At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes. Don't tell us you've never heard of kopcheny jazik! Even though Gothamist has spent more than our fair share of time at old-school Jewish delis we've only recently begun to enjoy this Russian cousin of deli tongue. In case you're wondering, the ruddy colored smoked veal tongue is pronounced "KOP-chornee YAH-zeeg." We always slice it......

And then there were three. The “Couch Potato” publicity stunt going on over at ESPN Zone – the favorite restaurant of Yo La Tengo’s James McNew – took a dramatic turn when one of the four contestants abruptly dropped out of the butt-numbing competition. The quitter was Rutgers student Lindsay Wagenblast, the only female participant, who had “emerged as the favorite” in the contest, which started New Year's Day and involves sitting in a recliner......

Thanks to a small roster of beers curated by owner Jimmy Carbone, Jimmy’s No. 43 has always been high on our list when we’re looking to slake our thirst. Lately we’ve come to realize that there’s much more to this subterranean spot than just beer. Thanks to the addition of Philip Kirschen-Clark, the former fish chef at wd-50, Jimmy’s is putting the gastro in gastropub. A while back, we had some roasted shishito peppers with......

The initial news of the legendary 2nd Avenue Deli’s reincarnation led us to stockpile Lipitor as visions of pastrami, chopped liver and gribenes danced through our heads. And when we feasted our eyes on the sneak preview of this fresser’s paradise, we could hardly wait to go and devour more of the menu. Even though it’s been open for a little more than a week, Gothamist paused to recover from holiday feasting before hitting......

Yesterday we heard the "8" which will create the "2008" sign that millions will see in person and on screen during the New Years Eve Rockin' Eve extravaganza...was reduced to take mass transit to Times Square. This number is a true New Yorker! The Daily News has some quotes from its fellow straphangers and handlers:"It's not every day you ride with an 8," said the 30-year-old from Rego Park, Queens. "It's going to be......

It would seem that the area around Rego Park and Forest Hills that we like to call Rego Parkistan could scarcely support another kosher kebab joint given how ubiquitous these restaurants specializing in Uzbeki cuisine have become. By our reckoning there at least seven of these spots proffering swordlike skewers laden with lamb, chicken and beef along with various Central Asian salads and meat pies. What’s more, with exception of a few that offer such......

Yet another culinary transfer point has been added to the many ethnic eateries radiating outwards from the 74 Street/Broadway subway stop in Jackson Heights: Shangrila Express. Yesterday when Gothamist learned that the city's first and only Tibetan food cart had opened near the renowned Sammy’s Halal we couldn’t wait to try it. We approached the cart next to Sammy’s and ordered some momos only to be told they only serve chicken over rice. Upon......

Police suspect that the daytime murder of a Queens orthodontist may be related to the custody of his daughter. A long and bitter divorce battle had granted temporary custody of five-year-old Michelle to 34-year-old orthodontist Daniel Malakov. The doctor was dropping his daughter off to his ex-wife when someone shot him three times point blank in the chest. When Malakov arrived with his daughter at the Annadale Playground in Rego Park, his daughter ran to......

There's a wacky exclusive in the Post today about the only sperm bank in NYC with Scandinavian sperm running out of its specialty. Seriously. Two years ago, the FDA banned sperm from some countries over concerns that Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which can be found in mad cow cells, could be passed on via sperm. The Post reports that Cryos International's Financial District branch "has run out of offerings from such prized blond Norsemen as 'Oluf,'......

A Korean restaurant is not something one would expect to find on the border of Forest Hills and Rego Park. If anything the neighborhood is better known for the plethora of Central Asian kebab joints. Nor is Korean chow something you'd expect to find at an old-school spot like the #1 Coffee Shop. Years ago local legend Robbie Richter, pitmaster of Hill Country, worked the flat top one day when the grill man was out......

Yesterday afternoon around 2:45PM, a drunk driver hit three pedestrians in Forest Hills, Queens. The victims included a 3-year-old girl, her 57-year-old grandmother, and her 85-year-old great-grandmother, who were all walking at the intersection of Yellowstone Boulevard and Gerard Place in Forest Hills. The driver fled the scene, but witnesses called the police with the license plate number. The police arrested the suspect, Susan Karnabe, 54, of Rego Park; she was charged with DWI, vehicular......

Rego Park and Forest Hills have been home to Uzbeki immigrants for so long that many residents and outsiders now refer to the area by the collective name Rego Parkistan. By our count there are at least a half dozen kosher kebab joints between the Boulevard of Death and 108 Street. All of these spots feature flat swordlike skewers upon which have been impaled meat, fish and the occasional vegetable, as well as such "national......

Did you ever hear the one about the vineyard in Queens, just minutes away from the Little Neck Parkway Q46 bus stop? Even if you haven’t, it’s true. First reported three years ago, the borough is finally set to prove it has terroir in spades with the imminent production of its namesake wine. The epicenter for this oenophile revolution is the Queens County Farm Museum, described on its website as “New York City's largest remaining......

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes One of the great things about Rego Park apart from all the Central Asian kebab joints and it being the home of graffitti legend Cost is all the treats at the Russian delis scattered throughout the neighborhood. Which brings us to the subject of today's find at the ethnic market: korzhiki. Think of these round......

