- Finally! Banh mi sandwiches in Midtown. But are they any good, and are they worth the $7.50 a pop? Midtown Lunch readers chime in with their thoughts. - The newly re-opened Blind Tiger is opening for brunch this weekend at 11:30 a.m. After Monday their new regular hours will be 11:30 a.m. until 4:00 a.m, and the kitchen will stay open until 2:00 a.m. In addition, they're having a grand re-opening bash on Monday,...

“You want to sit at the bar?" said the waiter. "Yes, please." "Oh...no one has really ever done that before.” We walked into Royal’s Downtown yesterday, partly out of curiosity. This gorgeously lit restaurant sits on the western edge of Carroll Gardens, and seems completely out of place. Unlike the cute little restaurants dotted around the area, it’s grand and pretentious, more like a Brooklyn Heights standby that is decorated well but prohibitively expensive. There...

“You want to sit at the bar?" said the waiter. "Yes, please." "Oh...no one has really ever done that before.” We walked into Royal’s Downtown yesterday, partly out of curiosity. This gorgeously lit restaurant sits on the western edge of Carroll Gardens, and seems completely out of place. Unlike the cute little restaurants dotted around the area, it’s grand and pretentious, more like a Brooklyn Heights standby that is decorated well but prohibitively expensive. There...

[Ed. note: We'd like to welcome Robyn Lee, who wrote for Parisist while she was there and who you may also know as The Girl Who Ate Everything. She'll be taking over Camera in the Kitchen for a bit.] The onomatopoeic name for the Upper West Side's newest Peruvian restaurant, Pio Pio Salon, comes from the Spanish word for the sound of a chicken's chirp. We thought this sound was rather cute until we wondered...

[Ed. note: We'd like to welcome Robyn Lee, who wrote for Parisist while she was there and who you may also know as The Girl Who Ate Everything. She'll be taking over Camera in the Kitchen for a bit.] The onomatopoeic name for the Upper West Side's newest Peruvian restaurant, Pio Pio Salon, comes from the Spanish word for the sound of a chicken's chirp. We thought this sound was rather cute until we wondered...

March 29: Best Cellars University at Pair of 8's Pair of 8's owner Ron Didner and new Chef Matthew Hamilton (formerly of Prune, Uovo, and Zuni Cafe, pictured at right) pair up with Best Cellars to host the first of this monthly series starting with Wine 101. Wine will be paired with five courses. $70 for a single class and $65 for two or more classes, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Call 212-362-8730 to register. 568...

People tend to go a little haywire over Peeps. We've given you a taste of the madness before, but there's even more sugar-infused insanity this year. Via the epi-log over at Epicurious: chef Francisco Migoya of The Culinary Institute of America has a video up on You Tube demonstrating how to make your own Peeps aptly titled "The Peep Show." More Peeps madness: - Peeps "celebrity survey" via Slashfood: apparently the Peeps Chick is cooler...

Awesome: The owner of a Burger King at Fifth Avenue and 36th Street is suing its landlord. Apparently the BK at 401 Fifth Avenue got infested with rats "after an adjacent Chinese restaurant shut down earlier this month," according to the NY Sun. And then when Inside Edition caught the rats inside the Burger King (as well as rats in other city restaurants), the owners decided to sue. The lawsuit says, "The rodents from the...

Awesome: The owner of a Burger King at Fifth Avenue and 36th Street is suing its landlord. Apparently the BK at 401 Fifth Avenue got infested with rats "after an adjacent Chinese restaurant shut down earlier this month," according to the NY Sun. And then when Inside Edition caught the rats inside the Burger King (as well as rats in other city restaurants), the owners decided to sue. The lawsuit says, "The rodents from the...

Gothamist had the chance to get a sneak peek at the new Whole Foods on the Bowery. Although it's scheduled to open to the public tomorrow there was a pre-opening party last night. Yes - that's right, folks: A party to celebrate the opening of a grocery store which already has a few NYC locations. But, to be fair, it is the largest Whole Foods in the city, measuring in at a whopping 71,000...

Gothamist had the chance to get a sneak peek at the new Whole Foods on the Bowery. Although it's scheduled to open to the public tomorrow there was a pre-opening party last night. Yes - that's right, folks: A party to celebrate the opening of a grocery store which already has a few NYC locations. But, to be fair, it is the largest Whole Foods in the city, measuring in at a whopping 71,000...

This week, Bruni visits Rosanjin in Tribeca for kaseiki, finds it "strange and sometimes wonderful" and awards the restaurant two stars. The meal of many small courses is supposed to provide spiritual uplift in its ceremony. For Bruni, "the glory is in the details," like the uni wrapped in a shiso leaf, then battered and fried. The later courses were letdowns, however, and sometimes the small courses left him hungry two hours later. Also in...

