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. For a Mexican twist, try Toloache for matzo in preparations you'd never imagine. Dig into the Matzo tostada “Yucatan” (crispy matzo tortilla, achiote smoked white fish salad, “Yucatan style”......

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. Momofuku will deliver their glorious bo ssam -- a whole pork shoulder cooked to tender perfection. It comes......

March 29: Best Cellars University at Pair of 8's 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......

March 10: Cantina-Style: One Pot Meals Cooking Demonstration and Luncheon It's cantina time at Rosa Mexicano. Learn the ropes from Culinary Director Roberto Santibañez, as he teaches you to make cantina-style dishes including Zarzuela de Mariscos (cantina seafood stew: jumbo shrimp, clams, mussels and white fish braised with chorizo, baby artichokes and olives and served in a tomato-serrano chile broth) and Salsa en Molcajete (freshly ground roasted tomato (red) or tomatillo (green) salsa). 10:00 a.m.......

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......

This week's New York magazine showcases restaurants celebrating Day of The Dead. While the resaturants they choose- Zocalo, Suenos and Alma all have specials for the occasion, we think they are remiss not to mention more of the Mexican options. Cafe El Portal is a recent fave and Mercadito, La Palapa and Rosa Mexicano (note: audio with this one) are all presenting special menus as well, most starting Wednesday the 26th and lasting through......

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......

June 13 - 26: Festival de Helados Rosa Mexicano brings us ice cream, ice cream, and more ice cream in exotic flavors and combinations at their annual celebration. Rosa Mexicano, 61 Columbus Avenue, at 62nd Street, 212-977-7700. June 16: Spanish Wine and Tapas Got a craving for Spanish wine and tapas? You've got plenty of chances to get your fix this week. First, on the 16th at Discovery Wines, 10 Ave A at Houston Street......

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......

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......

Jill Singer, Mediabistro Deputy Editor...

Avocado theft is all the rage in California, leading the Times to call the authorities "guac cops." This look into the farming community has fantastic quotes like "When the Super Bowl comes, there is going to be thievery. People want guacamole." and makes us city folk wonder about the avocado black market. Avocado thieves usually do go to jail for their felonious ways, and Ventura County spares no expense in looking for them, with infrared......

Like being only cool fashion-forward kid who wears jeans a certain way and then suddenly see it copped not only by your neighbors, but by the Gap to bring to the kids in Peoria, the Daily News looks at chefs who have felt the burn when 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......

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? "A friend swears the $9 pomegranate margaritas here......