After a not unpleasant hike that involved a walk in the hazy heat from Rego Park to Flushing and a 20-minute bus ride to College Point, Gothamist arrived at Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries the other day. As expected, the dreaded mantra of the D.C.-based burgermeisters hung above the counter in the cheery red-and-white dining room. It read: "We Cook All Our Meat WELL-DONE." When asked why on earth anyone would cook a......

An employee at Rego Park strip club Goldfingers will face either manslaughter or murder charges after a February 25 incident in which the employees made a now fatal attack on a patron. The patron, Bresnik Prebeza, had been brain-dead on life support, but died on Tuesday after his family had the life support ended. The incident: Prebeza had lit a cigarette in the club, but was told he couldn't smoke inside. The Daily News says......

Yesterday, authorities arrested a 26 year old man for causing 18 rubbish fires in Queens. Kareem Walters was spotted in a crowd of people watching a Rego Park fire around 1:20AM yesterday. The Daily News reports that Captain John Abbruzzese "recognized him from other blazes in nearby Maspeth," so fire marshals questioned Walters. Walters then admitted to the arson, saying he enjoyed watching cars and buildings on fire and how the fire department responded to......

Yesterday, mourners gathered at a funeral for Ari Kraft, a 13 year old Rego Park boy killed by an LIRR train Friday night. Kraft had been tagging signal boxes before crossing the tracks near the Forest Hills station - to rush home for Sabbath dinner - when a train bound for Huntington hit him. Newsday reports that during the funeral, "details of Kraft's death were not discussed...There was no discussion of graffiti art, which......

A young Queens boy was hit and killed by an oncoming LIRR train near the Forest Hills station yesterday afternoon. Ari Kraft and his friends had been tagging signal boxes when a train headed to Huntington hit him. The police say they had been taking pictures of their work before they crossed the tracks to leave. According to the Daily News, Kraft managed to beat one train on a third track and he thought he......

With all the shopping, parties and stress the holidays bring, is this actually the most dangerous time of the year? In one day, four people died in four separate traffic accidents. Newsday summarized the incidents:- 94 year old Charlotte Paula Walz was killed when walking to a mailbox in Rego Park Friday evening; the driver stayed at the scene and was not issued a summons - A Nissan 350 hit a Nissan Altima at 108th......

- Look for Grub Street, the just launched New York Magazine food blog, to have an interview with newly anointed NYT Dining editor Pete Wells on Wednesday. - An amusing read from the LA Times about “the Chicken that Killed Grandpa”. - Random Menupages.com restaurant of the day - Luzia's, Portuguese/Spanish on the UWS. Is it any good? You tell us. - File under an offer you cannot refuse. After the preview party for Lonesome......

Most of the city got to enjoy yesterday's cooler weather - except for Queens residents and business owners. For the second day in a row, homes and businesses had little or no power and subway service was limited, with many commutes that would take 30 minutes tops taking 90 minutes. The MTA blamed Con Ed, saying, "Because of the low-voltage problem, not enough power is available to power subway signals in the area." And Con......

While Wal-Mart decided not to build a store in Rego Park last year, the NY Sun says the behemoth retailer working on surround then attack approach by opening up stores in just outside the city limits Last month a store in Kearny, NJ opened, and next up is one in White Plains that will be an "urban model." As in an urban model with "design elements that could be incorporated into a New York City......

Russian food meets Middle Eastern in Rego Park's Uzbeki kosher house of cuisine, Cheburechnaya, which boasts 23 varieties of kebabs, among them lamb testicles, quail, and lamb fat. For the slightly less adventurous, lamb chops, hearts, and ribs are available along with grilled chicken, veal, beef, and grilled tomatoes or onions. Vegetarians fear not, fresh salads, assorted plates of pickled vegetables (cucumbers, tomatoes, sour cabbage, and mushrooms) and heaping plates of garlic-y humus and......

As the West Village is happy that the City Planning Commission wants to prevent high-rises from being built (well, the measure needs the City Counci's okay),and Gothamist can only suspect it's part pre-emptive strike against huge outdoor advertisements. For example, the Queens Tower Condos in Rego Park are the target of many complaints for putting up a huge lingerie ad outside one of the buildings. The Department of Buildings has issued violations to the condo's......

Wal-Mart has decided not to New York Region > Plans for a City Wal-Mart Are Dropped" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/24/nyregion/24walmart.html?hp&ex=1109221200&en=3a35e2cb160fc5df&ei=5094&partner=homepage">continue plans to be in a Queens shopping mall after a lot of community and political opposition. According to the NY Times, Wal-Mart and Vornado Realty Trust, developers of the Rego Park project that would include other retail space and apartment towers, thought that Wal-Mart's continued presence would jeopardize the entire plan. What Gothamist found interesting is that apparently......

Since there's nothing as bracingly refreshing as being reminded that we live in the greatest yet craziest city in the world: Studio apartments are now costing over $1 million in some parts of Manhattan. The New York Times devoted a Sunday Real Estate feature to the phenomenon, which is being led by the Richard Meier-designed condo apartments at 165 Charles Street (studios at $1.2-1.325 million, for around 700 square feet, with a 13 square foot......

To celebrate support tax-free week, Mayor Bloomberg went to the Rego Park, Queens Sears and bought a denim jacket with a faux fur collar. Hot. Oh, wait, it's for one of his daughters; who knows what Gothamist would have done to see Bloomby in a denim jacket with a faux fur collar? Anyway, the New York Times reports that the jacket was $29.99, marked down from $40, and then the Mayor tried to apply......