Blogger Flatbush Pigeon recently noted the curious case of Pomegranate, the enormous new supermarket currently in its final stages of construction in Flatbush/Midwood. The food store takes the place of a kosher bakery, another store, and an auto repair shop. Giant pomegranates loom over Coney Island Avenue and Avenue L. The picture here belies the sheer size of the place—just take a look at Flatbush Pigeon’s photos. The blogger notes that “this isn't going to......

The other night we found ourselves craving shwarma as we strolled the stretch of Flushing’s Main Street that’s home to kosher groceries and dairy restaurants. As Gothamist approached Pita Hot, with visions of rotating meat dancing wildly in our head, we noticed an orange storefront out of the corner of our eye. Next to the utilitarian space that’s home to some of the borough’s best shwarma was a joint with a day-glo orange sign that......

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......

To make this sweet, salty, spicy, satisfyingly crisp bite o' banchan, we were inspired by elements from both of these two recipes from one of our favorite Korean food blogs, Evil Jungle Prince. Serve it alongside a meal with rice and several other dishes, or use it as an element in cooking something new and creative. Cubed Radish Kimchi 1 daikon radish (weighing approximately 1 1/2 lbs.) Water and kosher salt for brining 2 tsp......

At the Ethnic Market highlights international specialty foods and ingredients that you're very unlikely to find at your local Gristedes. Many of you out there remember snacking on pistachio nuts whose shells had been dyed red. Heck, as kids half the fun was watching your hands change color. The other day we found some pistachios that are just as fun to eat, but decidely more grown-up. While browsing among the dried nuts and fruits at......

End your 7/11/07 with a free 7.11 oz Slurpee today! All day 7-Eleven has been handing out the free frozen drink in celebration of their birthday. A little nutritional fact about the drink: "Slurpees are mostly water ice and are heavily infused with air; there is less food energy in a Slurpee than in the same volume of a soda.They are also generally considered kosher 'parve', as well as halal." Here are some Slurpee tips......

Just in time for the Fourth (and in case the Nathan's contest gave you a hankering), Jason Perlow at Off the Broiler brings us The Great Off the Broiler Hot Dog Tasting of 2007. Updating his oeuvre of 2004 for which he tasted fourteen hot dog varieties, Perlow expands his sampling pool to thirty-two different dogs. All we can add is, better you than us, buddy. His scoring system is quite thorough:Spicyness scores were......

"People create because they feel what everyone else is thinking." In 1964, Tommy Trantino was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of two New Jersey police officers. In 1971, the death penalty was over turned and Trantino was sentenced to life in prison. During that time, Trantino wrote to Leonard Weinglass, the lawyer who defended the Chicago Seven, which included social and political activist Abbie Hoffman. Through Hoffman, Trantino's letters were seen by......

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......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

Part of a larger block party on Eldridge Street tomorrow is the annual Egg Rolls and Egg Creams Festival. For just $2, (a dollar increase from last year), you get a kosher egg roll and a classic egg cream, mixed on site by a professional and made with Fox’s U-Bet chocolate syrup, the best choice for an authentic experience. The fried kosher egg roll will be missing the standard tiny bits of red pork, of......

With yesterday’s innocuous New York Times review of Katz’s Deli and the news last week that the 2nd Avenue Deli will be "recreated" in Murray Hill, it seems that forces of pastrami have won some kind of cosmic victory over the over the forces of real estate; forces that threaten to destroy old-fashioned New York dining institutions. The outer boroughs are home to a scattering of delicatessens where the pastrami sandwiches rival, and at times......

As we heard last week, Doc Martens released upon the world a new ad campaign starring some familiar faces: Kurt Cobain, Sid Vicious, Joe Strummer and Joey Ramone. The deceased musicians were depicted wearing the shoes in "heaven," but there was no approval for using their images. Courtney Love promptly issued a statement, the ad company was fired and Doc Martens - though apologetic - looked really, really bad. Now Joey Ramone's brother, Mickey......

- Passover is here, so naturally it is time for matzo brei, there was even a brei off at Makor over the weekend. While we are at it, here is a take on matzo ball soup for the excellent Cooking for Engineers. - Speaking of the Passover holiday, apparently the recipe for Coke switches in order to conform to kosher rules, here is a look at what it means to you and how to find......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: "crack in wall of building" in Williamsburg, three alarm fire on West 65th, and an overturned truck on Park Avenue. Just what the meatpacking district needs: dirty bingo. "A Queens man is suing his ex-girlfriend for $1 million, claiming she just used him to get pregnant before running off with a man who was better endowed." Like that's never happened to you! Is Matzoh made in a converted schoolbus......

On Passover, Coca-Cola makes special Kosher Coke with regular sugar (instead of corn syrup)-- it tastes like the Mexican version enjoyed by many Coke enthusiasts. You can recognize it by the yellow cap and OU-P symbol. Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: DOA floater in the Harlem River, serious MVA in Brooklyn Heights, and a boat fire in City Island. Caffeine fiends rejoice: free coffee at local Starbucks tomorrow from 10am to 12 noon. The......

