If the thought of matzo ball "sinkers" and your aunt's dried out brisket are making you dread Passover, perhaps you can convince the family to eat out for the seder this year. Many restaurants are offering more traditional seders, but some are kicking up the spice. more ›

Okay, so you don't want to go out to watch the game and cooking is not an option. What can you order besides pizza? Plenty, as you already know (hey, we live in New York City, folks!). But we've found some particularly mouthwatering Super Bowl delivery specials, many of which involve pork. Mmmm . . . pork. more ›

Pair of 8's owner Ron Didner and new Chef Matthew Hamilton (formerly of Prune, Uovo, and Zuni Cafe, pictured at right) pair up with Best Cellars to host the first of this monthly series starting with Wine 101. Wine will be paired with five courses. $70 for a single class and $65 for two or more classes, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Call 212-362-8730 to register. 568 Amsterdam Avenue between 87th and 88th Streets. more ›

March 10: Cantina-Style: One Pot Meals Cooking Demonstration and Luncheon more ›

Passover starts tomorrow night at sundown -- are you ready? Sure, you might have gotten a box of matzoh or two to get you through the week, but what are you doing for your seder? Since the seders fall in the middle of the week this year, some of us may not be able to travel to celebrate with our families outside of the tri-state region, but there are plenty of restaurants offering to fill the void by offering Passover seders of their own. more ›

Gothamist on where you can find out more about El Dia de los Muertos more ›

The New York Times reports that the newest addition to the Rosa Mexicano empire is scheduled to open this Saturday. Fingers crossed -- it's always good to have another location for our passionfruit margarita and fresh guacamole fix. Also open: Cookshop, from the folks who brought you Five Points, (yes, we know about all the damn hype); 156 Tenth Avenue (20th Street), (212) 924-4440. Also "Loft, a lounge and restaurant mixing Asian and Mediterranean, 505 Columbus Avenue (84th Street), (212) 362- 6440. Scarlatto, a Roman-style restaurant in the former Pierre au Tunnel space: 250 West 47th Street, (212) 730-4535." Florence adds that Black Pearl is opening in Park Slope at 833 Union Street: "[t]his is a new spot for seafood prepared by Frederico Duarte, who worked at Dos Caminos and Da Silvano." The name and early rumors make us think it's related to the East Village clam shack hidden in the back of Julep, but Dos Caminos and Da Silvano hardly make us think of lobster rolls. more ›

June 13 - 26: Festival de Helados more ›

Because there are so many ways to celebrate, we can hardly decide what to do! If you're sick and tired of the same old "sinker" matzo balls and dried-out brisket that you've had every year since you were six, convince the family to come join you for one of the Passover menus being offered throughout the city. New York Magazine rounds up a few, including Coco Pazzo, where chef Mark Strausman is preparing a Roman-Jewish menu for $90. It "starts with Tuscan chicken-liver pâté on matzo and segues into 'my mother’s brisket.'" If Italian's not your style, try Aix for a French seder. Their passover menu, $85, features a duck consomme to accompany the mazto balls and a foie gras charoset with lavender honey. For a modern Mexican seder, try Zscalo. Their matzo ball soup is laced with corn, cilantro and jalapenos, and their "Tacos de Brisket" are braised brisket tacos with matzo tortillas and chipotle-avocado salsa. You won't find that at granny's seder. more ›

Both the New York Times and NY Mag provide roundups fo restaurants celebrating the Mexican festival of El Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead, when the spirits of the dead return to the land of the living to eat, drink, and be merry. Traditional foods such as pan de los muertos, a sweet bread flavored with anise (you can find a recipe here if you'd like to make your own), and sugar candies in the shape of skulls are eaten to mark the occasion. Mercadito, Rocking Horse, Rosa Mexicano, and La Palapa are among the restaurants offering Dia de los Muertos specials, and they are also participants in the Mexican Restaurant tour. more ›

Jill Singer, Mediabistro Deputy Editor more ›

[Via callalillie, who also looks at the dark side of children's toys: HAZMAT Playmobil] more ›

dishes that they have created are copied with nary a glance backward, but more of a middle finger backward, it seems. One dish to be mercilessly imitated: Daniel Boulud's foie-gras, short rib, and truffles stuffed sirloin burger, the DB burger at DB Bistro Moderne. more ›

New York magazine is tormeting Gothamist with another drink to try. This time Deborah Schoeneman looks at the city's best margaritas, and the one at Dos Caminos Soho gets 5 stars (so does the one at Miracle Grill, but we're a little Miracle Grilled out for now...). Schoeneman also mentions Gothamist's favorite frozen margarita, the pomegranate one at Rosa Mexicano, and gives it 2 stars. Her thoughts? more ›