Today the Times’s Frank Bruni marvels at Manhattan’s new wave of high tone restaurant openings during a recession, and pins the trend not on entrepreneurial bravado but on the fact that it takes years to get a fancy eatery open, and most of these new places were envisioned in flusher economic times. It is true that in 2005, the top fifth of earners in Manhattan made 52 times what the lowest fifth make – $365,826......

Frank Bruni, the Times’s top restaurant critic, awards the new 2nd Avenue Deli one star today, which isn’t bad considering it is, despite all the history, still a deli. We popped in there for food and photos just before it reopened at its East 33rd Street location and found the sandwiches (pictured) as monumental as ever; a second visit turned up no sign of the free bowl of gribenes (chicken skin fried in chicken fat)......

Pinch & S’MAC: Dejected fans of Pinch, the defunct Park Avenue South “pizza by the inch” joint, will not only be reunited with their favorite Pinch pizza, but they can even slather it with the incredible mac-n-cheese from East Village favorite S’MAC. The new cheese and carb cartel will bring the best of both menus together on the Upper West Side, forming a single, unified, belt-busting celebration of starch. If you’ve never tried S’MAC, you’re......

While we're always on the hunt for both the new and the unfamiliar in New York's kitchens, we also have standby favorite restaurants. One place we find ourselves returning to over and over again is Bedford Street's 'Ino, the sliver of a cafe and wine bar specializing in panini, tramezzini, bruschetta and a laundry list of wines (mostly Italian), with a handful available by the glass or half-bottle. Intimacy comes to mind in a......

Bar Boulud: Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni recently lost his patience waiting on hold for 15 minutes to make a reservation, which should give you some sense of how feverish the excitement is for Daniel Boulud’s latest foray. The tony uptown wine bar, across the street from Lincoln Center, enjoyed the raging buzz of a sneak-preview opening on New Year’s Eve and now the 100 seat restaurant is open for real. Judging from the photos,......

Mention the word Kuta to a surfer or a globetrotter and the first thing that comes to mind is the Balinese fishing village turned beach resort. The folks behind Kuta Satay House & Wine Bar are looking to get the same name recognition from diners with their new spot on the Lower East Side. With a menu that gives shoutouts to various Indonesian locales and a dining room decked out with Balinese masks, it's clear......

Kuta Satay House & Wine Bar: Taking its name from the tourist beach town in Bali, Kuta Satay House (pictured) is bringing its modern Southeast Asia menu to the Lower East Side. The main attraction here are the skewers, such as short ribs with asian pears and sesame barbeque sauce. Entrees emphasize seafood and steak, but there’s also a spicy duck curry and side dishes like garlic fries. 65 Rivington St, (212) 777-5882. Le Royale:......

If you’re thinking about buying into the future Soho Mews condo but still unsure whether the “doorman, concierge and a curator” will be enough for you, the news in today’s Post might just be your tipping point. The under-construction condo, which is comprised of two buildings joined by a shared courtyard garden, has announced a partnership with Centovini, the Italian restaurant on West Houston, four blocks north from the condo on West Broadway, across from......

Zagat's updated Best of Brooklyn 2008 guide was released yesterday, filled to the brim with all that the city's largest borough has to offer, including 216 restaurants, 141 nightspots, 355 shops, 25 tourist attractions and more. Like all Zagat guides, this one is a complilation of surveys from the public and each entry is rated on a scale of 1-30. The guide is broken up into five sections: Dining, Nightlife, Shopping, Gourmet Shopping & Entertaining,......

Since an army of sloppy amateurs are expected to mob New York’s bars tonight to toast the anniversary of Prohibition’s end, it might be a good night to pick up a bottle of something or other and bring the celebration home. Imbibers looking for something special in Brooklyn need look no further than the Williamsburg Bridge; the paisans behind the rustic Williamsburg restaurant PT and the romantic North 8th Street D.O.C. Wine Bar have......

This week in the Times, Bruni three stars Fiamma and rates it a top pick. Says that the restaurant is not, by any means, classically Italian, but “when a restaurant turns out this many dishes that make you stop mid-chew, nudge a companion and nod your head vigorously—because you’re excited; because you need to start working off the calories any way you can—it needn’t worry about fitting into a tidy box.” Also in the Times,......

The Smith: Believe it or not, the The Smith is housed in the spot that used to be a Pizzeria Uno. Virtually anything would be an upgrade. The owners of Jane and the Neptune Room, Glenn Harris and Jeffrey Lefcourt, brought the executive chef from Jane, Brian Ellis to create a hearty, seasonal, American bistro-style menu, with offerings like lamb schnitzel with parmesan crust, hot potato chips with gorgonzola fondue, and steak served in various......

Bacaro: Frank DeCarlo of Peasant and his wife Dulcinea Benson transport you to Venice in their 80-seat wine bar/restaurant on the Lower East Side. Northern Italian menu offerings include cicchetti, (think Venetian bar snacks) like crostini, sardines, artichokes, and more, cheeses selected by Lou DiPalo, and pastas, quail, and duck for those seeking heartier fare. 136 Division Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets, 212-941-5060. Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar and Grill: The Blue Ribbon team is......

Come spring, Whole Foods is going to have some stiff competition on their uptown turf when a new Italian gourmet supermarket opens their first U.S. location on 48th Street. The wildly successful enterprise is called Eataly; since the flagship store opened last January in Turin, 1.5 million customers have flocked there for gourmet food, wine, dining and an array of culinary classes. By bringing his big-tent concept to America, owner Oscar Farinetti hopes to “stupefy......

