Oktoberfest has been over for quite sometime now, but that's never stopped us from enjoying good German beer and sausages. Which is exactly how we wound up at Austrian newcomer Cafe Katja last night. There's also something to be said for such hearty meat-laden fare as the mercury drops. And judging by how crowded the small dining room was when we left, a lot of New Yorkers felt the same way last night. While......

It would seem that the area around Rego Park and Forest Hills that we like to call Rego Parkistan could scarcely support another kosher kebab joint given how ubiquitous these restaurants specializing in Uzbeki cuisine have become. By our reckoning there at least seven of these spots proffering swordlike skewers laden with lamb, chicken and beef along with various Central Asian salads and meat pies. What’s more, with exception of a few that offer such......

Gastronauts seeking Indian fare have rocketed along the 7 line to 74 St./Roosevelt Ave. for a decade or more. Sadly many Jackson Heights stars, including the Jackson Diner, have long faded. Even when one finds tasty grub it still seems like eating from a vast steam table. Nevertheless, we hold out hope and were glad to happen upon Malgudi. The tiny spot's red awning announced “South & North Indian Restaurant.” Even before a menu hit......

Clippers Cuisine in Lefrak City has all the things one associates with a great Jamaican restaurant: killer oxtail, patties and coco bread, such traditional breakfasts as ackee and salt cod and the requisite easygoing dancehall reggae soundtrack. It also has one another claim to fame. The menu cites it as Naomi Campbell's favorite Jamaican restaurant. At first we were skeptical about that claim, but a quick check of W Magazine proved its veracity. The other......

Maybe it’s the weather, but lately Gothamist has been craving Indian food. Rather than go to one of the numerous steam-table joints in Jackson Heights, we decided to give Hyderabadi, a new restaurant in Woodside down the street from the much-acclaimed Spicy Mina’s a try. The scuttlebutt on Chowhound was that this spot serves cuisine from the South Indian city of Hyderabad, renowned for its myriad biryanis and the mysterious Chicken 65, among other things.......

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......

Roosevelt Avenue in the high 50s is better known for its Irish bars, particularly Donovan's Pub and its legendary cheeseburger, than it is for Filipino fare. That's not to say that Woodside doesn't have any Filipino restaurants, it's just that most of them are confined to Little Manila, a strip of Roosevelt between 69th and 71st streets. Now all that's changed thanks to Engeline's Restaurant & Bakeshop, which opened just down the block from Donovan's......

Located on a stretch of Metropolitan Avenue in Forest Hills better known for antique stores and Eddie's Sweet Shop, a turn-of-the-century soda fountain, is Ran, a small storefront that offers some of the best sushi in Queens. Gothamist isn't sure if the name comes from the Kurosawa flick whose title has been translated to mean chaos or wretchedness, but there's nothing wretched or chaotic here. It's all about impeccably fresh fish expertly prepared. Last week,......

Rego Park and Forest Hills have been home to Uzbeki immigrants for so long that many residents and outsiders now refer to the area by the collective name Rego Parkistan. By our count there are at least a half dozen kosher kebab joints between the Boulevard of Death and 108 Street. All of these spots feature flat swordlike skewers upon which have been impaled meat, fish and the occasional vegetable, as well as such "national......

One of our favorite things about Flushing is the proliferation of Northern Chinese restaurants and street carts specializing in lamb. One of the best out there is A Fan Ti. It's a spot that would make Fergus Henderson proud. Sometimes we're not sure whether this place's name should translate to "nose-to-tail eating" or "everything but the bleat." Like many Northern Chinese spots, A Fan Ti specializes in the cuisine of Xinjiang, particularly lamb. A Fan......

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......

Since opening day, Joe Ng's dumplings have been proclaimed by critics to be the highlight of the Chinatown Brasserie menu. Since opening, the original Chef, Tyson Wong Ophaso, has left, elevating Joe's position in the kitchen. Thankfully, the quality of the dumplings has remained intact through the change. Although you can't expect Chinatown prices (each order of dim sum ranges from $6 to $15 at lunchtime, a buck or two more at dinner), the......

Brothers Eric and Bruce Bromberg are continuing to increase the size of the Blue Ribbon empire. Their latest addition, Blue Ribbon Bar, is an intimate spot with only about 20 seats, but the wine list is extensive, even offering a variety of flights. Given the proximity to Blue Ribbon Bakery and Blue Ribbon Market, it should come as no suprise that the menu has a section dedicated to "toasts," featuring pates, cheeses, and hand-churned......

