Americans love them some bottled water, a fact corporations have not failed to notice. The average American family spends $615 per year on the stuff, with Latinos and blacks being "three times more likely to choose bottled water over the tap for their children." And in some parts of the country where public water is, shall we say, disgusting, that makes sense. But in New York City, home of the bottled and sold champagne of municipal tap waters, the idea of buying the stuff is pretty ludicrous. And now people are doing taste tests to prove it. more ›

Last week, Ben & Jerry's officially debuted their limited-edition Schweddy Balls ice cream, which honors Alec Baldwin's iconic SNL skit. Needless to say, we were psyched, having anticipated the announcement since way back in June. So when the ice cream mavericks offered to send some Balls our way, we simply couldn't turn them down. more ›

Here at Gothamist, we strive to keep you up to date on the most important food trends of the 21st century. That's why we've valiantly taste-tested Pop-Tarts sushi, deep-fried Kool-Aid balls, Montreal bagels, and artisanal ketchup. Today, we were sent a snack food of mind-boggling proportions: the newly released Triple Double Oreo. What does that even mean?! more ›

A few days ago, we were alerted to the existence of something called Sir Kensington’s Gourmet Scooping Ketchup, a "culturally-hip gourmet product" positioning itself as "a condiment to be reckoned with." We were intrigued by the claims in the press release and the packaging of this Gourmet Scooping Ketchup (henceforth to be referred to as "GSK"), which features a distinguished-looking gentleman in a tophat and monocle. Does humble ketchup, the beloved condiment of Americana-tinged dreams, really need a makeover? more ›

So the food snobs over at Zagat rated Five Guys the best fast food burger in the country, but what do New Yorkers have to say about their greasy patties? Inspired by a recent Consumer Reports ranking of 18 burger chains, the Post put McDonald's, Burger King, Five Guys, Wendy's and White Castle to the test. And if there's one thing this disparate group of city folk can agree on, it's that White Castle sucks. more ›

Another award to add to the city's shelf: According to the Times, Manhattan is most likely the home of America's most expensive ice cream. At their two locations, Grom serves a "small" cup of their artisanal gelato for $5.25, already up $.50 since they opened in 2007. (A sales rep says their small is "110-115 grams," which means a pound would be around $25, not $150 as the Gray Lady claims.) Their prices seem to be the high end of standard these days, as handmade, organic, horomone-free, sustainable, etc. ice cream becomes more and more popular. But the Times asks an important question, "Is there any good reason for ice cream—basically milk, sugar and eggs—to cost more per ounce than wild Atlantic smoked salmon or prime rib-eye?" more ›

And they said it couldn't be done. While countless idle dreamers have fantasized about uniting the flavor of potato chips, pretzels, and cookies in one transcendent mouthful, nobody ever actually did anything to make the dream a reality, besides stuffing each separate entity into their mouths at once and hoping for the best. Until now! (Or, until recently.) Meet the Chipn'etzel, the apotheosis of the pretzel, the cookie, and the potato chip. We did it, America! more ›

Move over "Best Pizza" debate, there's something new we'll never all agree upon! Best Bagel. Serious Eats sent carb-lovers to the three most "bagel-happy boroughs" (allegedly Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens) to pick up some fresh samples and conduct a blind taste test. To keep things equal, they were all consumed plain and untoasted. Spoiler alert: Dunkin' Donuts didn't come in last. For shame, New York. For. Shame. more ›

Burger King's new ad campaign is a series of commercials depicting a taste test between the Whopper and the Big Mac. The twist here is that the taste testers are blessed souls living in areas so remote that they've never even soiled their intestines with Burger King! Yes, such oases do exist—or rather they did, before ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky airlifted in the fast food, as the teaser trailers suggest. The campaign calls them "Whopper Virgins," and AdFreak detects a none-too-subtle whiff of corporate colonialism. And Marilyn Borchardt of Food First tells the Daily News it's insensitive because "the ad's not even acknowledging that there's even hunger in any of these places." (But watch the trailer; they do look hungry!) And if these 141 words here have proven anything, it's that the campaign is already a success. more ›

This morning the American Museum of Natural History hosted a Tap Water Taste-off on their steps. New York City was one of five area communities competing for the title of tastiest tap water in the state during the event. Who came out on top at the 2008 regional taste-off contest? Sadly, we were robbed, with Bethpage in Nassau County grabbing the blue ribbon. The good news is NYC came in 2nd! With that kind of placement, the city will represent during the big event at the New York State Fair on August 26th. more ›