Yes, Torrisi Italian Specialities is an idiosyncratic oasis of Italian food in a sea of sameness. And yes, their prix-fixe dinner is worth ditching work at 4 p.m. to get your name on the list. But sometimes you don't need a culinary tour-du-force as much as a mozzarella bear hug. Parm, the new venture from the owners of Torrisi (it's right next door) serves Italian soul food good enough to forsake Sunday family dinner for. more ›

Dakota Fanning has enrolled at New York University, but the Class of 2015 co-ed has no interest in on-campus housing. The 17-year-old starlet has moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Nolita on the corner of Lafayette and Spring Streets. more ›

The controversial 11-day San Gennaro festival kicked off yesterday with a new world record. And while some NoLIta neighbors still seem miffed that the Feast is hurting their business, people at the festival certainly seemed to be enjoying themselves. As one manager was moaning to the Post that “There was nothing but hammering and sawing since they set up,” Chicago's Patrick Bertoletti was off breaking the world cannoli-eating record by chowing down on 32 of the desserts in six minutes! more ›

Earlier this year Little Italy/NoLIta neighbors huffed and puffed and threatened to shorten the annual Feast of San Gennaro festival down—to no avail. The 11-day street bonanza just reopened, all the way up to Houston, on Mulberry Street and will be there through September 25. But, on the plus side, the organizers say they've heard your complaints and are trying to spice things up this year with more foodie-friendly fare and shorter hours. more ›

Thanks to swank buildings like the ones that line Bond Street, the NoLIta/NoHo area is flush with fancy (and very expensive) apartments. Brace yourself for a few more. The Post today reports that Observer-owner and Ivanka Trump husband Jared Kushner is planning on turning the top two floors of the Puck building into posh penthouses. Because who doesn't want to pay a $15 million or more for "expansive" views of never ending construction and that Calvin Klein sexedvertisment? more ›

If there's anything that New Yorkers love more than swirling a champagne flute around in public at 2 p.m. on a Sunday, it's the feeling of swirling it around outdoors. But what about those poor souls who live above these vulgar outdoor eateries? They moved into the most desirable neighborhoods in Manhattan to be left in peace! Today's Post details the "backlash" (scare quotes ours) against outdoor eating by the people who have to put up with "herds of patrons blocking sidewalks with their precious poodles and strollers." more ›

It's been a month filled with accidents and changes for Mayor Bloomberg's daughter, but all those growing pains mean that now she can finally fulfill her destiny and become a living, breathing Billy Joel song. The equestrian-loving Georgina, who was injured in a jumping competition earlier this month, is relocating from NoLita to an apartment on Central Park West on the Upper West Side, trading in one trendy, yuppie neighborhood for a slightly less trendy, equally yuppie neighborhood. But on the plus side, she'll have a functional, non-mythical Shake Shack close by! This is good news for single guys who aren't Olympic speed-skating gold-medalists, and who aren't morbidly terrified at the prospect of dating Mayor Bloomberg's daughter. We'll see ya at Jake's Dilemma, Georgina! more ›

Will New Yorkers soon be scaling walls in the landmarked Puck Building on Lafayette Street? According to the Real Deal, REI has inked a deal to move in to a 39,000-square-foot, three-floor space in the building, which will include a bike shop and "Outdoor School" courses, in addition to their gear and other goods. The store is their first in New York City, and will be the first retail outlet in the building in over 100 years—they plan to open in the fall of 2011, and as Bowery Boogie points out, "the EMS store on Broadway just around the corner is probably pissed." more ›

A Barnard professor whose apartment is located maddeningly close to Nolita "hotspot" La Esquina has predicted that the exclusive subterranean lounge will one day claim the lives of trendy scenesters and flashy celebs. But don't get too excited—the Buildings Department is trying to save them. more ›

Everyone was super pumped when it was announced that Shake Shack would open a new location in a former parking lot at 47 Prince Street in Nolita. Well, almost everyone—many neighbors were not enthusiastic about Shake Shack's downtown debut, and "residents of the historic Little Italy neighborhood of Nolita have reacted with a mixture of shock, dread and horror as news spread of the hamburger chain Shake Shack’s proposed location in the heart of the picturesque area," blared a press release from a local anti-Shack coalition. Sadly, dread and horror have ruled the day! more ›

Four waitresses at the super douchey Nolita "hotspot" Cafe Habana are suing the owner for fostering a "sexually charged environment." Known for its celebrity clientele, attractive staff, and Mexican grilled corn, the tiny restaurant has been a favorite of "keeping it real" stars like Josh Hartnett, Serena Williams, Adrien Grenier, and Owen Wilson. In fact, the Marley & Me star is mentioned in the recent lawsuit because one of the waitresses claims she was punished after rejecting his date request. more ›