Michael Ayoub is building on the success of Fornino with the opening of his latest restaurant, Cronkite Pizzeria & Wine Bar. Cronkite, located in the Lower East Side, opened to friends and family last Friday and to the public yesterday. The restaurant is so new that it still smells like paint! When we saw Ayoub last night, he told Gothamist that Crokite is still a work in progress. With its custom-made gas-fired brick-lined oven,......

Bringing you a roundup of recent reviews across the food blogs: - Jason Perlow gives us a close look at the inner workings of Momofuku's Ssäm Bar at Off the Broiler, including the menu. - Augieland and Snack bring on the menus and food porn from L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. - Foodite presents the Nobu vs. Morimoto omakase smackdown. - Mona's Apple visits Blau Gans, the Clean Plate Club heads to 'ino, and Restaurant Girl......

We recently got the opportunity to take a peek at Japonais, the much-anticipated Chicago import from partners Rick Wahlstedt, Miae Lim, and Jeffrey Beers. A great deal of detail went into the majestic space -- approximately 11,350 square feet (includes both inside and outside areas), which seats close to 300 patrons -- decked out with gold banquettes, red plush chairs, and multiple seating areas, including the bar and lounge, main dining room, an upstairs......

Although we didn't have much more than an iced coffee on our visit this time around, we wanted to share some pictures of the beautiful Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center. The pastries looked gorgeous, and we were quite tempted both by the macaroons (we were sent home with some after our visit to per se) and by something they were calling a nutter butter that appeared to be two large peanut butter......

Despite the fact that we live in Greenpoint, Gothamist never quite got around to trying out the Polish fare in the area. After reading about Joe's trip to Lomzynianka last month, we knew that it was time to take the plunge. Lucky for us, some of our friends were craving some Polish food over the weekend (because it's always better to eat with other people). They had heard good things about Christina's Restaurant, so......

While Gothamist first had Ethiopian food several years ago at Meskerem, our most vivid memory of Ethiopian has to be Ben Stiller eating it in Along Came Polly (yeah, we rent every new release on Netflix no matter how bad). Over the weekend, we went to Ghenet with a bunch of other people, which is perfect if you're eating Ethiopian. We ordered plenty of food, which came with a couple of plates of injera.......

One of the best things about Chinese New Year is how there is always great food to eat. And, unlike a western New Year's Eve, you don't usually end up with a hangover the next day. Sometimes, you will get lucky with Chinese New Year, but in the form of a lucky red envelope. Over the weekend, Gothamist gathered with our family for some delicious eating. Pictured above are "lion's head" meatballs, a whole......

Gothamist's early memories of egg custard include eating them at dim sum or at a pastry stores like Maria's, but we recently experienced something totally different. After seeing David Yee's photo of the Egg Custard King Cafe on flickr we knew that we had to have at least one egg custard. What we didn't know and probably shouldn't have done was that we would end up eating four in a sitting. The things we......

We keep reading that Sripraphai is an "authentic tasting" Thai restaurant, but what do we know. The last and only time we went to Thailand, Gothamist was just a wee youngin'. We can say, however, that Sripraphai is mighty tasty and the food isn't overwhelmingly sweet like some places we've eaten at (we're looking at you, Sea). Pronounced SEE-PAH-FYE, Sripraphai has been open for several years in its Woodside location. It's received a glowing......

As we mentioned briefly last week, the Taiwanese restaurant Din Tai Fung is in town. With arguably the best soup dumplings in the world, Din Tai Fung is in New York until Sunday, November 20th at the Sheraton in Flushing. The menu is limited to only 15 items with items supposedly flown over from Taiwan, which included regular soup dumplings, as well as those with crab meat, two types of shao mai, and Din......

Gothamist recently had a chance to visit Bleu Drawes Cafe in northern Greenpoint for some really tasty Jamaican food. The tiny restaurant - we're talking 16 seats here - has a delicious jerk chicken and a signature dessert of sweet-potato pudding. The only drawback (or benefit, depending on how you feel) is that Bleu Drawes is difficult to get to. More about Bleu Drawes cafe on Citysearch, New York Metro and some more photos......

Bozu in Williamsburg serves tasty Japanese Tapas, mostly priced under $10. Be prepared, however, for tapas-sized portions and expense after you end up ordering several dishes. While they do serve some traditional sushi at Bozu, they also have "sushi bombs" (2nd picture in the extended entry). More about Bozu at New York Metro, Free Williamsburg, and some more photos on Tien's site. Bozu 296 Grand St. (btwn Havemeyer and Roebling) 718-384-7770......

......

......

......

......

......