This week, Bruni visits Rosanjin in Tribeca for kaseiki, finds it "strange and sometimes wonderful" and awards the restaurant two stars. The meal of many small courses is supposed to provide spiritual uplift in its ceremony. For Bruni, "the glory is in the details," like the uni wrapped in a shiso leaf, then battered and fried. The later courses were letdowns, however, and sometimes the small courses left him hungry two hours later. Also in...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Apparently a huge shipment of strawberries has just hit New York, as three of our favorite groceries are featuring them at discounted prices. So why not indulge? The Met has them for $2.50 a pound, a fine deal, but one that’s equaled by Fairway’s 2 packs for $5. No, the winner of the strawberry showdown is Pathmark, which is...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Apparently a huge shipment of strawberries has just hit New York, as three of our favorite groceries are featuring them at discounted prices. So why not indulge? The Met has them for $2.50 a pound, a fine deal, but one that’s equaled by Fairway’s 2 packs for $5. No, the winner of the strawberry showdown is Pathmark, which is...

The Kensington-Ditmas Park area of Brooklyn is slowly becoming known for its restaurants and dishes, including the “haute barnyard” French Fries at The Farm on Adderley. Meanwhile, the wide swath of Coney Island Avenue running through the center of both neighborhoods remains a mainstay of ethnic restaurants from Prospect Park to Brighton Beach -- everything from all-night, tri-level Pakistani joints to Turkish baklava places. It’s sort of like the restaurant bustle of Jackson Avenue in...

amNewYork features State Senator Jeff Klein's letter grading idea for restaurants on its cover. In the wake of the media capturing rats running around a KFC-Taco Bell that had just passed a health inspection, the Health Department has been under fire. Klein thinks seeing a letter grade and having it posted prominently for prospective diners to see would be much more helpful than the current system. Klein said, ""Having a letter grade posted for all...

amNewYork features State Senator Jeff Klein's letter grading idea for restaurants on its cover. In the wake of the media capturing rats running around a KFC-Taco Bell that had just passed a health inspection, the Health Department has been under fire. Klein thinks seeing a letter grade and having it posted prominently for prospective diners to see would be much more helpful than the current system. Klein said, ""Having a letter grade posted for all...

We've already told you where to find your gefilte fish, so let's talk about some of the other Seder staples: - The gang at Wheelhouse Pickles (read all about our trip to their pickle plant) has created More Roar Horseradish just in time for your Passover Seder, Easter dinner, or even just in time for lunch. Made from fresh grated horseradish, tarragon-infused white wine vinegar, honey and salt, it is made in small batches then...

The annual Gambero Rosso Slow Food Italian Wine Tasting reminds us a little of the Oscars. People lined up outside the Puck building anxious to get in, half the men are dressed in Armani and everybody’s dying to find out who will be the big star of the evening. The space is packed with industry-types, producers and wine geeks who are on the lookout for the next great Italian wines. The top producers honored at...

The annual Gambero Rosso Slow Food Italian Wine Tasting reminds us a little of the Oscars. People lined up outside the Puck building anxious to get in, half the men are dressed in Armani and everybody’s dying to find out who will be the big star of the evening. The space is packed with industry-types, producers and wine geeks who are on the lookout for the next great Italian wines. The top producers honored at...

- Is New York going to go the way of LA with posted letter grades for restaurant health inspections? - If you are getting your Seder meal planning underway, feel free to ping the experts over the NY Times with any questions you may have. Click here to email them a question or send it direct to diningqa [at] gmail.com. Funny how the Times even knows Gmail has great spam protection. - Sometimes not eating...

- Is New York going to go the way of LA with posted letter grades for restaurant health inspections? - If you are getting your Seder meal planning underway, feel free to ping the experts over the NY Times with any questions you may have. Click here to email them a question or send it direct to diningqa [at] gmail.com. Funny how the Times even knows Gmail has great spam protection. - Sometimes not eating...

Something new to add to the list of kitchen gear that very well may change your life forever: the Baker’s Edge Brownie Pan. Rejoice, all you edge-lovers of brownies, blondies, snickerdoodle bars, whatever- this one’s for you. Made of cast aluminum and sporting a blocky M-shape, with interior sidewalls spaced 2 and ½ inches apart, the Baker’s Edge pan is designed to give every slice of finished product at least 2, sometimes 3, edges of...