After announcing last week that Shake Shack would be opening new outposts in Dubai and Saudi Arabia, The Union Square Hospitality Group has now brought tremendous joy to the exotic land south of Houston. According to a press release, the newest Shake Shack will be located at 47 Prince Street, on the northwest corner of Mulberry & Prince Streets—by far their furthest location downtown. Shake Shack impresario Danny Meyer exults, "We’re ecstatic to have found this one-of-a kind downtown location in the Nolita neighborhood—just steps away from the heart of SoHo. Shake Shack is thrilled to make its home in this bustling, vibrant community that attracts throngs of people—New Yorkers and tourists alike—on a daily basis." It's unclear exactly when this bad boy will be open for business, but we're told it'll be built as a stand-alone building on a long vacant lot—where lines are probably forming as you read this. more ›

Cellar 58: The wine bars are coming for you; they're coming for us all! The latest vino dispenser to descend upon the East Village is Cellar 58; but this one has a lot going for it. One, it's run by real Italians who run around talking at each other in their glorious native tongue. Two, there's a really cute back room, seen here, that fills with diffused, late afternoon light and feels sort of other-worldly. Three, during the opening party last night, we heard the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio, Radiohead, and not a single Andrea Bocelli torch song. Fourth, besides the 120+ international wine selection, they're doing a pretty extensive small plates menu (flatbread pizzas, pastas, bruschetta, etc.) which doesn't set them apart from other wine bars (like the one right across the street) but we felt great amore for everything we tried. 58 Second Avenue; (212) 420-1300 more ›

Yesterday afternoon, the city evacuated 273 Mott Street in Little Italty (or Nolita) because a rather large crack emerged in the building's facade. The NY Post reports the crack was three inches wide at the top of the building, "The building, which has 15 residents, and a Japanese/Thai restaurant on its first floor and apartments above, has a 20-foot tall crack in its facade that seems to have grown since last year, a caller complained to the Buildings Department." The Department of Buildings had actually issued a complaint to the building's owner on Tuesday about the crack, but yesterday the FDNY and DOB were on the scene after complaints of the building shaking. On Sunday, a four-story building, which had a substantial crack in its exterior wall, in Brooklyn collapsed, perhaps partly due to the recent rain. And EV Grieve passed by 273 Mott, where one onlooker muttered, "This is what happens when it rains for 30 straight days." more ›

Last night, a three-alarm fire ripped through a building at Elizabeth Street near Spring in Nolita. The fire started in Acela Dejesu's sixth floor apartment. According to the Post, when she returned home from shopping, she opened the door and "was met with a wall of flame"; she told the paper, "I had no idea how it happened." The Daily News describes how the the building, a "walk-up home to a mix of old-world immigrants, yuppies and hipsters," was gutted, with windows exploding onto the street and over 100 firefighters responding to the scene. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries--a few firefighters and civilians were taken to hospitals for treatment. more ›

A resident who lives above the swank new NoLita restaurant Delicatessen has gotten so sick of the noise coming from the lounge below that they have begun urinating on its glass roof. Residents who live above the Lafayette Street nightspot that opened in July have filed numerous complaints that the glass roof does not do a good enough job of containing noise. According tot he NY Post though, only one has decided to fight back with nightly golden showers. The Post says that whoever is peeing on the roof is unidentified, yet they have resident Mickey Campbell quoted as calling Delicatessen patrons "f---ing wankers" and "yuppies, yuppies, yuppies" and then have him pose in a yellow shirt next to the sign another resident put up asking the guilty party to stop. He then says, "I didn't do it. But I think it's damn funny, whoever did do it." more ›

Clearly Lafayette Street between Houston and Prince Streets isn't gritty enough when a movie production crew has to carefully spray paint tags on boarded up store. And of course the boards were applied to the former Otto Tootsi Plohound location earlier in the morning. more ›

Plan B: After waiting almost a year for liquor license approval, Prospect Heights bar Plan B has finally come to fruition. (Not to be confused with Greenpoint’s incorrigible Studio B or the East Village’s ever-mobbed Plan B.) This Plan B, located in the old Half wine bar space, has four flat screen TVs for sporting types, a classic bar menu, ten beers on tap, and plenty of elbow room in the back courtyard. 626 Vanderbilt Ave, no phone listed. more ›

At the southeast corner of Lafayette and Spring in the SoHo-Nolita area, some sort of event (explosion?) occurred to knock off the heavy grates off the surface. The FDNY and NYPD closed down the street; it didn't look like a steampipe explosion or water main break (no water) - it looks more like an underground transformer vault (if anyone knows what these are, let us know in comments) explosion. The 6 line does run underneath, but there do not seem to be any delays. more ›