February 25: Oscar Night at Bottlerocket Since the real nominees are unavailable, Bottlerocket has chosen wines to represent the actors in their absence. A sampling of stand-ins: - Peter O'Toole - Bordeaux - Tour Simard 1999 - A classic Claret with a little bit of bottle age. But holding up very well thank you very much. - Forest Whitaker - Earthquake Petite Sirah - An actor so powerful, so compelling, so strong. Oh yeah. You......

While our comparatively well-paid proxies jetted off to enjoy their three-day weekends in the sun, Gothamist stayed home and indulged our sorrows with what we imagined (wrongly, as it happens) would be a journey into the bleakest corners of the former Soviet Union—Vostok, a traditional Bukharian restaurant deep in the heart of Boro Park. For the uninitiated, the term Bukharian refers to a community of Central Asian Jews originally coming out of the city of......

Bruni no-stars Kobe Club, Jeffrey Chodorow's contribution to the steakhouse scene. Finds the Kobe "rapturous," but the restaurant as a whole crazily overpriced and gimmicky. Says it presents "too many insipid or insulting dishes at prices that draw blood from anyone without a trust fund or an expense account." And Eater (scroll down) is off by a star this week, having put their money on one-star for Kobe Club. Also in the Times, Peter Meehan......

Don’t be fooled by the tired lasso of rope lights in the window; the standard issue take-out cups with frilly script “Cappuccino” on the sides. Don't be waylaid by the miniature vortex of sales circulars attacking your ankles as you approach 1985 Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn: The winner for the hardest working phyllo in the five boroughs is steps away, inside Güllüoglu. With a few hardwood tables and some scattered recliners, Güllüoglu (julie-oo-oh-la )......

Some exciting news from the NY Sun: The 2nd Avenue Deli may have a 2nd life as a restaurant in Murray Hill. Annie Karni reports that the Lebewohl family is about to close on 162 East 33rd Street, a five story walkup building near Third Avenue. Clearly, buying is better than paying $33,000 in monthly rent, which is what caused the deli to close last January (the rent was increased from $24,000 and there......

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading......

- Looks like the upcoming Whole Foods is not gonna let their proposed wine store go down without a fight. Gothamist ran into some petition signature collectors on the street in the EV over the weekend. Their pitch was for support of an all organic wine store on the same site as the new pricey grocery depot – separate entrance of course. - Speaking of the EV, Jerry Kurowycky and his family’s eponymous butcher/provisions shop......

It’s not that hard, you just need a plan. Things you have to have: - Turkey – you want it almost room-temperature before cooking, read below for a solid tip on the pre-bake temperature. As far as selection for further reading try here, here or go with what you know. - Pan – use one with a deep wire rack if possible or use lots of longwise cut up vegetables (carrots, celery, onion) as a......

Start talking about concord grapes and thoughts often quickly turn to jelly, juice and Jewish wine. Products made with concord grapes often have an inky tint so dark that they are sometimes mistaken for containing artificial colorings. Helped by a strong resistance to cold weather, the concord grows abundantly throughout the Northeast and has a long storied tradition in spite of its less than optimal table grape characteristics. Decades ago people with last names like......

- Streetsblog notes how the NYPD parking abuse scandal gets crazier as one cop harasses a CBS 2 reporter and as one Chinatown businessman is arrested for photographing illegaly parked cars - Something all three candidates for Governor can agree on: SUNY and CUNY should not be merged - Horrible story: A woman abandoned her three year old child in Chinatown, after an argument with her husband - bitter divorce or no bitter divorce,......

The tragic death of Natalie Smead at the Woodside LIRR station made people wonder how the 18 year old could fall between the train car and platform in the first place. (Smead fell into the track, then rolled over to another train track where an incoming train hit her.) The answer becomes clearer in today's Daily News: The gap at the Woodside station was six to eight inches. Now, sure, the train conductors say to......

We love Fresh Direct for its convenience, if nothing else. They've taken it one step further by incorporating a new feature called One-Click Recipes: over 400 recipes from 53 cookbooks including The Silver Palate, The New Basics, The Barbecue Bible, the French Laundry and Bouchon cookbooks, and, one of our favorites, the New York Cookbook. Fresh Direct plans to add new recipes to the site regularly. Not only is there a great search feature......

- Cops caught a man on the terror watch list yesterday after writing him a fine for smoking on an elevated train platform. - Mark Green, clear! - A State Department worker "cruising down 34th Street with three scantily clad women" in a government car smashed into a taxi after ignoring a red light yesterday. - Silly NJTransit, running double-decker cars without making sure they'll fit. - Bartha Bartha might be dead and buried,......

East Village residents, you lost the chopped liver, but now you get teeth cleanings: The Villager finds out that the old 2nd Avenue Deli space will be split into a dental office and food space. Vital Dent, a dental franchise that has been seen more and more in the city (Vital Dent took over the old Chambers Street Burritoville location a while back), could be opening in September if the contract is signed next......