Is no peanut butter sacred?! Months after two kinds of Skippy were recalled, fellow PB giant Smuckers is recalling thousands of jars of its Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter Chunky because of possible salmonella contamination. more ›

Nooooooo! Unilever America has announced a recall of Skippy® Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread and Skippy® Reduced Fat Super Chunk Peanut Butter Spread, because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The product was distributed in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, among other states. What a way to kick off National Peanut Month. more ›

Here's video of six-time Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Takeru Kobayashi discussing why he jumped onstage after Sunday's event, which led to his arrest on charges of obstruction of governmental administration; resisting arrest; trespassing and disorderly conduct. Kobayashi, who did not compete due to a contract dispute (he claims organizers would limit his participation in other events), said through a translator, "I went as a spectator to cheer on my friends, and everyone was yelling 'let him eat,' so I was hoping they would let me eat and prove I am still the champ." And, yes, he wished he could have had hot dogs because all he had was a peanut butter sandwich and milk! more ›

UPDATE: Newsday is reporting that "the NY Post was wrong" about the peanut butter story and that the autopsy of Leah Walsh found that "there were absolutely no food products or accelerants applied to the body of the victim. " more ›

If you’ve got a sweet tooth and a couple hundred bucks to blow, you’ll want to mark your calendar for Friday November 16th, when the Food Network throws New York’s “largest dessert party ever.” Called Sweet, the event will unleash a massive tsunami of temptations from some of NewYork’s top pastry chefs, confectioners, cheese makers, bakers and chocolatiers. To wash it all down there’ll be a wide selection of champagne and wine, including samples from Sopranos star Lorraine Bracco’s Italian wine company, Bracco Wines. (Dr. Melfi herself will be on hand to talk through your feelings about her wines.) more ›

• We got ourselves a note in the inbox from the folks who run the Big Apple BBQ to let us know that Bubba FastPasses are currently on sale from now till May 25 for the June 9 & 10 event. Gothamist was all over this event last year; look for more great coverage and photos coming up soon. This year should provide a bit of a pre-show glimpse of what local pitmaster Robbie Richter has in store for his new spot Hill Country - a place that should have you very excited. Hit the site to review other pitmasters participating as well as the impressive panelists for seminar series.
• Reading on Grub Street about Cones ice cream and one patron's fight to get Dulce de Leche con Brownie stocked as a regular flavor prompted a pop-in. After spotting the flavor and knowing we needed to order it to see what it was all about, we blew our test tries on corn (not good, very different from Claudia Fleming's seminal version) and pistachio (have you had Ronnybrook ?). Walking home we reflected back that this was probably not the best ice cream we have had and was not even up to snuff with Peanut Butter Ripple the ole' Shake Shack had earlier in the weekend.
• Congratulations to Ganda, who recently grabbed Ed Levine for her “You Are What You Eat” column, on her inclusion on a food blogging panel this Fall for the Gourmet Institute. With a wide variety of panels full of heavy hitter chefs and food personalities, this is a great opportunity for a fantastic food blogger.

May 3: Cheezapolooza III: Naked vs Cooked more ›

Because of the pittance of a salary that hospital residents receive, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are on heavy rotation in the Gothamist Health lunch (and, sadly, dinner) schedule. So we were especially saddened to hear that the latest food contamination scare centers around Peter Pan and Great Values brands' peanut butter. Almost 300 people in 40 states have fallen ill from the salmonella that has somehow found their way into jars of the stuff. more ›

Hungry for some good gluten, Gothamist booked it to the three-month-old Kate’s Brooklyn Joint in Williamsburg, an outpost of the East Village mainstay. more ›

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Midtown NYC by Midtown Lunch. more ›

December 7: Alex Prud’homme at O&CO. more ›

A prosciutto that plays soccer, a Szechwan pepper who's a karate master, and a chocolate lollipop that bears a striking resemblance to Mr. Hanky. These are but a few of the colorful characters inhabiting the Javits Center during the past few days. It's the 52nd Annual Fancy Food Show, when producers from around the world converge to hawk their goods to buyers. Not everything is gimcrackery though. Some of the next big trends in food can be found here. Here's a rundown of the best and the worst: more ›

Yesterday, Jason Kottke posted what he felt is necessary to the perfect sandwich. After going back to the sandwich's humble beginings, he states:

The keys to a good sandwich are the three Bs: bread, balance, and...ok, there's only two Bs, but they're important. Aside from the main ingredient (turkey, tuna, chicken salad, etc.), the bread has the power to make or break a sandwich. The first thing you taste when you take a bite is the bread, so it had better be good and it had better be fresh. more ›

Joe Schumacher headed to the Shake Shack for a little Shacktoberfest, ordered up some tasty sausage and beer, and then noticed a the Shake Shack's smallest customer: A little field mouse. Now, a customer of this size should be expected, given the Shake Shack's Madison Square Park location, and Gothamist can only assume that this mouse is a discerning conoisseur of not only food but also architecture, as he has a nice view of the Flatiron near by. It's unknown if the Shake Shack will start accomodating it's smallest customer with a mouse-sized burgers or concretes. We'll assume that the its favorite item on the menu is a nice order of cheese fries. more ›

On hot summer nights Gothamist adores hunkering down in an air-conditioned movie theater to watch the latest flick o' the moment. And, what's a trip to the cinema without a trip to the concession stand? more ›

Hip-Hop dominates this week with at least three recommended shows. Some of the best acts in indie hip-hop play Irving Plaza tonight (Monday). It’s one of the only stops on the Stone Throw Records Tour featuring Madlib, M.E.D, Peanut Butter Wolf, and J-Rocc. On Tuesday Madlib and M.E.D. will also perform for free at Fat Beats. [Listen to some music Madlib put out on Blue Note.] Last year Madlib joined MF DOOM to release a highly acclaimed album as Madvillain. MF DOOM joins the not-very-indie De La Soul and The Roots on Summerstage Tuesday night for a benefit to save the Rhinos. Alternatively, Jean Grae (another indie favorite) joins Killah Priest from Wu-Tang Tuesday night at SOB's. [Listen to Jean at her website.] Wednesday the "Best Damn Rap Tour" with J-Live, Vast Aire, and C-Rayz Walz are at Northsix. Thursday 50's enemy Ja Rule plays BB Kings. more ›

Brooklyn Heights' Montague Street can finally claim its very own Tasti D-Lite. The Haagen-Daz up the street can eat its heart - and hips - out. more ›

The Daily News gave Crumbs the lowest ratings in taste tests at various NYC cupcakeries.
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Much to do this weekend. Much to do. more ›

[Ed: Gothamist is lucky to present some more music picks for the weekend from Coolfer.] more ›