This year's Zagat NYC guide is out on the streets today. The familiar burgundy book is still a staple to many searching for the top food in the city, although many argue that the voting process leads to inconsistent results. That said, here are the numbers, the highlights, and the rest:This year's edition covers 2069 restaurants and compiles results from over 34,000 surveys. Gordon Ramsay knocks one over the fence with the top newcomer, earning......

September 15 & 16: Party at the Red Hook Ballfields Celebrate the extension of the vendors' permit through the end of their season in October and add on extra festivities for Mexican and Central American Independence Day. Caesar Fuentes, the organizing force behind the vendors, promises that "the food vendors committee will host a livelier than usual weekend event - more soccer games, pinatas, music, and a 2 day art exhibit featuring photographs taken by......

Flatiron Joe's: In the former home of the short-lived Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Jay Shaffer, who owns Shaffer City Oyster Bar and Grill down the block, has created a casual spot where, for the time being, he's serving up bar snacks like sliders and nachos. He plans on serving lunch and dinner starting in October. 29 West 21st Street, (212) 414-3139. 8th Street Wine Cellar: This long awaited cozy wine bar is a welcome addition......

- Ed Levine wonders aloud if there is such a thing as a "cheap 4 star" eating experience, and then tells us about his, at the Del Posto Enoteca. - The fight is on over the right to use the Guss' Pickles name. - The Clinton Hill Blog checks out the Smoke Joint, a new BBQ place in Fort Greene, and declares happily, "Smoke Joint does it right." - Savory New York has recently added......

It happens every night - too many good possibilities for things. And tonight is no exception, with two book readings that make us wish for a cloning machine. The two readings are at downtown Barnes & Noble locations: Restaurateur Danny Meyer discussing his book, Setting the Table, at the Chelsea location while Michael Lewis will be reading from his book, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game at Union Square. Meyer is known and beloved......

We were scoping out the Open Table lunch reservations to take advantage of next week's Restaurant Week deals, and unsurprisingly, the usual suspects didn't have availability for 2 at 12PM: Think Cafe Boulud or the River Cafe or Union Square Cafe. Even though the lunch prices have risen 20%, from $20.12 last year to this year's $24.07 (NYC & Company explains this number will remind people that NYC is 24/7 - yo!), Gothamist thinks it's......

The 2006 Zagat guide to New York City restaurants comes out today. First, the stats: Over 30,000 people surveyed 2,003 restaurants. The average meal cost in New York is $37.61, making it the most expensive in the U.S. The most popular restaurant list looks quite a bit like last year's: Gramercy Tavern, Union Square Cafe, and Babbo knocking Daniel out of it's previous number three slot. Top food rankings go to Le Bernadin, Daniel, and......

The big NY Times Dining feature is about how dining in the year 1985 shaped NYC's restaurant going experiences through today. Led by chefs and restaurateurs David Bouley, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Danny Meyer, Drew Nieporent, and Alfred Portale, diners were treated to fine fare in sketchy neighborhoods, less pretension, smaller checks, lighter California cuisine, and the reliance on fresh, Greenmarket ingredients. An overall democratization of going out for a delicious meal (freed from the restraints......

through October 9: Shacktoberfest at the Shake Shack Stop by the Shake Shack for a celebration that includes 4 specialty sausages, 10 special beers, and the Bloat. Not from the beer and sausages (well, maybe from that too): it's a beer and frozen custard float. Madison Square Park at 23rd and Madison. Open from 11-11 daily. October 8: Beer on the Pier Beer, beer, and more beer. Taste beer from over 100 breweries, listen to......

July 23: Chefs & Champagne The James Beard Foundation will be honoring Chef Michael Romano of Union Square Cafe for his contributions to the food industry at its annual Chefs & Champagne Benefit at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack, New York. Hang in the Hamptons and enjoy tastings by chefs including Florian Bellanger of Fauchon, Rebecca Charles of Pearl Oyster Bar, Josh DeChellis of Sumile, and Kerry Heffernan of Eleven Madison Park along......

Second Helpings from Union Square Cafe: 160 New Recipes from New York's Favorite Restaurant, by Danny Meyer and Michael Romano (HarperCollins, 2001) Despite the unseasonably cold weather this far into spring, Gothamist knows that summer's just around the corner, and with summer comes summer wardrobes. Ack. So after indulging you with the likes of cheesecake and frozen hot chocolate, we've decided to switch gears this week and go for some lighter fare. But we don't......

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......

Gothamist spends a great deal of time at the greenmarket in Union Square, so we were thrilled to be able to attend the 9th Annual Harvest in the Square, a fundraiser benefiting the Union Square Partnership, with funds from this year specifically earmarked for the capital campaign for the completion of Union Square Park. The standard greenmarket tents were replaced by several much larger tents, housing staff from over 45 different local restaurants and wineries.......

Edith Bellinghausen, Queens For A Day...

Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away, and Gothamist is gearing up for the best holiday of the year. (Why is it the best holiday? Because there's no gift-giving, people usually come together, and it involves ridiculous amounts of yummy comfort foods.) Our stomach growled a little louder this morning as we read the 12 Thanksgiving side dish recipes from different chefs in the Times today. Here they are: Sausage Stuffing With......

The new Zagat rankings for New York restaurants are out and the top restaurant is again Union Square Cafe, which had reigned as New Yorkers' favorite restaurant as tallied by Tim and Nina for 6 straight years (1997-2002) except last year, when sister restaurant Gramercy Tavern took over. The Le Coze fish shrine, Le Bernardin, is number one in food quality. The Times takes a look at the surprising inclusion of Brooklyn's Grocery in the......

Hurricaine Isabel forced the Harvest in the Square Event to be rescheduled tonight. In its eighth year, Harvest in the Square brings Union Square area chefs to offer tastings of food prepared from Union Square Greenmarket Farmers Market, accompanied by Long Island and other New York Wines. Tickets are $90 in person (cash only), $75 in advance, and will benefit the Union Square Local Development Corporation, which is currently looking to enhance the North Plaza......