We've all heard the old adage that there's nothing more dangerous in the kitchen than a dull knife. A sharp knife cuts cleanly through things. A dull knife forces you to use more pressure, then may bounce off the surface of the onion you're trying to slice and onto another surface, such as--for instance--your hand. Ouch! Our favorite knife sharpener in town is Henry Westpfal, at 105 West 30th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues....

Workers at Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Grill have gone on strike - and have also been locked out by the owners - for over two weeks. Now, the workers have filed a lawsuit against Saigon Grill for a wide range of labor violations. According to the Justice Will Be Served, the group that is working with the workers: "The owners demanded workers sign an illegal contract, stating that they have received minimum wage, even though...

- As part of his "gearing up for Morandi" mode, Bruni takes a return trip to Balthazar and was not a happy camper. - The NY Sun brings us the fantastic news that the Mercadito team are expanding their empire. Callecito, which will focus on Mexcian street food, will be across the street from their Avenue B branch and is slated to open in June. - Grub Street's Josh Ozersky (a.k.a. Mr. Cutlets) recently taunted...

If you happen to be wandering around on Myrtle Avenue around say, 10 o’clock, it could surprise one that there is actually a business open. The small stores and beauty saloons (why are there so many of these?) that line the street all shut their gates by the time it gets real dark, and the street can feel like a wall of metal instead of a new strip of emerging restaurants and bars. For...

March 22: World Water Day As we've mentioned before, today is World Water Day. Over 290 local restaurants are participating in the Tap Project -- just fork up $1 for the tap water that's usually gratis and UNICEF will donate that money to help provide clean drinking water to children around the world. March 24: Spring Cooking Class Join Executive Chef Franck Deletrain from Café Centro to learn how to prepare a menu focusing on...

High profile chef Wolfgang Puck has taken foie gras off his menus. Farm Sanctuary, a organization dedicated to the protection of farm animals, had targetted Puck for an aggressive campaign beginning in 2004, and engaged him and his companies in conversation last summer along with the Humane Society of the United States. Puck's changes aren't limited to foie, but extend to more animal-friendly food practices across the board. According to the New York Times: He...

Tribesmen and women city-wide are frantically polishing off the last crumbs of their chametz and stockpiling matzo in preparation for Passover. April 2-10 is a torturous time for many and, though crispy potato kugels and nutty bowlfuls of charoset may soften the blow, there’s still a grim specter that hovers over Gothamist’s Passover table. We’re referring of course to gefilte fish, that jellied quenelle-like bitch of a dish whose nuances are often lost on the...

Chef Don Pintabono's Dani has been revamped with a focus on Southern Italy, and Sicilian cuisine in particular. He's brought in Greg Johnson, formerly of ESCA, Fresco by Scotto and Abboccato. Make sure to stop in on Thursdays -- the rabbit special is excellent. Eater chats with Harold Dieterle, the winner of "Top Chef" Season One, about his long-awaiting restaurant, Perilla, opening "late spring/early summer" at 9 Jones Street. Seafood market Wild Edibles has opened...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Sometimes the deals fall neatly in our lap, and a trip to the corner store is all that is needed, but this week we had to look a little harder. And that brought us to Fort Greene, and to a little grocery store called Bravo. When we walked in we were confronted by a wall of dozens upon dozens...

The Coupon Clipper scours the specials for the best deals in New York's big grocery stores. Sometimes the deals fall neatly in our lap, and a trip to the corner store is all that is needed, but this week we had to look a little harder. And that brought us to Fort Greene, and to a little grocery store called Bravo. When we walked in we were confronted by a wall of dozens upon dozens...

Bruni goes to Varietal, calls it "an epicurean Advanced Placement exam" and awards the restaurant one star. He says, "Varietal can become so entraced with the unusual ingredients it's deploying, the unconventional ideas it's hatching and the uncommon pose it's striking that it seems not to ponder the off-kilter or underwhelming results." He does love the wine selection, and, when combined with the best dishes, says eating there can be an exciting experience. Just order...

“We’re going to force him to eat some blood sausage. That’s what friends are for, right?” Behind the line, a cook nods, and Chef Brad Farmerie of Public restaurant gets back to the business of garnishing entrees. He stacks a few slices of house-made boudin noir on a small bread-and-butter plate, sending it out to a former sous chef who happens to be visiting from England. Farmerie, who turned 34 last week, presides over the...

If you've ever been to Pearl Oyster Bar, you might recognize Ed McFarland, who was the sous-chef there for six years. Ed has now struck out on his own with Ed's Lobster Bar, a spot for "New York seafood cuisine inspired by New England's long tradition." We stopped in on opening night for a peek and found a crisp bright interior dominated by a long, white marble bar, with appropriate sea-themed artwork adorning the...