Eat Cetera: Black Truffle Time, Riesling Crawl, Shake Shack - Photo Gallery

<strong>Perbacco's Black Truffle Special:</strong>'Tis the season for black summer truffles, the delicious and rare little tubers that have inspired chefs since the days of the Romans, who saw them as a byproduct of Jove's thunderbolt. The East Village's <a href="http://www.perbacconyc.com">Perbacco</a> celebrates the first crop starting tomorrow with a surprisingly affordable three-course menu. Sweet and quirky as Executive Chef Simone Bonelli's creations are wont to be, the Uova Asparagi e Tartufi combines eggs, shallots, asparagus and truffles in varying forms; while the Tagliolini al Tartufo Nero Estivo su Crema di Burrata uses the truffle as a topping and a pasta sauce ingedient, alongside burrata cheese. <p></p>The tantalizing dessert, Semifreddo al Miele di Corbezzolo con Tartufo Nero Estivo, showcases yet another use for truffles, as a parfait and biscuit. If you really can't decide between all these treats, the entire menu will only set you back $59—not too shabby for food this skillfully crafted.<p></p><em>234 East 4th Street, near Avenue B; (212) 253-2038</em>

<strong>Riesling Crawl:</strong> The Knitting Factory has certainly had its share of bizarre delights over the years, but this one just might take the cake: the first benefit ever hosted by a grape varietal, a highly beloved one made richer in flavor through noble rot, a type of fungus that often invades when grapes are left on the vine past the point of ripeness. On Wednesday at 8 p.m., Paul Grieco and Steven Solomon (of Terroir Wine Bar and Hearth Restaurant fame) and their <em>fuders</em> (small vats) of Reisling will present performances by Himalaya, Nouvellas, Lights On and The Black Hollies. <a href="http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/11215">Tickets are $30</a>, but for a Riesling fan it's worth it, because it includes four different glasses of Riesling over the course of the night.<p></p>Grieco also has another trick up his sleeve this month. Yesterday marked the beginning of the Summer of <a href="http://restauranthearth.com/terrior/crawl_2010.html">Riesling Wine Bar Crawl</a>, in which Riesling lovers can visit 11 participating wine bars and get stamps on their new Riesling "passports," which, if turned in completed or partially completed to Hearth. Those who turn in the passports with the most stamps will then be entered into a wine trivia contest, with the ultimate winner scoring a Riesling tasting and dinner for six at the restaurant! Whether you're already part of this crazy wine cult or just a novitiate, come on out... Dionysian grandeur could be yours!

<strong>Shake Shack: </strong>Shouldn't you be on line by now? The new Shake Shack location in the Theater District is opening at 11 a.m. on Monday! Though downtowners will still be <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/02/19/nimbys_break_shake_shacks_back_in_n.php">out of luck,</a> at least there will be a new location to diffuse (slightly) all the Shake Shack fanatics... unless of course this new location<em> just breeds more.</em> It'll be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight.<p></p><em>8th Avenue and 44th Street </em>