This week the Times’s Frank Bruni reminds everyone about Oceana (pictured), that fancy three star “seafood restaurant in Midtown that looks like an ocean liner.” After more than fifteen years in business, he says it’s still “very much worth boarding.” And save room for dessert, which is “splendid.” The frozen banana mousse, “presented with both sticky rice and puffed, caramelized rice, [is] the transmogrification of a bowl of Rice Krispies with bananas into dessert, and it’s killer.” more ›

After the Humane Society revealed a tape of mistreatment of cows at the nation's "No. 2 supplier of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program," burgers and other beef products were temporarily yanked off NYC schools' menus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture had put an "administrative hold" on all products from Hallmark Meat Packing Packing in Chino, CA and asked all schools to stop using products from Westland/Hallmark Meat. more ›

And a note from the Publisher: Gothamist is looking for a new weekend editor. Responsibilities include writing 10 posts per day on Saturday and Sunday and organizing the flow of contributions from other writers. The pay is competitive with blog-writing gigs for other NYC media companies. Requirements: real blogging experience, a serious appetite for NYC-related content, and a genuine love for the city. This job can be done from anywhere within the five boroughs, but you may be called downtown to meet with us once or twice a month. If you're interested, email Jake (at) Gothamist-- no attachments please-- just a short paragraph about you and a few links to relevant work on the web. more ›

Welcome to the Atlantic Yards, by Bluejake. more ›

Streetsblog has been covering the hell out of the livable streets movement in NYC. That includes everything from reducing traffic congestion to opposing huge developments like the Atlantic Yards. Check out these links they sent in this week: more ›

-- Red Hook residents protest murderous Fairway traffic, but still enjoy the fresh produce. 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 ›

Oh bless you, Kevin Walsh-- without your magical work at Forgotten-NY, we'd never learn about out-of-the-way neighborhoods like Harding Park in the Bronx. For those of you who aren't familiar with the area (that should be just about everyone-- we asked a Bronx old-timer if he knew where Harding Park was, and he had no idea), the neighborhood is just across the East River from Riker's Island, near the mouth of the Bronx River. Only about four miles from upper-Manhattan, it looks completely bucolic, and definitely lives up the FNY "you'd never believe you are in New York" moniker. As usual, in addition to his great pix, Kevin dug up the history of the area: more ›

With the summer heat suddenly upon us in full force, most people are doing whatever possible to avoid the humid recesses of the subway as much as possible. However, for anyone who hasn't quite yet got their fill, there's the Bohen Foundation's site-specific installation End Station, which recreates a New York City subway in the foundation's basement. more ›

Tomorrow afternoon, Gothamist is participating in the NYC Bike Month by leading a tour of prominent graffiti sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens- Mike of Satan's Laundromat will co-host. Stops will include Chelsea, the Meat Packing District, SoHo, LES, DUMBO, the Navy Yard, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint, before ending at 5 Points in Long Island City. We leave from The north side of Union Square Park, at 11AM. Bring a bike or rollerblades- and a camera! more ›

Was The Village all it was cracked up to be? And what about the twist? Slate's David Edelstein and the NY Times's A.O. Scott mention that the twist is obvious, yet most moviegoers would reject it. And who knew that movie premieres in Brooklyn existed? more ›

In these tight economic times, the Daily News tries to give its readers some advice on how to save money in New York, like going to the Meat Packing district for cheap meat, or going to the Flower district for well-priced flora. more ›