It's time for the Lunar New Year, which starts February 7th and lasts for 14 days, and this year is the Year of the Rat, 4706. Sure, there are plenty of things to do to celebrate the holiday, but to us, it means one thing -- a new year banquet. We've found a few places that are offering banquets in honor of the Year of the Rat, including variations of traditional Chinese Lunar New Year......

It's a gorgeous day out (high of 76 degrees!), so we're going to echo our earlier suggestion for an outside Saturday event. Head to Chinatown for the Taste of Chinatown, where you can try a number of different Asian foods for $1-2. According to a menu, the dishes include "Peking Duck, Shrimp Salad, Green Curry Chicken, Thai Spring Roll, Papaya Salad, Banana Sticky Rice, Thai Iced Tea, BBQ Pork/Duck/Ribs, Fried Squid, Grilled Beef Papaya......

April 20-21: Wine Rave NYC Wine Rave NYC is an event designed to take away the stuffiness from wine events. There will be tastings galore, plus "Sips of Wisdom," brief presentations from experts, and the "Hip Sips Lounge," where you can talk to wine industry insiders. Friday, April 20 from 6 to 10 pm and Saturday, April 21 from 5 to 10 pm. $65 general admission, $100 VIP tickets, available online, by calling 212-352-9900 or......

Because Gothamist can never have too much Chinese food, we stopped in at Taste of Chinatown this afternoon despite the weather forecast. The crowds were surprisingly large considering with some people saying that there were actually more on hand than expected. Pictured above is Peking Duck House and Ping's Seafood, both on Mott Street. As one might expect, there was a long line for duck. When we talked to one of the people in......

William Dao, Museum of the Chinese in the Americas...

Mayor Bloomberg and Miami Mayor Manuel Diaz have put their stomachs as well as sports prides on the line. Mayor Bloomberg's office released this press release about their friendly wager: Mayor Bloomberg says, "My confidence in the Bronx Bombers is so high, I am tempted to wager the Brooklyn Bridge. Since Miami is really New York’s farthest suburb, I thought all those transplanted New Yorkers might be tempted by a taste of home. For......