Fellas, if you’re in some sort of relationship and haven’t nailed down the V-Day itinerary yet, it’s about time to start making some quick decisions and, regrettably, commitments. Reservations fill up fast and no matter what she says about ‘not expecting anything special’, we all know that’s a big trap. But it doesn’t mean you have to submit to an overpriced prix fixe dinner at a stuffy, overcrowded restaurant; here are some less predictable ways......

White Stripes Shred Irving It seems that every time The White Stripes fade away for a year or two, people seem to forget exactly how amazing they can be live. Perhaps it takes a show like the one at Irving Plaza last Tuesday...filled with hardcore, line-waiting fans and eager and excited members of the media to really drive home just how good a show Jack White puts on, and exactly how impressive Meg is to......

Bonnaroo Has Begun While we couldn't make it down this year (a bit festivaled out between SXSW and Coachella and Sasquatch so far this year), Bonnaroo kicked off last night with a couple local favorites warming up the early arrivers. The National, Langhorne Slim and Apollo Sunshine among others took the stage for the Thursday night festivities. Much much more on the way for the rest of the week, including hometowners Sam Champion, El-P and......

Mouthfuls fires up the Mutton chop thread. Was lively the first time around with the spirited debate over the definitions of different lamb slaughter ages and names, we'll just drop you in now with the mostly pure adulation for the the chop and it's value - $38.50 for what sounds like 1.5 pounds. If you go it seems like a share plate or sandwiches the next day are in your future. A useful nugget on......

Of Montreal Are Clearly Interested In Having A Good Time Yes, when they played their own set on Saturday night at Studio B, Of Montreal pretty much ran through the same shtick they did a month earlier at Irving Plaza. Nothing wrong with that, however, as that set was just about the best show we've been to all year and we were more than happy to re-experience it. But this show, was not entirely about......

Bruni goes to the Penthouse Strip Executive Club to try the steaks at its restaurant, Robert's Steakhouse. He receives offers from the staff to get naked for him, but--more to the point--also finds "some of the very best steaks in New York City," and gives the restaurant one star. Eater is on the money again this week, having bet that Robert's would receive one star (and thereby cause Jeffrey Chodorow's head to explode). Also in......

Or is it all in the Alchemy? Flavored vodkas are everywhere these days, so it's rare to find one that stands out above the rest. You just might find that standout in Alchemy, an infused (not flavored) vodka from Agata Podedworny, who proudly touts her Polish heritage through her product. The bottle itself is striking, a sharp, angular and sleek design, with antiqued lettering reminiscent of chemical compounds. Alchemy sticks to traditional distilling processes, using......

Peter Bjorn and John Soar, Crash in NYC debut Reports out of the first two PB&J shows this week at Union Hall and Mercury Lounge were stellar, and the expectations were at an all time high for the sold out Bowery Ballroom gig. Unfortunately the magic from the smaller gigs did not translate very well to the significantly larger venue on night three. The 600+ crowd was harder to connect with for the laid back......

This is traditionally a pretty slow time for music. Everyone is getting their feet back under them from the holidays, there aren't many bands putting out albums, and even less are ready to get back out and start touring. The news cycle in general is still pretty weak, and music has it no different. Nonetheless, we're starting a new feature this week recapping the biggest stories in rock around this town every Friday. So... New......

Sometimes all you want is a slice of pizza. Chefs know this, and try occasionally to answer our basic cravings. Case in point: tarte flambée. With its French pedigree, it’s fancy enough to stand up on high-end menus. The Modern’s bar room offers it, as do Café d’Alsace and August. But the best example yet to hit Manhattan may be at Klee Brasserie, which opened in Chelsea last month. Called “Alsatian pizza” and presented as......

In 2004 we asked a bunch of New York bloggers to suggest sonic stocking stuffers. This year, we asked New York bloggers, bookers, musicians and more, what they'd give as a gift this holiday season. Here you go...commence shopping! Jack "Skippy" McFadden, Union Hall booker The Isles "Perfumed Lands" Ian Love's self-titled cd Wes Verhoeve, Cross Pollination / The Undisputed Heavyweights A Brief Smile - R.E.S.T. My Brightest Diamond - Bring Me The Workhorse Kevin......

September 7: Sake Tasting Oer thirty Japanese brewers will offer over 100 different types of sake, shochu, and wine previously unavailable in the US for a public tasting. Nibble on hors d'oeures as you speak to the brewers themselves to learn more about individual types of sake. Please call 212.647.9196 or email finfo@enjb.com for more information or to purchase tickets. $40 plus tax. 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM, En Japanese Braserie, 435 Hudson St. September......

