We really love the story of the brown and white Hereford cow found wandering around Briarwood in Queens, so we're especially happy to learn that she headed upstate to the Farm Sanctuary. The AP reports that the cow has been renamed "Maxine" ("after artist Peter Max and his wife, Mary, who brought another animal to the shelter in 2002") and that she probably ran away from a live market, as there was a tag in......

Menu Change: As previously reported by Nina Lalli over at Eat For Victory, Franny’s on Flatbush Avenue had added pastas to its menu. Right now the menu features three pastas, including a stellar penne with mint and zucchini ($15). In keeping with its mission statement of locality and sustainability, Franny’s sources mint from Long Island’s Satur Farms; zucchini comes from Hepworth Farm, located upstate in Milton. Pastas are selected by chef Andrew Feinberg from a......

The Kensington-Ditmas Park area of Brooklyn is slowly becoming known for its restaurants and dishes, including the “haute barnyard” French Fries at The Farm on Adderley. Meanwhile, the wide swath of Coney Island Avenue running through the center of both neighborhoods remains a mainstay of ethnic restaurants from Prospect Park to Brighton Beach -- everything from all-night, tri-level Pakistani joints to Turkish baklava places. It’s sort of like the restaurant bustle of Jackson Avenue in......

Adam Platt has started of 2007 with a bang -- New York magazine has released his "Where to Eat 2007" lists, a compendium of his picks for the year, divided into categories. "Haute Barnyard," a phrase that Platt coined a while back, is his term for restaurants focused on suppliers and the origins of the food, with countrified leanings. Cookshop, Peasant, Hearth, and Blue Hill qualify, among others. He takes us on two rambles, one......

September 28-30: Grand Central Oyster Frenzy Oysters, oysters, and more oysters -- three full days of bivalve bounty are here at this historic restaurant. Tonight and tomrrow night from 7-9 pm for $95, you can eat your fill of 15 varieties of oysters paired with 20 different wines, while Saturday brings a day full of chef demonstrations, a slurp-off, and a professional shucking contest, 1-5pm. Call 212-490-7108 or visit oysterbarny.com for more information. September 30:......

Bruni one-stars Chinatown Brasserie; it's uneven, but he loves the dim sum. Especially the dumplings. "What's better than dumplings?" asks Frank. Gothamist has at times asked ourselves that same question. And Eater is back on the money this week, giving Chinatown Brasserie one-star odds at 3-1. Peter Meehan visits The Farm on Adderly in Brooklyn and likes what he sees (and tastes). "Simple dishes are the way to go," he says, and "for a place......