Bar Boulud: Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni recently lost his patience waiting on hold for 15 minutes to make a reservation, which should give you some sense of how feverish the excitement is for Daniel Boulud’s latest foray. The tony uptown wine bar, across the street from Lincoln Center, enjoyed the raging buzz of a sneak-preview opening on New Year’s Eve and now the 100 seat restaurant is open for real. Judging from the photos, the modern yet warm interior does look inviting; a long vaulted ceiling is intended to “invoke a classic wine cellar”, a backlit gravel wall echoes an old world vineyard, and three private “wine themed” dining rooms are available for the swells. more ›

By a show of hands, how many people are stressing about Valentine’s Day? Were you able to get that sought-after reservation? Are you cooking a romantic dinner at home and don’t know sauté from flambé? (If you fall into that category – a word of advice – keep the fire extinguisher handy, the fire should be in the bedroom, not the kitchen) Is the little token of affection you bought too much or too little? It’s enough to suck the romance right out of the day. more ›

Cold? So are we. But never fear -- here are some booze-filled events coming up to warm your cockles, or whatever else needs warming: more ›