Restaurants have been having a relatively difficult time in NYC lately and are striking back in court. There was the trans-fat controversy that had the Board of Health ready to ban the possibly unhealthy oil from use in restaurants, if a suitably tasty replacement could be found. Then there was the rat fiasco, when scores of rats frolicking in a West Village restaurant drew onlookers and news crews, initiating a wide round of restaurant re-inspections and business closings as inspectors looked to clean up their image. more ›

Are we just 46 minutes away from a transit strike? NY1 says a strike is imminent, as the union president Roger Toussaint has left the Grand Hyatt where the TWU and the MTA had been negotiating to go the union headquarters (the NY Times.com's headline without a story as yet "Union Officials Confer After Rejecting Latest M.T.A. Offer"). Basically, we won't know anything until Toussaint speaks at headquarters. more ›

You might know Pepi di Giacomo and Luca di Pietro from the East Village bakery-become-coffee haven, Tarallucci e Vino where they sell their namesake's signature semolina cookies and lots of vino right along with Roman coffee beans and a smattering of panini. Following suit, the duo have just opened a new wine bar, patisserie, and coffee spot of the at 15 East 18th St. (between Broadway & 5th), showcasing more pastries, more wine, more coffee, and adding a repetoire of cheeses, salads, panini, quiches, and mouth-watering entrees including quail and polenta and pork loin that will fill even the most discerning palette. At the bar space in the front, one can choose from over a dozen wines poured by the glass, and snack on complimentary plates of olives or bite-sized panzerotti. The main dining space is elevated--beautifully--and there, options range from sauteed artichokes with black olive puree to potato gnocchi with speck and radicchio. Gothamist also stole a taste of the ricotta and spinach fritata panini, which comes spread with an artichoke mayo on ciabatta bread with greens lightly doused in homemade balsamic vinaigarette, one of their sandwiches not to be missed. more ›

Attention fans of Hebraic Cuisine-- today is your lucky day! Kosherfest is open at the Javits Center: more ›

Newsday reports that 71 establishments (of a possible 20,000) had been cited for violated the smoking ban - and most for having ashtrays out and not having dinstinct signs saying "No Smoking Allowed" - and some restaurant owners claim the smoking ban has affected business by 20%. Gothamist started to wonder if the smoking ban violations were recorded yet, and we stumbled onto the Department of Health's searchable database of restaurant inspections, which is where we'll be going after checking the Zagat or Chowhound. more ›