There was a time, not too long ago, when I believed that Muse was the best live band on the planet. I was in Ireland at a music festival in the summer of 2004 and witnessed what was one of the most impressive concerts of my life. There were grown men crying beside me shouting "Matt Bellamy is a God!" at the top of their lungs. It just unbelievably surreal. A few club shows later......

Movable Hype 8.0 is coming up tonight! We want you there. The first person to email us (at GothamistContest (at) gmail dot com) wins two list spots to tonight's show. Contest closed! Details... What: Movable Hype 8.0 Where: Knitting Factory (main space) When: Tonight! Who: 8:15pm Project Jenny/Project Jan (Brooklyn) 9:15pm Takka Takka (Brooklyn/Astoria) 10:15pm Goes Cube (Brooklyn) 11:15pm Femme Generation (Toronto) Deejays sets by The Modern Age and more DRINK SPECIALS ALL NIGHT: $3......

Sunday and Monday nights were the James Beard Awards annual gala events, and the results are now in. Sunday night focused on the journalists, highlighting books, broadcast media, and even websites (a new category), while Monday was all about the chefs and restaurants. The excitement was palpable in the food world, so much so that Ed Levine decided to liveblog Monday's Awards dinner, an extravagant black tie affair, for those of us not "in" enough......

All the foodies are in a tizzy today as the coveted James Beard Award nominees were announced last night. The actual awards ceremony and reception will be held on May 8, at an event celebrating "the culinary legacy of New Orleans." Reservations for the May 8th event can be made by calling 212-367-9490 or toll free at 1-866-362-6442. Admission is $375 ($325 for James Beard Foundation members/$120 for students - find your old ID cards......

In a city that specializes in specialties, New York is a playground for those who love wine. Whether it’s an unknown Turkish wine you crave or a spicy Tinto Fino from the Ribera del Duero, we have it all. But in a place where your options are endless, the biggest challenge is selecting where to go. The good news is New York also happens to be the city that never sleeps. So with a......

- An off-duty cop fighting with a group of "thugs" was shot early yesterday morning by another police officer. - The inevitable spread of children throughout the West Village is affecting local businesses. - One of the East Villages "last bohemians" passes on. - The Onion moved to New York five years ago, remains funny. - The Daily News reports that "Donald Trump, the Rockefeller Group and Ford Models were among the tycoons and......

The Modern is the latest star in the constellation of Danny Meyer's restaurant empire. Gothamist recently stopped by its more casual half, the Bar Room, after a visit to The Museum of Modern Art, which houses the restaurant. Chef Gabriel Kreuther's small-plate menu dazzles. It's divided into three sections: cold appetizers, hot appetizers, and half-sized entrees. Portions are generous and many dishes are laced with an unusual ingredient. Take for instance the tagliatelle with escargots,......

Charlie Suisman over at Manhattan User's Guide broke the French omerta on the New York City restaurants Michelin guide and listed the restaurants receiving 1, 2 or 3 stars. Only thirty-nine restaurants were reviewed. Here's a quick analysis: - Parlez francais: Frenchmen/French-themed restaurants take three of the four 3-star slots (Alain Ducasse, Jean-Georges, Le Bernadin); the fourth is American-born Per Se (lucky for punch bowl owners) - Time Warner Center sweep: Per Se, Masa (2......

As we all know, CMJ is about to take over...however, non-CMJ events will also be taking place that week, unphased by the marathon. One that caught our eye is this Housing Works event starring Bright Eyes. Tickets are on sale now for $40. From the website: Join Bright Eyes and an all-star line up for this spectacular benefit event, “Walking Songs” to kick off the Campaign To End AIDS march to Washington, DC. Bright Eyes,......

Enticed by the ethereal Yoshio Taniguchi redesign and free admission, New Yorkers waited hours before the MoMA officially reopened, rock concert style, to be among the first to dance around one of the most comprehensive collections of modern art around. An estimated 15,000 visitors passed through the doors, and Gothamist is enjoying the local papers' coverage, from rapturous glee to architectural criticism (it's like "white bread and mayonaise"), from bickering with guards to gripes......

Beloved fashion accessory becomes city evidence, as DNA taken from a suspect matches hair found in a do-rag left at a 2002 murder scene. Sixteen year-old DeJuan Brown apparently shot a correction officer and an innocent bystander outside a liquor store in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and left the gun and his do-rag at the scene. A less gritty version of this crime would make a great Encyclopedia Brown mystery: Bugs Meaney would have dropped his do-rag outside......

Gothamist remembers way back when, in January 2000, when we first heard about Ginger from Inside.com. It was supposed to be some sort of revolutionary individual transportation device, from the man who designed a wheelchair that could climb stairs. The hype, fueled by inventor-entrepreneur Dean Kamen and the media, drove geeks of all kinds (tech, media, transportation) crazy. And then when the Segway Human Transporter was finally unveiled, response was "Where's my flying machine?" Writer......