Back Forty: Peter Hoffman of Savoy brings his fresh-from-the-farm mentality to the East Village, complete with farm implements decorating the walls. The term "Back Forty" referred to the undeveloped quarter of a 160-acre homestead where farm families went to relax and unwind. The menu may be small, but includes a grass-fed beef burger, Maine shrimp and bacon beignets, and a whole grilled Catskill trout. Wash it down with a house cocktail, or if you've got......

On the edge of Middle Village sits Uvarara Vineria and Ristoro, a charming family-owned wine bar that looks and feels like it should be in the middle of an Italian village instead of Queens. This is due to the efforts of the Iadicicco's who spent nine months converting what had been a tailor shop with dowdy green walls into a cozy space with exposed brick and a dining area whose four rooms each have a......

We were recently asked about recommendations for good first date spots: "she's allergic to shellfish, I hate TexMex - any thoughts?" We have plenty of thoughts. The first is that a first date, depending on how well you know the person, should be limited to drinks or coffee. This way, if things become clear that you don't want to stick around, you can leave politely without having to suffer through appetizers, an entree, and possibly......

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......

Gothamist finally made the trip to Queens to drink and dine at Danny Brown Wine Bar & Kitchen, a stylish spot that looks more SoHo than Forest Hills. Some of you may recall that this eatery located across the street from Councilwoman Melinda Katz's office caught the attention of Daniel Boulud back in May. The French megachef was steamed that Danny Brown, the chef-owner, uses almost the same lowercase "db" on its signage as Boulud's......

June 30: Italian Wine Merchants - A Study of Friuli Learn about Friuli-Venezia Giulia through a study of wine and food. Friuli's whites will keep you cool during the summer, but the red varietals hold their own as well. 1:00 - 3:00 pm, $75.00. Register online or by calling 212-473-2323 x106. Italian Wine Merchants - Studio del Gusto, 108 East 16th Street between Park Avenue South & Irving Place. June 30: 5th Annual Tuttorosso Pasta-Eating......

In a city that has everything, there are always a few things that we can use more of. For starters, maybe one or two more cheese shops, an extra beer garden wouldn’t hurt and who wouldn’t like another Trader Joe’s? Just saying. The same rule applies to wine bars. Sure we have a bunch, but after a while, the circuit gets old. Luckily, we have a new stop to add to our list. Wined......

Starbucks went toe to toe with Ethiopia and the coffee behemoth lost. In the ever advancing world of provenance establishment and disclosure of our of our food and beverage sources, the African nation was seeking to trademark some of its coffee growing regions for the purpose of increasing value in the world markets. Starbucks on the other hand has no interest in seeing anything that would drive the price of a venti any closer to......

Sandwiched between Park Slope and Gowanus, along 4th Avenue, the Sheep Station bills itself as an Australian restaurant even if the bar seems to get the most attention. It has none of the kitschy video games, dated beer posters, or anything really that might muck up its design. It’s all straight lines and clean surfaces, and in that respect feels a little like Gothamist favorite Bocco Lupo in Cobble Hill. Like that enticing wine bar,......

Walking down 8th street in Greenwich Village you’ll find some of the most random collection of stores all snuggled together. From Ricky’s, Johnny Rockets and Otto to the eclectic series of shoe stores dubbed “shoe row” you never now what’s going to pop up next. But with three months under their belt, Is-Wine, the new kid to the block, seems to have no trouble fitting right in. Their friendly and personal approach may have something......

At first glance, Tini doesn't seem that much different from all the other wine bars littered around Brooklyn. It's small, cute, and feminine. But while others are tucked in tree-lined streets, this one is out in Red Hook. And that makes all the difference. Red Hook is awash in memorable bars -a dangerous number for its relatively small size and remote location. But whether it's Pioneer, Bait and Tackle, Liberty Heights Tap Room, or......

You’d think a place called MiniBar in Carroll Gardens would have an inferiority complex. It even stares across the street at Frankies 457 Spuntino, a much more serious eatery and wine bar, with a very high reputation. But it doesn’t seem to care. Because of its size, or lack thereof, Minibar skips on the usual Brooklyn bar accessories. They have no bar games, pool table, jukebox, TV, or back garden. And that’s okay with us.......

Really, you if you're considering going out for dinner on Valentine's Day, you probably should have made your reservations by now. If you haven't, here's a roundup of Valentine's Day roundups -- you should be able to find a place to woo your sweetheart over a prix fixe dinner. Citysearch has a list of restaurants offering Valentine's Day specials including a four course meal at The Little Owl for $80 or at Aroma for $130.......

Gothamist has a thing for cook-offs. There’s something about the sincerity of it all—just a bunch of honest folk sharing their love for chili, casseroles or, in the case of Sunday’s event, winter squash. This weekend’s Great Squash Cook-Off drew twenty amateur cooks to Park Slope’s V-Spot restaurant to compete before a panel of local food authorities (among them KalaLea of organic café and wine bar Smooch, Vikas Khanna of Tamarind and Isa Chandra......

Poor Columbia Street. In Manhattan, streets are completely torn up, repaired, and repaved and functional in a day. But for the past 6 months this street on the edge of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook has been in a stages of distinct disrepair, each frustrating in its own particular way. There were the potholes of the summer, the big dig of the fall -when all the concrete and asphalt were removed and new concrete......

- Baby, it's cold outside, and what better way to warm up than with a steaming bowl of soup. MUG rounds up readers' favorite chicken soups, or if you prefer cooking your own, the Daily News lets us in on soup recipes from Dirty Bird, Tabla, and Fairway - Have you seen this bulgogi sandwich cart? If so, let Midtown Lunch know. - Okay all you lovebirds out there, Valentine's Day is right around the......