzeria with another concept, i.e. a taco joint; or manage to do all of......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pedestrian was fatally struck on East 4th and Bowery in Manhattan, a child was shot on Blake Ave. in Brooklyn, and a shooting/homicide on Fish Ave and East Gunhill Rd. in the Bronx. The oldest living inmate in New York State is a Long Island surgeon convicted in 1978 of killing his wife. He'll turn 89 this week and concedes that divorce might have been a better choice.......

September 15 & 16: Party at the Red Hook Ballfields Celebrate the extension of the vendors' permit through the end of their season in October and add on extra festivities for Mexican and Central American Independence Day. Caesar Fuentes, the organizing force behind the vendors, promises that "the food vendors committee will host a livelier than usual weekend event - more soccer games, pinatas, music, and a 2 day art exhibit featuring photographs taken by......

The petite woman that sat in front of the imposing steel door glanced up from her clipboard to ask us if we had a reservation. We were warned that reservations at La Esquina were necessary, so we called earlier that day. She checked our name off the list and pushed the door open just enough for us to squeeze through to the other side. We heard that you had to journey down a dingy staircase......

Last night, just after 7pm, inside of a giant bubble in midtown, the Paper Nightlife Awards took place. In the world of fake awards ceremonies, this one takes the cake. Sadly, we didn't keep notes on who won what, so we cannot tell you who took home the "Best Designer with an Influence on the Nightlife Scene" award. We do recall La Esquina winning for "Restaurant with the Best Nightlife Scene." The white dude accepting......

Everyone loves a secret bar, but what happens when the bouncers might be too...bouncery? Someone who tried to take a picture of the secret bar La Esquina claims he and his girlfriend were assaulted and threatened by the bouncers. One bouncer even yelled, "I will take you around the corner and rape you!" He said this right before coming out and slapping me several times on the sidewalk and knocking the camera from my hands......

- Expect to see Chinatown Brasserie cozy up for its Frankie Close-up Wednesday. While we are not in practice setting the line on things like this, seems like a two star job. Just a question on which way it may lean. - One food blogger's answer to the tough question we have all hemmed and hawed about – “What’s your favorite restaurant in New York?” Can’t get behind La Esquina as a choice, but the......

Looks like Senor Swanky's is trying to fool some tourists into checking out their restaurant. If you search for La Esquina on Citysearch (the taco bar on Lafayette with the secret basement room frequented by Scarlett Johansson and Josh Harnett), Senor Swanky's ad comes up on the bottom of the page. Swanky's is known for many things (drunken frat boys propositioning ladies on Laguardia Street, for instance), but celebrity sightings definitely isn't one of......

Police believe that Imette St. Guillen, the John Jay College graduate student who was murdered last Saturday, was probably targeted by a stranger. After confirming that St. Guillen was last at The Falls, a restaurant and bar on Lafayette Street just south of Spring (near the Andre Balazs Kenmare Square development, across the street from La Esquina) where she headed after the Pioneer Bar, witnesses say she left the restaurant alone. The current theory: A......

Tomorrow 24 Prince is hoping to jump into the seriously choppy waters where La Esquina and most recently The Back Room ( covered by the Times over the weekend) started: the hidden bar. Today, Thrillist, the Daily Candy for guys' guys, reports that the bar will actually coax you into drinking. Superhero style. -The liquor cabinets will be thrown open and the wine bottles -- starting at $22 -- will start flying off the shelves......

Gothamist is not the biggest video game freak, but we have to admit, we're pretty interested in the new Activision game, True Crime: New York City. The game's description reads, "Wield the ultimate power as a rogue street cop in New York City. You are Marcus Reed, a former criminal turned cop, using and abusing your authority to hunt down the murderer of your mentor while cleaning up the 'hoods of New York City,......

August 5: Taco Chulo Opens Hipsters rejoice: Williamsburg's answer to La Esquina is slated to open this weekend (although you may want to call first). We don't think there's a secret handshake involved in this one, but there will be tasty tacos with organic and natural ingredients (did someone say Niman Ranch pork?) topping housemade tortillas, San Fran Mission-style burritos, and Texas breakfast tacos for brunch (and boy are we psyched for their chilaquiles and......

In case you missed it yesterday, be sure to check out New York Magazine's Cheap Eats issue. It's right up our alley; we're always looking for ways to save money so that we can, you guessed it, eat more food. Their Cheap List includes Gothamist favorites Bellavitae, Tia Pol, and the Waverly at IFC, plus places that are high on our list of newcomers, like La Esquina and Vintage New York's Wine Bar. We may......