Photograph of Mark Simmons, Top Chef contestant and sous-chef at Public, and WD-50 chef and owner Wylie Dufresne The festive factor was running high at last night's Taste of the Lower East Side, the 8th Annual fundraiser for the Grand Street Settlement. Forty neighborhood eateries pitched in to benefit Grand Street's programs that assist low-income Lower East Side residents, and they showcased some of their best dishes for the crowd of well over 1,000......

Last week at the 92nd Street Y some people took time to hear the fantastic Mike Colameco host the legendary chef Jacques Pepin, critic Gael Greene (now of the Insatiable Critic blog), food maven Arthur Schwartz, and old-school restaurant mogul Michael Whiteman hash out whether NYC dining scene was better then ever. Pretty cut and dry, no? Schwartz and Greene mostly argued that it is not a better scene today, lamenting the arrival of the......

Starbucks went toe to toe with Ethiopia and the coffee behemoth lost. In the ever advancing world of provenance establishment and disclosure of our of our food and beverage sources, the African nation was seeking to trademark some of its coffee growing regions for the purpose of increasing value in the world markets. Starbucks on the other hand has no interest in seeing anything that would drive the price of a venti any closer to......

Gothamist would like to congratulate Chef Jason Neroni of Porchetta on today’s New York Times review. The following conversation took place two weeks ago at the Smith Street restaurant. Jason Neroni has no socks. The thirty year-old chef of Porchetta, the New Italian/Creative American place on Smith Street in Brooklyn, is going commando with his clogs. Owner Marco Riviero is behind the bar squeezing blood oranges with a citrus press for one last round of......

Bruni doubles up again this week, two-starring Tocqueville and one-starring The Tasting Room, respectively. Both restaurants have relocated since their Grimes reviews in 2000 and 2001, respectively (two stars and one). Tocqueville "remains a haven of considerable pleasure," says Bruni; service uneven, though. He likes the Tasting Room's move less: finds the space ugly and the service, terrible. As for the food, they do amazing things with mushrooms and other vegetables, he says, not so......

- NY Mag contemplates an NYC without trans-fats. So very sad. - Augieland and Restaurant Girl give us an early glimpse of Goblin Market. - Eat Drink One Woman weighs in on Pinkberry. Her verdict? "Um, that shit is nars-TY. Like pukey ice milk. No joke. Send it back to L.A." - Bill Buford assesses the state of the Food Network after a 72-hour viewing marathon. - MUG suggests some of their favorite restaurants in......

Now through the end of July: Summer Clam Bake at Savoy Savoy is bringing the beach to the city with their three course Summer Clam Bake. Enjoy littleneck clams on the half shell, a traditional boil with lobster, mussels, kielbasa, potatoes, and corn, and finish off with dessert, a peach and blueberry crumble topped with house made buttermilk ice cream. $40 per person, or an extra $15 will give you a bottomless glass of rose.......

This past weekend marked the opening of the new Tasting Room in the old M&R Bar space on Elizabeth just south of Houston. The bar is open for business to all comers, but it was mostly friends & family, and the food will be at least 10 days behind the booze. Speaking of old spaces, with this opening, the previous Tasting Room space on First Street is now closed until late summer when it......

May 13: Brooklyn Brewery's Pigfest Rain or shine, there will be cold beer, live music, and Niman Ranch pork and chicken slow-cooked by the Waterfront Alehouse's own Sam Barbieri, Steve Harkavy, Bon Soir Caterers' Jeff Reilly, and Rob Richter of Big Island Barbeque. Proceeds from this year's event go to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Beer and Food are included with admission. Advance tickets $75. At the door $85. 1PM-6PM at the Tobacco Warehouse in......

The 2005 edition of the Zagat New York City Restaurant Guide is out today, and no, per se didn't blow everyone else out of the water -- at least not yet. Although it earned 29 out of 30 points in all three categories -- food, decor, and service -- it was too new to qualify for this year's guide. This year's most popular restaurants were Gramercy Tavern, which swapped spots with Union Square Cafe, followed......

The Daily News looks at the state of small restaurants, namely that they are more intimate and may be what some New Yorkers need after having to deal with the travails in bigger restaurants, where the staff may have less opportunity to see that you're getting what you want. Among the restaurants named are dessert bar Chikalicious, Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar, Ballato's, The Tasting Room, and one of Gothamist's favorites, 'ino. Ballato's owner Emilio Vitolo......