The NYT reports that a restaurant space under construction at 570 Vanderbilt Avenue called The Vanderbilt will be 150-seater operated by Num Pang partner Ben Daitz and Smith Street pioneer Saul Bolton, the chef and owner of Saul, one of the original new wave Brooklyn restaurants. We took a quick look at the Prospect Heights space (right) in April, noting that a small section of Vanderbilt Avenue is quickly becoming the home to a bunch of new restaurants and bars. And while The Vanderbilt is scheduled to open this fall, Frank Bruni pays an unrated checkup visit to Diner in Williamsburg, the decade-old wellspring of Brooklyn's New Culinary Movement, and the proving grounds of Tom Mylan and Sasha Davies' UnFancy Food Show. "Diner was doing the Brooklyn tropes before they were Brooklyn tropes," he writes. Opening chef Caroline Fidanza has moved down the street to companion butcher shop Marlow & Daughters, ceding the reigns to Sean Rembold. The food remains consistent but is expensive. Bruni laments that a once $9 chicken dish now costs a steep $22 is par for the course: "That’s inflation, yes," he admits. "But that’s also what happens when a neighborhood itself ascends." more ›

Yesterday was a big, belt-busting day for food lovers in New York City. City noshers were able to hit two great events featuring local artisanal purveyors -- both the New Amsterdam Public Market by the South Street Seaport and the UnFancy Food Show, just a short J/M/Z ride away in Williamsburg. more ›

Last year Tom Mylan and Sasha Davies went head-to-head with the Fancy Food Show, held at the Javits Center, with their first Unfancy Food Show, held at the East River Bar in Williamsburg...and this year they're back for seconds. Expect everything from pickles to cheese to beer (including Hop Obama) this coming Sunday (more details here). While Davies left the city to explore the craft of hand-made cheesemaking, Mylan is still in town, occasionally airing his grievances about NYU students, and serving as the butcher at both Diner and Marlow & Sons. more ›